[jomacral]

I am not sure if anybody else has heard of this, but my Galaxy S4 (i9500) is making my physically ill. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and general discomfort since I bought it a month ago.

At first I thought it was a bout of the flue that would just not go away. Every time I turned on the phone screen, I would almost immediately vomit, or dry heave. I went to the doctor, and they said all is well, and not even so much as a fervor - but he did tell me to turn my phone off for a few days since that seems to be an instigator with the problem I have.

Being away from it for a few days (gave it to my wife, and I took her Nokia, and my trusty iPod for notes and wifi-only web) - all was good. I started feeling better, and I thought I was good to go. After work one day I took my phone back from my wife, and turned it on. Immediately got ill again - this time with instant headache, nausea, you name it. This was only after no more than 2 seconds after turning the screen on. I turned it off again, and the symptoms subsided again after an hour or two so I decided to go to our IT shop and take a look at a few other phones to see what they do. Of all the phones I looked at, the Galaxy S3, and S4 both gave me the same reaction. HTC, iPhone, and other brands did not affect me at all.

Has anybody heard of this, and know why this would be? I talked with a few friends and all I get from them is laughter and "Galaxy does that to people" BS comments. I love my phone, but I also want to be able to use it. Is this a known issue, and if so, why only the Galaxy S3 and S4 cause this? Tablets, Note 2, and other brands don't bother me at all.

[shoii]

Lol wut?

[jomacral]

Yeh, pretty much.

[erasat]

Wow, and I thought I've heard everything already...

I think it's because you haven't installed an antivirus on it...think about it, it makes sense.

Seriously dude, I don't have a clue how to even try to give you a suggestion, speechless.

[Marck527]

Maybe your allergic to the galaxy line? Idk lol

Sent from my GT-I9500

[Almeuit]

This.. I don't even know what to say. I can't see a phone making someone sick.. Unless it was like all phone screens bother you. Not just a particular one.

Sent from my Sprint HTC One using AC forums.

[Speedy3]

Have your doctor check you for Vertigo. It may be something from the screen that may be triggering it. Does it make you feel dizzy as well?

[STARGATE]

Have your doctor check you for Vertigo. It may be something from the screen that may be triggering it. Does it make you feel dizzy as well?

This ^
My Mom has vertigo, and not all, but certain screens from HDTVs and cell phones make her sick.

Good luck!

Sent From a Galaxy S4 Away

[jrsharp70]

This is awesome...

It could be in your head... The same way that someone who gets sick from a certain food will always feel like vomiting from smelling that food.

The nausea and vomiting could be explained with some cranial nerve problem MAYBE... But diarrhea doesn't fit. It would almost have to be a systemic reaction to an emotion.

-how old are you? What do you do for a living (in general).
-any history of seizures, allergic reactions, asthma, hives, blurred vision, migraine, blacking out?
- are you on any medications?
-When does it happen? When you turn the phone on? When you pick it up? When you look at the screen?
-sitting down, standing up? What makes it go away?
-have you fallen down, lost consciousness?
-have you taken anything that makes it better? Dramamine, etc?
-when was the first time it happened? Where were you and what were you doing?

If you are not trolling, we will figure it out.

Posted via Android Central App

[Gamer_Radar]

Most likely what the screen is made out of... Every manufacturer is different and even every phone model is different in screen specs.

Sent from my HTC One X using AC Forums mobile app

[Notsosure]

Never heard of this but sounds like you should stop using your galaxy s4 for your own health. If an iPod is not making you sick maybe you should look in to getting an iPhone or have you tried other smart phones like HTC One? One other way I would try to verify its the built materials from galaxy line is try using another galaxy phone like the Note 2 and see if that is causing an issue.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

[Fr0gburp3r]

You may be hyper sensitive to the Samsung phone displays refresh rate. Kind of like how a certain frequency of flashing lights can trigger epileptic seizures in some individuals.

[gusar2000]

Could be very rare allergy (on metals, chemicals), e.g. Nickel, manufacturing materials?

[starbuckk]

Clearly something is not right. Talk to your doctor. Could be any number of issues.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

[ratsttam]

Can't tell if OP has serious health issue (vertigo/epilepsy) triggered by the phone display, or is trying to make a joke about how revolting the Touchwiz interface is...

I'll err on the side of health issue, and request the OP cover the display with paper or cardstock, and see if it being powered on, but not visible, causes the ill effects. If all is good, but only when the screen is exposed does things go downhill, than the screen refresh rate is likely really messing with your head. If you're getting sick with the screen covered, it could be a sensitivity to one of the radio frequencies and how they are aimed in comparison to other devices.

Does this only happen with this ONE Galaxy, or will someone passing you on the street holding one cause you to get sick too, as there could be something wrong with the screen or radios in the particular one you've got.

If you're just trolling, then well done.

[meyerweb#CB]

The S3 and S4 use an OLED screen, most other devices use an LCD screen with backlight. It would appear that you are sensitive to something about the LED screen, but what it is I don't have the expertise to guess. But I would agree with those who suggest this could indicate a medical issue. Not necessarily, but I think it would be better to get it checked out than to ignore it. I've not heard of this before, so it's certainly not a common issue.

Does changing the screen brightness make any difference? The refresh rate for at least some types of LEDs varies with brightness.

[TheLibertarian]

Those darn AMOLED displays!

I kid.

On a more serious note: this is a forum for Android enthusiasts, not doctors. If I were you I would have made a doctors appointment rather than asking us Android nerds what's ailing you...

And to further stay on topic: No, jomacral, this is definitely not a "known issue."

[tgp]

It is definitely hazardous to your health. I insist you ship the device to me posthaste. I will diagnose it for you.

[Jaimeg123prmt]

I don't even know if this is serious. I hope it's not, because I never heard of such a thing.

[Andrawer]

I wonder how the OP loves his s4 when it makes him sick as soon as it is turned on?


Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[jomacral]

At the start when I first purchased the phone, I was perfectly fine however slowly through the following week, I thought I came down with something, as it gradually worsened to the point of needing to see a doctor. I used my phone a lot through the first week as I thought I simply had a flu, which was apparently not the case.

I wonder how the OP loves his s4 when it makes him sick as soon as it is turned on?


Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[jomacral]

Inline in bold

This is awesome...

It could be in your head... The same way that someone who gets sick from a certain food will always feel like vomiting from smelling that food.
I know what you are saying, and yes this alone is a problem as well - even thinking about using the phone gives me a mild reaction now.

The nausea and vomiting could be explained with some cranial nerve problem MAYBE... But diarrhea doesn't fit. It would almost have to be a systemic reaction to an emotion.

-how old are you? late 30s What do you do for a living (in general). Sr. Embedded Software Architect (Lead programmer) 18+ years.
-any history of seizures No, allergic reactions No, asthma No, hives No, blurred vision Yes - had eye surgery 5 months ago on both eyes, migraine No, blacking out No?
- are you on any medications? No
-When does it happen? When you turn the phone on? Yes When you pick it up? No When you look at the screen? Yes
-sitting down, standing up? What makes it go away? Sit and rest for an hour or two without the phone near me
-have you fallen down, lost consciousness? No
-have you taken anything that makes it better? Dramamine, etc? Yes, Dramamine
-when was the first time it happened? Slowly over the course of the first week owning itWhere were you and what were you doing? Everything

If you are not trolling, we will figure it out.
Certainly not trolling - I would really like to figure this out, but it appears as though my case is somewhat unique.

Being away from the phone now for a good part of the week, I am now feeling pretty good though I do still have some lingering issues left. Simply thinking about the phone now gives me waves of nausea, and a headache, but other symptoms seem to be gone.


Posted via Android Central App

[brun019822]

that happen to me once

[jrsharp70]

A guy walks into a doctor's office and says "it hurts when I hold my arm like this". So the doctor says, "don't hold your arm like that."

Sorry. Fortunately, you bought a phone that you can trade for basically any phone on the market.

Just in case though... Go to settings -> display -> screen mode. Select movie.

Go to settings -> power saving -> check screen power saving, and background color.

Go to settings -> developer options -> change animations to off.

Good luck

Posted via Android Central App

[mightyfacundo]

I have no idea why the S4 is making you sick. It could be any of the things previously suggested or maybe it's a faulty battery that's producing a super high electro magnetic field when the screen is turned on. I've never heard of that happening, but then again, I've never heard of anyone experiencing what you're going through. If it was me, I'd sell the phone and get the HTC One, or try and trade for it.