Don't put your pen in backwards!

[GalaticBoar]

I can understand the argument that this is user stupidity and I appreciate the humor. However, for an $800 device, I expect better. When you put the pen in backwards, it goes in very smoothly, then one little click and it's done. There's no resistance or any type of indication that you are about to irrevocably damage your device. I have used many phones with stylus starting with the Windows Mobile Compaq Pocket PC and none of the stylus devices I had allow this. I can see this happening with absentmindedness, not seeing in the dark, just playing around, letting your kid borrow your phone for a few minutes, etc.

Samsung could have designed some type of mechanism to prevent wrong insertion, or at least make it a lot harder. It's not like that type of safety net hasn't been done before.

 

[Erika Criger]

Has anyone been able to free the s-pen clicker from their phone? I'm so upset that this happened. I'm faced with having to pay $175 deductible. :-(

 

[FrogVomit]

I don't think it is a design flaw. The S Pen was never meant to be put in backwards.
That's like sticking a screwdriver in a wall socket and complaining that it was a design flaw.
You're suppose to use common sense.

It's got nothing to do with common sense. How do you know you shouldn't stick a screwdriver in a wall socket? Did common sense tell you that? No, your mommy did, and you remembered it. Nobody told me sticking the pen in backwards would damage the phone, and its far from common sense to assume it would.

A better analogy would be inserting a plug in the socket backwards makes it unremovable without damaging the socket. Is that a design flaw?

What if holding the power button down on your phone for 5 seconds would wipe the phone without warning? Is that a design flaw, or should you use common sense to magically know this?

 

[barry99705]

The problem is the little switch inside the pen silo. It sits about an inch and a half down the well on the left side of the silo if you're looking at the screen. It tells the phone that the pen has been removed. It rotates up when the pen slides in, but when the pen is out is sticks out kinda like this / . When the pen is put in backwards the / part acts like the zippy part of a zip tie against the clicky part of the pen. I tried to slide a thin piece of paper between the pen and the phone to try to push the lever out of the way, but there's really not a lot of extra space there. I think you're stuck with having to pay the deductible. If the pen is forced out it will break this switch, after that the phone won't know the pen has been removed/replaced. You'll lose the quick note feature and the little round pen icon will always be visible on the screen.

You might be able to use some thin plastic. Something like they use to shrink wrap an item to a cardboard backer. Cut it a couple inches long by maybe a quarter inch wide. Wrap it around the side of the pen that faces the phone and try to slide it in the hole. You might be able to push it in with the pen, slide them both in a bit, pull the pen back out till it stops and push in again. If the plastic slides in, it will eventually push the switch out of the way and allow the pen to slide out.

 

[russel5150]

So not only did the OP make a mistake, but we have people who tried it just to see?

Im sorry but this a bit amusing.

I think the only way it could be considered a design flaw is if both ends of the Spen were similar.. which they are not.

Yeah it sucks it happened, and yeah its an 800 dollar device.. which makes me super careful with mine.

Let us know what gets figured out on replacement, I'm actually curious about this one...

Sent with my white Note5 with nonremovable back and no SDcard!

 

[anon8380037]

This is Android Central. Probably the biggest Android forum.
Of course everyone, and I mean everyone, will start to put the pen in the wrong way during two years of use.

Even if we put the word out to make it a practice to feel or look for the nib end first, at least some will be saved! (Oh.. the HORROR!)

Seriously Android Central should find a way of alerting owners, before this thread gets swamped with "it would never happen to me because I'm not dumb" comments.

(I don't have one btw, can't get one here).

There was a very long thread about self - cracking Samsung screens. That was another design flaw in the majority of cases, imo.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=330684

 

[Kelly Kearns]

This isn't a design flaw, just don't put the spen in the wrong way. Also on other fronts, don't take a hammer to your screen, do not intentionally drop your S5 in water, etc and the list goes on and on for what people have done to their phones.

If you think it is a design flaw, I suggest you call Samsung.

 

[FrogVomit]

This isn't a design flaw, just don't out the spen in the wrong way. Also on other fronts, don't take a hammer to your screen, do not intentionally drop your S5 in water, etc and the list goes on and on for what people have done to their phones.

If you think it is a design flaw, I suggest you call Samsung.

I'm not sure you understand the meaning of "design flaw". Reiterating my earlier example, if the phone had a feature where holding down the power button for 5 seconds would wipe the memory clean without warning, would you consider that a design flaw? Just don't hold the power button down for that long and you'll be fine, so, not a design flaw?

The design allows the pen to be easily inserted backwards, and not removed. It could easily have been designed to not allow this, but wasn't. Design flaw. Period.

At the very least, there needs to be a warning label, because it is not common sense to expect that this very simple and seemingly harmless action causes damage.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

I do understand the meaning. I can hear the scraping noise and feel the difference the second the wrong end goes in. I can hear the noise over the TV.

None of us work for Samsung. As I said, if you think it is a design flaw, you should call Samsung.

 

[anon8380037]

I'm not sure you understand the meaning of "design flaw". Reiterating my earlier example, if the phone had a feature where holding down the power button for 5 seconds would wipe the memory clean without warning, would you consider that a design flaw? Just don't hold the power button down for that long and you'll be fine, so, not a design flaw?

The design allows the pen to be easily inserted backwards, and not removed. It could easily have been designed to not allow this, but wasn't. Design flaw. Period.

At the very least, there needs to be a warning label, because it is not common sense to expect that this very simple and seemingly harmless action causes damage.

All true.

I wouldn't bother arguing with the nay sayers, even against a site ambassador.

Ultimately this thread was to alert people who would appreciate the warning, and demonstrate the damage this will cause to the device.

While I also love the opportunities for humor this thread can generate, I have a feeling this thread will see me despair again of the abusive comments it will generate, and I will give up on Android Central.
We are supposed to be a helping community, and if a site ambassador can put down an OP iike this, I'm out.

If it were me I would let them run with it, but that's been my experience.

Thanks for the thread. Sorry about what happened.

The problem is the little switch inside the pen silo. It sits about an inch and a half down the well on the left side of the silo if you're looking at the screen. It tells the phone that the pen has been removed. It rotates up when the pen slides in, but when the pen is out is sticks out kinda like this / . When the pen is put in backwards the / part acts like the zippy part of a zip tie against the clicky part of the pen. I tried to slide a thin piece of paper between the pen and the phone to try to push the lever out of the way, but there's really not a lot of extra space there. I think you're stuck with having to pay the deductible. If the pen is forced out it will break this switch, after that the phone won't know the pen has been removed/replaced. You'll lose the quick note feature and the little round pen icon will always be visible on the screen.

You might be able to use some thin plastic. Something like they use to shrink wrap an item to a cardboard backer. Cut it a couple inches long by maybe a quarter inch wide. Wrap it around the side of the pen that faces the phone and try to slide it in the hole. You might be able to push it in with the pen, slide them both in a bit, pull the pen back out till it stops and push in again. If the plastic slides in, it will eventually push the switch out of the way and allow the pen to slide out.

Thanks for the great info.
I guess it would only click past that point when it's fully in (steady people!) and you press against the release spring, as I understand it.



Please DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

These are TRAINED PROFESSIONALS!

 

[anon8380037]

I do understand the meaning. I can hear the scraping noise and feel the difference the second the wrong end goes in. I can hear the noise over the TV.

None of us work for Samsung. As I said, if you think it is a design flaw, you should call Samsung.

Or alert people with a thread on the biggest Android forum.

 

[GalaticBoar]

Funny analogy jmy, but if you do that, they either will tell you to stop or continue, and there will be no permanent physical damage, unlike this silent click of death.

The bottom line to me is that it should not be this easy to damage your device. I can imagine kids running around phone stores doing this to all the Note 5s on display, once they know about this "vulnerability".

If this happens to you please speak up. That's the only way to get Samsung to listen and fix the issue or make future versions better.

For what it's worth I will try to give Verizon/Samsung a call and see what they say.

 

[goin_nil]

In all seriousness, I can see this blowing up big and getting some press. And I do think Samsung QA department failed on this one. It should have been caught and prevented, never seen the light of day to the public.

I feel bad for those that have accidentally done this and ruined their S Pen. But, in the 10 months of having my Note 4, I've never put in in backwards.

In the long run, your phone still works and you just need to buy another $40 to $50 S Pen (or other brand) AND carry it around separately. A big inconvenience, to be sure, but everything still functions. I can see case makers jumping on this new "Stuck S Pen" market and making a phone case that has a separate S Pen slot.


This is Samsung's version of "antennagate":
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704913304575371131458273498

And "bendgate":
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2974372/ios/iphone-6s-say-goodbye-to-bendgate.html


I guess we can use this thread to come up with creative names for this new "watergate" issue. So, here's mine:

stuckpengate

Not very creative. I tried.

 

[GalaticBoar]

Called Verizon. Verizon said to call Samsung. I called Samsung and described the situation. They said since it's a hardware issue under warranty, they will repair it for free. They are sending me a shipping label. Turn around time is about 1.5 weeks.

So I guess this is good news. BUT PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS if this didn't happen to you. If enough people call in with this problem, I am afraid Samsung may decide to say enough and stop offering free repairs.

 

[goin_nil]

Called Verizon. Verizon said to call Samsung. I called Samsung and described the situation. They said since it's a hardware issue under warranty, they will repair it for free. They are sending me a shipping label. Turn around time is about 1.5 weeks.

So I guess this is good news. BUT PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS if this didn't happen to you. If enough people call in with this problem, I am afraid Samsung may decide to say enough and stop offering free repairs.

That's awesome. Good for you.

 

[mavrrick]

Called Verizon. Verizon said to call Samsung. I called Samsung and described the situation. They said since it's a hardware issue under warranty, they will repair it for free. They are sending me a shipping label. Turn around time is about 1.5 weeks.

So I guess this is good news. BUT PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS if this didn't happen to you. If enough people call in with this problem, I am afraid Samsung may decide to say enough and stop offering free repairs.

This is good news. Hopefully this thread will get the word out so folks are more cautious. It really is a shame as it would have been so easy to prevent if caught in the design phase. The first 3 notes didn't seem to have this issue. The 4th did apparently, but wasn't a big problem since it didn't have the click button.

I think the big thing here is the adults that buy the phone won't be the source of most of the replacements. I think the majority will be when their kids get ahold of the phone and do it.

It is funny to hear people talk about common sense. I talk to my daughter frequently about how common sense realliy isn't all that common. After all if it was why would we ever bring it up.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[anon8380037]

Called Verizon. Verizon said to call Samsung. I called Samsung and described the situation. They said since it's a hardware issue under warranty, they will repair it for free. They are sending me a shipping label. Turn around time is about 1.5 weeks.

So I guess this is good news. BUT PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS if this didn't happen to you. If enough people call in with this problem, I am afraid Samsung may decide to say enough and stop offering free repairs.

Good point about possible deliberate abuse making it harder to make a legitimate claim before they close the door. I shouldn't mention it further really!

Nice work. I hope others here take your lead.

10 days or so is a pain to wait, but it's a result.

 

[KillerNut]

I say it is a design flaw. Yes, you can sit here all day and call people stupid for putting the pen in the wrong way, until one day you're in a hurry and it happens to you...

People will need to be careful, but yes it shouldn't be this easy to permanently damage your phone. just my .02

 

[Almeuit]

Mod Note - Let's stay away from trolling please.

Thanks.

 

[anon(394005)]

Early Note devices had an S-Pen where the end had a little edge on it with a slant (see pic below) where it could only be inserted one way (edge had to be pointed to the back of the device). People complained about it wanting the ability to put the S-Pen in either way. So with the Note 3 they re-designed it removing the edge on the end. Obviously that opened up the possibility of inserting it backend first. But IMHO, it is easily avoidable with a little attention to which end you're about to put in!