It's probably a bug, but it's a bug that involves Carrier IQ, which is legitimately spyware. So I think we can reasonably attribute both incompetence and malice to AT&T. As far as I know, they're one of only a couple carriers that didn't get rid of Carrier IQ crap a few years ago.
Massive Battery Drain - GPS is on constantly.
- Thread starter Hosephus
- Start date
It could be a bug, but, what I don't understand is; why does it effect some phones and not others. We all got the same update. Also some people said AT&T replaced their phones and the issue went away.
Well FYI, I pursued my non-rooted attempt at fixing this problem, and got to a dead end. So at this point I'm strongly considering rooting my phone just so I can turn off Carrier IQ, which appears to be the only fix that has worked for anyone...
I've always been mildly curious about rooting and modding my phone, but the whole idea scares me to death, so this should be fun.
I've always been mildly curious about rooting and modding my phone, but the whole idea scares me to death, so this should be fun.
Bugs are remarkably insidious like that. I've done some application bug testing before with the company I work and have seen two identical phones with the same application version do different things. On one phone the application and software will work perfect, on the other it's bugging out.
It's the nature of software really. This bug could be triggered by accessing a certain application in a certain way or some serial number range has a certain chip in it that is faulty and causing issues or it just happens to some phone and not other for reason never found. And AT&T would be happy to exchange they phones if the know the issue is intermittent, gets the customer out of their hair for awhile. The options could be endless,
It's the nature of software really. This bug could be triggered by accessing a certain application in a certain way or some serial number range has a certain chip in it that is faulty and causing issues or it just happens to some phone and not other for reason never found. And AT&T would be happy to exchange they phones if the know the issue is intermittent, gets the customer out of their hair for awhile. The options could be endless,
I was also considering rooting. I don't know if my phone is eligible for exchange, I have it for over 7 month.
I have Best Buy's black tie coverage on my phone, so I could get it exchanged with them, but that would take a week or more, and it wouldn't be a guaranteed fix. I think I'll try rooting first. And if that doesn't work, I'll wait it out and have an excuse to get an altogether new phone.
Best Buy's black tie covers literally anything other than a phone that you no longer have. By the terms of their service, I could probably walk in, smash the phone in front of them, and ask for a new one.
holz75
Well-known member
- Mar 27, 2012
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I was in Vegas over the weekend, and it seemed to be even worse than home in LA. As you'll see from the attached photo, GPS remained on a lot, especially during times when my cell signal was weaker. I still really believe this GPS issue has something to do with weak cell service.
In a way it does have to do with weak service. Every time your phone loses and re-acquires a signal, the GPS turns on. I now also noticed it's flashing for few seconds every time I get a phone call. The power drain at times is grater then the charger can provide. I had my phone plugged in and using it to browse the Internet and the battery was discharging. I think I am going to back everything up, go to AT&T and demand a replacement.
Another way the GPS issue is related to poor cell phone service is that they're both symptoms of the same situation. If you're deep in some concrete jungle like Vegas, you're not going to have great cell signal, and a GPS satellite isn't going to be able to find you to get a fix. My office building has both issues, so my only options while I'm at work are to put my phone in airplane mode or just leave it charging all day.
BTW, I went ahead and rooted my phone and fixed the problem that way... For what it's worth, the rooting process really wasn't that bad, but you do lose everything when you do it, so backups (in triplicate) are advised.
If anyone's curious about going the rooting route and wants to know what you have to do after you've rooted, let me know. I did a fair amount of research and discovered multiple solutions. Can point you in whatever direction you want to go.
BTW, I went ahead and rooted my phone and fixed the problem that way... For what it's worth, the rooting process really wasn't that bad, but you do lose everything when you do it, so backups (in triplicate) are advised.
If anyone's curious about going the rooting route and wants to know what you have to do after you've rooted, let me know. I did a fair amount of research and discovered multiple solutions. Can point you in whatever direction you want to go.
srkmagnus
Retired Moderator
- May 23, 2010
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Rather than wait for someone to ask, why don't you share what you've done to get a stronger GPS/Cell signal?
Also, it should be noted that your positioning to cellular towers will affect signal quality. Also, if you are within a building that is constructed of steel/concrete then you may be more likely to go without signal due to the construction materials of the building. More so if you are not located near any exterior doors or windows.
To clarify, what I did to "fix the problem" didn't do anything to get me a stronger phone or GPS signal. All it did was get rid of Carrier IQ. And the reason I didn't jump right into the explanation is because I didn't want to spam the board if no one here even has rooting as an option for them.
And yes, I agree with your second point, and was just pointing out that there are a lot of times like you mentioned when having a bad phone signal will also lead to having a bad GPS signal as well.
richard_rsp
Well-known member
- Dec 1, 2011
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Thanks! I may take you up on this soon. I know how to root, (but prefer not to) but finding the right file to delete might be tricky. The GPS drain on my HTC Desire Eye is really starting to irritate me and all AT&T wants to do is blame it on a rogue app.
Posted via the Android Central App
How can they blame it on the rogue app if the problem remains after factory reset? I didn't try to reset my phone yet, but the problem remains in safe mode and according to HTC, that rules out the rogue app as well.
richard_rsp
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- Dec 1, 2011
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I agree. Not sure how they can say that, but all they ever want me to do is do a hard reset. 
Posted via the Android Central App
Posted via the Android Central App
srkmagnus
Retired Moderator
- May 23, 2010
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Sorry if my post came off negatively. It wasn't meant to sound that way.
Thank you for sharing your fix to the problem
.
holz75
Well-known member
- Mar 27, 2012
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Has anyone heard of doing this? "You can disable the Carrier IQ spyware even without rooting. Just go to the phone's dialpad and dial *983*24737# without pressing the Call button at all. A message will flash near the bottom of the screen letting you know the code was accepted."
It might just be specifically for the old AT&T Avail.
I found it on this link: AT&T Avail users - Have you killed off Carrier IQ?
Last edited:
That fix is specifically for a ZTE phone that looks pretty old. I doubt it'd work on a new HTC phone, but you're welcome to try.
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