Nokia 928 screen freeze investigation

[hopmedic]

Which is why I suggested a hard reset. It could be a bug introduced by GDR2, but one would think that it would happen to a lot more people if that were the case. Either way, if you want the phone replaced, you're going to go through a hard reset, so may as well do it to see if it solves the problem. Yeah, it's a pain, but sometimes it's less of a pain than replacing the whole phone.

 

[TylerMills]

Loved the phone for about a day. Ended up freezing and did a soft reset. Worked for the entire day and the entire next day. Then on the way home that night the phone froze completely while I was driving and I couldn't change my directions (so I was stranded). Soft resets didn't work so I did a complete hard reset and it still didn't work. Let it sit for a couple of days and it worked long enough for me to do one hard reset and turn it off so I could send it in.

So I figure it's a hardware issue (or a low-level firmware issue unaffected by a hard reset) and send it to Nokia. Today I get a notification that repairs are done. This is what they sent me:



First off they cut off the message I attached to the repair request. I haven't had a phone for a week. If I receive the same phone back with no changes I'm not going to be pleased. I'm convinced it's either a hardware issue and that all the "solutions" are just blind luck. If it isn't hardware it's a firmware issue that won't be fixed until new radios are pushed out (GDR3 doesn't affect firmware).

 

[felickz]

Go through Verizon warranty... 2day shipping and put old phone in new phone box to return.

 

[TylerMills]

Go through Verizon warranty... 2day shipping and put old phone in new phone box to return.

I would, but I bought it used. It was only a week old when I bought it. Verizon won't honor it.

 

[DavidinCT]

I would, but I bought it used. It was only a week old when I bought it. Verizon won't honor it.

Do you have the insurance/extended warrany on your phone ? I would call them up and tell them your friend gave it to you and that it should still be under warranty. You could always go to nokia.com and send in for repair, they only check the serial number for warranty and currently all 928's are under warranty (1 year warranty and unless damaged all 928's are under warranty).

As I am not willing to Hard reset my phone due to game saves that I am not willing to start over on unless I have no choice. Why dont we check things out for everyone who has this problem.

How about, your background tasks, what are you running ? Are you using peek or double click to turn on ?

For example...
Background besides the Windows forced (facebook, Twitter,etc) Everything else is disabled besides
-Amazing Weather HD
-AT Bat 13
-Twitter
-Weave News Reader.

Peek is on but, nothing else. Touch is Normal.

Other things we should check ?

 

[chase1963]

I got a warranty replacement a couple weeks ago. Mine froze after like 3 months. Soft rest got me back to the lock screen and couldn't unlock it. The screen went crazy too. The replacement phone froze within a week. I was able to reset the replacement. It's been another week now. So far, it works.

 

[majorawsome]

Guys, I did some digging around and it seems like the HTC 8x is having the same problem... I'm thinking that the driver for the screen is bad.. I hard reset my phone and the screen didn't work at all. I then put it into the freezer (which works 100% of the time for me) and I haven't had any problems since... Running GDR3 Dev

 

[majorawsome]

So, I hard reset my phone with GDR3, and the screen froze all night long till I put it in the fridge. It freezes, but only when it's in the heat. I need to open it up and see what is inside. I have no idea what it is, because sometimes it freezes when it's not in the heat.

 

[felickz]

So, I hard reset my phone with GDR3, and the screen froze all night long till I put it in the fridge. It freezes, but only when it's in the heat. I need to open it up and see what is inside. I have no idea what it is, because sometimes it freezes when it's not in the heat.

likely the driver for the touch screen has some heatsink that comes loose... Would be very interested to see pics if you open up and notice anything... Then again I am sure Nokia knows exactly what the issue is, plenty warranty returns of phones with this exact issue

 

[majorawsome]

I was thinking the EXACT same thing, but it's not a driver (that's a piece of software that makes the touchscreen function). I would send it back by my screen is cracked...

I do plan on purchasing a Nexus 5, or another phone so I can have a phone, then I will take apart the 928 and see what's up.

 

[hopmedic]

If your screen is cracked, you can get it replaced with deductible, if you have it insured. If not, sad to say you're going to have to shoulder the cost. :straight:

Typically, on just about anything else, I am not a proponent of extended warranties, as I used to administer them, and I know all of the ways that they try to get out of paying the claim. But with today's small devices, and the cost of replacement, I'm fairly neutral on them. I'm not opposed to them, but I'm also not a strong proponent. I think if you take good care, and are not a clumsy person, you can get by just fine without an extended warranty or insurance. But if you think there's a chance... Buy the policy. Myself, I bought the policy they push in the Microsoft Store, as it is around half the cost of the one from Verizon (but all up front instead of monthly), and the deductible is half that of Verizon's. First time I've ever broken a phone, it paid off.

 

[majorawsome]

Heat doesn't seem to be the problem. See main post, I edited it at the bottom to explain why.

 

[Xplode22]

I'm going to throw one more odd thing out there. Like someone else said earlier in the thread, it is happening on non-928 phones as well. My son had it happen to him on his HTC 8X. But here is the weird thing, his screen locked up immediately after he sent me a text and mine locked up when I received his text. If that is a coincidence, then it is one hell of a coincidence. I can't tell you what - if anything - this means but is was very odd.

 

[majorawsome]

It actually might be that the device isn't grounded properly? I have no idea.

 

[davidmavila]

I had two Nokia 928s and it happen to me on both phones customer service did not admit its a hardware issue only to say its a known issue and sent me another phone

Very upset with Nokia but i'm never going to buy another Nokia phone again

 

[meathead88]

Just picked up a tip from the Tubes... Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8: Freeze Issue Fixed. - YouTube He says it is a wifi problem. Just turned mine off and will post back results...

They guy that made the video is obviously evil!

 

[ddartman7]

I was having the issue of periodic screen freezes on my 928. That problem went away when I set touch sensitivity to "Normal".

 

[OldMillXxX]

It actually might be that the device isn't grounded properly? I have no idea.

Your last post was November...any update? Did you get a new phone? Did you tear down the 928?

 

[anon(6033474)]

I was having the issue of periodic screen freezes on my 928. That problem went away when I set touch sensitivity to "Normal".

Mines has always been at normal so I know that won't do anything for me...

 

[muneshyne21]

OK, I think I discovered 2 reasons why the screen will freeze. I have a feeling that there are multiple reasons that involve several things to happen for the screen to freeze which is why no one can pin the issue down.

1st Discovery - I found that when I disconnected my car bluetooth link with my phone while I woke the phone up or pressed the side buttons the phone froze (even the buttons). When I turned my car back on and the connection was re-established, my phone unfroze! Weird. Freeze type 1 maybe the culprit to a large portion of us who leave our bluetooth on and walk near devices that auto pair up with our phones. My phone froze about 3 or 4 times after turning off my car. It wasnt until this last time that it occurred to me to turn the car back on to see if the screen unfreezes.

2nd Discovery - If my phone freezes and I have to soft reset, 9 times out of 10 I have a new e-mail/message when the phone boots up. Coincidence? Maybe. There may be a problem with either the e-mail client or the data coming in that's confusing the phone and causing it to glitch. Maybe when there is data coming in, unpairing a bluetooth device will overload the OS. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe

Im pretty sure there are several other ways to freeze the screen but I've noticed mine usually happen under these two conditions. Many times I'll get the freeze with no bluetooth involvement but I'll have a message waiting for me when the phone boots up. Or visa versa. Keep a vigil eye on your phone and note everything that happens before the screen freeze and after the reset. If even one 928 owner can verify they notice the same set of circumstances for their screen freezes, we will be one step closer to figuring out this bug. Dunno if it matters but I have a 2010 prius with bluetooth nav.