Database Develop

How to disable completely my FAULTY proximity sensor

I have made a previous thread long time ago.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1038598
Finally i have found what makes my screen blank during calls on any gingerbread custom or stock.
Its my faulty proximity sensor.
I used many device tests and they say naturally that my sensor is dead.
Strangely in froyo it works.
I dont care if it is software of hardware,i want you to tell me a way to turn that DAMN thing off as it is driving me crazy.
I have used ALL the apps on market,proximity off,sanity etc,i have bought all but no luck.
Can the app Tasker help me?
PLEASE!!! help me!!! i beg you people.
EDIT
and as i have suspected,if i use my handsfree (they say they turn off the proximity sensor),well everything works super fine....
come on guys...many people have the same issues,you are the gurus.help!

no one???? wtf

karapoutsoglou said:
no one???? wtf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you will have to downgrade to FROYO and stay there

Nitro_123 said:
I guess you will have to downgrade to FROYO and stay there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is ridiculous! with hands free the phone works perfectly.
in htc with the same problem they have found a way to disable it through hex editor.
it must not be that hard for a programmer
with root explorer and a hex editor.
wtf??? im in xda
edit
look how many people have this problem
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=15291
there must be a solution for us too.

I have the same problem. All stock and custom roms gives me this error. I was finally able to turn off the proximity sensor with the latest MIUI Rom.
A fix would be great thou.

If it works fine in Froyo I would say it is software. Have you tried CM7? you might be luckier.
It should be easy for a kernel dev (not me sorry) to disable it. It would be a matter of not compiling the sensor's driver in the kernel so it will never get loaded.
Maybe if you ask one of the kernel devs how to compile a working Kernel and disabled the driver they might do it for you.
If you are using a stock firmware then probably cf-root with proximity sensor hack would be the best option.
K.
EDIT: I had a look at the kernel menu and indeed the GP2A sensor is there and seems easy to not include. The bad news is that it looks like the light and proximity are the same hardware (or at least driver) so if you disable one I am sure you will loose the other one.
This is the name as it appears in the kernel menuconfig "GP2A ambient light and proximity input device". Please note that I never compiled an Android kernel (but will soon for fun) and my knowledge is quite limited.

[Q] Need way to disable proximity sensor

My proximity sensor seems to have stopped working (always gives a value of 0.0) as a result whenever a call is placed the screen goes off and i cant do anything at all, cant even end the call. This seems to be hardware problem, as cleaning the area is not helping.
Is there a way to disable the proximity sensor completely/permanently?
The only working way i found was using the "Hardware Disabler" app in play store and disabling /sys/bus/platform/drivers/proximity, but that makes the phone as slow as hell. How would I go about deleting this folder otherwise? Root Explorer is not allowing me to do this.
All the other solutions i found on the net do not help (using proximity recalibration, adding lines to build.prop, putting a script in init.d - Though perhaps I am not using it correctly).
Someone please help. The problem is driving me crazy.
Note: using CM9.0 RC2

Nobody has any issues with the proximity sensor on their phones?
And is there no actual way to disable it?

nobody here who can help?
manish_bhaumik said:
Nobody has any issues with the proximity sensor on their phones?
And is there no actual way to disable it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still need help on this?

Hi, last time I tried MIUI rom and iinm there is an option to disable the proximity sensor. But, if you doesn't like MIUI.. I am don't know any other workaround for it anymore.

Or try some different ROM to make sure if it is actually hardware issue or software issue.....

Use miui rom and press on dial and then menu...Again press on setting and Answer setting .. You will find there the option to disable proximity sensor..

[Q] Phone hangs up while making a call

Hi!
My GNote hangs up/becomes non-responsive when I receive or make a call, everything else is just fine, but it can't be used as a phone now.
I have tried many roms but the problem persists, according to my observation and research the proximity sensor is the culprit here, and it is a hardware problem, which can't be fixed by software, I suppose. But there might be a way to disable the sensor at all, in which way screen won't turn off while making a call, but who cares if I can make a call. I found a couple of threads describing the same problem but with no solution.
Is there a way to do the trick, if not, can you please guide me write my own kernel to disable the sensor, I am not an Android developer but I do have a Master's Degree in Computer Science so I am pretty much confident that I can do it myself if given some pointers.
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.
Have a good day, Regards.

have you tried disabling the screen off during calls?

nokiamodeln91 said:
have you tried disabling the screen off during calls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you sooo much, this did the trick..... Now I am wondering why I didn't think of that earlier.....
BTW is there any other way I could get rid of this problem completely, now my screen won't turn off during phone calls, causing unwanted operations.....
Thank you so much.....

if you have tried many roms then may be a issue with the sensor.. try consulting a Samsung service personnel

galaxy note N7000 freeze while during call 1000% solved
you just clean the sensor your prob will be solve 1000%

The dreaded black screen during calls due to proximity sensor issue, issue...

Well I have the dreaded black screen during calls due to malfunctioning proximity sensor...
There are many threads like it, but this one is mine... It is specific and goes beyond the other threads...
To illustrate this, I have tried:
Tweaking the settings via the ol' Proximity Off Lite app (doesn't work, proximity sensor has a value of 0, no matter what)
fixing the "fix the sensor filter with electric tape" trick (did not work, still 0 no matter what)
Turning the sensor off with Xposed (No framework for Nougat)
Installing the recompiled Dialer.apk (maybe it is how I rooted my phone, but I cannot launch ADB with root from the command line, I can get root from the shell, but not from the CLI. Considering that I have the GoogleDialer.apk rather than the dialer.apk I had my doubts anyway...)
Etc ...
Basically, the bottom line: I cannot turn my d*mn prox sensor off & have tried pretty much everything my Google-fu could conjure...
So, here I am... Frustrated and bemused... Any suggestions?

IrritatedRhino said:
Well I have the dreaded black screen during calls due to malfunctioning proximity sensor...
There are many threads like it, but this one is mine... It is specific and goes beyond the other threads...
To illustrate this, I have tried:
Tweaking the settings via the ol' Proximity Off Lite app (doesn't work, proximity sensor has a value of 0, no matter what)
fixing the "fix the sensor filter with electric tape" trick (did not work, still 0 no matter what)
Turning the sensor off with Xposed (No framework for Nougat)
Installing the recompiled Dialer.apk (maybe it is how I rooted my phone, but I cannot launch ADB with root from the command line, I can get root from the shell, but not from the CLI. Considering that I have the GoogleDialer.apk rather than the dialer.apk I had my doubts anyway...)
Etc ...
Basically, the bottom line: I cannot turn my d*mn prox sensor off & have tried pretty much everything my Google-fu could conjure...
So, here I am... Frustrated and bemused... Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, someone else had a similar issue and it was due to a screen issue rather than the sensor itself... Check this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/proximity-sensor-near-screen-coming-t3558519
Good luck...

I need a title?
Alas, were it so simple... Unfortunately, I cannot get my prox sensor to register anything other than zero, no matter what I do. Trust me, I have done everything including VooDoo (I don't like to talk about that. It scares the children).
It's dead Jim.
I see now that Google will soon be releasing it's "O" operating system so, I am losing hope. My wife said I can have her iPhone when she upgrades next week. Oh dear Lord, no. Just imagine ...
Thanks in advance.

IrritatedRhino said:
Alas, were it so simple... Unfortunately, I cannot get my prox sensor to register anything other than zero, no matter what I do. Trust me, I have done everything including VooDoo (I don't like to talk about that. It scares the children).
It's dead Jim.
I see now that Google will soon be releasing it's "O" operating system so, I am losing hope. My wife said I can have her iPhone when she upgrades next week. Oh dear Lord, no. Just imagine ...
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello...
Looks like you exhausted every possibilities...
I guess you already seen it. Just in case, did you try the proximity sensor fix: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/mod-fix-proximity-sensor-5-1-rom-t3069031
Since it's for 5.1, you can still push files with a file explorer.
Good luck...

5.1 said:
Hello...
Looks like you exhausted every possibilities...
I guess you already seen it. Just in case, did you try the proximity sensor fix: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/mod-fix-proximity-sensor-5-1-rom-t3069031
Since it's for 5.1, you can still push files with a file explorer.
Good luck...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I get totally frustrated and reset to factory, but as it is, I am on Nougat now, so...

IrritatedRhino said:
If I get totally frustrated and reset to factory, but as it is, I am on Nougat now, so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... Backup /vendor/firmware, unzip and transfer files in firmware folder in /vendor/firmware/
Easy to do after all you have already tried..!

Black screen when making phone calls
I have found that if you dial a number screen goes black if you put headphone jack into the phone the screen comes back on so you can press the loudspeaker button then you can remove the headphone jack and the phone works hope this helps everyone

Such a ridiclious problem!
IrritatedRhino said:
Well I have the dreaded black screen during calls due to malfunctioning proximity sensor...
There are many threads like it, but this one is mine... It is specific and goes beyond the other threads...
To illustrate this, I have tried:
Tweaking the settings via the ol' Proximity Off Lite app (doesn't work, proximity sensor has a value of 0, no matter what)
fixing the "fix the sensor filter with electric tape" trick (did not work, still 0 no matter what)
Turning the sensor off with Xposed (No framework for Nougat)
Installing the recompiled Dialer.apk (maybe it is how I rooted my phone, but I cannot launch ADB with root from the command line, I can get root from the shell, but not from the CLI. Considering that I have the GoogleDialer.apk rather than the dialer.apk I had my doubts anyway...)
Etc ...
Basically, the bottom line: I cannot turn my d*mn prox sensor off & have tried pretty much everything my Google-fu could conjure...
So, here I am... Frustrated and bemused... Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded from my Nexus 6 to the Google Pixel XL 3. That black screen issue DROVE ME INSANE when I was using my Nexus 6. One work around, which sucks, is to plugin something to the headphone jack. For whatever reason this seems to snap the phone out of that strange state. It would have been nice of Google to correct that obnoxious issue, but, it will never happen now.
Best of luck!

Always on Display Issue

Is anyone else having an issue with the always on display? Not a big deal but occasionally the AOD goes off and the tap to wake function doesn't work. Unlocking/locking the phone fixes it but it reoccurs again randomly through the day.

andrewd71 said:
Is anyone else having an issue with the always on display? Not a big deal but occasionally the AOD goes off and the tap to wake function doesn't work. Unlocking/locking the phone fixes it but it reoccurs again randomly through the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was having the same issue when I had the edge notification app installed that makes the screen light up around the camera when you get a notification.
Uninstalled and no issues since

Tap to wake not working for me

Not sure if this is connected but in addition to the always on display/tap to wake issue when I'm in a phone call the screen will stay off even when I move the phone from my ear to hang up, see the keypad etc. Again I have to use the power button to wake the screen. A problem with the proximity sensor perhaps?

andrewd71 said:
Not sure if this is connected but in addition to the always on display/tap to wake issue when I'm in a phone call the screen will stay off even when I move the phone from my ear to hang up, see the keypad etc. Again I have to use the power button to wake the screen. A problem with the proximity sensor perhaps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any notification or edge lighting apps installed?

Mdizzle1 said:
Do you have any notification or edge lighting apps installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I've not installed any apps like that.

I am having both the issue with always on display and the screen staying off during a call even when it's not up to my face. I don't have any edge display app installed. They happened right out of the box. Glad it's not just me.

czm said:
I am having both the issue with always on display and the screen staying off during a call even when it's not up to my face. I don't have any edge display app installed. They happened right out of the box. Glad it's not just me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an odd one - are you using a case? I just had a case through the post this morning and now using the phone with the case the issues have stopped! I'll keep checking through the day but as of now all is good.

andrewd71 said:
This is an odd one - are you using a case? I just had a case through the post this morning and now using the phone with the case the issues have stopped! I'll keep checking through the day but as of now all is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not using a case. It's sporadic. Tap to wake works fine for a while and then stops. The issue during calls is constant. Not major issues just niggles.

Not noticed any bugs with ambient display, but it has used 20 percent battery in 21hrs.
Seems a bit high to me, have just turned it off, not worth a 5th of my battery.

czm said:
I am having both the issue with always on display and the screen staying off during a call even when it's not up to my face. I don't have any edge display app installed. They happened right out of the box. Glad it's not just me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm having both issues happen RANDOMLY as well. I'm HOPING Google will put out a fix for these two issues very soon.
Tried working with Google's Tech Support Team via chat earlier on the AOD issue. Tried a few things like clearing the cache of the launcher & restarting in Safe Mode then back to Normal Mode, and it seems to be doing it less but then it just did it again for a short time like an hour ago.
Using a case, no edge stuff, and also using Nova Launcher (though it happened in Pixel Launcher as well).
If anyone finds a fix for this, I would appreciate it too!

RockStar2005 said:
Yeah I'm having both issues happen RANDOMLY as well. I'm HOPING Google will put out a fix for these two issues very soon.
Tried working with Google's Tech Support Team via chat earlier on the AOD issue. Tried a few things like clearing the cache of the launcher & restarting in Safe Mode then back to Normal Mode, and it seems to be doing it less but then it just did it again for a short time like an hour ago.
Using a case, no edge stuff, and also using Nova Launcher (though it happened in Pixel Launcher as well).
If anyone finds a fix for this, I would appreciate it too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is fine for a while them randomly the tap-to-wake won't respond. I had also hoped that the OTA would have addressed, but maybe it is affecting far fewer users than other bugs.

czm said:
Mine is fine for a while them randomly the tap-to-wake won't respond. I had also hoped that the OTA would have addressed, but maybe it is affecting far fewer users than other bugs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Seems like more and more people are noticing and like me reporting these various issues to Google. So hopefully the next batch will include fixes for all this stuff.

I have same two problem with AOD, touch to wake up and screen off/on when calling.

DOMIN_ said:
I have same two problem with AOD, touch to wake up and screen off/on when calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend you guys report these issues to Google so to increase the odds of them coming up with an OTA sooner than later. You can call them or chat with them via this link (as I did). Just scroll down to the bottom and choose your contact preference.

RockStar2005 said:
I recommend you guys report these issues to Google so to increase the odds of them coming up with an OTA sooner than later. You can call them or chat with them via this link (as I did). Just scroll down to the bottom and choose your contact preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the pixel support forum they also recommend you report it via settings>about phone>send feedback about device. I think this way it also easily picks up the log files.

I believe the answer to all of your questions lies in a faulty proximity sensor. I was driving myself nuts with all of these issues exactly, and no app was the culprit because I factory reset and still had the issue. I'm going to post a link to a Reddit thread that I found that confirmed my suspicions. on Wednesday of this week I went back to Verizon and traded the phone in and now I have received a phone that works 100% as expected.
Reddit thread.
Good luck all, hope this helps.

czm said:
On the pixel support forum they also recommend you report it via settings>about phone>send feedback about device. I think this way it also easily picks up the log files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I got an e-mail from the support guy to do that as well after he'd ask that I send a bug report. Just did it regarding AOD not staying on all the time and also.............I noticed that Hold for Me doesn't ALWAYS come up when calling businesses. Two examples include T-Mobile Customer Service & a local major hospital in Chicago. In most cases though, it does. Just an FYI. Not sure if this is something that they will fix, but I think it should come up all the time, or AT LEAST when you're calling an established business of ANY kind.
---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 PM ----------
Morpherios said:
I believe the answer to all of your questions lies in a faulty proximity sensor. I was driving myself nuts with all of these issues exactly, and no app was the culprit because I factory reset and still had the issue. I'm going to post a link to a Reddit thread that I found that confirmed my suspicions. on Wednesday of this week I went back to Verizon and traded the phone in and now I have received a phone that works 100% as expected.
Reddit thread.
Good luck all, hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting!
I REALLY don't want to send mine back because I've spent so much time setting it up already (and my sister's too lol). I did some changes in the settings so I'll just cross my fingers and hope it works right.
Is there a way to recalibrate the proximity sensor?

RockStar2005 said:
Yeah I got an e-mail from the support guy to do that as well after he'd ask that I send a bug report. Just did it regarding AOD not staying on all the time and also.............I noticed that Hold for Me doesn't ALWAYS come up when calling businesses. Two examples include T-Mobile Customer Service & a local major hospital in Chicago. In most cases though, it does. Just an FYI. Not sure if this is something that they will fix, but I think it should come up all the time, or AT LEAST when you're calling an established business of ANY kind.
---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 PM ----------
Very interesting!
I REALLY don't want to send mine back because I've spent so much time setting it up already (and my sister's too lol). I did some changes in the settings so I'll just cross my fingers and hope it works right.
Is there a way to recalibrate the proximity sensor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe it's a calibration issue. The way mine worked (or didn't as the case may be) was sporadic and seemed to almost be as if the sensor or module was loose? Inside the housing. Quite literally, jostling it around would make it work sometimes. Furthermore, if you download the app in that reddit thread, the proximity sensor tester Link Here, you can sort of gauge yourself if it's actually occurring. With mine, sometimes it would work by swiping my hand over the sensor, the color would change. Other times, the color stayed the same, and as the video showed ,I could put pressure on where the sensor was and change the color. But if it wasn't working, jostling the phone around would sometimes make it work and the color would change.
Additionally in the advanced test in that app, it is supposed to tell you how far away from the sensor an object is. On my (nonworking) phone, that number for distance would be pegged at 0 regardless of how far away my hand was. However if I put pressure on the sensor, it would jump to like 5 cm.
See if your phone is doing these things. If so, I would recommend you get it replaced, as it likely will not work properly otherwise. Verizon deemed this a hardware issue when I swapped phones. Also note that I factory reset twice, and one of those times I imported literally nothing when setting it up. So it wasn't a settings or app issue. I do believe there's a rash of faulty proximity sensors going on here.

Morpherios said:
I don't believe it's a calibration issue. The way mine worked (or didn't as the case may be) was sporadic and seemed to almost be as if the sensor or module was loose? Inside the housing. Quite literally, jostling it around would make it work sometimes. Furthermore, if you download the app in that reddit thread, the proximity sensor tester Link Here, you can sort of gauge yourself if it's actually occurring. With mine, sometimes it would work by swiping my hand over the sensor, the color would change. Other times, the color stayed the same, and as the video showed ,I could put pressure on where the sensor was and change the color. But if it wasn't working, jostling the phone around would sometimes make it work and the color would change.
Additionally in the advanced test in that app, it is supposed to tell you how far away from the sensor an object is. On my (nonworking) phone, that number for distance would be pegged at 0 regardless of how far away my hand was. However if I put pressure on the sensor, it would jump to like 5 cm.
See if your phone is doing these things. If so, I would recommend you get it replaced, as it likely will not work properly otherwise. Verizon deemed this a hardware issue when I swapped phones. Also note that I factory reset twice, and one of those times I imported literally nothing when setting it up. So it wasn't a settings or app issue. I do believe there's a rash of faulty proximity sensors going on here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Morpherios,
Ok.............downloaded that app and tried it out several times. It passed some of the time, but then I'd try it again a few minutes later and it would fail on both tests. Ughh!!
You think even though it passed a few times I still need to replace it?