Battery Issue after Denim update

[tejazz]

I tried a factory reset using the Lumia Software Recovery tool, and I think the problem has only gotten worse. I was planning to go to the authorized service centre today to send it for repairs -- my warranty ended exactly a month ago -- but seeing that so many of us have the same problem, I have a feeling it's more of a Denim/OS issue than a hardware/battery issue, so a battery replacement probably will not help.

I don't know when this'll be resolved, but looks like I'm stuck with an ultra-expensive paperweight till then. I've also read somewhere that uninstalling the Lumia Camera app helped in fixing this issue, so I'll try that now... I'm not very hopeful though.

EDIT: Uninstalling Lumia Camera did not help, either. I hate my phone. FML.

 

[mrshots]

This is very inconvenient . I'm glad it's nothing to do with battery.
This is literally the only electronic device I have, so it is very annoying...

Right now, over the past 3 days it is getting unbearable. It switches off every 25%.

 

[myoujin]

I'm not alone. My phone keep shutdown show battery critical low although have enough % for example 50%. When restart 2 3 times, become 2%. Always happen when I'm using IE and camera. When I charge my phone, %increase from 40% to 100% in 20seconds (check using insider pro). Now waiting new battery I ordered from eBay. Ordered 10/4 but it take 20-40days from China.

 

[albertico]

@tejazz: That is disappointing to hear, my last option I was hoping for would be the reset using the Lumia Software Recovery Tool. To hear it's even worse, that's quite ridiculous. "Ultra-expensive paperweight" is exactly it.

@mrshots: It's surely beginning to appear like this is more of a software issue more than anything...UNLESS Denim damaged the battery with all of the reboots and false battery readings, then we're stuck with OS and hardware issue.

@myoujin: You have a Lumia 1520? You feel comfortable replacing the battery if so? Let us know how it works out

I suggest that we get some traction going on the MSFT support forums, someone at Microsoft needs to make note of this issue and have a fix in place. But at the same time, I don't see myself waiting a year for Windows 10 and AT&T to approve next update just to be able to use my phone normally. Can any of you go through the trouble of posting on that thread I linked, just to get the thread bumped and hopefully a MSFT-affiliated agent to respond?

 

[albertico]

@tejazz: Saw your comment on the MSFT thread, thanks mate! It was perfect for adding credibility

 

[tejazz]

albertico: I've posted a reply to the Nokia discussions website, let's see if anyone hears us.

TL;DR: Most likely not a Denim issue. Gonna check if a replacement battery will help.

I went to a Nokia Care centre yesterday and told them about the issues that I'm having. The guy there disassembled the phone, took a cursory look at the insides and said everything was looking fine. I was then asked to wait for an hour while they fix any 'software issues', and about 45 minutes later, they said they found a software defect and that my phone has been fixed, and started writing up a bill for the repair costs.

I was super-sceptical of the whole thing and told them that I'll intensively use the phone for 15 minutes straight and will pay the charges only if I'm convinced that the issue was indeed resolved. It was then I noticed that they flashed Cyan on the phone, which was encouraging since I was pretty sure it was Denim that was causing the problems. I checked and found the battery was at 77%, so I proceed to record 2-minute 1080p videos (as 4k not available in Cyan) and task switch to Rail Rush (as no other game was available after they reset it) for about 5 minutes, and boom!, the phone shut down. I turn it on and the battery says 71%, and I keep doing the camera thing, and within 10 seconds, the phone reset again, battery showing 2% this time. Classic symptoms, I told the guy over there.

He told me he'd look into it and try a replacement battery and asked me to come again the next day. I'm gonna call him today in about 5 hours and will post an update here as to how it's going.

 

[mrshots]

Myoujin: Yep same here, it got worse after that.

Looks like this *may* be a very common issue here. I have no time to reply to the forum thing, but I hope ms notices it! I have no idea if the phone will switch off while writing this reply!

Thanks all!

 

[tejazz]

UPDATE:
I went to Nokia Care again today and the guy says he tried replacing the battery but the problem still persisted. However, the way he said it wasn't too convincing, so I'm not entirely sure if he really did try it with a new/spare battery.

Anyway, now he says I should send it to the factory to get the motherboard replaced and it will cost about Rs.10k ($160) . I told him I'll think about it and asked for my phone back which they complied free of cost.

Now I'm torn between waiting until someone -- either Microsoft or a user -- coming up with a fix, or spending the money in getting the motherboard replaced which eventually might or might not fix the problem.

 

[mrshots]

I'd wait for MS, I personally think replacing the motherboard is a BIG gamble.

 

[tejazz]

Yeah, I'd be kicking myself if the issue still remains after replacing the darn motherboard. But then again, the fact that the issue still persisted even when they flashed an older firmware and OS tells me that it could indeed be hardware-related.

Like I said, I'm torn.

 

[mrshots]

Portable charger would be a lot more effective. It's a bit like punching somebody when they start sleeping .

 

[tejazz]

Heh, that seems to be the best option right now, true.

But what happens sometimes is that after rebooting, the charge level drops down to 2%, so just connecting the charger and giving the phone a nudge won't be enough. This means that until it charges to 100%, I'll have to keep the power bank connected to the phone, like a patient dragging a hospital IV drip along with them.

 

[mrshots]

Actually, if you connect the charger as soon as it switches off, it stay at whatever it was before. However, if you reboot it more than twice, the battery is 2%.

I know it is very inconvenient, but it is the only thing we can do right now... HURRY MICROSOFT! MY PHONE IS *&?%ED

 

[tejazz]

TL;DR: The battery issue has been SOLVED after a battery replacement.

Folks, I bring good news and bad news. Good news is that I've pinpointed that it is the battery that is causing this issue. Bad news is that there is no other 'fix' other than replacing it with a new battery.

Since I didn't really trust the Nokia Care guy when he hold me he tried replacing the battery and nothing changed, I called him up again today and asked him very clearly if he stress-tested with a new battery, to which he replied in the negative. So I drove down there again (25km round-trip, 3rd time in as many days) and specifically asked for a new battery. He took about 15 minutes and gave me my phone with the replacement battery showing 77%.

I then proceeded to record a 2-minute 4K video, followed by 2 minutes of Rail Rush, then another 4-minute 4K video, a game of Threes! (until I reached the 384 tile), and a 5-minute 3G browsing session. The phone held up like a champ, and the battery still showed 71% after the whole thing!

I told him that the phone's working fine now, and he says that the new battery will cost Rs. 3.2k ($50) and comes with a 6-month warranty. I paid in cash (their card swipe thingy was broken, took 15 minutes to find an ATM), profusely thanked him and the lady at the counter, and got back to work. Now I'm home reinstalling all my apps, still keeping an eye on the battery level once every 5 minutes out of sheer force of habit.

In hindsight, I guess the warnings were all pointing to a faulty battery, like an OS rollback not fixing things, no issues when connected to a charger, and a gradual degradation of performance that happens with batteries (but usually not the case with OS/firmware/motherboard/chip defects).

I strongly hope that this is the end of this issue for me, and that a battery replacement will help all of you as well in getting your phones fixed.

Thanks everyone!

 

[mrshots]

Hold up, can you give us the info 5 days later? I have days where it works perfectly once some things are reset. Just need some clarification. A few more days to test it.

 

[tejazz]

Sure thing, will post an update on Monday.

 

[Samgh]

@Tejazz: Good to hear. Keep your fingers crossed. Eagerly awaiting your experience with the new battery. Please do share.
Also, if you dont mind which city was this replacement done.

 

[tejazz]

So far, the battery saver app shows that the phone has been running (from a 100% charge) for 13 hours with 65% remaining and guesstimates that it will last for 1 day and 2 hours more. And I've been using the phone a lot, reinstalling my apps, trying out games, WhatsApp, etc., so this is very promising.

As you said, fingers crossed indeed.

EDIT: I got it replaced at the Nokia Care center at Hadapsar, Pune.

 

[courtneyg2013]

I use my phone a lot, and don't seem to get anywhere near that. I'm fed up with Lumias tbh. I had the same issue on my 930 and 1020. they just seem to die so bloody quickly.

My battery today playing about 10 mins of candy crush, Web Browsing, watching a video on myTube for 10 minutes a bit of Whatsapp and playing evolve for about 10/15 mins. Is it normal to lose about 2% with 10 mins of web browsing. The battery does get hot but that is with prolonged use.

 

[tejazz]

Folks, as promised, here's my update after using the phone for 5 days with the new battery:

I have absolutely no problems with the battery holding up both during CPU/GPU/Camera intensive apps, and regular use such as phone calls, readit, and WhatsApp. I had to fully charge the phone 3 times so far, and with each time I'm got about 1 day and 15 hours of battery life, with heavy to moderate usage.

I'm now fully certain that not only has the 'battery critically low and shutdown' issue been solved 100% after I got a new battery, the battery life also significantly improved to be as how it was with a brand-new phone.

So, my advice to anyone who has battery life issues and/or the dreaded critically low and shutdown issue is to get the battery replaced asap for about $50 (or for free if your phone's still under warranty).