How Does the com.android.systemui error Happen and How Do I Prevent It From Reoccurring?

[MidnightEcho]

Hello, new here and new to smartphones.

My friend recently purchased me a new-in-the-box smartphone. It is an LG Sunrise model. I've been learning how to use it and such. After about 2 weeks of using it I noticed that I was getting a lot of errors saying that Google Play had stopped working. I got some other errors that things were starting to not work. I got the feeling it was because I might have gotten a virus from one of the game apps I had downloaded. I tried uninstalling the updates to Google Play, but it didn't seem to work over time. I eventually factory reset the phone and it was working well again.

Then, recently, I got a couple more errors from Google Play, and then I started getting com.android.systemui has stopped errors. I got them about 15-20 in a row before it would go away. I tried rebooting the phone, which seemed to make it worse. I was unable to even power down the phone with the power button because the error was so insistent that at would block the phone options box that popped up to shut it down, and I had to take the battery out to restart it.

When I powered it back on it sort of worked but the wallpaper was blacked out. I reluctantly chose to factory reset the phone, although this time I did check-mark the option to back up my data to google servers. (Not sure if this is relevant but I thought I would add that.)

After the reset, the same thing happened on the welcome screen to get the phone set up. The error came on instantly and would not go away no matter how many times I pushed okay, and I still had to take the battery out to reboot the phone. At that point I called my provider's tech support, and they went through the process with me of factory resetting it using the safe-boot method of holding down the down-volume key and power key etc. It did not work, and they said they would have to just send me a new handset in the mail.

Basically, it appears the phone is "bricked".

My question is, how did this happen, and how can I avoid it happening again? Is it dependent on what apps I had installed on my phone and apps I didn't have installed, or is it just a random occurrence that I have no control over? I'm not necessarily new to computers, but I am new to smartphones, and I find it frustrating that each website I visit seems to have the exact "right answer" for things, but it's totally different from other websites that have the exact "right answer" as well.

Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It's always hard to figure that out. The LG Sunrise is a budget device, and is therefore probably more likely to have hardware defects or glitches. I was initially thinking that an app that you routinely installed might be interfering, but that shouldn't cause the whole thing to crash and not be able to start up.

This kind of thing can still occur with premium flagship devices, but it's generally much less common. If you want to avoid problems like this, consider at least a midrange device from a well-known manufacturer (including LG, Samsung, HTC, Sony, or Google). Avoid off-brand devices, like the kind that are sold directly from China.

 

[MidnightEcho]

Hello B Diddy,

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate your feedback. It is really difficult for me to figure all of this out.

I was thinking it might have been due to a game or something that I downloaded. Is this error known to have some sort of specific cause? Or is it just something that happens randomly due to poor programming in the phone? Are there any tips to avoid the phone being more susceptible to this error taking place?

I would get a better phone, but unfortunately I cannot do so as of yet.

Thanks

 

[Golfdriver97]

Hello B Diddy,

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate your feedback. It is really difficult for me to figure all of this out.

I was thinking it might have been due to a game or something that I downloaded. Is this error known to have some sort of specific cause? Or is it just something that happens randomly due to poor programming in the phone? Are there any tips to avoid the phone being more susceptible to this error taking place?

I would get a better phone, but unfortunately I cannot do so as of yet.

Thanks

Welcome to the forums. I am reasonably certain the error is in the UI, or User Interface. This could be an issue with the base OS, or you can try an alternate launcher, like Nova, which might bypass the stock one, if that is the root cause of the issue.

If the alternate launcher doesn't work, an option is to reflash the stock ROM. A couple caveats, though:
1. LG is not known for making this easy. I have had only 1 LG, and I have had no such need to do anything like this yet.
2. Files may be hard to come by.
3. If it is a bug in the code, flashing a ROM may not fix it.
4. Flashing ROMs of any kind, even stock ones, are not for the faint of heart. This sort of thing has a high possibility of bricking the device permanently. But on the other hand, UI crashes aren't much better.

Alternate options:
1. Do an exchange. Especially if you are within about 14 days from buying the device. Most retailers have at least that kind of return policy. i would call ahead before doing anything else. Exchange either for an exact same device, or a different one.

2. Contact LG. They may have better/different ideas on how to proceed.

I know I threw a lot at you for your first few posts. If I am not clear on anything, by all means, ask. Either I or even B. Diddy can clarify.

 

[MidnightEcho]

Hi Golfdriver,

Yea, I'm not sure what an alternate launcher is. I'm not sure how I would go about doing that, or why it would help? I'm curious about the reasoning as to why and how, unlike others who might not care and just "want it fixed".

I have been sent a replacement handset and I am getting it in the mail soon. But I'm trying to figure out if this is just a random occurrence that sometimes happens by chance and there is nothing I could have done to avoid it, or if it was something I did that was probably or certainly the case and so should avoid it in the future? I assume that every phone has the same coding installed onto it, so I'm curious as to if it was something I personally did, otherwise this would really be a matter of designed obsolescence on these phones so they can essentially output more product. I still am not sure why this error occurred in the first place, and would really like to know why and how to avoid it in the future. If it's just a random thing, then obviously there is nothing I can do about that, but I still haven't heard one way or the other as feedback here if that is the case.

For the sake of information while we are on this topic, since you brought it up, what is "reflashing the stock ROM"?

Thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

An alternative launcher is an app you can install from Google Play Store that changes how the user interface looks and works. All phones come with a launcher installed--which one depends on the manufacturer, because they typically make modifications to the basic Android interface (e.g., Samsung's TouchWiz and HTC's Sense). But if you don't like that interface, it's easy to install your own, like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher. Golfdriver97 was suggesting trying one of these, to see if that error goes away.

Other 3rd party apps you install might also cause instability in the system and lead to errors like this. But since you mentioned that this started immediately after completing a factory reset, it sounds like it was some fundamental glitch in the phone's firmware, which you can't control.

 

[MidnightEcho]

B Diddy,

I see. Well, it did happen after factory resets, but it *started* when I was just fundamentally using the phone.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Reflashing the stock ROM can be viewed as the equivalent of reinstalling Windows.

 

[Golfdriver97]

As for anything that you may have done to the phone to cause these errors....I really don't think that happened. I have had UI crashes on custom ROMs, where the only fix is to install something else until the developer fixes it.

Coding isn't really all the same. It has to be changed per the devices specific set up, i.e. processor, RAM, etc.

 

[LeoRex]

B Diddy,

I see. Well, it did happen after factory resets, but it *started* when I was just fundamentally using the phone.

Without bogging you down in the gory details... the software on your phone is split into two separate storage partitions; system and userdata. The system partition has all the Android operating system stuff... your hardware drivers, system applications and services etc. This is, for the most part, read only... unless you root your phone and start messing with it, it is left alone.

Now, userdata is where all your stuff is. Your settings, downloaded apps, Wifi hotspots and phone calls, text messages, and your internal storage. When you do a factory reset, all your phone is doing is flushing everything in userdata and leaving everything in system alone. When you boot up again, your phone should return to its 'factory state'...

If you get a bunch of errors and a factory reset doesn't solve the problem, that means something in your system area got messed up... no number of factory resets will solve that one and your only option is to do a complete reload of the factory software.... a process that is very easy on some (a Nexus) and either difficult to downright impossible on others. I am not sure where on that line your phone lies.

 

[MidnightEcho]

Thanks LeoRex! That was really helpful to know. Makes more sense now.

Upon further reflection, I think part of the reason the system UI error might have happened was because I dropped the phone a couple of times. It wasn't a hard slam, but I assume since it's a budget phone and thus lesser quality overall, I might have dropped it in such a way where it malfunctioned *just right* to make it bricked.

In good news, I managed to get a replacement phone, but not before having to call the company 8 times, repeat myself numerous times, correct erroneous address information that made it undeliverable for days and it still didn't get fixed, hung up on, disconnected, transferred repeatedly, repeated myself repeatedly, and felt like I got shafted on the airtime they gave me after all of the ridiculous bullcrap I went through. *shruggggg* what am I going to do? at least I finally have the phone now.

Thanks for your help. I think I get things slightly more now. I'll consider a "reflash" in the future if this happens again.

 

[Dark_Blight]

Need help my phone is lenovo and I get this kind of error but a little different it downloads stuff by itself and give's me a lot of ads numerously. I tried force stopping it but it would start back again help!!!!