Screen constanly opening and closing

[Brushhand]

Hi,

I have had my S6 for around 7 months...just recently I noticed that the screen would occasionally close for no reason...

It got worse, so I tried a factory reboot...which appeared to work, then the problem came back...albeit intermittently

This time I tried clearing the cache, (didnt work) restoring the factory settings (didnt work) cleaning the screen (didnt work) and finally another full factory reset...which worked for a short time.

Now the problem has got really bad...its as if someone is working the phone remotely...its a constant battle to open various app screens without them closing, there does not appear to be a pattern to the problem either.

I have not dropped the phone, nor has it got wet/damp

Any thoughts please?

Thanks

 

[nahoku]

Have you tried starting the phone in Safe mode to see if the problem persists?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Can you clarify -- when you say the screen is opening and closing, do you mean that apps are opening and closing by themselves, or is the screen turning on and off by itself?

 

[Brushhand]

Hi

I would have said the apps a few weeks ago...but now it appears to be all functions...

I carried out a master reset yesterday...when I turned the phone back on and went though the set up screens, internet, country, language, Samsung account etc they actually started going backwards to the initial screen!

Sometimes I will open the gallery and it closes in a nano second...writing a text, viewing a page (or trying to)

One thing I have noticed though...it doesn't seem to do it if I have not used the phone for a few hours...then after a while it will happen a couple of times then gets progressively worse....that said, tonight I used on on messenger and did a little browsing and it was fine...

Thanks for your reply

 

[Brushhand]

Have you tried starting the phone in Safe mode to see if the problem persists?

Not yet...can you tell me how to go about that please?...would this indicate a problem with a rogue app?...I reset the phone yesterday but did not load apps other than the ones that come with the reset download...the problem happened briefly but as I have said below it seemed ok tonight for about an hour

Thanks for the reply

 

[nahoku]

Read and attempt this first before what follows below. There seems to be more going on with the phone, but for now, start the phone in Safe Mode. To enter safe mode, press the power button like you want to turn off the phone. When you get to the Phone options screen, "press and hold" on the Power off option. A screen will show up where you can choose to restart in safe mode. Safe mode will disable 3rd party apps and only allow system apps to run. See if you still have problems with the phone... like what's going on with your gallery. If things work fine, then it might be some app you installed causing the issue. However, what you described following the factory reset during initial setup doesn't sound like a 3rd party app problem.

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Sounds like your OS is messed up since things are happening directly after a factory reset. I'm amazed you got the phone to fully boot up. From the looks of it, you have three options...

1) have the phone OS reflashed by someone... (or at least get an opinion on it)
If you're in the USA, then Bestbuy might be able to reflash the phone for you (see the Samsung rep there), or visit your carrier store to see if they can help.

2) reflash the phone yourself
If you want to reflash the phone yourself, you do it at your own risk... and there is risk involved. If you're not familiar with flashing, then DON'T attempt it.

3) return the phone for replacement.
Since your phone is under a year old, then the Samsung warranty should apply... in which case you should be able to get the phone replaced by a refurb phone. Consider that a refurb phone can be as good as a new phone, but not always (there's a reason why the phone was refurbed in the first place).

If it were me, I would reflash the phone myself. However, for you, you should choose from the other options. Whatever you do, don't take the phone to some rinky-dink shop and have them attempt a reflash... make sure to go to an "authorized dealer" like Bestbuy (see the Samsung rep), or your carrier.

 

[B. Diddy]

Actually, Safe Mode is a little different on Samsung than on most other Android devices. The steps are here: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-29226

Safe Mode is still the thing to try next. If the problems persist in Safe Mode, then something is wrong with the firmware or the hardware. You can try reinstalling the firmware using Smart Switch (SmartSwitch: Install & update or replace firmware) or Odin (http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...w-flash-stock-rom-via-odin-new-interface.html). If you're in the US, you could also bring it to your local Best Buy and ask the Samsung rep if he or she can reflash the firmware.

 

[nahoku]

Actually, Safe Mode is a little different on Samsung than on most other Android devices.

Hmmm... perhaps on some Samsung's, but it's the same for both my Note 4's and on S5's (if I recall)... I'm thinking it's the same for a S6. Don't know for sure though, but your link will help if it's not the same.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oh, sorry if I'm wrong. To further complicate issues, I know that sometimes the procedure can differ depending on the carrier variant as well!

 

[nahoku]

Well, for certain, not all Samsung's work the same way. The option for safe mode in phone options is not on My Note 10.1 2014.

 

[Brushhand]

Thank you both for the information...I will try that and get back to you with the outcome..

It seems the more they put on these phones the problems can occur sometimes...

One point, I have changed the charger...I was using the Samsung wired fast charger...my wife also experienced similar problem using the fast charger...I have used the standard one that I had with the phone and so far...no problems!...but as the fault can be intermittent I am not building my hopes up too much at this stage

Do you think that this could have been the problem?...I have spoken to my network provider and samsung and they have not heard of the problem before (they always seem to say that!!) but I hadnt mentioned the charger at that point...so, just maybe........................................

Thank you for the input guys

 

[nahoku]

The charger should have no effect on how your phone runs software. If for some reason you don't see problems again because you used a different charger... it'll be magic! :-!

 

[B. Diddy]

I've read about situations where a faulty charger leads to phantom touches and swipes -- it might be poor shielding that is allowing an electromagnetic field (generated by the current) to affect the screen. It's a bit of a long shot, but if you can reproduce the problem with that charger, that might be the problem.

 

[nahoku]

OP... are you only experiencing these problems while you're charging your phone? I agree with B Diddy that EMI/RFI can be a problem with chargers (and cables), or anything connected to them, but in all my years of working with electronics, I've never seen a home charger emit enough of it to affect anything... not even the sensitive stuff I used to work on. Then again, maybe other people have. If none of the problems are happening on battery, then yes, (although I have a hard time saying it), it might be the charger. I still have a hard time imagining it could be the reason though. If you have a cable with a ferrite bead on it, try it with the suspect charger to see if it makes a difference. This is getting stranger by the minute!

 

[Brushhand]

Hi Guys..

Interesting...

I rarely use the phone when it is attached to the charger, but it has happened when the phone is both connected and disconnected...as I said, my wife has also experienced a similar problem with her phone (motorola) and worse when using her Lenovo tablet..

This is the second day of using it after a slow charge and it appears to be ok...I will use it a lot more tomorrow and see how it performs, it could just be a lucky coincidence that the phone is ok at the moment...I will get back to you.

Thanks again

 

[Brushhand]

Hi Guys...firstly...Merry Christmas!

I just thought I would update you...as I said previously the phone seemed to be ok when I used a slow charge...this was fine for a couple of days, then I used the Samsung fast charger...lo and behold...within a couple of hours of fairly regular use the problem occurred again, I drained the phone and charged it again using a usb lead plugged into a standard charger...and also plugged into usb built into one of normal electrical sockets..

I am happy to report, no problems!!!....surely more than a coincidence now?..

The chargers I have been using are Samsung branded fast chargers, I bought 3 from Amazon..but since buying it appears they are getting a lot of bad reviews...Im now wondering if this is the root of the problem...rogue chargers, emitting a bad current?

 

[B. Diddy]

Hmm. Have you ever had a fast charger that charges normally? Did the phone come with its own fast charger, and if so, is that one even causing problems? If so, then I'd guess there's actually something wrong the phone's charging circuitry or shielding, and perhaps any attempt at fast charging is triggering the problem.

 

[nahoku]

Merry Christmas to you too!

Its possible those Amazon chargers may have stressed some components in the phone to the point where the phone's charging circuit is messed up. Some component might be "right on the edge" of spec whereby fast charging pushes it over, while slow charging doesn't. It could also be the Amazon chargers themselves have poor regulation/filtering (ripple). It's still hard to envision the "charging" circuit giving problems while the phone is on battery power as the battery output should be isolated from the charging circuit. It's hard to give a quantitative description of what I'm thinking, but if the problem persists and one day shows up even on slow charging, you may have to get the charging port replaced. However, before attacking the hardware, I would have the phone reflashed just in case it's really an OS problem. Too many things going on at once.