Database Info

GPS is a quality control problem

Hey guys,
I got in my 3rd "refurbished" Captivate last Friday and I have been collecting some data. For the record, I am using Cognition BETA5.5 FROYO on it without any lagfixes or modified GPS settings.
My first two Captivates -- the GPS sucked. I tried every fix in the book: Jupiter.xml fixes, Epic 4G fixes, LbsTestMode settings, different firmwares etc... some things helped a bit, but the GPS was still unreliable.
My 3rd Captivate's GPS works great from day 1. I've been testing it daily since I got it. I had a long trip to the New York Comic Con, which I used my 3rd Captivate to navigate. In areas that I previously had problems with, my new Captivate handles them with ease. I attached a screen shot of "My Tracks" on a turn that the GPS always overshot previously (now which works fine).
Anyway, I believe JH7 was the software fix for the GPS. The software problem was keeping locks from satellites <20dbHz and using >8 satellites. The rest of the problem is hardware due to poor quality control. This would also explain why so many people have so many different experiences. I say, if you want a reliable GPS in a Captivate, keep warranty swapping it until you get one that works.
/this also explains why some Captivates shutdown randomly, while others don't: poor quality control.

I disagree with this. I bought mine a few days before the JH7 update and didn't have a ton of time to play with the GPS. Using GPS test I was finding 8 satellites and locking onto ~6 of them in a minute or so. With the JH7 update I was finding and locking onto 11 satellites in 15 seconds or less consistently. My accuracy would stand at 16.4 feet (I don't think anyone has achieved better than this with this device). Starting this past Friday (10/8) however my phone won't lock at all. I'm only seeing 4 satellites and no matter how long I leave it, or what settings I touch there is no lock. This is a problem many people have. The GPS works for a while then suddenly stops. This to me suggests a software issue.

I think it is partially hardware related as well. My GPS on stock didn't work so well with the factory settings but worked perfectly with the supl.google.com. Every update since then up to Cognition 2.1.6 has worked perfectly every time for me. If this was a software or firmware issue we would all be having similar problems.

If someone proposed the theory that maybe supple.google.com isn't the best source I must have missed it. So I propose it. Spirent obviously is not, that's a test site.
I wonder if there is supple1.google.com supple2.google.com tzpst.supple.google.com etc.

phr00t said:
/this also explains why some Captivates shutdown randomly, while others don't: poor quality control.
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Click to collapse
I agree that Samsung has poor quality control problem, or lack there of from my past experience with various Samsung products. However, I believe the GPS issue is a bad hardware design in Samsung's part. Based on my own observation, it is the poor GPS antenna design that causes poor GPS signal reception. In compensation for this poor design, Samsung tries to boost the GPS chip amplification power which in turn causes interference from all the difference radio sources and bad S/N ratio. Since this is purely an analog signaling issue, different phones show different results and even the same phone could show different results in different environment. I particularly noticed that whenever I pass by those noise isolating walls around the highways I travel daily, my GPS starts to jump all over the place. This indicates to me that the GPS receiver is very suspectible to signal reflections from those walls, may it be cell tower signals or else.
The problem with warranty replacement is that it is really a crap shot. You typically get a refurbished phones unless AT&T runs out of refurbs. Guess where those refurbished phones come from: (1) returns due to GPS issue. (2) returns due to shutdown issue. Since neither issue can be resolved or easily identified (the later is not even acknowleged as a problem AFAIK by AT&T), Samsuung/AT&T will simply refurbish those phones and send out as warranty replacements.

bwolmarans said:
If someone proposed the theory that maybe supple.google.com isn't the best source I must have missed it. So I propose it. Spirent obviously is not, that's a test site.
I wonder if there is supple1.google.com supple2.google.com tzpst.supple.google.com etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's BS. spirent is not the problem. The original theory has been proved wrong long time ago. Change to supl.google.com does not solve the problem. Period. And getting a lock is only 1/3 of the GPS trouble you get into.

1) I am using spirent (or whatever the stock SUPL server settings are) and my GPS is working great. The problem is not the SUPL server (although changing it might have helped some).
2) If it were purely a software / firmware issue, we would all be experiencing the same GPS problems, which we are not. In addition, I would see the same problems with my new Captivate (which is running the same software), which I am not.
3) I do not have poor S/N ratios on my phone. I get 25-40 (sometimes better) S/N ratios, which is a bit better than my wife's Aria. I did notice poor S/N ratios on my second phone (15-30), which had the worst GPS performance. If it was poor hardware design, we would all have the same poor S/N ratios (and performance), which we do not.
4) Yes, getting a warranty replacement is a crapshoot. But hey, your current phone sucks and your next refurbished phone might not. So, swap it out -- you might get lucky. Samsung owes you a good phone anyway.
The problem is really chaotic, and people cannot reproduce the same problems (and resolutions) across different devices. This can only explained by people not getting the same devices... some are just more broke than others. Poor quality control.
/personally, I'm sick of digging through the Captivate GPS problem.. now that I have one that works, I want to just enjoy my phone.

phr00t said:
3) I do not have poor S/N ratios on my phone. I get 25-40 (sometimes better) S/N ratios, which is a bit better than my wife's Aria. I did notice poor S/N ratios on my second phone (15-30), which had the worst GPS performance. If it was poor hardware design, we would all have the same poor S/N ratios (and performance), which we do not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing digital circuitary with analog circuitary.
An analog hardware issue hardly will cause uniformly the same results. What you will see the S/N varies a lot between phones that's why some works, some doesn't. The antenna and satellite signal processing are still analog circuitary and prone to variations even with the same design. That's why SOME iPhone4s work just fine but others will drop calls when touched But no one is calling Apple lack of quality control.
Mine is 20 to 35 which is borderline.
The BroadCOM BCM 4751 is supposedly better at dealing with weak signals. I think Samsung is still experimenting different ways to get better locks in those marginal signal levels without causing the noise interference that in turn destroys the stable locks.

What is the general consensus of the % of owners actually having perceived GPS issues?

Someone please make a DIY on how to fix the damn thing myself... (hardware fix that is)

*Deep breath*
I know my 2cents really wont change this debate at all but ill go ahead and post my experiences with this issue K?
Cappy 1: Gps was just ok. it still worked but on navigation would try to "predict" where i was, jump off the roads and i would say on average i would be 20-50m off roof overhead and 10-20m if i put it directly on my dash where i couldnt see it.. This on average also took about 5 minutes to get a lock from standstill. Replaced for brick issue *incorrect flash being a newb*
cappy 2: Gps seemed to get worse everyday with this phone. mind you change the supl and jupiter tweaks seemed to help just a bit but honestly this one was just not usable. I could get a a lock in 5-10 seconds from a standstill and it would always be 10m accuracy.. so ok, it could help me know where i am immediatly but i cant see me standing in the woods going *deeerp where am i??* This was was replaced for random poweroff issue.
cappy 3: i literally just got this thing 2 hours ago picking up my mail so its fresh as can be guys.. jf6 stock right now. pulled my sim and battery into the phone at the mailbox and immediatly out of curiousity descided to test GPS. in no more than 20 seconds it got a lock of 50m..and then just a few seconds later im 5...5!!!!meters off. My eyes pop out of my head its in my hands at this time so i get ballsy and decide to put it in the lower tray in my car and take a drive. Wow...it just works now. It knew where i was and even told me and showed me a streetview of my destination before i got there...i should note this has NEVER happened i didnt even know it could/would do that :eek.
So my verdict is this. there are sofware tweaks to improve the quality and for some i dont doubt flashing firmware or applying changes has helped...BUT... overall this 3rd cappy is ...it just FEELS like the gps hardware is working right WITH the software. Things could always change with froyo and the the great devs here and if im proved wrong then wow count me impressed. Just dont hold your breath guys
EDIT: just to note exchanging your device is like playing the lottery. although these latest devices seem to have a higher success ratio im noticing. Ill also note i have NEVER exchanged instore but have always used mai to get my new cappy.

Based on the two comments here it sounds like I should try for a 3rd Captivate. Seems like 3rd times the charm. My 1st one GPS didn't work, I didn't run GPS Test or anything. Just know it never locked on me without the AGPS or whatever on. 2nd one same story. I have ran GPS Test on it and I'm lucky if I can get a view of 3 satellites outside in clear sky. It's usually 0 or 1. I've never had a satellite locked on.

all triumph problems are here... do you need to exchange?

GROUND RULES:
Who should keep reading:
Current owners of Triumph or perspective buys who are trying to cut through all the trolls, flame wars, useless and/or misleading information from the (many) other threads, to find out what or if anything was wrong with their phone, how to identify these problems and most importantly, how to make intelligent decisions on whether to return or exchange before the 30 days run out.
Who should stop now and go read a book instead:
People who have (or think they have) perfect phones and feels it’s necessary to defend the Triumph’s honor at any mentioning of a problem. People who believes everybody else is clueless therefore it’s necessary to advertise basic settings changes as cure-alls (i.e. enable “use wireless networks,” it will fix your GPS problems). please give others more credit than that. And last but not least, people who hate the T and thinks it’s just the worst phone ever made… you have no reason to stay here.
Still with me? Good…
I have personally owned two T’s. the first one had several problems that I ended up returning, the second one was much better but not problem free. I also have access to two other T’s owned by friends. Everything I post here are based on facts that I have personally observed, not second-hand info or hear-say.
** GPS problem:
First of all, Google Map does NOT depend on GPS. Being able to see your location on the map means NOTHING when it comes to GPS location. In order to test if you have a GPS problem you have to either use an app like GPS Test or start Google Navigation. All tests should be done outdoors under open sky and while you have a valid data connection (for A-GPS data download). The GPS should lock-in within 2 minutes or less (Google Navigation should start showing your real time location as a blue arrow and start giving you turn by turn instructions).
A few minutes after a gps lock, you should have a location accurate to within 15ft or less. If google nav consistently shows a visible blue circle (of any size) around your current location, then it is unable to give you an accurate location lock, it is a problem.
If you have any problem at all with GPS lock or location accuracy, your phone has a broken GPS. Take it back for an exchange! Do not listen to people saying that you could fix it by running some magical software or do a special gps dance. You are wasting your time. If it wasn’t broken in the first place then you would have no need for those “fixes.” My first phone had an almost unusable GPS, the replacement and both of my friend’s phones have no problem whatsoever. Using GPS Test app, I was able to clearly see how the satellite signal levels were 30-50% lower on the previous T when compared to my OV, while the replacement had levels that are comparable to the OV.
** Data disconnect and/or drop to 1x when GPS is turned on.
I did not notice this behavior on any of the 4 Triumph I tested on. GPS and wireless signal can not interfere with each other, so if this happens consistently and is making data connection unstable or GPS lock problematic then there’s most likely a hardware problem. the phone should be exchanged.
** Screen flicker, white out, color cast:
If your screen ever turns white completely, or has a VERY heavy color cast, the answer is obvious, get it exchanged. meanwhile, all Triumph’s screen have overall “cooler” color when compared to my V. there were slight variations between each phone but as long as it was not extreme (i.e. making white look blue and red look purple) it should not be considered a problem. Just make sure you have removed the top layer screen protector before making a judgement.
slight screen flicker while turning on/off the phone repeatedly might not be worth an exchange for that reason alone. My first phone and one of my friend’s phone had the flickers, while my replacement and the other friend’s phone did not. The slight flicker did not both me or my friends at all.
**screen protectors:
Yes, there are two screen protectors. No, there’s absolutely no reason to keep the top layer. The second layer is very well applied and I doubt it’s meant to be taken off. You will never be able to apply another protector as well as that. If you have screen sensitivity issues, I’d suggest exchanging the phone rather than taking off that second layer of protector. None of the 4 phones I tried had any sensitivity issue with the protector attached. If you had to take it off then your phone has a problem.
** visible touch screen sensor elements:
If you can see “dots” on the screen under normal use, you are seeing the sensor elements embedded in between glass players. You should NOT be able to see them in any way during normal use. Exchange the phone if you do. it was a known LCD panels manufacturing problem on some earlier phones (mostly HTC). None of the Triumph I have seen had that problem.
** Signal level:
All four of the Triumphs had lower signal dbm numbers when compared to my OV. However, with my borderline coverage (-105dbm at home and -110dbm in the office), I had not experienced any drop calls on the T. Data connections were marginal but no worse than the OV. Do not make any decision based on dBm numbers alone. dbm is a relative value and do not mean what a lot of people seemed to think it means. In any case, exchanging the phone is not going to help in any way.
** WIFI disconnect:
I have not run into this with Triumph however, I had similar issue running AOSP rom on my OV while having no problem with other roms. This is likely something caused by the combination of router and phone software. My suggestion would be to try as many different routers as you can also try router settings such as G vs N, WEP vs WPA, hidden vs broadcast… if you have same problem everywhere then by all means try an exchange, I doubt it would help however.
** Touch button in sensitivity:
This happens randomly on all the T I have tested. It is likely a software problem that will not be fixed by exchanging the phone.
** Camera clicking while focusing:
All 4 phones had slight clicking noise while focusing but none had trouble actually gaining a focus. Exchange if you can’t get it to focus at all. the clicking seems to be normal however.
** Camera color cast:
None of the phones I have tried had problem with “green/blue color cast in the middle of the screen” as some have reported. If you have already removed the green screen protector on the camera itself then you probably have a real problem and should exchange the phone. just check your expectations – cell phone cameras have cheap plastic little fish eye lenses. Don’t expect results like your Canon or Nikon.
** phone stops charging while on:
I noticed two things: 1. some micro-usb chargers such as the one that came with OV would at times refuse to charge while the phone was turned on. Unplugging a couple of times may fix it. I haven’t had problem with stock T charger or the charger that came with my BlackBerry. 2. The charger will shut off once the phone temperature reaches 42c. this is most noticeable while in a hot car with phone on the dashboard. This is normal and is the result of an (over)sensitive overcharge protection.
** light leakage around bottom edges:
All the phones I have tired had various degrees of light leakage. It is consistent with problems reported on other versions of the same phone released earlier. the leakage was only visible in relative darkness so personally I did not think it was worth worrying about.
** Mismatched MEID:
To check your phone’s MEID, go to settings-> about phone -> status. The MEID should be an 18 digit number matching the stickers on the box, outside of the battery door and behind the battery on the back of the phone. Both of my phones had mismatched MEID. The phone itself was showing a 17 digit number while the stickers all have 18 digit numbers. an 0 in the middle is missing on the phones. One person (VM rep?) in an earlier thread had said VM was aware that 3,000 phones had this MEID mismatch so it seemed to be a known problem.
Some people have reported trouble using Google Voice on phones with mis-matched MEID. I have not been able to verify that myself.
** software version 38 vs 39:
Both of my Triumphs had version 38 software. the previous one had horrible GPS and some screen flickering while the replacement did not. There were also some obvious software differences between the two phones, despite the same software version. The replacement phone camera default to 5mp, while the previous one default to VGA resolution. The previous phone gallery had four random pictures referencing some Chinese websites (seemed to be leftover web cache). These pictures were in the ROM and did not go away after hard reset. The replacement phone had an empty gallery. One of my friend’s Triumph came with v.39 software which also had some screen flickers.
By itself, the software version did not indicate a good or bad phone. test everything!
The main thing to keep in mind is that there are many reported problems, not all of them were all that crucial. Given the obvious inconsistencies in build quality, it is a real possibility that the exchange would turns out to be much worse than the original phone. you really have to look long and hard at each problem and make an educated decision for yourself. Meanwhile, there’s absolutely no reason to put up with major things like a broken LCD or gps or insensitive touch screen. Take it back to the store!
This list was put together over several days, mostly as notes to myself. So please excuse me if it rambles a bit. Let me know if there’s something else you would like me to check.
Thanks and good luck.

I never even realized the 2 screen protectors but sure enough, they are there. As far as the light issues at the bottom of the screen, I definitely see it on mine as well.

microphone is awful.. sounds like there is tape on it. i checked, there isn't.
Heading to exchange it.

awesome write up. thank you sir

Another issue I just found out Im having is with my bluetooth. I have a Jawbone Icon and the sound seems overloaded. When I connect my older motorola BT headset to it, it works fine. Strange indeed!

My 30 day return period ends this weekend so I have to make a decision. GPS is really the only problem I have, and it is intermittent. I was hoping a software fix would come out so i wouldn't have to worry about exchanging.

As far as my bluetooth issues with the sound overpowering, I actually just bit the bullet and bought the a MOTO BT today to see how it would work. No issues. Fishy...

my biggest problem is that i cant seem to be able to stream music properly in google music. does everyone have this problem or should i exchange?
I even had full bars yesterday, and it was barely sputtering out any music.

crxmax said:
my biggest problem is that i cant seem to be able to stream music properly in google music. does everyone have this problem or should i exchange?
I even had full bars yesterday, and it was barely sputtering out any music.
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Click to collapse
I doubt that is a hardware issue. Probably a result of VM's network. Try running a speed test app and see what kind of speeds you are getting. I prefer "Open Signal."

the speeds i got on all the tests were all drastically different. I say an average of about 350kbs...is that normal?

Clicking while on phone calls

****Update 10/27/17: I have received two phones white and black both RMA replacements and I am extremely happy to report they do NOT have either issue. I have an observation to make though regarding the high pitch sound and also why Google may not be approaching this the way we expect. The replacements do have a very very very very faint sound if you put your ear up to the phone. It is so quiet that you would need a dead silent room to hear it. I suspect this is what Google engineers think is going on with our devices and also why the response is lackluster. I will extend an olive branch to Google and admit, I would not replace the phones either if they are just like my new RMA phone. BUT! The issues these users are describing regarding the electronic noise is enough to hear in any area during every call. This is not something you can tune out. I wish you all the best and please let me know if I can help in some way. I don't want to walk away from this knowing how it feels to have that static/issue.****
*******Temporary fix - Turn off NFC******* Please still report this to google using the feedback option inside settings and about phone. *********
I received my Pixel 2 white version and have experienced clicking during phone calls. I have rebooted into safe mode, turned off wifi, bluetooth, always on listening and still experience it.
My wife got a pixel 2 as well and it does not exhibit the clicking sound.
Both phones have a high pitch frequency noise while in phone calls regardless if it is wifi or carrier signal.
I have contacted google support and they have not had any reported issues. Please post here if you have experienced high frequency noise and/or clicking. Here is a reviewer that experienced the clicking as well.
https://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Google-Pixel-2-and-Pixel-2-XL-Review_id4431/page/4
Anyone have advice on diagnosing it?
I ordered both phones from google and use them on T-Mobile.
***Clicking occurs outside of phone calls only when screen is on and unlocked. I have also tried safe mode in addition to airplane mode.***
These are the instructions Google Support gave me.
--------------
We only have the 2 options to get you another device. We can do what we call Advanced Replacement. With this, I send you labels for the original phone and a link to order the replacement. We don't charge you, but there is an authorization hold placed on your payment method until we receive the original phone. This lets you keep using the phone you have while you wait and is usually the faster option.
We also have the option for a Standard Exchange. With this, you send the bad phone back first and when it reaches our warehouse, a replacement is shipped out. This way typically takes 5-10 business days and requires no authorization hold, but you are without the phone during that time.
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Mods, can you change the title to "High-frequency noise & clicking when screen is on and unlocked RMA"

No issues here. Unlocked version using Verizon.

I'm using the unlocked pixel 2 on Verizon and I have experienced both of those issues. The high pitched sound does not happen all the time but the clicking does. So far the clicking is low volume and only noticable during conversation pauses. I hope it's something cured by a software update.
---------- Post added at 05:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------
One thing to try that might lessen the problem, I noticed that the voice privacy settings was off by default and since I turned it on I haven't noticed the high pitched sound and the clicking was there but less noticable. Could be just a coincidence but let me know if that does anything for you.

weinga16 said:
I'm using the unlocked pixel 2 on Verizon and I have experienced both of those issues. The high pitched sound does not happen all the time but the clicking does. So far the clicking is low volume and only noticable during conversation pauses. I hope it's something cured by a software update.
---------- Post added at 05:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------
One thing to try that might lessen the problem, I noticed that the voice privacy settings was off by default and since I turned it on I haven't noticed the high pitched sound and the clicking was there but less noticable. Could be just a coincidence but let me know if that does anything for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed the clicking goes away when WiFi calling. High pitch noise is present at all times except when screen is locked.

I have recorded the sound here. You can also hear the electrical sound as well.
https://soundcloud.com/pwned2owned/click-sound-pixel-2-recorded

soundwave123 said:
I have recorded the sound here. You can also hear the electrical sound as well.
https://soundcloud.com/pwned2owned/click-sound-pixel-2-recorded
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.

I started a thread about this at Google's product forums so that if this is a widespread issue, they can be alerted to it.
https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!category-topic/phone-by-google/google-pixel-2/TTCkF_SrlpQ
---------- Post added at 10:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------
bartolo5 said:
That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully this is similar to what plagued the iPhone 8 and can be fixed in an update. It sounds like a very similar issue.

I am experiencing the clicking noise too. It occurs all the time while the screen is on, not just in calls, but its only audible with the phone against your ear. It gave me a headache after a 20min call. It is very noticeable to me. I also hear the high frequency noise during calls if the screen is off.
Android Central also mentioned the clicking noise in their review video.

I have opened a topic on the Pixel support forums. I highly recommend anyone with this issue post there so we can get some attention to this issue.
https://productforums.google.com/fo...!msg/phone-by-google/XuQgtm5dK8I/7SZD7EfxAAAJ

bartolo5 said:
That sounds a bit like interference on the speaker, not something easy to fix in software. I'm getting my P2 tomorrow. I'll report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it never occured to me before to hold the earpiece on my phone to my ear, when not making a call. But I just tried it with my Nexus 4 (that I'm replacing with a Pixel 2). When the screen is on, with my Nexus 4, but not in a call, I hear a static-like noise and an electronicy noise; it is very faint and only audible in a very quiet setting. When the screen is off I hear only the static noise and it seems even more faint. I don't notice anything during calls, because I assume the sound of my caller is far louder and drowns out any background static.
Thinking about it, it seems like any speaker, connected to an amplifier, with the volume all the way up (my usual setting on my Nexus 4) makes static and electronic noises. In my car, if I turn the stereo all the way up, without playing anything, there's quite a bit of noise coming through the speakers. And one is certainly use to hearing the hum of speakers, when a powerful sound system is turned on.
I'm assuming that when the system is on, there is a completed circuit to the speaker, and it is difficult to have a pefectly clean signal. Any surrounding electro-magnetic activity (of which there is a lot in a phone, the power source; the cellular, wifi, and bluetooth radios; probably elements of how the screen functions) would potentially create interference in the voltage on the circuit to the speaker (i.e. earpiece), in essence creating micro-voltages that would cause noise in the speaker. After all, that's all a speaker does, it turns amplitude in voltage into sound (I think, I'm not an expert on this). So tiny random voltages from interfence would create noise of some sort or another.
I wonder if it's almost impossible not to have this effect with a speaker (you'd have to have a perfectly clean power source with no interference and everything connected to the speaker would have to be perfectly shielded).
Anyway, obviously this sort of phenomenon can be more or less noticeable. So I wonder if all phones do this, but it's more noticeable on the Pixel 2 for some reason.
The clicking noise is more interesting, because it's regularity reflects some sort of interference that is not just random interference from other electronic components. It's also curious that a couple people report not having this issue on the Pixel 2--maybe it's there, but much less noticeable?
Anyway, I'll be interested if people replace the device and get another one without the issue.

Goes away when camera is open. Make a call then open camera. Sound is gone.

Can confirm my Pixel 2 also has this clicking + hissing noise. It happens ALL the time when the screen is on, and obviously is a lot more obvious when you are using the phone for a phone call. Has nothing to do with RF cell output because it also happens when using the speaker in airplane mode + wifi. hopefully there's a software fix for this, but it just sound like interference from the circuits into the speaker... Although it's not super annoying it should not be happening.

I am experiencing the same problem as well
---------- Post added at 04:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 AM ----------
davwman said:
Goes away when camera is open. Make a call then open camera. Sound is gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine goes away too when the camera is open

I've contacted support and have a replacement on the way. Hopefully it's gone. I don't have much confidence

Can anyone confirm that this does not happen to some degree on all phones?
As I note above, though I never thought before to put the earpiece to my ear when I'm not making a call on my old Nexus 4, after reading this I discovered it also makes static and electronic interference noises when the screen is on. In fact, it's even there, but only very faintly, when it's off. It does not make a ticking sound, though, which I can imagine is more annoying, especially if it is audible during calls.
Anyway, I'm just wondering it it's reasonable to expect there to be no sound like this at all. Maybe it's just more pronounced and obvious on the Pixel 2, but not necessarily unexpected on a smartphone.
Also, are there any more people other than the OP who has a Pixel 2 that does not make the clicking sound (he said his wife's does not, but his does)?
*
[Edit: Okay, I just started setting up my Pixel 2 and I definitely have the clicking sound. I'm officially annoyed. It's only there when the phone is unlocked, not when the screen is on but the phone is locked. Definitely audible during calls.
I do also hear a static noise and some high pitched electronic sounds, when the screen is locked, but it's pretty faint and not significantly different from what I've described on my Nexus 4. So to me the clicking sound is the real issue.]
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[Edit 2: The clicking sound went away.
I have no idea what caused this, if anything. I factory reset the phone, just so I'd be able to tell customer support I'd already tried that, and it did not help. The clicking was still there. Then I was going through and changing settings--most of which I had done before the factory reset and the clicking sound was still there. The only thing I can think of is that I was disabling a lot of the app permissions. I think I disabled more this time than before the factory reset. I prefer not to allow access to the microphone, location, anything that seems privacy related, if not necessary. So I was even disabling stuff for the Google app and Google play services, which in several instances gave me a warning that the phone might no work properly, but I did it anyway. It was soon after this that I notice the clicking sound was gone.
I tried re-enabling a few things having to do with the micophone (thinking that could create feedback or something), but that did not bring the clicking sound back.
Something else I did that I hadn't done before the factory reset was calibrate the compass. I noticed it was way off in the maps, so I just did the figure eight flipping around motion that maps sometimes prompts one to do to calibrate the compass. That did fix the compass.
Anyway, perhaps the disappearance of the clicking had nothing to do with any of these settings. I'm a bit mystified and baffled. I'd also been charging the phone at the same time.
The high pitched electronic sound I was hearing is also less noticeable. I don't hear it with my ear to the earpiece; but I just discovered it's much more noticeable with my ear to the top back of the phone. I do still hear the faint static noise that I described in the earpiece.
Lastly, this could be totally unrelated, but wondering if the clicking is just from something not being put together correctly, I tapped the phone on the top edge and notice that something sounds faintly loose or like it's ratting in the top of the phone. I don't hear this anywhere else on the phone and it only works by tapping the phone on the side at the top or on the edge of the top. Actually, I can hear something similar, but lower pitched tapping the phone on the bottom. It's more like something vibrating inside the phone, than like something is loose. Perhaps components in the speakers? I assume there are small moving components in the speakers for them to function (or maybe not?). I notice I can provoke a similar sound from the earpiece in my Nexus 4. Anyone else notice this?
Anyway, I hope this is somehow helpful. I suppose I won't be surprised if the clicking sound comes back.]

I just noticed this same hissing sound is heard on recorded videos!

cb474 said:
Can anyone confirm that this does not happen to some degree on all phones?
As I note above, though I never thought before to put the earpiece to my ear when I'm not making a call on my old Nexus 4, after reading this I discovered it also makes static and electronic interference noises when the screen is on. In fact, it's even there, but only very faintly, when it's off. It does not make a ticking sound, though, which I can imagine is more annoying, especially if it is audible during calls.
Anyway, I'm just wondering it it's reasonable to expect there to be no sound like this at all. Maybe it's just more pronounced and obvious on the Pixel 2, but not necessarily unexpected on a smartphone.
Also, are there any more people other than the OP who has a Pixel 2 that does not make the clicking sound (he said his wife's does not, but his does)?
*
[Edit: Okay, I just started setting up my Pixel 2 and I definitely have the clicking sound. I'm officially annoyed. It's only there when the phone is unlocked, not when the screen is on but the phone is locked. Definitely audible during calls.
I do also hear a static noise and some high pitched electronic sounds, when the screen is locked, but it's pretty faint and not significantly different from what I've described on my Nexus 4. So to me the clicking sound is the real issue.]
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[Edit 2: The clicking sound went away.
I have no idea what caused this, if anything. I factory reset the phone, just so I'd be able to tell customer support I'd already tried that, and it did not help. The clicking was still there. Then I was going through and changing settings--most of which I had done before the factory reset and the clicking sound was still there. The only thing I can think of is that I was disabling a lot of the app permissions. I think I disabled more this time than before the factory reset. I prefer not to allow access to the microphone, location, anything that seems privacy related, if not necessary. So I was even disabling stuff for the Google app and Google play services, which in several instances gave me a warning that the phone might no work properly, but I did it anyway. It was soon after this that I notice the clicking sound was gone.
I tried re-enabling a few things having to do with the micophone (thinking that could create feedback or something), but that did not bring the clicking sound back.
Something else I did that I hadn't done before the factory reset was calibrate the compass. I noticed it was way off in the maps, so I just did the figure eight flipping around motion that maps sometimes prompts one to do to calibrate the compass. That did fix the compass.
Anyway, perhaps the disappearance of the clicking had nothing to do with any of these settings. I'm a bit mystified and baffled. I'd also been charging the phone at the same time.
The high pitched electronic sound I was hearing is also less noticeable. I don't hear it with my ear to the earpiece; but I just discovered it's much more noticeable with my ear to the top back of the phone. I do still hear the faint static noise that I described in the earpiece.
Lastly, this could be totally unrelated, but wondering if the clicking is just from something not being put together correctly, I tapped the phone on the top edge and notice that something sounds faintly loose or like it's ratting in the top of the phone. I don't hear this anywhere else on the phone and it only works by tapping the phone on the side at the top or on the edge of the top. Actually, I can hear something similar, but lower pitched tapping the phone on the bottom. It's more like something vibrating inside the phone, than like something is loose. Perhaps components in the speakers? I assume there are small moving components in the speakers for them to function (or maybe not?). I notice I can provoke a similar sound from the earpiece in my Nexus 4. Anyone else notice this?
Anyway, I hope this is somehow helpful. I suppose I won't be surprised if the clicking sound comes back.]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rattling is likely the ois of the camera

Reported... waiting for feedback... Hold on everyone...anyone with pixel 2 xl can confirm if its also happening on the bigger one?
turn off nfc... temporary work around for the meantime...

For info I don't believe i'm getting this, i've used the unit pretty extensively since i received on Wednesday. I'm in the UK and have the White 64Gb edition.

Wow, this is unacceptable. I am waiting for my Pixel 2 XL to arrive next week, if I have this issue it is going back to Google. For the money they ask you would think they test things like this.

Multiple simultaneous use of audio device in android phones

Every android phone I've ever had from 2011 to 2016, whether it be samsung or LG, has had the same problem. That problem is the inability to use the sound device in many circumstances for 2 operations at once. Primarily I am talking about recording the sound from a device at the same time as using an app such as whats app or skype. As soon as any audio recording app I have used begins to record in an attempt to record a call, the microphone seems to stop working and the other person on the call cannot hear you. The same problem occurs when trying to record a video at the same time as making an audio recording. A message simply comes up on screen with words to the effect of, "the sound device is already in use", or something similar. I know there are ways to record calls with apps using the normal phone functionality, but it seems more difficult with apps. Ideally any app should be able to use sound devices at the same time so you shouldn't HAVE to find a work around or a specialist app as that takes up precious brain juice and time and effort and life is just too short for that. It should just work by default easily. You wouldn't expect the audio card on your pc to stop recording audio just because you were recording output sound so why should things be any different with a phone?
I can't help feeling this very annoying problem should have been solved years ago without having to go in to potentially time consuming shennanigans to get around it, (assuming there is a way round it at all!). Lets explore some possible reasons for this..
Is this a software issue that can be resolved some way or another involving rooting etc?
Is it another example nanny state nonsense trying to stop what it thinks might be excessive use of resources? The kind of nanny state rubbish which plagues android and tech in general these days like a horrible disease in the name of artificial intelligence (albeit dumb and rudementary), or for the supposed purposes "improving" device experience or resource management when most of the time it makes the user experience far worse and far more stressful with it's interference, (e.g turning down the sound to 'protect' your ears when plugging in at 3.5 jack etc etc)
Or is it an actual hardware issue? i.e the hardware is just incapable of multiple uses at once...
If it is a hardware issue, then why on earth has this not been fixed by now? Or are there now phones that don't have this problem any more? Is it a case that the corporate scum who make these phones just don't see it as worthwhile to put in better hardware to make these uses possible? Because they care more about saving a few pennies than making a good product? Or because the dumbed down sheeple won't use such extra functionality? Or both?
If there are phones which no longer have this problem, which are they? Because I would like to avoid this with my next phone which I will be getting sooner rather than later. I don't think I can bear yet another faulty phone with this problem, as that is how I see it, or at the every least a deep design flaw. Is this a problem that effects tablets as well as phones?
If the only solution is a work around, what is the easiest and simplest work around if one is required that would work on a general basis rather than a case by case work around. Is there light at the end of the tunnel on this with future designs and developments so we don't need to have work arounds in the near future?
Thanks in advance for the thoughts and insights.

Curious about an audio issue I've had across several phones.

So, I'm currently sporting a Moto G5S+ with an Android 8.1 custom ROM applied to it, which has recently begun expressing behaviours with the audio that I have previously experienced on other devices both on the lower and higher end of the market. I've come to expect this, though it does disappoint me as a whole, and I believe it's something hardware-related, considering the symptoms. Since I noticed that this device was beginning to do the same as my other devices, I decided to bring it up here for discussion, and see if anyone else has had this issue.
When I first got this device, I was able to listen to my music, getting a full blast unlocked volume on par with my laptop. About two or three months ago I finally broke down to the then lack of updates past Android 7.1.1 from Lenovo, and installed the ResurrectionRemix 8.1 rom I found on the device forum following a standard bootloader unlock. Nothing changed then, at least not noticeably, until about two weeks ago, when I noticed that I was turning my volume up to max, and it was barely outputting enough volume to fully immerse me in whatever video or song I was watching or listening to. Again, this has happened to all the android devices that I've used as a daily piece for any length of time, and I'm not surprised that this phone exhibits the same behaviours after something close to a year of use. I don't know if there is some sort of resistor or capacitor I'm frying internally due to high volume use of the audio chipset, or if the Android software has decided that I'm listening too loud too long, and is decreasing the volume in software, outside of the volume slider, unknown to the user. If anyone else has had this experience, post your phone and how long you used it before it happened, or even if you didn't let's discuss this together. I'd like to get some second opinions and some friendly conversation about it.

yackaro said:
So, I'm currently sporting a Moto G5S+ with an Android 8.1 custom ROM applied to it, which has recently begun expressing behaviours with the audio that I have previously experienced on other devices both on the lower and higher end of the market. I've come to expect this, though it does disappoint me as a whole, and I believe it's something hardware-related, considering the symptoms. Since I noticed that this device was beginning to do the same as my other devices, I decided to bring it up here for discussion, and see if anyone else has had this issue.
When I first got this device, I was able to listen to my music, getting a full blast unlocked volume on par with my laptop. About two or three months ago I finally broke down to the then lack of updates past Android 7.1.1 from Lenovo, and installed the ResurrectionRemix 8.1 rom I found on the device forum following a standard bootloader unlock. Nothing changed then, at least not noticeably, until about two weeks ago, when I noticed that I was turning my volume up to max, and it was barely outputting enough volume to fully immerse me in whatever video or song I was watching or listening to. Again, this has happened to all the android devices that I've used as a daily piece for any length of time, and I'm not surprised that this phone exhibits the same behaviours after something close to a year of use. I don't know if there is some sort of resistor or capacitor I'm frying internally due to high volume use of the audio chipset, or if the Android software has decided that I'm listening too loud too long, and is decreasing the volume in software, outside of the volume slider, unknown to the user. If anyone else has had this experience, post your phone and how long you used it before it happened, or even if you didn't let's discuss this together. I'd like to get some second opinions and some friendly conversation about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're listening to your devices on max audio with any modified software than obviously you will induce some damage to components that are sensitive such as a speaker. Sometimes source codes can be incorrectly configured thus increasing the risk of damage to sensitive components. Manufacturers obviously test their software and devices for the degradation over time. But it's with their own software that's configured to their standard. Don't forget over time dust and gunk may build up on components hindering their fiction properly. Android won't scale down volume because it detects damage. It will use full blast 24/7 if that's what you set it to. If you are a smoker of cigarettes/tobacco then you will probably build up tar on speaker and microphone. There are quiet a few reasons as to what you maybe experiencing

I'm sorry in advance if my reply comes off as nieve and inflexible, I want to get down to what actually might be going on and I can tell you what isn't.
with any modified software than obviously you will induce some damage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not use any EQ or Volume enhancing software outside of the custom rom, and volume was identical between the ROM and stock. And two of my previous devices that experienced this problem (ZTE Max Duo, LG Stylo) were not even rootable. All volume never exceeded phone specifications and yet the audio chip lost volume over time on those, and I highly doubt it exceeded specifications on my G5S+.
If you are a smoker of cigarettes/tobacco then you will probably build up tar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will stop you there, I don't commit upon that sin. And if there was some sort of buildup on my headphones, wouldn't that affect the laptop's output to them as well? Other than that I keep my phone, while not quite meticulously clean, decently sanitary, and I can say for sure that the grilles of the earpiece and bottom speaker are not clogged.
A good start, for sure. Just gotta keep digging.