Back button not functioning when cold - Nexus S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just received a used nexus s i9020t and I've noticed that whenever my phone gets slightly cooler than say room temperature the hardware back button stops working correctly. When the phone is "cold" if I have BLD turned on and wait till the back light goes out I can press the back button when otherwise it wouldn't work if BLD is turned off. Does this make sense to anybody? I can try and clarify if it doesn't. I'm worried that its a hardware issue and that I'd have to get it fixed somehow. I just bought the phone and I'd rather now put more money towards it.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I'd like to mention that it is responsive when the phone is "warm". Its a really annoying thing and I'd like to get it figured out
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I've not experienced your issue, so it might just have something to do with wiping and reflashing your current ROM (especially if you didnt wipe everything from GB to ICS). Though something to note: the "soft" buttons at the bottom use the touchscreen. You can witness this by going on a long web page and scrolling off the screen and down onto the soft keys, and notice that you'll be able to scroll left/right and up/down where the soft keys are.
This just means that if there is an issue with these, it falls back on either a software issue or touchscreen issue. Might help with diagnosing, ICS settings -> dev options has a good option to diagnose touchscreen problems.

I think the capacitive button mechanisms are different in the i9020 and i9023. I've had both and I've noticed that you can scroll around beyond the screen parameters with the i9023 but I cant with the i9020. Maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong. I've done some research and it sounds like I may have to pull the phone apart and try to take off some of the paint on the back button. Another suggestion that some people have is to slightly tighten the 6 screws on back of the phone under the back panel. I did that and its sorta helped. I can deal with it now but if it gets worse I may have to take the phone apart which is something I don't exactly wanna do. Btw I did wipe everything multiple times and restored from a backup and I didn't notice an improvement until I tightened the screws
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

You have a good point there, I assumed they were the same but they may be different, I've never experienced the i9020 to comment.
Good luck with your problem. You might try tightening only the screws near the back button and loosen the others a little, possibly giving it some leverage.

..

Related

Search button activated randomly without being pressed

Edit: SOLVED
Problem: Water or some liquid mixture with water and other conductive chemicals can leak through the outer edges of the glass screen, causing electrical shorts on any of the navigation buttons. Thus avoid applying direct pressure with damp cloth along the perimeter of the screen.
Solution: Place the phone in a ventilated area as long as needed. In a severe case, this could take a very long time (a blow drier may expedite the process), so you may want to seek instructions on how to dismantle some of the phone components to allow drying, or disable the search key temporarily, or send the phone in for repair(last resort).
---------------Original Post-----------------------
As I type, my Samsung Captivate appears to be possessed with an obsession with clicking the search button all by itself, at random times. I've searched around the forums and have yet to find a solution that works for me.
I'm running Cognition 2.4
The phone is about 1 week old, with the problem starting at about 5 days.
I replaced the phone initially because it would shut down randomly. Now this one seems to have yet another malfunction
EDIT: Also note that the problem began shortly after cleaning my screen with a slight amount of monitor cleaning fluid and microfiber cloth. Whether this is coincedental or not, I don't know.
Does anyone know what might be causing this, or know how I would go about disabling the search button altogether?
i had the same problem, its kinda just went away for me haha
Hmm, I also hope it goes away as mysteriously has it appeared if a solution is not found.
I'm trying to make changes to "system/usr/keylayout/melfas-touchkey.kl" with "droid explorer", but every time I change the file, delete it, or replace it, the file always seems to revert back. Once I figure out how to do this, the problem should be temporarily fixed.
EDIT: My current theory for what causes this is that it occurs due to an electrical short after the screen has been exposed to liquid of some kind. If you look closely, there are thin cracks around the glass of the screen. Whether these cracks are water-permeable or not, I don't know. But due to the nature of this problem coming about randomly, and disappearing randomly for various owners, it would explain the effect of drying. I read someone say that he had this problem on two different phones, so maybe he cleaned both of them in such a way that affected the navigation buttons?
If anyone else can contribute to this theory, please do!
EDIT 2: The frequency of search button activation has increased significantly since the first symptoms appeared. I highly doubt this is software related. There is a apparently an issue with the circuit for that specific button. Considering that my cleaning of the screen was the only possible event that could have impacted the circuit, I am now leaning towards that prospect. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to completely dismantle the Captivate and let it dry.
EDIT 3: I'll focus a fan on the phone over night, then focus a blow dryer on it in the morning.
Had the same problem, it was like that since the first day I got it 07/18. It got worse for a period and now it mysteriously doesn't seem to have the problem anymore. No clue what it is from.
SOLVED
Problem: Water or some liquid mixture with water and other conductive chemicals can leak through the outer edges of the glass screen, causing electrical shorts on any of the navigation buttons. Thus avoid applying direct pressure with damp cloth along the perimeter of the screen.
Solution: Place the phone in a ventilated area as long as needed. In a severe case, this could take a very long time (a blow drier may expedite the process), so you may want to seek instructions on how to dismantle some of the phone components to allow drying, or disable the search key temporarily, or send the phone in for repair(last resort).
you might also try putting it in a ziplock bag with rice in it. (the rice will absorb the water)
Has the proposed solution worked for anyone?
Hi,
I am wondering if the proposed solution worked for anyone? What do you exactly do? Leave the phone in the sun for it to dry out. With combination of blow dryer?
With the battery out? I've had this phone since August and I initally thought it was a software issue. After couple of hard resets, roots and upgrade to 2.2 the problem still persists.
Any suggestions? Should I try all combinations? Rice Ziplock bag?
Just as a note. Used to have a lot of random search loads. Along with the moisture thing...a lot of us right handers contact the corner and it does need a direct tap of button to trigger as touch screen. If you notice the settings button never randomly pop up. Additionally, from wrar and use the plastic can gain some flexibility. Must my two cents to help avoid letting ATT screw up their phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
meadhros said:
Just as a note. Used to have a lot of random search loads. Along with the moisture thing...a lot of us right handers contact the corner and it does need a direct tap of button to trigger as touch screen. If you notice the settings button never randomly pop up. Additionally, from wrar and use the plastic can gain some flexibility. Must my two cents to help avoid letting ATT screw up their phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And in no case...let best but put a screen protector on for you....that will take days to dry...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
I've had that issue in the past, on stock Eclair, and it was an easy fix for me. All I did was flash a custom ROM. I can't say that I tried it on stock 2.2, but an Odin didn't help, so I went custom and it disappeared.
WOW! Thought i was alone.. I also have the phantom button activation problem... but it's not the search button, it's the home button and back button. I know for a fact my phone has not been exposed to moisture. I noticed it after i flashed an OC'd kernel. I tried every OC/UV setting in the voltage control APP thinking it had something to do with the increased MHZ, but the problem didn't go away. I have since flashed a variety of custom roms and regular non OC'd kernels, but the problem still is present. I saw someone post a little while back about the same issue and that they sent their phone in and at&t replaced something having to do with "LIB." The submitter didn't have any idea whether the "LIB" was related to software of hardware. I'm considering sending my phone in, but i hate the idea of being without my phone for 2-3 weeks. If anyone stumbles upon a fix, please do share.
brianray14 said:
WOW! Thought i was alone.. I also have the phantom button activation problem... but it's not the search button, it's the home button and back button. I know for a fact my phone has not been exposed to moisture. I noticed it after i flashed an OC'd kernel. I tried every OC/UV setting in the voltage control APP thinking it had something to do with the increased MHZ, but the problem didn't go away. I have since flashed a variety of custom roms and regular non OC'd kernels, but the problem still is present. I saw someone post a little while back about the same issue and that they sent their phone in and at&t replaced something having to do with "LIB." The submitter didn't have any idea whether the "LIB" was related to software of hardware. I'm considering sending my phone in, but i hate the idea of being without my phone for 2-3 weeks. If anyone stumbles upon a fix, please do share.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a gingerbread rom.I've had the same problem,back and home key.No matter which froyo rom I run,it would act up randomly at times.I dont spend enough time on eclair to be sure that it does it,but I've been running GR-9 for two days,has not happened once.Coincidence?Maybe....Now running GR-11 for the second day,so far so good.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I agree with the op that the cause is water/moisture in the phone. I have had it on all android versions I have used. And the fact that that it comes and goes is strong evidence in my opinion
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
It might be moisture in some cases, but....
Post getting old, but new to me! My random search problem is definitely not moisture related(unless high humidity outside is considered a problem for a cappy). My phone stays dry, I even clean it with a lint-less cloth, so water isn't the issue(its in a otterbox). I read some post on other sites that show the only fix is either allowing samsung to work on it, or get a refurb from att. I think this problem is also related to all those wrong contact sent messages to, which has happened to me several times with some embarresing happenings . I updated to gb 2.3.5 and problem still exist, plus I use handcent for messaging, and I havn't sent a mis-message yet.
There's another thread on this (search 'crazy back button' and my tests on many roms indicates that it has to with the blk app that mods the buttons. Many roms come packed with versions of it.
No longer sent from my BlackBerry.
Add me to the list with this problem. At first I thought it was an old screen protector. I changed that out last light but I cleaned the screen first by spraying it with LCD cleaner I guess I'll have to wait for it to dry a bit more. I've also been playing with recent Glitch kernels with BLN issues so I can't figure it out!
Well I got the BLN issues sorted. Still can't figure out the search button. There's got to be some way to disable it completely
I get this problem at random times when using Google Maps / Navigate, while the phone is in the car dock. At random times, the search will just pop up. No idea why
While using the phone in the rain one day, the touchscreen pretty much became inoperable once there were multiple droplets on the screen. Luckily I did not have any seepage under the glass, though.
I also concur with meadhros- I've found that when gripping the phone in my right hand, the edge of the pad of my palm at the base of my thumb sometimes sets off the search, since it wraps around the edge of the glass slightly.

[Q] Possible hardware problem of the back button?

I just wanted to share this, since I was able to replicate this issue with three different phones, also asking if other people are having the same issue.
I am using my Samsung Nexus S for three days.
I noticed that the back button (the first capacitive button on the bottom left) appears to have an hardware problem.
Basically normally it works fine, I mean when I'm not using the phone for some hours.
Then if I start to use the phone, after a moderate use (example installing applications from the market, browsing etc) the button gets less and less sensitive.
After some minutes it gets really annoying.
To make it work it is necessary to use a really stronger pressure with the finger, and it is not even always working!
I am planning to return my device, but today talking with some people/colleagues I discovered that two of them have exactly the same problem.
I'm suspecting there is a batch of Nexus S phones with this glitch, I am curious to know how many people have the same problem.
Note:
At first I thought it was a general issue of the capacitive buttons. But I can't replicate the same problem with the other three buttons, they work very smoothly just lighltly skimming the finger over them, even after long usage.
Anyone with the same problem? What is your experience with this button after some usage?
Cheers
I want to say that I noticed something similar the other day, but it was short-lived, and I'm not 100% sure. It wasn't long enough or bad enough to make me think the phone is defective, but I'm a bit used to funky capacitive button responses from my N1 days.
I can't reproduce the issue right now, though. How much usage are you talking about needing to duplicate?
Does your phone get hot, or feel hotter than normal when this happens?
I'd see if there's some particular pattern or software that seems to trigger it if you're interested in trouble-shooting.
The problem goes away when I don't touch the phone for a while (it seems that 1 hour is enough to reset the problem).
It seems "recharging".
Then with normal usage, nothing in particular, just even browsing in the settings/maps/market/browser etc., in few minutes the problem appears. The button definitely loses his "power".
It's very annoying, and my friends confirmed the same behavior.
EDIT:
Forgot to sat that the phone is not getting hotter, everything else is really normal.
Cheers
Mine definitely can be used for much more than a few minutes without the problem you're describing appearing.
I'd take it back. Factory reset the phone to protect your private data before taking it back. After the factory reset, you might want to test the behavior again, if it went away, the phone's not defective, you just had some software glitch.
Reminder, factory reset erases everything on the phone, so if you do it as troubleshooting step, be prepared to have to set the phone up from scratch again...I'm sure you knew this, but just covering my butt in case you didn't. It's a good trouble shooting step no matter what if you don't mind the hassle of re-setting things up.
I have a similar experience with the back button. Not sure what to think yet.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I had a similar problem when I had the Vibrant. Just exchanged it and luckily I got a better one without any problems. I did find out though if you are using the screen protector that came with the phone, it can cause this type of problem.
No problem, I will try everything tomorrow. This is not my primary phone (still loving my rooted Nexus One with CyanogenMod 6.1.1 ;-) I can't renounce to the colored trackball for the different notifications), but just a "dev" phone for testing purposes.
michele72 said:
No problem, I will try everything tomorrow. This is not my primary phone (still loving my rooted Nexus One with CyanogenMod 6.1.1 ;-) I can't renounce to the colored trackball for the different notifications), but just a "dev" phone for testing purposes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app NOLED from the Market may interest you if you can't live without trackball style color notifications. Seems to work fine when I tested it.
distortedloop said:
The app NOLED from the Market may interest you if you can't live without trackball style color notifications. Seems to work fine when I tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, giving it a try.
Anyway, today I factory-reset my telephone and the problem of the back button is still there. I am returning the device.
Back button non responsive
Hi,
I just got my new nexus S (about an hour ago) that I was really excited about and am faced with a problem with the back button too.
Its got factory settings, so it cannot be a downloaded software issue. Also, I have not yet charged the battery at all, its still running on the same battery power that it shipped with.
The other buttons at the bottom of the phone (home, menu and search) all respond fine, its only the back button that does not seem to work. After going through this thread, I tried long-pressing the button, hard-pressing it, pressing just above it, below it, etc. It just wont respond. I had removed the screen protector it shipped with, so that cannot be the issue either.
If this is a known hardware problem (i.e. others have faced it too), irrespective of whether it is acknowledged by Samsung / Google, I'll return the handset. I do not want to spend a fortune and be landed with a handset that does not work - forget working as desired, but it does not seem to be working as designed !
Thanks & Regards,
Rohan
Yep. Definitely a problem here with the back button. There's also two other threads here about it.
I'm having similar problems. I have to touch the button just right for it to work properly
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I was experiencing the same thing with my Nexus S, wasn't sure if it was the case I was using! Took of case and still had problem. I eventually returned mine cause it seemed like it was getting worse! I have a new one worth no problems, definitely a hardware problem! Return it!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
michele72 said:
I just wanted to share this, since I was able to replicate this issue with three different phones, also asking if other people are having the same issue.
I am using my Samsung Nexus S for three days.
I noticed that the back button (the first capacitive button on the bottom left) appears to have an hardware problem.
Basically normally it works fine, I mean when I'm not using the phone for some hours.
Then if I start to use the phone, after a moderate use (example installing applications from the market, browsing etc) the button gets less and less sensitive.
After some minutes it gets really annoying.
To make it work it is necessary to use a really stronger pressure with the finger, and it is not even always working!
I am planning to return my device, but today talking with some people/colleagues I discovered that two of them have exactly the same problem.
I'm suspecting there is a batch of Nexus S phones with this glitch, I am curious to know how many people have the same problem.
Note:
At first I thought it was a general issue of the capacitive buttons. But I can't replicate the same problem with the other three buttons, they work very smoothly just lighltly skimming the finger over them, even after long usage.
Anyone with the same problem? What is your experience with this button after some usage?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those buttons work over the heat of your finger. thats why after use it doesnt get as responsive. its because the screen is also heated and the heat of the screen is effecting the buttons. thats why you need harder pressure for the phone to understand this is your finger.
same issue was with Nexus 1. less responsive buttons. thats why there is a bigger gap between the buttons and the screen for galaxy S phones. i dont know why they did such a thing again with the nexus S. its like samsung didnt learn from anything from HTCs mistake.
They work with capacitance, not heat. Hence it being called a capacitive screen with capacitive buttons.
I think this is true ...
I have an HTC Desire with AMOLED screen.
When I play a finger intensive game, like "SkyForce Reloaded", after some times, the touch is not registered.
Then I must stop for a while, or change finger
Try that, you will know what I meant.
But, I don't have issue with the back button on HTC Desire because it is a hardware button. I am just trying to explain about loosing touch registration because finger interaction on (s)amoled screen.
PS: SkyForce Reloaded is an old school shot'em up game where you control a little space ship with your finger, shooting enemies.
ll_l_x_l_ll said:
those buttons work over the heat of your finger. thats why after use it doesnt get as responsive. its because the screen is also heated and the heat of the screen is effecting the buttons. thats why you need harder pressure for the phone to understand this is your finger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Desire's digitizer is the same Clearpad 2000 which is used in the Nexus One (and quite a few others), the problem there is that it's pants.
Rusty! said:
They work with capacitance, not heat. Hence it being called a capacitive screen with capacitive buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, isnt called like that because it registers the heat from your fingers. thats why if you try to use a pen, it wont register . and thus. the screen is NOT resistive type "where it will recognize anything since its being pushed by force ? "
Much more too it than that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitive_touch_screen
Rusty! said:
Much more too it than that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitive_touch_screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from your link
"A capacitive touchscreen panel is one which consists of an insulator such as glass, coated with a transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide (ITO).[7][8] As the human body is also a conductor, touching the surface of the screen results in a distortion of the screen's electrostatic field, measurable as a change in capacitance. Different technologies may be used to determine the location of the touch. The location is then sent to the controller for processing.

[BUG] Home and Back button problems (phantom long press)

I've been experiencing an issue with the Home button since the day I got the device.
A few times the Recent Applications screen has popped up seemingly on its own, while I was in the middle of doing something else. At first I thought it was just a software glitch and carried on. The haptic feedback pulses twice quickly. The backlight of the Home button turns off, the backlights for the Back, Menu and Search buttons stay on, the Back, Menu, Search and Home buttons no longer respond to touch or generate haptic feedback, essentially paralyzed. It remains this way for approximately nine seconds before the Home button lights up again and the all of the shortcut buttons become responsive again, otherwise the only way to get out of the Recent Applications screen is to either cycle the power button and unlock the screen, or select one of the recent applications.
I have figured out how to reproduce this problem by pressing around with the very tip of my thumb along the seam where the glass and plastic lip meet with a little more pressure than normally necessary to register a touch. I am careful to avoid touching the normal hot zone for any button. I start from the far left corner under the search button, and make my way towards the home button little by little. Somewhere between the Menu and Search buttons when I release my thumb after pressing firmly, the haptic feedback pulses twice and the issue occurs. I can reproduce this issue anywhere along the edge on the bottom right half of the phone and about 1" up the right side of the phone, far from the Home button.
I suspect there is something wrong with the capacitive layer of my screen.
Please see if you can reproduce this or something similar on your phone, just bear in mind that you will need to press firmly (not too hard but not soft).
The unfortunate thing about this problem is that it can be activated inadvertently while gripping the phone during normal operation, interrupting whatever you are doing for the time it takes to resolve itself.
This is literally the only issue I've had with the phone in the week I've owned it and I am considering whether or not I want to play russian roulette with exchange units (and other issues like bad screens and bad weak back buttons) because everything else seems to be perfect.
Video of the issue in action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gqqeVbePYA
Same thing happens with me on the swap unit I got today. Bummed like no other.
Tried replicating this with my device with (thankfully) no results.
one and one... I wonder how many other phones are affected then, and how many people have it but haven't noticed yet, e.g.; "you're holding it wrong".
Hm. Just tried to replicate this on my Nexus S, no issues.
Mine did the same thing at least twice a day. However, it has not happened again since the GRH78 update. (Knock on wood).
Have your received the update?
This just happened to me for the first time about an hour ago. I have the new update too, sadly.
Yes I have the update.
I can't replicate this problem, but nonetheless, it still happens.
I have this same problem with my back button. I can't replicate it but it just randomly happens to me. I have the update and I also tried using Paul's Tom and it still happens.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
This happens with my back button.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
happens to mine too, also the home button. doesn't bother me too much, though. and I also have the update.
I had something even weirder tonight.
I did a factory reset, then proceeded to install everything back on when I noticed that my home key wasn't doing its job at all. Still had the haptic feedback so the input was received, but it did absolutely nothing. So I did another factory reset and that seemed to have cured the problem. My home button is working again (but i still have the other problem from time to time)
Had it happen again inadvertently today, if you notice from my video the spot where it can be activated next to the Maps icon also happens to be conveniently where your finger ends up when swiping to unlock. I was holding the phone one handed and unlocking with my thumb and it triggered the problem. Might try for an exchange this week. It shouldn't behave this way.
For those of you who are experiencing it with your Back button, does the backlight turn off for 9 seconds on your Back button?
I don't know everything about how the hardware works but I'm guessing that there is some kind of short, the controller for the capacitive layer gets confused and resets. Could explain why it takes the same amount of time to come back to normal every time. It also seems like it might be related to case/screen flex, where pressing on a part of the case bends the capacitive layer just enough to short the circuit.
This issue came on my two days old Nexus S too, but with the back button. It has happened two times now. I think that's a software issue that come along with Gingerbread. It's something like it registering a touch and sometimes the OS think it was the buttons that were pressed...
ViLANDER said:
This issue came on my two days old Nexus S too, but with the back button. It has happened two times now. I think that's a software issue that come along with Gingerbread. It's something like it registering a touch and sometimes the OS think it was the buttons that were pressed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your back button black out for ~9 seconds?
I haven't had any button issues whatsoever since I got mine on the 24th.
No, more like two seconds.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
selectormoldy said:
Does your back button black out for ~9 seconds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, more like two seconds.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Here's a new video shot today showing the issue occurring with only normal light touching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6YFcOZwX2o
Also last night it happened while I was inserting a cable into the headphone jack.

Sticky Power Button

Just got my white 32gb and out of the box it has a very sticky power button. Sticks all the way down almost every time I push it so the power menu comes up. Anybody else have something like this happen?
daledenton said:
Just got my white 32gb and out of the box it has a very sticky power button. Sticks all the way down almost every time I push it so the power menu comes up. Anybody else have something like this happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having this happen actually. Did you find a way to pop the back off and fix it, or did you send it back?
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016 If you follow part of this guide then you can see how to carefully remove the back cover and then inspect why the power button is sticking.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any damages you may cause to your phone.
If I've helped them please hit the THANKS button.
sent from my neXus 5
CodemasterRob said:
I'm having this happen actually. Did you find a way to pop the back off and fix it, or did you send it back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually after about a week of usage, it worked itself out and was fine. Haven't had a problem since, so I'd say just give it time and see if the problem resolves itself like mine.
Not sure if you've made the choice to unlock/root yet, but if you have, I'd highly suggest installing a kernel w/ sweep or tap to wake features. Additionally, it's (in my opinion, of course) a good habit to utilize a widget or toggle that will turn your screen off w/ a tap as well.
Obviously, if you determine you've got a manufacturer defect w/ the power button, by all means replace it. But the less dependent you are on the hard buttons, the less wear & tear on them. More often than not, these buttons are the first to go the longer you have your phone.
daledenton said:
Actually after about a week of usage, it worked itself out and was fine. Haven't had a problem since, so I'd say just give it time and see if the problem resolves itself like mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine seems to have sorted itself out too. The button doesn't seem to have that satisfying click my Nexus 4 did.
Glad your power button got sorted out. Being a new phone, I would probably send it back, rather than crack it open, but that's me.
On another note... Personally, I haven't touched my power button in a long time. I use "Gravity Screen," which shuts my phone off when I put my N5 in my pocket and turns it on when I pull it out, It also senses the micro-movements of my hands when I'm using it, and prevents the screen from timing out, If I set it down on a table, and it shuts off (due to timeout), I only have to wave my hand over it to turn it back on.
This app literally changed the way I use my phone, which is why I sprung for the $2 (ish) pro version, rather than the free one I linked. I highly recommend checking it out.
I RMA'd my 32GB White because of this as well as a vibration issue.
Sent from my Nexus 5
After 3 RMAs (= 4 different N5s) I stuck with the last phone and fixed the (loose) power button myself because I was fed up with the quality.
It is really no problem opening a phone, especially if you have done it with a PC before.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any damages you may cause to your phone.

Nexus 5 restarting regardless of ROM

So I've tried factory wiping and installing a few different roms and no matter which one I go to I keep getting these random reboots. This is particularly troubling when I restore an older rom that I know I was not having this particular issue on.
It is making my phone pretty close to unusable since it will often go into an "Optimizing apps!" speil draining battery and taking an obnoxiously long time to reboot. Not sure what is up. Any suggestions?
Snow_fox said:
So I've tried factory wiping and installing a few different roms and no matter which one I go to I keep getting these random reboots. This is particularly troubling when I restore an older rom that I know I was not having this particular issue on.
It is making my phone pretty close to unusable since it will often go into an "Optimizing apps!" speil draining battery and taking an obnoxiously long time to reboot. Not sure what is up. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try with a clean flash (or the factory images) without user data/modifications and see if your RRs are still there.
Is the power button stuck by any chance?
Primokorn said:
Try with a clean flash (or the factory images) without user data/modifications and see if your RRs are still there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've factory reset a few times and wiped everything except internal storage pretty much. Even tried wiping user data just to see if it would help
dicecuber said:
Is the power button stuck by any chance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's getting stuck it still seems to go in and out properly. I even took it out the case just to make sure there wasn't something I couldnt' seee putting pressure on it
Snow_fox said:
I've factory reset a few times and wiped everything except internal storage pretty much. Even tried wiping user data just to see if it would help
I don't think it's getting stuck it still seems to go in and out properly. I even took it out the case just to make sure there wasn't something I couldnt' seee putting pressure on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The button will NOT seem to be stuck, even if it is, as the contact is made internally. My bro´s Nexus had this problem, and by the end it kept rebooting constantly because the button was making contact on its own. I fixed it by tapping vigorously at the area between the power button and the camera and that made it work.
A way to know if it is stuck could be to press the volume down key as soon as it restarts, if it goes into recovery, then there is no doubt the power button is stuck.
Don´t dismiss hardware problems, as many Nexus are affected by the power button issue and you already tried software solutions which didn´t work.
Hope you sort it out. Remember to use an app to avoid pressing the button so much, such as when waking the device. I recommend Gravity Screen, but there are many other options.
simonarturo said:
The button will NOT seem to be stuck, even if it is, as the contact is made internally. My bro´s Nexus had this problem, and by the end it kept rebooting constantly because the button was making contact on its own. I fixed it by tapping vigorously at the area between the power button and the camera and that made it work.
A way to know if it is stuck could be to press the volume down key as soon as it restarts, if it goes into recovery, then there is no doubt the power button is stuck.
Don´t dismiss hardware problems, as many Nexus are affected by the power button issue and you already tried software solutions which didn´t work.
Hope you sort it out. Remember to use an app to avoid pressing the button so much, such as when waking the device. I recommend Gravity Screen, but there are many other options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holding down volume after one reset actually put me into recovery. Plus it's restarting at times in recovery now :/
I doubt it's under warranty since I got it in feb 2014 x.x
Snow_fox said:
Holding down volume after one reset actually put me into recovery. Plus it's restarting at times in recovery now :/
I doubt it's under warranty since I got it in feb 2014 x.x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you got it directly from Google, I'd try calling them up and asking for a replacement even if you are a few months off the warranty period, I have read some stories of them honoring warranties in order to get rid of stock. That'd be true even now that the new Nexus is supposedly releasing this year. Nothing wrong with trying, you might get a new, shiny phone.
That being said, don't worry, it's perfectly fixable. The part that gets stuck is not the button itself, but the part that goes into the motherboard, so don't bother fiddling with the black button. I managed to fix my brother's button by doing the following:
- Clean the area between the button and phone of debris or any dirt that could be causing it to be stuck. This is just to be on the safe side, as it is unlikely that it is the cause of the malfunction.
- Take the case off the phone if you haven't, and then put it upside down and tap vigorously with your fingers in the area between the camera and the power button. It might not work the first few times, but it eventually will release the part that is stuck.
- As soon as you can get it to turn on without rebooting itself, install Gravity Screen, or any other app that replaces the power button to wake up or turn the screen off. You are looking to use the button as few times as possible.
After doing that, his Nexus went for being unusable due to constant reboots to working fine. It's been almost 6 months since it happened so it is bound to work, just don't lose heart and patiently work at it. Tap a bit harder if it's not working. Let us know whether you managed to fix it.
simonarturo said:
The button will NOT seem to be stuck, even if it is, as the contact is made internally. My bro´s Nexus had this problem, and by the end it kept rebooting constantly because the button was making contact on its own. I fixed it by tapping vigorously at the area between the power button and the camera and that made it work.
A way to know if it is stuck could be to press the volume down key as soon as it restarts, if it goes into recovery, then there is no doubt the power button is stuck.
Don´t dismiss hardware problems, as many Nexus are affected by the power button issue and you already tried software solutions which didn´t work.
Hope you sort it out. Remember to use an app to avoid pressing the button so much, such as when waking the device. I recommend Gravity Screen, but there are many other options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simonarturo said:
If you got it directly from Google, I'd try calling them up and asking for a replacement even if you are a few months off the warranty period, I have read some stories of them honoring warranties in order to get rid of stock. That'd be true even now that the new Nexus is supposedly releasing this year. Nothing wrong with trying, you might get a new, shiny phone.
That being said, don't worry, it's perfectly fixable. The part that gets stuck is not the button itself, but the part that goes into the motherboard, so don't bother fiddling with the black button. I managed to fix my brother's button by doing the following:
- Clean the area between the button and phone of debris or any dirt that could be causing it to be stuck. This is just to be on the safe side, as it is unlikely that it is the cause of the malfunction.
- Take the case off the phone if you haven't, and then put it upside down and tap vigorously with your fingers in the area between the camera and the power button. It might not work the first few times, but it eventually will release the part that is stuck.
- As soon as you can get it to turn on without rebooting itself, install Gravity Screen, or any other app that replaces the power button to wake up or turn the screen off. You are looking to use the button as few times as possible.
After doing that, his Nexus went for being unusable due to constant reboots to working fine. It's been almost 6 months since it happened so it is bound to work, just don't lose heart and patiently work at it. Tap a bit harder if it's not working. Let us know whether you managed to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to get in contact with google. I tried pushing down on the area between the camera and it didn't help much. It has started working again properly after a really peculiar work around. I just don't want to have to be super cautious of a button for the rest of the time i own my device :/
Snow_fox said:
I'm going to get in contact with google. I tried pushing down on the area between the camera and it didn't help much. It has started working again properly after a really peculiar work around. I just don't want to have to be super cautious of a button for the rest of the time i own my device :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please detail the peculiar work around you mention...
Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk 2
mazubo said:
Please detail the peculiar work around you mention...
Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well someone mentioned maybe trying to clean it out somehow. I tried canned air and that didn't do anything so I formed a seal over the button using my mouth and then proceeded to exhale. It has yet to give me any trouble since then.
Had exactly the same issue, reboots over and over again, couldn't boot to bootloader without reboot...
What helped for me was something I read somewhere else, don't remember where, was knocking on the back cover between camera lense and the power switch, did it 4 days ago and it works since than..
Snow_fox said:
I formed a seal over the button using my mouth and then proceeded to exhale.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds sexual
You can take the back cover off, and if you are careful there is no sticker or seal that would tell google you have opened the device. It is difficult to pull all the way off, the vibration motor is attached to the case back and comes off with it so it would seem stuck. You just have to keep pulling.
aaargh777 said:
Had exactly the same issue, reboots over and over again, couldn't boot to bootloader without reboot...
What helped for me was something I read somewhere else, don't remember where, was knocking on the back cover between camera lense and the power switch, did it 4 days ago and it works since than..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pressing on the area between the camera and the on switch seems to help a lot of people it didn't seems ot have much of an effect for me. While my phone hasn't given me issues since shortly after I posted this thread I'm kinda worried I'm one drop away from the issue coming back
dicecuber said:
Sounds sexual
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way to avoid it sounding that way I fear.
fwayfarer said:
You can take the back cover off, and if you are careful there is no sticker or seal that would tell google you have opened the device. It is difficult to pull all the way off, the vibration motor is attached to the case back and comes off with it so it would seem stuck. You just have to keep pulling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would this allow me to repair it?
Yeah but you'd need to unscrew a plastic cover that is inside the phone. Phillips head screws, jewelers screwdriver size. Depends on if its dirt or a broken switch though.
fwayfarer said:
Yeah but you'd need to unscrew a plastic cover that is inside the phone. Phillips head screws, jewelers screwdriver size. Depends on if its dirt or a broken switch though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to disappoint everyone but this is a widespread problem that google is aware of fro some time now. It's not the power button but it's burried deep in the software and appreas to have popped up right after the Lollipop 5.1 up date. Check out all the posts on Google
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/IJSOuc7gw0w[376-400]
While it apprears to be confined to the Nexus 5 I have had it happen with my nexus 4 just running stock L 5.1
I hope that casts some light on it
Weirdly enough, my power button works flawlessly on 5 and 5.1. Red 32gb from the google play store. I've opened the case multiple times and put Arctic silver knockoff heat compound in sloppily and without regard, no issues other than sprint screwing up their spark LTE rollout.
Blacksmith5 said:
Sorry to disappoint everyone but this is a widespread problem that google is aware of fro some time now. It's not the power button but it's burried deep in the software and appreas to have popped up right after the Lollipop 5.1 up date. Check out all the posts on Google
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/IJSOuc7gw0w[376-400]
While it apprears to be confined to the Nexus 5 I have had it happen with my nexus 4 just running stock L 5.1
I hope that casts some light on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I disagree. While some instances might be related to software, it has been proven that there is in fact a problem with the physical button getting stuck on Nexus 5 phones. You can check it online and will find lots of hits and even YouTube videos, most of them around the time before lollipop.
Best way to check whether it is software or hardware is to press the volume down key when your phone reboots by itself. If it takes you to the recovery, you can bet your cat that it is not lollipop's fault
So I'm suspecting that I have the wonky power button too but.....
I haven't been able to get it to go to recovery when pressing power down and I've defintely had a few restarts very recently.
More importantly, and something that I haven't seen anyone else post about; more often than not my N5 just shuts down. It's usually when I've doing something with the phone (today was flicking through my GPM library). I'll power it back on and it will boot cleanly and then (more often than not) power down again. Other times it will bootloop, but that's rare. It seems to me that if I let it boot up and then don't touch it for a while, it will stay up but I'm not sure that's consistent.
Anyone else seen or heard of the power button causing a powerdown instead of bootloop?
techinv said:
So I'm suspecting that I have the wonky power button too but.....
I haven't been able to get it to go to recovery when pressing power down and I've defintely had a few restarts very recently.
More importantly, and something that I haven't seen anyone else post about; more often than not my N5 just shuts down. It's usually when I've doing something with the phone (today was flicking through my GPM library). I'll power it back on and it will boot cleanly and then (more often than not) power down again. Other times it will bootloop, but that's rare. It seems to me that if I let it boot up and then don't touch it for a while, it will stay up but I'm not sure that's consistent.
Anyone else seen or heard of the power button causing a powerdown instead of bootloop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need to troubleshoot this the old-fashioned way. Have you installed any updates, apps, mods or anything recently?
Best case scenario would be that you flash a stock image without restoring apps, kernel or any mods. Run the phone for some time, couple of days or so, and be on the lookout for power downs or reboots. After that, you can try adding a few apps at a time and keep checking. If the phone reboots even with a clean factory image, then I'd have to say the hardware is faulty. Could be the power button, could be something else.
Try it out and let us know

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