The kinda-official LG G4 bootloop thread

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

In this thread, I've seen an S/N 509, 510 and 511 fail.

I'm guessing this issue is actually more widespread than initially thought.

 

[tardus]

In this thread, I've seen an S/N 509, 510 and 511 fail.

I'm guessing this issue is actually more widespread than initially thought.

The sky is not falling. Only a handful from outside the early range have been reported. Any phone can be defective.
That said, LG should warranty our phones against boot loop for at least 24 months since it is a known manufacturing defect that they admit too.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

The sky is not falling. Only a handful from outside the early range have been reported. Any phone can be defective.
That said, LG should warranty our phones against boot loop for at least 24 months since it is a known manufacturing defect that they admit too.

Agree. They should have an extended warranty period for those who experienced the bootloop issue.

 

[Guatiao]

So, I called T-Mobile yesterday to ask about options for getting the G5, and money wise it's not good at the moment for me.

I'm really thinking that, having had my phone back for some 3 weeks now, and having no issues so far, I'll stick to it. To me the phone is really good and capable, and it fits my needs so far. I'm hoping the phone keeps working as it should, and I'll consider later in the year an upgrade.

 

[vinyfiny]

So, I called T-Mobile yesterday to ask about options for getting the G5, and money wise it's not good at the moment for me.

I'm really thinking that, having had my phone back for some 3 weeks now, and having no issues so far, I'll stick to it. To me the phone is really good and capable, and it fits my needs so far. I'm hoping the phone keeps working as it should, and I'll consider later in the year an upgrade.

I'm of the same mindset. My repaired G4 works fine right now and fits my needs, and I'm not trying to spend $600+ on a G5 when I have a perfectly capable phone already. I'll probably get a used G5 over the summer when they're near $350-$400. Hopefully there will be some more (useful) modules by then. If not, I might consider a used Galaxy S7 Edge as that's a VERY nice alternative.

 

[tardus]

Agree. They should have an extended warranty period for those who experienced the bootloop issue.

I think they should cover ALL G4 owners - 2 year warranty for the bootloop issue is reasonable I think. In other words, after a year if my 505 screen goes bad LG is not responsible. But if it starts to bootloop, they should repair.

Difficult to cut off after a certain manufacture date as you pointed out. There are outliers - 510's that also have bad soldering I reckon.

 

[odbobo]

I've had the G4 since November and loved it, no problems at all. Resisted the Marshmallow update because if it ain't broke ... today, I got the dreaded bootloop I've been reading so much about. S/N is 510. Verizon is overnighting me a replacement but it's a bummer. Hope the replacement lasts.

So I just received my replacement for my S/N 510 and it's S/N 506. Should I just expect this bootloop problem to happen again, or can I hope that this phone has been refurbished in a way that addresses this issue?

 

[tardus]

So I just received my replacement for my S/N 510 and it's S/N 506. Should I just expect this bootloop problem to happen again, or can I hope that this phone has been refurbished in a way that addresses this issue?

IMO the odds are in your favor that you won't have a problem. Some have had two go bad, but let's say 25% failure rate (my guestimate) - having two go bad is statistically not out of line. A question is if the refurb you got will have a higher failure rate than a new one with same manufacture date. I assume rate will be the same for your replacement. Not better or worse. I doubt they use a special microscope to look check the soldering on the motherboard. At most they just test that it's OK before shipping. So your got a bad one. Too bad, and sorry about that! But now spin the wheel and you still have an x% chance of failure unrelated to what happened to the first one. Bottom line...backup once a week with LG Backup & Restore, keep data on sd card not main memory and backup sms automated nightly if having all sms/mms is important.

 

[odbobo]

IMO the odds are in your favor that you won't have a problem. Some have had two go bad, but let's say 25% failure rate (my guestimate) - having two go bad is statistically not out of line. A question is if the refurb you got will have a higher failure rate than a new one with same manufacture date. I assume rate will be the same for your replacement. Not better or worse. I doubt they use a special microscope to look check the soldering on the motherboard. At most they just test that it's OK before shipping. So your got a bad one. Too bad, and sorry about that! But now spin the wheel and you still have an x% chance of failure unrelated to what happened to the first one. Bottom line...backup once a week with LG Backup & Restore, keep data on sd card not main memory and backup sms automated nightly if having all sms/mms is important.

Thanks for your statistical insight! All good, I will hope for the best and everything important is always backed up.

 

[Bigboldbri]

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[DJCBS]

MO the odds are in your favor that you won't have a problem.

The odds are never in your favour, specially with the LG's quality control.
Also, no one should have to spend their life backing up the device because it could suddenly die due to poor quality control.

 

[gendo667]

The odds are never in your favour, specially with the LG's quality control.
Also, no one should have to spend their life backing up the device because it could suddenly die due to poor quality control.

Their life? Dramatic much?

 

[DJCBS]

Their life? Dramatic much?

I guess you must be a very literal person? Or you don't understand that words can be used figuratively?

 

[Guatiao]

I want to share some tips for all those that have not had issues with their G4 yet, so their data is rather safe, recent and available if/when disaster strikes.

1- If your contacts are stored on your phone's SIM card, move them to your Google account in the cloud. How to transfer SIM contacts to Google on Android | TechRadar

2- Use Google Photos to backup your photos in the cloud, which can be set to be done automatically among other options. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ogle.android.apps.photos&hl=en&token=DLmjCsWf

3- Use LG Backup to do a full backup of your phone. The app is preinstalled in your phone, and backups can be stored in an SD card and then transferred to a computer, or to a cloud storage site like Dropbox. How to Backup LG G4 to Internal Memory or PC

4- You can backup text messages using SMS Backup and Restore, which can be set to do backups automatically. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...eshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&hl=en&token=aDWrU0JH

5- You can store your music (up to 50,000 songs) in your Google account, so it's available in the cloud from any Android device that uses your account.
https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/1075570?rd=1

6- Use Google Keep or Evernote for note taking. In case of phone failure, notes are available in a computer and in any other device you use that supports your notes app.

7- If you use a third party launcher, do regular backups of your current setup.

8- Make sure your camera is set up to save photos and videos in your micro SD card rather than in internal memory.

9- Make sure you know and keep handy your Google account and password in case you need to set up another phone as well as your G4 when it comes back from repairs.

Please feel free to add more tips! I hope these come in handy!

 

[tardus]

The odds are never in your favour, specially with the LG's quality control.
Also, no one should have to spend their life backing up the device because it could suddenly die due to poor quality control.

Do you want to have a discussion or just want to vent. If you want to vent that's ok too
The sky is not falling. For example, the owners of G4's that I know from this forum - early adopters - still have working phones - never boot looped. At least not yet.
Blaming "spend their life backing up" due to the bootloop issue is a specious argument. It's good practice to keep phones backed up. A ridiculously high % of phones will get lost or stolen, dropped, submerged in toilets, etc

Like I've mentioned many times, IMO LG could be doing a much better job in how they treat their customers. They should extend the warranty for bootloop issues and should be replacing the suspect motherboards upon request.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

A little update.

The phone just overheated in my pocket.

 

[jhilker]

A little update.

The phone just overheated in my pocket.

Uh, oh. Got a warm feeling in your pocket? What are your plans now? Another replacement? My first refurbished one was returned by Sprint due to overheating.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Uh, oh. Got a warm feeling in your pocket? What are your plans now? Another replacement? My first refurbished one was returned by Sprint due to overheating.

Same one as I planned when it first overheated. Galaxy Note 6.

Don't feel like having the same phone again as I pretty much lost confidence in its reliability.

 

[jhilker]

Same one as I planned when it first overheated. Galaxy Note 6.

Don't feel like having the same phone again as I pretty much lost confidence in its reliability.

Can't blame you there. If I have any other issues with this latest one, I'm going to see what else Sprint can offer. The first time I replaced it, the S6 was the only other option. I'm hoping in another 6 months or so there will be other options.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Can't blame you there. If I have any other issues with this latest one, I'm going to see what else Sprint can offer. The first time I replaced it, the S6 was the only other option. I'm hoping in another 6 months or so there will be other options.

With the HTC 10 and others like the Moto X 2016 coming in, might be a good idea to wait a little longer.