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recently i have been having a lot of problems with my phones. when i bought the phone it was great until about a month ago the accelerometer got messed up and everything went into landscape for no reason, so after two weeks of dealing with that problem i called t-mo and they had me go through the usual troubleshooting steps which i had already tried. they asked if the phone was rooted and i acted like i had no idea what that meant, and they sent a replacement(refurb) about a week into using the refurb i was having really bad battery life of about 20 minutes, i called t-mo again and told them my battery was shot and what was going on. they decided that the phone was broke but they would send me another battery as well.
then i got the phone 4 days ago and it seems now that the touchscreen is going out. i went to pull my notification bar down cause i had an email and my app bar came up, when i tried to close it nothing happened. right now it seems that the entire screen thinks i am touching 3 inches below where i am and so i have been using the phone without touching the screen(not fun), so i called t-mo again. first thing they asked me was if the touchscreen not working was inhibiting my everyday use of the phone, obviously it is affecting my usage of the phone since i got it because it was a touchscreen. t-mo told me after a few minutes of looking up my info that since they have sent three phones out(even though i told them not to on one of them) that i have to take it up with HTC. HTC is telling me that i have to take it up with t-mo. if i am not mistaken all refurbs come with either a 90 day warranty or the remainder of the one year on the original phone whichever comes first. i know there are some t-mo employees here, so please tell me who i should talk to or what i should say to get my phone fixed, this is ridiculous that i got the rufurb and it doesn't even work. aren't they supposed to test each one before they send it out?
thanks in advance guys
Yes they are suppose to test it out but those big companies... ahhh. I'm convinced that T-Mobile should be the company you should talk to for a replacement. They should provide you with another one since it's within the 90 day warranty. If they tell you to talk to HTC tell them HTC told you to talk to them. Not much but I can say Hope you have better luck!
Sounds tough dude! I've been lucky enough to always have re-furbs work for me, but sounds like you're not having my luck :/.
I have an insurance plan with T-Mobile, $7 a month, and lets you replace your phone, no questions asked, anytime you want. You can try seeing if you want to sign up for that and then they take care of it through the company that does the insurance for T-Mobile, and skips HTC and T-Mobile altogether.
Best to call T-Mobile and get them to get in touch with HTC direct to try and solve the issue.
As for the screen always going to Landscape mode, this used to happen to me. I figured out a fix when I noticed the Fancy Animation setting was causing the issue in Spare Parts. I disabled it and the screen was auto-rotating fine.
After disabling the Fancy animations in the settings too and then re-enabling them back and in Spare Parts, all was well.
Hello Xda,
This is my first post here although I've lurked for quite some time looking for answers and help.
I just got my droid 4 over winter break and I have been loving it since. The update to JB was nice but it took me some time to get it right because I am special™.
Anyways, here's my problem: A few weeks ago I was napping on a couch and I rolled over and the phone fell to the ground screen down. Later that morning the touch screen started acting erratically where it would not work until i locked and unlocked the phone. After having that happen a few times later that day the touch screen went out completely. I rebooted the phone by holding the lockscreen down and using the keyboard to select power off. When I turned it back on even the lock screen had started being screwy, which leaves me to where I am now. The lock screen locks the phone perfectly, but it i have to hit it multiple times and hope that it will turn on in the next 5-10 before trying again. The touch screen still does not work. I have read around and saw that it could be the digitizer. I took the phone apart once to make sure nothing was loose anywhere before I bought it and since that did not fix the phone I went ahead and purchased a new digitzer. I just finished installing it and I'm still having the same issues. So xda, I'm lost.
I really don't feel like buying a new phone and I'd love to try and repair this. Does anyone have any ideas on where the problem could be? I checked the pins on the back of the mobo and they looked fine. I just left the phone on a bit too long and got about 2 weeks worth of texts so it still runs smoothly..just without a damn touch screen.
Thank you for your help and reading this wall of text!
Edit: I just realized lockscreen is meant to be lock button in the title, sorry for any confusion!
WhyDroidWhy said:
Hello Xda,
This is my first post here although I've lurked for quite some time looking for answers and help.
I just got my droid 4 over winter break and I have been loving it since. The update to JB was nice but it took me some time to get it right because I am special™.
Anyways, here's my problem: A few weeks ago I was napping on a couch and I rolled over and the phone fell to the ground screen down. Later that morning the touch screen started acting erratically where it would not work until i locked and unlocked the phone. After having that happen a few times later that day the touch screen went out completely. I rebooted the phone by holding the lockscreen down and using the keyboard to select power off. When I turned it back on even the lock screen had started being screwy, which leaves me to where I am now. The lock screen locks the phone perfectly, but it i have to hit it multiple times and hope that it will turn on in the next 5-10 before trying again. The touch screen still does not work. I have read around and saw that it could be the digitizer. I took the phone apart once to make sure nothing was loose anywhere before I bought it and since that did not fix the phone I went ahead and purchased a new digitzer. I just finished installing it and I'm still having the same issues. So xda, I'm lost.
I really don't feel like buying a new phone and I'd love to try and repair this. Does anyone have any ideas on where the problem could be? I checked the pins on the back of the mobo and they looked fine. I just left the phone on a bit too long and got about 2 weeks worth of texts so it still runs smoothly..just without a damn touch screen.
Thank you for your help and reading this wall of text!
Edit: I just realized lockscreen is meant to be lock button in the title, sorry for any confusion!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! That's bizaare. I can safely say that I've dropped my Droid 4 multiple times in the year that I've owned it, including on hard surfaces, and I've never had any problems as such. Sorry to hear about your troubles.
This sounds like a pretty in depth hardware issue, and I think it's beyond my scope of knowledge, But, I would like to ask, did you buy the phone from a third party? Or directly from your service provider? Because if you bought it from your provider, I was going to ask if you had insurance on the phone. If not, that sort of issue may very well be under warranty, depending on when the phone was manufactured. But, you probably voided it if you opened it up and changed a component in it
The only other advice I can offer, outside of buying a new phone, would be to take it to a third party repair shop. If you're in the U.S., Verizon has an independent franchise called Wireless Zone that I believe does phone and tablet repairs. I'd see if there's one in your area. Me personally, I think I'd just avoid the hassle and buy a new phone, but it's up to you. Not sure how much you can find a D4 for on eBay or Craigslist these days, but I'd go that route. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck!
Airman1947 said:
Wow! That's bizaare. I can safely say that I've dropped my Droid 4 multiple times in the year that I've owned it, including on hard surfaces, and I've never had any problems as such. Sorry to hear about your troubles.
This sounds like a pretty in depth hardware issue, and I think it's beyond my scope of knowledge, But, I would like to ask, did you buy the phone from a third party? Or directly from your service provider? Because if you bought it from your provider, I was going to ask if you had insurance on the phone. If not, that sort of issue may very well be under warranty, depending on when the phone was manufactured. But, you probably voided it if you opened it up and changed a component in it
The only other advice I can offer, outside of buying a new phone, would be to take it to a third party repair shop. If you're in the U.S., Verizon has an independent franchise called Wireless Zone that I believe does phone and tablet repairs. I'd see if there's one in your area. Me personally, I think I'd just avoid the hassle and buy a new phone, but it's up to you. Not sure how much you can find a D4 for on eBay or Craigslist these days, but I'd go that route. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck!
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I had dropped it many times(I'm very clumsy with my phone) before that. This was not even the worst drop of them all so it really confuses me too. I did buy it off ebay so there was no hope for warranty which is why I went down the try and fix it myself route. I did exactly as you said a few days ago. I gave up and bought another one off craigslist. A case is already on the way too so this does not happen again. My theory is that the connections from the front half of the phone(the led/digitizer, etc) where the two pieces attach back to the circuit board have gone bad somehow. I zombiefied the phone with just the circuit board and the screen to see if pressing in different spots would fix anything but to no avail. I'm just going to hold on to it for awhile and mess with it in my spare time now hehe. Thanks for the advice!
Edit: I just wish Motorola would come out with the Droid 5 or some other new smartphone with a keyboard. I guess I'm old school but I can't go with a touchscreen only phone
WhyDroidWhy said:
I had dropped it many times(I'm very clumsy with my phone) before that. This was not even the worst drop of them all so it really confuses me too. I did buy it off ebay so there was no hope for warranty which is why I went down the try and fix it myself route. I did exactly as you said a few days ago. I gave up and bought another one off craigslist. A case is already on the way too so this does not happen again. My theory is that the connections from the front half of the phone(the led/digitizer, etc) where the two pieces attach back to the circuit board have gone bad somehow. I zombiefied the phone with just the circuit board and the screen to see if pressing in different spots would fix anything but to no avail. I'm just going to hold on to it for awhile and mess with it in my spare time now hehe. Thanks for the advice!
Edit: I just wish Motorola would come out with the Droid 5 or some other new smartphone with a keyboard. I guess I'm old school but I can't go with a touchscreen only phone
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Ah, ok. Well, that's still pretty crazy that it happened. Sorry for the delayed response, but anyway glad to hear that you've got a new one on the way, and a new case coming too.
Yeah, I'm the same way. I got the D4 cuz I really like having a keyboard. Unfortunately, it looks like it may be the last keyboard phone to come out for a while, if ever. But on a sidenote, a lot of the newer phones with big screens have really good touchscreens that I think wouldn't be so bad to type on. My girlfriend's GS3 is awesome. I think I could get used to it. And even if you get touchscreen only phone, I do believe that there are a number of third party keyboards you can buy that will plug into the phone. That will probably be the way to go in the future.
I cracked my nexus 6 on the corner yesterday. I bumbled it while getting out of the car. I thought I saved it as I was able to handle it all the way down to about 2-3 inches from the ground but couldn't fight it off. It finally left my hand and dropped corner first onto the concrete. The tempered glass looks to be holding it together but it's a hideous sight so I plan on using my moto care to get it replaced. What's the process as I've never used it before.
Well so far this process has been a huge pain in the ass. I've been on the phone for about 1.5-2 hours. They can't find my IMEI number in the system.
first they asked me to email the receipt and they would call me back. I asked them why I couldn't just give them the order number of the phone, or the moto care contract number. They said they could do that. After that they still couldn't find my information so they had to escalate me. Once escalated they still couldn't find my information but they said to give them 24 hours.
I'll update more as the saga continues. So far NOT satisfied......
^^^ this is not encouraging to hear after purchasing MotoCare with my N6.
Hope it works out well for you! :fingers-crossed:
Been dealing with them for almost a month, have fun
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
02840 said:
^^^ this is not encouraging to hear after purchasing MotoCare with my N6.
Hope it works out well for you! :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so far the update is that the IMEI is not in their system and they have to get it updated in their database properly. They said it could take them some time. Definitely does not sound promising. Thank god the phone is still functional. Perhaps you can be pro-active and get them to make sure your phone is in the system properly so when the time comes, replacing your device will be much easier.
biggiestuff said:
so far the update is that the IMEI is not in their system and they have to get it updated in their database properly. They said it could take them some time. Definitely does not sound promising. Thank god the phone is still functional. Perhaps you can be pro-active and get them to make sure your phone is in the system properly so when the time comes, replacing your device will be much easier.
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Click to collapse
Which is hilarious because they sold you the device and I'm pretty sure require the IMEI to purchase moto care. I had the same problem on 2 separate devices from them. Make sure they transfer your moto care to your replacement as well (they won't).
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
biggiestuff said:
so far the update is that the IMEI is not in their system and they have to get it updated in their database properly. They said it could take them some time. Definitely does not sound promising. Thank god the phone is still functional. Perhaps you can be pro-active and get them to make sure your phone is in the system properly so when the time comes, replacing your device will be much easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update. Would've been nice to hear better things. Maybe posting to their Twitter account will get more action, and more attention, once it's out there for more then just the community here to see.
I did check my Certificate of Coverage that was emailed after Moto Care purchase and my IMEI is listed as "Serial Number". A call to them to confirm might be a good idea.
02840 said:
Thanks for the update. Would've been nice to hear better things. Maybe posting to their Twitter account will get more action, and more attention, once it's out there for more then just the community here to see.
I did check my Certificate of Coverage that was emailed after Moto Care purchase and my IMEI is listed as "Serial Number". A call to them to confirm might be a good idea.
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Looks like they got everything squared away. Hopefully they got the right phone coming to me. I'll be pissed if they mistakenly send me a blue 32gb. They said replacement should be here 4-5 business days.
biggiestuff said:
Looks like they got everything squared away. Hopefully they got the right phone coming to me. I'll be pissed if they mistakenly send me a blue 32gb. They said replacement should be here 4-5 business days.
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't want to even think about that. I waited very patiently for my white 64gb, I'd be rather disheartened if they messed up the replacement. Glad to hear it sounds like it's all good, for now... fingers crossed that the worse is over for you.
02840 said:
Wouldn't want to even think about that. I waited very patiently for my white 64gb, I'd be rather disheartened if they messed up the replacement. Glad to hear it sounds like it's all good, for now... fingers crossed that the worse is over for you.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, my recommendation to everyone with moto care is to be proactive and make sure your phones are in the system properly so when the time comes everything is smooth.
My experience was totally painless with motocare.
I purchased my n6 off of Craigslist. When I got home, I dropped my phone on the tile floor and cracked the screen. I signed up for motocare, and within 12 hours I got an email conformation everything was set up.
I started a claim online, and a new phone was shipped overnight to me.
I packaged up my old phone and overnighted it back to Motorola.
nmarietta said:
My experience was totally painless with motocare.
I purchased my n6 off of Craigslist. When I got home, I dropped my phone on the tile floor and cracked the screen. I signed up for motocare, and within 12 hours I got an email conformation everything was set up.
I started a claim online, and a new phone was shipped overnight to me.
I packaged up my old phone and overnighted it back to Motorola.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get a brand new phone with accessories? I just received my replacment phone and just the phone came in a bubble wrap package. no screen film on the front or the camera. There are minute (very very small) grooves on the bottom of the phone. You can't see them but you can feel them. These don't exist on my previous phone. For some reason I expected a brand new phone when using moto care
biggiestuff said:
Did you get a brand new phone with accessories? I just received my replacment phone and just the phone came in a bubble wrap package. no screen film on the front or the camera. There are minute (very very small) grooves on the bottom of the phone. You can't see them but you can feel them. These don't exist on my previous phone. For some reason I expected a brand new phone when using moto care
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the phone I received was refurbished. It did not have any film on the screen. However it came in a new box with the paperwork and fast charger.
Is anyone else experiencing issue with their screen not rotating to landscape? I don't know if it's me or if there's an issue with the phone itself. I noticed last night my screen wasn't rotating during video playback on Youtube or when surfing the internet.
JediMindTrixx said:
Is anyone else experiencing issue with their screen not rotating to landscape? I don't know if it's me or if there's an issue with the phone itself. I noticed last night my screen wasn't rotating during video playback on Youtube or when surfing the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your not alone.. There are already a few threads talking about the same issue
Brian288 said:
Your not alone.. There are already a few threads talking about the same issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thread HERE dealing with people edge not working was a result of a bad accelerometer. Same issues: calendar and apps not rotating. I downloaded a clinometer app and would only see the accelerometer track about 14 degrees off center and then stop as I rotated the phone.
I returned the phone this morning for a new one and all's well. 64 GB Whites are starting to sell out though. I had to drive to a BB about 30 minutes away to get a replacement.
jeff_roey said:
My thread HERE dealing with people edge not working was a result of a bad accelerometer. Same issues: calendar and apps not rotating. I downloaded a clinometer app and would only see the accelerometer track about 14 degrees off center and then stop as I rotated the phone.
I returned the phone this morning for a new one and all's well. 64 GB Whites are starting to sell out though. I had to drive to a BB about 30 minutes away to get a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same and found out mine is doing the same thing.
Yeah, I went to Verizon yesterday and they were going to replace it and they didn't have any 64GB white edges. No one within 150 miles does. I have fourteen days to get a new one either by waiting for it to come to the store. I called VZW and they can't do it over the phone and guarantee me a new phone.
So, I will wait for a new one.
Got my replacement and everything is good to go...
You can close this thread.
I'm having the rotation issue too. I've read other places that is a software issue. Gunna have to get a replacement tomorrow.
Well after doing the run arounds with Verizon they're finally sending me a new phone. I called the local stores and there's not a single one within 60 miles that has the white 64GB Edge in stock. I was very hesitant doing it over the phone, but they said they didn't have any certified like new devices yet so that I would most likely get a new device. I did tell them though that I would send it right back if it wasn't a brand new device. Its a shame there's not a simple fix for this issue.
brholt6 said:
Well after doing the run arounds with Verizon they're finally sending me a new phone. I called the local stores and there's not a single one within 60 miles that has the white 64GB Edge in stock. I was very hesitant doing it over the phone, but they said they didn't have any certified like new devices yet so that I would most likely get a new device. I did tell them though that I would send it right back if it wasn't a brand new device. Its a shame there's not a simple fix for this issue.
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Click to collapse
I was in the same boat. No white 64GB edge within 200 miles. I went through the same thing on the phone with Verizon. I had to explain to the CSR on the phone that it is not a warranty claim nor an insurance claim. It is an exchange and there is absolutely no reason for not getting a brand new phone.... But they wanted me to send the phone to them first and then they would send me a brand new one after receiving the bad one. Good you are getting a new one. I actually went a got a black one from the store. I had, had enough of Verizon and just wanted a properly functioning phone.
JediMindTrixx said:
I was in the same boat. No white 64GB edge within 200 miles. I went through the same thing on the phone with Verizon. I had to explain to the CSR on the phone that it is not a warranty claim nor an insurance claim. It is an exchange and there is absolutely no reason for not getting a brand new phone.... But they wanted me to send the phone to them first and then they would send me a brand new one after receiving the bad one. Good you are getting a new one. I actually went a got a black one from the store. I had, had enough of Verizon and just wanted a properly functioning phone.
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Click to collapse
Ya, if it's not new I'll just swap it out at the store for a regular S6. At this point I'm just hoping they keep their word and it's a new device. I'm not a very patient person and with as much time as I've already put in with Verizon, it's not worth it to keep swapping phones.
How's your replacement working so far?
Gave droid-life some info on the issue and they did a write up. Hopefully it'll get some more attention and we'll get a definite answer on the cause from Samsung soon.
brholt6 said:
Ya, if it's not new I'll just swap it out at the store for a regular S6. At this point I'm just hoping they keep their word and it's a new device. I'm not a very patient person and with as much time as I've already put in with Verizon, it's not worth it to keep swapping phones.
How's your replacement working so far?
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Click to collapse
I'm not patient either... Especially when it comes to stuff like this. You should call Verizon after you get your phone and see if they can credit your account for all the hassle. They credited me $40.
Hope it all works out for you!
JediMindTrixx said:
I'm not patient either... Especially when it comes to stuff like this. You should call Verizon after you get your phone and see if they can credit your account for all the hassle. They credited me $40.
Hope it all works out for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! If the same issue pops up on the new phone I'll definitely be doing that.
So far so good. I'm doing a fast charge to see if that makes it kick the bucket, then I'll add my apps again. If it goes bonkers in a few days, I'll move on to the S6. Anyways, what I wanted to post is some disappointing news (for me). It'll be hard to tell unless anyone else has this issue and can download the "Phone Info Samsung" app. My original phone that had the issue was made on 3-29-15 in China. The phone they replaced it with was also made on 3-29-15 in China. If its hardware related, surely I'm screwed.
Got my edge on launch day and was fine for one day, then wouldn't rotate. So, I replaced it. Agaij, for one day it was fine and then started to not rotate again. I wasn't going to replace it every time this happened, so I waited it out and as of yesterday, the rotation is working fine, like it just fixed itself.
Sent from my SM-G925V using XDA Free mobile app
the phone i have that is not working was made on 2015.04.02 (not sure if February or April) and also made in China. I will check when i get the new phone to find out.
I'm having the same problem. I honestly didn't even realize it until I started seeing people with the issue... Now it bothers the hell out of me. I'm going to try to get a new one from a store after work today.
Although I find it hard to believe it's a hardware issue when this many devices are seeing it. Working right out of the box and then all of a sudden it stops is pretty indicative of software in my eyes... At least that's what I'm hoping for.
Sent from my SM-G925V using XDA Free mobile app
eorsini said:
I'm having the same problem. I honestly didn't even realize it until I started seeing people with the issue... Now it bothers the hell out of me. I'm going to try to get a new one from a store after work today.
Although I find it hard to believe it's a hardware issue when this many devices are seeing it. Working right out of the box and then all of a sudden it stops is pretty indicative of software in my eyes... At least that's what I'm hoping for.
Sent from my SM-G925V using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont mind, download the Phone Info Samsung app and share when and where your device was made. Seems like devices made in China are the majority of the ones with the issue.
brholt6 said:
If you dont mind, download the Phone Info Samsung app and share when and where your device was made. Seems like devices made in China are the majority of the ones with the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDITED: Downloaded the wrong app. I'm an idiot.
Made in China. Manufacture date: 2015.03.29
eorsini said:
EDITED: Downloaded the wrong app. I'm an idiot.
Made in China. Manufacture date: 2015.03.29
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Click to collapse
I'm definitely starting to guess it has something to do with the phones made in China. What sucks is the replacement phone I just got was made on 3-29-15 in China too.
Thanks for sharing your info btw!
brholt6 said:
I'm definitely starting to guess it has something to do with the phones made in China. What sucks is the replacement phone I just got was made on 3-29-15 in China too.
Thanks for sharing your info btw!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the next question I have is... does anyone have a phone that WASN'T made in China? I haven't seen anyone mention it was made elsewhere.
I'm thinking of purchasing a Pixel 5a off of eBay, but I just started seeing all the (very large number of) threads on reddit about the BSOD/motherboard issue with the 5a. How widespread is this problem? Is it better to avoid this phone and get the 4a5g instead?
cb474 said:
I'm thinking of purchasing a Pixel 5a off of eBay, but I just started seeing all the (very large number of) threads on reddit about the BSOD/motherboard issue with the 5a. How widespread is this problem? Is it better to avoid this phone and get the 4a5g instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's widespread enough that Google officially extended the warranty from 1 year to 2 (https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/11833075?hl=en)
I don't know if it's a bad idea or not. I've been running the phone with the hope that it won't happen.
i´m using my 5a in Argentina from more than 1 year now, all ok, never any fail
I got mine in November 2021. Still using it. I'd be more concerned about getting one off of eBay myself.
Dopamin3 said:
It's widespread enough that Google officially extended the warranty from 1 year to 2 (https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/11833075?hl=en)
I don't know if it's a bad idea or not. I've been running the phone with the hope that it won't happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I saw that they extended the warranty. It doesn't seem like a great sign. Although I suppose it's possible Google did that because of the level of complaining, rather than because the problem is greater with the 5a than other pixels (there also are some, though far fewer, reports of the 4a5g and 5 suddenly bricking themselves).
I sort of wish I'd never looked at reddit. I also wish there were good statistics on the actual failure rate. But now I think I may always be wondering if it will just suddenly fail one day.
miguelAr9 said:
i´m using my 5a in Argentina from more than 1 year now, all ok, never any fail
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Click to collapse
Quite a few people say it happens around the 14/month mark. Some people say they got more than one replacement from Google and they all failed. It's a little crazy if you look at reddit. If you search on simply "5a" in the pixel reddits, literally just about every post is about the phone suddenly dying. It is interesting that you don't see that here on xda so much (although the reddit threads are much more active, with many more people).
mikehd1959 said:
I got mine in November 2021. Still using it. I'd be more concerned about getting one off of eBay myself.
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Click to collapse
I hear you. But I'm pretty careful about who I buy from on ebay and ask lots of questions first. So far I haven't had a problem (fingers crossed). I know people like Swappa. But Swappa seems to have been completely taken over by businesses, selling the same type of refurbished/open box inventory as you see on ebay. And you can't ask businesses questions on Swappa, which I just find bizarre.
I just picked mine up after second mothboard replacement. First mobo replacement has radio issue. My wife's just died too. We bought exact same time from google store unlocked. Glad to hear about the warranty extension.
Welp, mine just died yesterday. Got the RMA approved by Google. Pretty sad, I only used my Pixel 5a for a few months before switching to other devices. Then I switched back to it. Probably had less than 6 months total power on time.
I was using the phone and screen went black. At first you could tell it was still on, like it would still vibrate. Then it just died and won't power on. Battery was at ~68% and trying numerous chargers/cables did nothing.
Google also gave me a single use 20% off coupon towards Pixel 6a, 7 and 7 Pro. If they were still on sale for $100 - $150 off it would've been a no brainer for me, but they went back to full price and decreased the trade in value on the 5a.
I'm going to dump this phone as soon as I get it back. I've never had a phone die like this.
scottybweyy said:
I just picked mine up after second mothboard replacement. First mobo replacement has radio issue. My wife's just died too. We bought exact same time from google store unlocked. Glad to hear about the warranty extension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that, but thanks for the feedback. Interestingly, it seems from reddit that this doesn't really happen with the 4a5g or regular 5 (though failures are not entirely unheard-of with those phones). I wonder if that's really true and why that would be considering how similar the three phones are?
Dopamin3 said:
Welp, mine just died yesterday. Got the RMA approved by Google. Pretty sad, I only used my Pixel 5a for a few months before switching to other devices. Then I switched back to it. Probably had less than 6 months total power on time.
I was using the phone and screen went black. At first you could tell it was still on, like it would still vibrate. Then it just died and won't power on. Battery was at ~68% and trying numerous chargers/cables did nothing.
Google also gave me a single use 20% off coupon towards Pixel 6a, 7 and 7 Pro. If they were still on sale for $100 - $150 off it would've been a no brainer for me, but they went back to full price and decreased the trade in value on the 5a.
I'm going to dump this phone as soon as I get it back. I've never had a phone die like this.
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Wow, that's crazy that your's died three days after you replied to this thread. Sorry to hear that. It's such a bummer, because the 5a really seems like the best of the 4a5g/5/5a trio. Especially the giant battery is nice.
The way your phone failed, from reading a lot of posts on reddit, sounds exactly like what people have been experiencing: screen goes black, you can interact with it even though you can't see anything, and then it completely won't power on. Some people seem to only have the black screen issue, others it just goes straight to dead and won't power on, it's interesting that you went through both in quick succession.
I would get the 6a, even though I don't like the size (the new phones are so large and chunky) and a hate the visor, except the 6a/6/6pro/7/7pro are all notorious for their poor signal/recpetion issues. The modem in the Samsung exynos chipset that Google uses as the base for Tensor is just crap. Tons of people say they get the worst reception they've ever gotten on any phone, with the 6a/6/6pro/7/7pro.
The rumor is that the 7a will have a Qualcomm modem, which says a lot that Google is only going to use exynos for the CPU and not the entire chipset, modem included, as is normally done in cell phone designs. I wonder if that will make sticking to five years of updates hard, since Qualcomm sucks so much at providing driver updates. Anyway, I would hold out for the 7a and see if the rumors are true, before getting another Pixel device.
I'm sort of trying to find a phone that can tide me over until the Pixel 8, which hopefully will have a better design, smaller, thinner, drop the visor. Probably I'll pick up a 4a5g, since it seems like the 5a BSOD issues are definitely real. I like the 5 better, sizewise, but the under screen earpiece is just too poor quality; it's really a shame Google went for that gimmick on the 5.
I bought mine off eBay barely a month ago and so far I have no issues. Is there anything I should look for? I've never heard of this BSOD issue.
Vision919 said:
I bought mine off eBay barely a month ago and so far I have no issues. Is there anything I should look for? I've never heard of this BSOD issue.
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I don't think there's any way to tell if you will have the issue or not. Reports are that after typically about a year the phone will just suddenly stop working, wih a black screen, like Dopamin3 describes above. It's a problem with the motherboard failing. If you want to get a sense of it, search for Pixel 5a in the r/GooglePixel reddit. Most recent posts about the Pixel 5a concern this. It seems to clearly be a problem with this phone model in particular, that the similar 4a5g and 5 don't have (or it is much less common). What I can't tell is, okay yes, this happens to a lot of Pixel 5a phones, and so there are a lot or reports online, but what precent? How likely is it? On the other hand, it happens enough that Google extended the warranty on this phone for an extra year, as Dopamin3 points out above.
Mine just died. Going through the process of having to send it in. Wish me luck.
cb474 said:
I'm thinking of purchasing a Pixel 5a off of eBay, but I just started seeing all the (very large number of) threads on reddit about the BSOD/motherboard issue with the 5a. How widespread is this problem? Is it better to avoid this phone and get the 4a5g instead?
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Problem just happened to me, 16 months owned. I'd say stay away, not only because of the mobo problem but honestly, the phone isn't all that great anyway. It's pretty slow. And I don't know if this is related to the mobo issue but there are times when I would screen press an icon 4-7 times before it responded.
cb474 said:
I don't think there's any way to tell if you will have the issue or not. Reports are that after typically about a year the phone will just suddenly stop working, wih a black screen, like Dopamin3 describes above. It's a problem with the motherboard failing. If you want to get a sense of it, search for Pixel 5a in the r/GooglePixel reddit. Most recent posts about the Pixel 5a concern this. It seems to clearly be a problem with this phone model in particular, that the similar 4a5g and 5 don't have (or it is much less common). What I can't tell is, okay yes, this happens to a lot of Pixel 5a phones, and so there are a lot or reports online, but what precent? How likely is it? On the other hand, it happens enough that Google extended the warranty on this phone for an extra year, as Dopamin3 points out above.
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Phone went black on me about 4 days ago. It took about an hour but I was able to get it started again. Plugged it in to recharge overnight and in the morning, found it had shutdown again. Was able to reboot immediately, this time. It worked for 2 more days and then yesterday, while on a hike, it died and has not come back since then.
It's almost funny how they tell you to backup the phone and then erase it before sending it in. Hard to do when you can't get the phone to turn on!
I spoke to one of the uBreakiFix stores here in Silicon Valley and the guy told me that he doesn't have any mobo's in stock and that they are difficult to get. If I brought the phone to him, he has 5 or 6 people ahead of me and he is only allowed (by Google? or store management?) to order one 5a mobo at a time.. So I am sending mine into Google for repair.
I had been thinking of trading this phone in back in Dec for a Pixel 7, when they had those good offers. It would have cost me $150 for the P7 with the trade in then. Wish I had done that now!
@joe99joe Sorry to hear your phone died. The way you were able to get your phone to come back a couple times, I wonder if you have a battery issue, rather than it being the motherboard. It sounds a little like how I experienced a bad battery replacement in an OG Pixel. Anyway, good luck, whatever you do.
I ended up getting a Pixel 4a5g. It doesn't have anywhere near the kind of reports of dying on people as the 5a. I'm hoping it will be good for a couple years and then maybe I'll get a Pixel 8a or 9 or something. I'm still waiting for Google to sort out their low quality modem issues in the Pixel 6 and 7 series, causing really bad signal/reception.
cb474 said:
@joe99joe Sorry to hear your phone died. The way you were able to get your phone to come back a couple times, I wonder if you have a battery issue, rather than it being the motherboard. It sounds a little like how I experienced a bad battery replacement in an OG Pixel. Anyway, good luck, whatever you do.
I ended up getting a Pixel 4a5g. It doesn't have anywhere near the kind of reports of dying on people as the 5a. I'm hoping it will be good for a couple years and then maybe I'll get a Pixel 8a or 9 or something. I'm still waiting for Google to sort out their low quality modem issues in the Pixel 6 and 7 series, causing really bad signal/reception.
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No, it was power. I sent it to Google on Monday, Arrived Tuesday and was confirmed power problem. They are working on repairing it now and should have it back in a few days. No charge, no postage fees. Sometimes Google does good. Meanwhile, I am using my od Pixel 3XL, which truth be told, is a better phone than the 5a. It's lighter, speedier but the battery is dying and the screen is cracked.
This happened on my 5a. No signs of life. Since I needed a backup phone for my Xperia, I'm gonna get the Nothing Phone 1 today.
I actally thought 5a will stay with me for 3 years, but no.... Only a year and one month. Damn you Google
I would just get the 4a honestly I took mine to ubreak today and they replaced the screen a bunch of times then told me there was nothing else they could do even though the receptionist told me it's Google's policy that they have to fix any phone they open. I contacted live chat and they told me to send it to them and it would still be covered even though it said my warranty expired in October.
I cannot believe it's happened to me again (first was august last year). i should've traded it in for a pixel 7 when i had the chance, although idk about using pixels anymore. this is ridiculous. last time it looked like they installed a better display, because this one looks free of scratches without using a screen protector. but i wish they knew why this happens. also looks like they allow an extended warranty for this kind of damage. they should honestly at least upgrade me to a 6a.
For those who have experienced this, how heavily do you use your phone? Like how often do you have to recharge, and do you run things where it heats up much? I am wondering if the typical failure is some problem with thermal cycling and fractures, or flash degradation. I assume its not just the battery/power supply if they have to replace the MB to fix it.
I bought mine direct from Google back in Aug 2021, so have been using it about 20 months. But I am a light user and typically get 7-10 days on a charge... I was originally assuming the hardware would last longer than Google is going to support the firmware.
k, so i'm really p*ssed off right now. the inspection came back saying audio problems that would cost $99 to repair. got nowhere in chat, so i called. she said there was a speaker problem and a volume button problem (they would have had to occur concurrently with the main problem, cause i would have definitely noticed em) no mention of the display or power issue. how? when i sent it in, the display would simply not work. i tried re-flashing stock firmware using google chrome's flash tools, and it would fail at booting into fastboot. i could tell the phone was on, though, because i felt the vibration and the usb connect sound on the laptop. so how was there no mention of those problems? i'm not sure if i should just assume that the phone's display is working. she would only say that the phone powers up properly and there was no mention of a display problem. the language seems too vague, and knowing full well what happened this time *and* how it's exactly what happened last time, i'm skeptical. how last time they replaced the motherboard, but this time, there's not even a mention of a display or power issue. and when i asked what the trade-in value would be if i forgo the repairs, she said $25. if it powers on and is free of scratches, it should be the normal value. should i just take my chances on getting it back without repairs and take the trade-in value, whatever it'll be, for the 7a?
edit: i see the trade-in value is $25. idk why it went down so much, but i'm sure it'll go back up for 7a deals