FIXED! Lumia 920 screen dark during call

[ale2999]

Air blowing worked for me too. love the phone, but I am at a loss for words!

 

[hweid]

I had the same problem, at first I thought it cannot be, blowing compressed air into the earpiece, but just did it now and voila, fixed...

 

[alphonsohall]

I discovered specs of dust in my ffc today after owning the phone for just one week, i dont subscribe to the 'blowing air at it' solution as it can only be a temporary fix until the next dust build up, and anyway, where is the dust going after you blast it?.......further into the depths of the phone?.... which will exacerbate the heating problems as the dust settles on electronic components inside.

I spoke to nokia customer services (UK) who told me this was the first they had heard of the problem and told me to visit my nearest service dept but i dont really want my brand new phone being dismantled and cleaned only to have the problem return later (probably within another week!!)

So i cancelled my contract today, but i'll be back for another 920 as soon as this (and others) issue is resolved by nokia. It is otherwise the best out there!

 

[liquidiq]

Little tip. If you take an old toothbrush and clean out the earpiece, and then use a bit of compressed air, it's as good as new. Learned the toothbrush trick from a Apple Genius

 

[randomscandinavian]

Didn't believe the dust blowing fix when I read it (as there is nothing to blow into when it comes to the sensor itself, just glass).

But it worked! I guess blowing into the speaker hole takes care of it somehow. Seems logical that there will be a fix for the sensitivity or a toggle to turn the screen blackout off altogether while engaged in a phone conversation. Hopefully.

For now, a big thank you for this temporary solution!

 

[Drive Headquarters]

I am not sure which one helped. I tried many ways. It seems blowing air did not fix it. However, I took another user's advice: I powered off the phone, then covered the proximity sensor (near the front camera and the Nokia logo), and powered it on again in a dark place. When it boots up, everything is back to normal.

The theory is the proximity sensor became too sensitive; but it can re-adjust during the OS reboot.

Overall this is a great phone. Hopefully Nokia will release an update asap.

 

[flame l]

I think its the sensor , when the phone is put near the ear, the screen goes dark just like the other os.

 

[qwertyops]

I don't think dust build up on the ear piece is the issue. The problem from what I believe is that the proximity sensor (oval shape) which is located right above the "N" of the Nokia logo. The sensor doesn't work if the glass is dirty. Of course oil buildup from your hands, ear, or hair product are the possible culprits. All you have to do is wipe it clean and the sensor will behave fine. Kind of a drag I know. Hopefully Nokia can release an update to strengthen the proximity sensor?

 

[CapnPauly]

I don't think dust build up on the ear piece is the issue. The problem from what I believe is that the proximity sensor (oval shape) which is located right above the "N" of the Nokia logo. The sensor doesn't work if the glass is dirty. Of course oil buildup from your hands, ear, or hair product are the possible culprits. All you have to do is wipe it clean and the sensor will behave fine. Kind of a drag I know. Hopefully Nokia can release an update to strengthen the proximity sensor?

I've noticed this too, as blowing it out once wasn't good enough, so I wiped-off the top of the phone. The next time I was having the problem, wiping it off wasn't good enough and I had to blow it out, too.

Damned if you do... :/

 

[The_IronBat]

yeah your fixed worked for me..... kind of a sad little fix and issue....

 

[Lauri Rosendahl]

Exactly same here, canned air blown in mainly through the speaker opening helped.
Visible dust inside the front camera and obviously the proximity sensor after two weeks of usage is not a good sign.
Did Nokia change something on the Lumia 920 as same problems are not registered on the 900 or 800?

 

[Tr1cky49]

Mine's given up the ghost completely now after two month's ownership. I've had the problem for a few weeks now and blowing into the earpiece did help for a while, but not any more. The only way I can hang up calls now is by double tapping the power button and very quickly tapping End Call before the screen goes black again. I've emailed Nokia and had a response that their support team will be in touch but after four days I've still not heard back -- a bit annoyed to be honest because otherwise I love the phone. Any solution other than them mailing me a replacement handset with a return label for the faulty one will not be accepted

 

[autumnride]

I had exactly the same problem and after a couple of month fighting with the dust I finally sent it in to get this fixed.. I bought mine at MediaMarkt Germany and they don't give you a replacement that easy, they want you to send the device in for reparation. Anyways, rather than giving my Lumia 920 to MediaMarkt I have requested the reparation through the NOKIA website.

I brought the parcel to the post office on Wed 2nd and they already fixed the phone by Fri 4th. My repaired Lumia 920 arrives tomorrow on Mon 7th and that really is an pretty decent time for a reparation.

I have called them to asked what they did:
+ Removing all dust
+ A couple of parts got replaced

I am really excited to get it back tomorrow and to see what parts they exchanged.. I hope they got rid of the little slits above front facing camera and approximation sensor so that no dust can come in anymore (see picture)

I gonna let you know about the repaired phone tomorrow!

 

[rollo.martins]

Hi all, I also had the problem with the screen turning and staying black during calls. Had to return my phone due to this as I couldn't even hang up calls any more. Now it is working.

The problem showed up after only a few days and got worse and worse.

There might be a connection to a strange rectangular spot in the top right corner of the glass which looked like an error in the glass coating. There the fat of my fingers seemed to collect more intensively on the screen there than on other spots of it. It was possible to wipe off the screen and the spot completely disappeared then. So you could only see the spot after some use. Might be the spot caused the IR of the proximity sensor to be reflected back or similar. No idea...

The new unit is flawless now, except for some strange sound problems I already posted about.

Regards R.

 

[gtbuzz]

Wonderful. This worked for me - sort of. Blowing hard on the area to remove dust actually made it worse for a little while. I ended up just wiping the area clean with my tshirt and that seemed to fix things. Since then it works as it should. Guess I need to wash my face more

 

[Ralph920]

I used a compressed air canister to blow air across the top of my 920. The dust previously visible near the front facing camera lens disappeared and my phone screen now stays lit when the phone is away from my face. Thanks to those in the forum who gave that advice.

 

[Ken Remontius]

Have just experienced this issue with my own Lumia 920... reading the sulotion I though "yeah right", but it Works

 

[aaibrahim]

FIXED HERE - Check this thread Page 8 AbuS3oodQatari

 

[hudster1969]

Bizarrely this works. Was at my wits ends with this and tried the solution, gave it a quick blow and screen working properly for calls. Not fully convinced it's not a bug with a previous update, the sensor does seem a bit sensitive, but will keep an eye on this.

Cheers for the solution :smile:

UPDATE - 25/01/2013

The problem is back worse than ever. The only way to fix this is to press the top left of the screen between the earpiece and the edge. Apparently this is the location of the cable for the proximity sensor and the issue is caused by the ribbon cable coming loose.

Only solution is to take it back to the store to get fixed or open the phone up and repair yourself.

 

[ScytheNoire]

Blowing it out worked the first few times, but no longer working.
Neither is the front facing camera.
My phone is useless as a phone right now.
Very disappointed in Nokia's horrible design.