The kinda-official LG G4 bootloop thread

[jmdeng]

Is it possible to send the phone back to LG through a user created warranty case and have them save the data? I talked to an LG customer service rep and they said they would try...but then I realized they were just giving me a generic answer and had no idea about the particulars of this case. Has anyone had success with that avenue?

Unfortunately, my attempts at freezing seem to have reached an end. The battery finally seems to be at 0%, and I'm not sure I can recharge it (i've hooked up my external chargers to it, seen the LED on the recharger light up, but at best I get the spinning circle for about half a rotation before it freezes)

 

[drew mora]

Mine died last week it was a 505, bought 8 months ago. I just read a 507 died to which is what this t-mobile replacement phone is :-/

 

[Mikey47]

Is it possible to send the phone back to LG through a user created warranty case and have them save the data? I talked to an LG customer service rep and they said they would try...but then I realized they were just giving me a generic answer and had no idea about the particulars of this case. Has anyone had success with that avenue?

Unfortunately, my attempts at freezing seem to have reached an end. The battery finally seems to be at 0%, and I'm not sure I can recharge it (i've hooked up my external chargers to it, seen the LED on the recharger light up, but at best I get the spinning circle for about half a rotation before it freezes)

I would never say never, but when you send your phone in you sign a form that includes this statement:

"Any information stored on the phone will be lost such as contacts, photos, and etc. We recommend backing important files before sending."

 

[jmdeng]

Yeah, after grilling the CS rep and his supposed supervisor, other than figuring out that they had never heard of this problem (what?!), I had no confidence that they would be able to convince the eventual repair tech to stray from standard protocol (wipe data first, ask questions later) and fix the hardware before touching the data. So I kissed my data good bye. =( and went with the just arrived Sprint replacement. Alas, it was a 506 and got really hot to the touch in my first 10 minutes of use (it even locked up when I was checking out the hardware information). The Sprint rep was kind enough to put another replacement order for me. After a couple reboots later in the evening, it seems the phone is ok temperature wise. But the sound from the earpiece has a little rattle distortion when I make a call and hear it ringing, so I may have to move onto my 4th LG G4 (1st one had rainbow static blocking half the screen). *Shakes head*

 

[tardus]

Is it possible to send the phone back to LG through a user created warranty case and have them save the data? I talked to an LG customer service rep and they said they would try...but then I realized they were just giving me a generic answer and had no idea about the particulars of this case. Has anyone had success with that avenue?

Unfortunately, my attempts at freezing seem to have reached an end. The battery finally seems to be at 0%, and I'm not sure I can recharge it (i've hooked up my external chargers to it, seen the LED on the recharger light up, but at best I get the spinning circle for about half a rotation before it freezes)

Short answer - no. Keep on trying other methods.

 

[Tap_RN]

Mine bricked this morning having run perfectly since June 2015. I contacted LG, who are sending DPD to collect on Tuesday - 10 days turnaround quoted currently.

As for the data saving, under the DPA, LG would not be allowed to access your information to back it up or otherwise. The advisor today specifically mentioned they would have to wipe the phone.

10 days without the phone - this is going to be difficult (its my work phone as well as my personal phone) - how did we cope in the 80's and 90's !

 

[Guatiao]

A question to all of you with replacement or repaired G4s: is your phone getting unusually hot while using a fast charger? Mine is (I've seen 120 degrees F at times), and I'm worried it may cause the bootloop again, having a month or so left of the warranty.

Thanks for any feedback given.

 

[jmac83jm]

Well I looked and my sn is 508 and I didn't even get the benefit of my phone freezing before it bricked. it just went black. I thought this was a good phone before but turns out I'm apparently one of the few. I'm going back to Motorola

 

[Robtdvis]

Mine bricked about 3 weeks ago. Its replacement from AT&T was sent within 1-2 days. The replacement unit had a bad sim slot. The 2nd replacement worked fine. I got a new back out of the transaction. Always have a decent back up phone, in my case a Moto G3 served admirably for the two weeks or so it took to get it all done.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Mikey47]

A question to all of you with replacement or repaired G4s: is your phone getting unusually hot while using a fast charger? Mine is (I've seen 120 degrees F at times), and I'm worried it may cause the bootloop again, having a month or so left of the warranty.

Thanks for any feedback given.

Mine only gets hot when using a Quick Charger *and* the screen is on (like using GPS in my car). It did this both before and after having the motherboard replaced for the boot loop issue.

So, no, I don't see anything different after getting it back.

 

[jmdeng]

So I got the replacement to my bootlooped phone after I gave up on retrieving the data. The first replacement I got (506), got immediately hot when I plugged it in and tried to make a phone call. I don't think I was using a fast charger, but it's an anker car charger so maybe. I walked back into the Sprint Store and they agreed that it was hot and ordered me a new one. It did eventually start cooling down hours later, but I noticed that the ear speaker had a buzz to it whenever any voice/sound came through it. And the GPS was laggy. So even though it sounds like the overheating is normal, it was good to have it replaced. I got the new phone today (509). skipping over sms/contacts transfer issues, the phone again was overheating when I plugged it into my car charger and started making calls. I notified the Sprint tech and he noted the issue and rather than order me yet another phone he said he was going to look into other options for me. So I went home hoping the phone would cool down. The ear speaker was fine and the GPS seemed better (though occasionally jumpy). However, just after the sprint store closed, the phone froze. Then the boot screen. Then black. Then the boot screen. What the?! Not even 6 hours and I have a lemon. Ugh.

Having experience with this boot loop issue, I can tell that this phone is not as bad off as my other one. This one at least boots up consistently to the LG screen and even loops. Only positive here....i have no data to lose this time. =/

Anyway, long story short, 509 bootlooped. another data point.

 

[jmac83jm]

Mine bricked about 3 weeks ago. Its replacement from AT&T was sent within 1-2 days. The replacement unit had a bad sim slot. The 2nd replacement worked fine. I got a new back out of the transaction. Always have a decent back up phone, in my case a Moto G3 served admirably for the two weeks or so it took to get it all done.

Posted via the Android Central App

Well I do at least have my droid Maxx with a super cracked screen that is still functional. Funny that the lg screen is flawless

 

[Mikey47]

However, just after the sprint store closed, the phone froze. Then the boot screen. Then black. Then the boot screen. What the?! Not even 6 hours and I have a lemon. Ugh.

This is the problem with getting a refurbished phone or even a new in box phone over getting it fixed.

Sorry you're having such problems...

 

[caffeinated pants]

All the talk about serial numbers and production dates makes me wonder: can someone enlighten me on the ins and outs of production schedules of globally distributed 'flagship' phones by major smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Motorola and the like?

For example, for how long are particular generations of phones being produced? Do the manufacturers usually make a big production run just before the announcement, and then perhaps another one or two a few months later depending on demand? Some folks are receiving phones with 6xx SNs, so LG was still producing the G4 at the beginning of the year, but when do they actually stop producing them.. once the successor is out?

 

[HaboobZ]

Well, after about two weeks or so my "new" 509 s/n replacement bootlooped last night in the middle of the night - making me late for work today (since it's my alarm clock).

Goodbye Android.

 

[Guatiao]

It's sad that reports of faulty G4s keep coming in without seeing LG addressing the matter in a more proactive way than merely offering warranty service. If they want to keep customers returning to their products, they surely are not doing their best.

 

[jmdeng]

One hopefully final update. Sprint tech claimed that at one point recently all the G4s were taken from the store. He believes it was to address this issue. However, the new phone (NIB) I got was also a 509. The plus side? My refurbished 509 that died within a few hours was made in China. This NIB was made in Korea. Hopefully the Korean facility had a better setup.

 

[Mooncatt]

My refurbished 509 that died within a few hours was made in China. This NIB was made in Korea. Hopefully the Korean facility had a better setup.

This is news to me. I didn't realize they were made in different countries. I wonder if that has anything to do with which ones were bad.

 

[jmdeng]

For the NIB 509, the "accessory" is still made in China...and Indonesia (covers I assume the charger and maybe the battery as it explicitly lists the "handset" as Made in Korea.)

 

[benchph]

I thought s/n 505 & 506 were the only ones affected by the bootloop issue.

My first g4 was a 505, new one is 508. Seeing 509's are also conking out now im worried.