I'm using a Pixel, still on Android 9, and my orientation sensor (and accelerometer) have suddenly stopped working. However, it appears that it's a software issue as the auto-rotation still works when in Safe Mode. I've uninstalled every app that's been updated in the past two days (roughly when I think this problem began) but it's still a no-go. I've also installed a sensor test app and I find the sensors do work initially on boot, but freeze after 5 seconds or so.
Any ideas of how I might fix this?
Clear system cache.
You update, install or uninstall any apps recently?
I tried clearing the cache but it didn't change anything. I also uninstalled all the apps that had recently updated, restarting the phone each time, but the sensor is still frozen unfortunately.
ppuzzlerr said:
I tried clearing the cache but it didn't change anything. I also uninstalled all the apps that had recently updated, restarting the phone each time, but the sensor is still frozen unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset time...
I have the same problem also with Pixel 1 and it happened on the same day (Oct 20)! The difference is I'm on Android 10.
After factory reset and backup restore it works.
After updating all apps, it still works.
After restart once all apps are updated... No work.
R
BHZero said:
I have the same problem also with Pixel 1 and it happened on the same day (Oct 20)! The difference is I'm on Android 10.
After factory reset and backup restore it works.
After updating all apps, it still works.
After restart once all apps are updated... No work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roll back to factory settings, one by one and find the culprit(s). Sounds like a rogue 3rd party app.
Once I have a device running well I almost never update anything. I'll run on the factory loaded versions for years many times. Result, no issues.
blackhawk said:
R
Roll back to factory settings, one by one and find the culprit(s). Sounds like a rogue 3rd party app.
Once I have a device running well I almost never update anything. I'll run on the factory loaded versions for years many times. Result, no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help! How do I do this?
The return to factory settings is in the app under settings.
You can try uninstalling it otherwise.
I don't see that option all the time and you may have to hit uninstall for it to appear.
A forced stop might be enough for troubleshooting.
Typically I use my package disabler for things like this.
So I've done a factory reset with no restore (to keep it clean). Updated every app individually and restarted the device each time.
Updated GOOGLE MAPS. Rebooted.
Presto! All sensors are now locking up and battery starts burning away.
Disabled Google Maps, cleared cache + data, and rebooted. Problem did NOT go away. Now I'm doing one more (hopefully last) restore and will disable Google Maps right away.
Wow... did not expect it to be Maps...
BHZero said:
So I've done a factory reset with no restore (to keep it clean). Updated every app individually and restarted the device each time.
Updated GOOGLE MAPS. Rebooted.
Presto! All sensors are now locking up and battery starts burning away.
Disabled Google Maps, cleared cache + data, and rebooted. Problem did NOT go away. Now I'm doing one more (hopefully last) restore and will disable Google Maps right away.
Wow... did not expect it to be Maps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not, Gmaps updates are a back street abortion.
So it was the update that trashed it?
I always keep gmail and maps on the factory load version. Invariably updates make them less user friendly on a Samsung
I set Playstore settings for auto updates by wifi only.
I always keep wifi disabled, effectively preventing any auto updating. I also firewall block and disable Playstore unless I need it. It's a background pocket hog.
Updates generally cause more harm than good if the app is already running well...
I have the same issue, and after guessing which app was causing the problem I found out it's the Google app. I disabled it and all the sensors started working back and also automatic brightness. Also I tried leaving the beta updates of the Google app and whenever the Google app is active the sensors stops working. Probably Google trying to kill the pixel 1 or a new function conflicting with the sensors
Oh my god! I have the same issue! Stock Android 10.
Sensors work fine on Safe Mode, but on normal mode they sometimes don't work.
Same problem here, since a couple of days ago, some sensors (gyro, light, accelerometer, compas) stop working after a couple of seconds after reboot. I factory reset my pixel, I tried uninstalling GMaps, I tried deactivating Wifi and Bluetooth,... but nothing is working.
Proximity sensor still work though.
gmsalomao2 said:
Oh my god! I have the same issue! Stock Android 10.
Sensors work fine on Safe Mode, but on normal mode they sometimes don't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried disabling Google app as mentioned by cristejeda33 above?
I have the same issues, it happens when one or more apps get updated, don't now which one is causing it exactly, but the issue goes away after the next update, and comes back at the next update and so on ..., features like, adaptive brightness, tap to wake, lift to wake, display rotation os and in camera, youtube video rotation....... stopped working and the battery is draining a lot faster. thinking of getting rid of the good old pixel ..
blackhawk said:
Have you tried disabling Google app as mentioned by cristejeda33 above?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stopped the services from the Google app and the sensors started working. And kept on working for some time after that. They keep stopping and coming back.
gmsalomao2 said:
I stopped the services from the Google app and the sensors started working. And kept on working for some time after that. They keep stopping and coming back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try disabling Google play Services... just a wild guess.
It's a dependency or a parent app of Google App that's maybe causing the trouble. These can be hard to ferret out... play with it.
You could just go shotgun and revert all Google apps to factory load version -if- it wasn't a system wide firmware update that triggered it.
I've experienced this too many times, updates break things.
On my N10+ I lock down all updates, especially firmware. I'm rarely updated anything because it causes trouble. Result is a very fast and stable operating platform with minimum maintenance required. When there is an issue it's much easier to track down as the system is a known and familiar quantity. My current load is over a year and a half old... still running strong.
Wife and I are using OG Pixels and a couple of weeks ago we both noticed massive battery degradation. Then we both realized that auto rotate is extremely slow as are a bunch of sensors. Skymap doesn't track anymore. Both our phones also get extremely hot.
Google brought us here and we see that stopping the Google app makes the sensors work normally again. Lots of issues being reported in the playstore for this app also. Would love to hear if anyone has made any headway working around this or are we screwed until an update comes out?
What's the best way we can report this to Google publicly? And put the link here
All accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and proximity sensors turned off a few days ago on my og pixel and after disabling the google app all the sensors are working again.
I had a look on the play store and the last update for the google app was on the 21st October, which is exactly when it broke.
I disabled google maps first, then the google app, then sensors worked, so i re-enabled the maps app, I then cleared the cache on the google app and re-enabled that too, and all is still working.
Thank you very, very much for finding the cause of this, I was about to factory reset the phone and then have to reload everything which may or may not have worked anyway. Your efforts are much appreciated, long may your technology function correctly.
Related
This app: Ultimate Rotation Control
has now claimed a second victim. A long time ago, I installed URC on my Motorola Atrix, as a way to force screen rotation in certain apps. Once I uninstalled URC, my Atrix could no longer use the system's auto rotate feature, until I completely wiped it and installed a new ROM.
Well I was hoping that it was just a fluke, a one-time incompatibility with the Atrix. Because I needed it on my new phone, a Samsung Galaxy S3, because it was the only way to get Tasker to rotate my screen.
Well sure enough, the moment I uninstalled it from my S3, I could no longer use the system's built-in auto rotate feature, AGAIN.
I have tried rebooting, reinstalling the app, uninstalling the app with different settings (like uninstalling it while in force-rotate mode), toggling system rotate in different conditions... NOTHING I've tried gets it working again!
I've contacted the developer, but in the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions to get my phone's auto-rotate working again? Perhaps there's some hidden system file that URC messed with, that I can go edit to fix all of this? I really don't want to have to do a factory reset again!
moeburn said:
This app: Ultimate Rotation Control
has now claimed a second victim. A long time ago, I installed URC on my Motorola Atrix, as a way to force screen rotation in certain apps. Once I uninstalled URC, my Atrix could no longer use the system's auto rotate feature, until I completely wiped it and installed a new ROM.
Well I was hoping that it was just a fluke, a one-time incompatibility with the Atrix. Because I needed it on my new phone, a Samsung Galaxy S3, because it was the only way to get Tasker to rotate my screen.
Well sure enough, the moment I uninstalled it from my S3, I could no longer use the system's built-in auto rotate feature, AGAIN.
I have tried rebooting, reinstalling the app, uninstalling the app with different settings (like uninstalling it while in force-rotate mode), toggling system rotate in different conditions... NOTHING I've tried gets it working again!
I've contacted the developer, but in the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions to get my phone's auto-rotate working again? Perhaps there's some hidden system file that URC messed with, that I can go edit to fix all of this? I really don't want to have to do a factory reset again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash your ROM again. If your phone isnt unlocked then... i dont know.
jason.hamilton said:
Flash your ROM again. If your phone isnt unlocked then... i dont know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash what ROM? I'm running stock, rooted. My phone is unlocked.
But of course wiping the entire phone would fix it. I'm asking if there is any way to fix it without wiping everything.
Right now it seems like the only way I can get it working is to have the app installed and running at all times. Strange that I'm the only reviewer that has noticed this behaviour, maybe no one else has ever tried to uninstall it before?
My phone has been misbehaving since it upgraded the OS to Marshmallow. It was primarily occurring with the Google Now app and it would take over the phone and flash up and off the screen and whilst this was going on, the phone is busy vibrating, the screen became unresponsive and generally I couldn't do anything with it during these episodes. I stopped it sending to the screen and then it was the Google app that kept flashing up, starting with a round circle coming from the app drawer icon. It has got worse over the last few days to the point that it might take me ten minutes before I could get access to the caller to make a call and even trying to shut down the device was near impossible because the confirmation box never stayed on the screen long enough to answer the question and then it didn't come back. Yesterday, after many tries to restart, it finally restarted in safe mode. If it was related to an app that I downloaded, it should have stopped then but it didn't. When I was able to get into settings, I then went to apps and then disabled google app as this was the one starting up and flashing the screen non stop. I was then asked if I wanted to replace it with a factory version which I did but I also left it disabled. The problem has continued but not as ferociously with the screen becoming unresponsive at times while the buzzing from the vibrate still occurring. I have looked up various forums but haven't found any that have similar problems described. I checked the screen overlay settings and they are enabled and that seems to be the main problem with marshmallow. I'm looking for some advice but realise that this might be too basic for this forum? Vodafone Smart ultra 6, Android version 6.0.1 Kernel version 3.10.49
Stoksie said:
My phone has been misbehaving since it upgraded the OS to Marshmallow. It was primarily occurring with the Google Now app and it would take over the phone and flash up and off the screen and whilst this was going on, the phone is busy vibrating, the screen became unresponsive and generally I couldn't do anything with it during these episodes. I stopped it sending to the screen and then it was the Google app that kept flashing up, starting with a round circle coming from the app drawer icon. It has got worse over the last few days to the point that it might take me ten minutes before I could get access to the caller to make a call and even trying to shut down the device was near impossible because the confirmation box never stayed on the screen long enough to answer the question and then it didn't come back. Yesterday, after many tries to restart, it finally restarted in safe mode. If it was related to an app that I downloaded, it should have stopped then but it didn't. When I was able to get into settings, I then went to apps and then disabled google app as this was the one starting up and flashing the screen non stop. I was then asked if I wanted to replace it with a factory version which I did but I also left it disabled. The problem has continued but not as ferociously with the screen becoming unresponsive at times while the buzzing from the vibrate still occurring. I have looked up various forums but haven't found any that have similar problems described. I checked the screen overlay settings and they are enabled and that seems to be the main problem with marshmallow. I'm looking for some advice but realise that this might be to basic for this forum? Vodafone Smart ultra 6, Android version 6.0.1 Kernel version 3.10.49
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you updated to Nougat, what method did you use to update? Did you update via OTA? We're you rooted when you did it?
Have you tried booting to recovery and factory resetting and wiping cache then rebooting?
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
When you updated to Nougat, what method did you use to update? Did you update via OTA? We're you rooted when you did it?
Have you tried booting to recovery and factory resetting and wiping cache then rebooting?
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was an update that appeared on my notifications and I thought it was a small bug fix update and didn't realize that it would replace the entire OS. I just allowed the update and then realized what had happened. I think it is Marshmallow that it updated to but originally the app drawer was paginated and accessed by side swipes whereas the system now is a long page of apps moved up and down. I don't know if it was rooted and I assume that that means it wasn't.
I was trying to avoid a factory reset but I did wipe the cache and rebooting. When google apps is disabled, the interruptions are less often and not for as long but it still went into a complete meltdown of a screen appearing and disappearing at such a rate that nothing can be done with it. It won't show a video because of the interruptions.
Stoksie said:
It was an update that appeared on my notifications and I thought it was a small bug fix update and didn't realize that it would replace the entire OS. I just allowed the update and then realized what had happened. I think it is Marshmallow that it updated to but originally the app drawer was paginated and accessed by side swipes whereas the system now is a long page of apps moved up and down. I don't know if it was rooted and I assume that that means it wasn't.
I was trying to avoid a factory reset but I did wipe the cache and rebooting. When google apps is disabled, the interruptions are less often and not for as long but it still went into a complete meltdown of a screen appearing and disappearing at such a rate that nothing can be done with it. It won't show a video because of the interruptions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I think you're gonna have to factory reset in stock recovery because there's obviously a conflict with something you already had on the device and it isn't playing nice with something that was in the update.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Unfortunately, I think you're gonna have to factory reset in stock recovery because there's obviously a conflict with something you already had on the device and it isn't playing nice with something that was in the update.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have resigned myself to that although it does not seem to be anything that I downloaded to the phone as it occurred in safe mode too. I was just hoping that there was a fix out there but obviously it is not a widespread occurrence.
Stoksie said:
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have resigned myself to that although it does not seem to be anything that I downloaded to the phone as it occurred in safe mode too. I was just hoping that there was a fix out there but obviously it is not a widespread occurrence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could have been something in system that got changed during the update but the data from before the change is still there and conflicting with whatever changes were made. Some kind of saved system data that can only be wiped by factory reset or reflashing.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
I did a factory reset, lost a lot of photos that had started being saved on the phone and not the sdcard after the upgrade to Marshmallow. Have had to accept that but unfortunately the bizarre behavior did not stop and it continues on and off, sometimes so bad that I cannot dial a number on it and other times it happens but I can get in between the action and dial or send a text etc. I have gradually been stopping things like notifications from google apps and traffic reports from google maps (this may have had a good effect) and anything that might be doing constant checks. It seems to have quietened down over the last day or so and I even got to play a game on it but the next option is to send it away to an engineer. I just thought that I would let you know the outcome of the factory reset.
Is anybody experiencing problems with notifications after the B402 Update as well? If my phone is in standby for some time, i dont get notifications for Whatsapp and snapchat for example. Even if i turn on the screen or unlock it, they still dont show. I have to open the apps manually to get the messages, which is unacceptable. Anybody knows a solution? However, the battery life improved(who would have guessed that?)
That happens if you don't factory reset after update and/or restore apps from backup.
Try factory reset, install apps from store and restore just the user data of the apps.
Lukke2804 said:
Is anybody experiencing problems with notifications after the B402 Update as well? If my phone is in standby for some time, i dont get notifications for Whatsapp and snapchat for example. Even if i turn on the screen or unlock it, they still dont show. I have to open the apps manually to get the messages, which is unacceptable. Anybody knows a solution? However, the battery life improved(who would have guessed that?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you disabled "System wakeup" or enabled "Close app after screen off"? If you did, try toggling them and reboot the phone.
Having said that, I have WhatsApp with disabled System wakeup, and I still get notifications, because WhatsApp also utilises Google Play Services to wakeup the app when a notification arrives. I would check the settings of Google Play services on your phone in case something is killing it.
zinko_pt said:
That happens if you don't factory reset after update and/or restore apps from backup.
Try factory reset, install apps from store and restore just the user data of the apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source? If that was the case, all the people that update their phone would have myriads of problems. Upgrading without factory reset doesn't cause problems as far as I know. Certainly, I haven't had this type of malfunction, and I've never factory-reset the phone since I got it 18 months ago - that includes the Marshmallow to Nougat upgrade.
supersakis said:
Have you disabled "System wakeup" or enabled "Close app after screen off"? If you did, try toggling them and reboot the phone.
Having said that, I have WhatsApp with disabled System wakeup, and I still get notifications, because WhatsApp also utilises Google Play Services to wakeup the app when a notification arrives. I would check the settings of Google Play services on your phone in case something is killing it.
Source? If that was the case, all the people that update their phone would have myriads of problems. Upgrading without factory reset doesn't cause problems as far as I know. Certainly, I haven't had this type of malfunction, and I've never factory-reset the phone since I got it 18 months ago - that includes the Marshmallow to Nougat upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an old issue, as old as android updates.
Sometimes battery performance decreases with the update, some others is FCs, or notifications, missing stock apps.
Source is XDA, several devices, years of experience and other users that share the same experience.
Don't waste your time debating this, if you don't agree, that's fine.
Actually I think the most common is battery performance decrease which is really annoying when changelog says "battery performance optimisation". After a factory reset magic happens. It's due to old system files (internal and external storage) vs new system files.
Same thing happens after consecutive Windows updates, performance starts to decrease because update doesn't properly clean old files and configs.
Hey
I am have problem with my s21+ g996u1..after frimware update i noticed that there is some app that trying to open randomly in background but then it close immediately..that happens every few minutes
There is a way to downgrade frimware?
There is a way to Recognize that app that trying
To open randomly and close?
Please helps
You can't degrade easily if at all from the factory installed version. Android 11 is a nightmare.
Start like this...
Clear system cache.
Fixed?
Try in safe mode, if this resolves it, it's likely a 3rd party app you loaded.
If it still is doing it in safe mode, it's a factory loaded or system app.
Go to Device Care>Memory, clear the apps.
Back out of it then open it again.
Expand the list and see if you can spot the app doing it as it loads. Disable that suspect app(s) to confirm if it's the culprit. A package disabler app is very nice to have when doing this.
With some persistence you will find it.
~or~
The easy way...
Go to a Samsung Experience center at Best Buy and have a Samsung tech run a diagnostic on it.
They can likely spot it.
On Battery and device care, click on bar graph in top.
Check the app issue, maybe will show your bad app.
RATOz said:
On Battery and device care, click on bar graph in top.
Check the app issue, maybe will show your bad app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe but many apks are lumped together in Android Services. It's likely one of them or a Google app.
Problem apps don't always show under their name... that happens sometimes with the Google system apps.
Same here, S21+. After August update I've had the same issue as you, plus youtube fullscreen exiting every ~5 mins, Google Maps minimizing to window every ~5 mins, massive (2s+) freezes in games. None of this existed prior to this update. Someone messed up big time.
I installed the October update yesterday - to no avail, the issue persists.
EredarLord said:
Same here, S21+. After August update I've had the same issue as you, plus youtube fullscreen exiting every ~5 mins, Google Maps minimizing to window every ~5 mins, massive (2s+) freezes in games. None of this existed prior to this update. Someone messed up big time.
I installed the October update yesterday - to no avail, the issue persists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like power management is active.
Disable it...
blackhawk said:
Sounds like power management is active.
Disable it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you mean power saving, then no, that's not the case. System cache clear didn't help either but I've just cleared the phone (factory reset), restored data with Smart Switch and looks like this helped. Gonna test it a bit more to confirm the solution.
EredarLord said:
If you mean power saving, then no, that's not the case. System cache clear didn't help either but I've just cleared the phone (factory reset), restored data with Smart Switch and looks like this helped. Gonna test it a bit more to confirm the solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good. I avoid doing all firmware updates if my OS is running fast, stable and fulfilling its mission. Security is not an issue as best I can tell unless you do something stupid*.
Updates can do a lot of damage... if you like your OS, let it be.
*always backup critical data redundantly to at least 2 hhds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
You can use a OTG flashstick for quick "dirty" backups, but have the bulk of the backup on data hdds.
I use my SD card as a data drive on my N10+'s, then backup that card. That's why I demand a SD card slot; dual drive setups are the only way to go. The OS, apps, and the temporary download folder are the only things on the internal memory.
In crashes the data drive is usually spared. I can do a full manual restore from that data drive minus a few lost settings.
On my S21 Ultra (SM-G998B/DS) I have the same issue with "background activity" creating screen hick/refresh and switch from landscape full screen video to portrait mode.
Started after November security FW update end October.
Checked all possible settings and removing all 3rd party apps, hick-ups do persist...
'Glad' to read about this issue/bug here too, as I started to doubt myself...
Hi. I've had the S22 Ultra for 3 days and this morning I noticed that when I tried to unlock with Face Recognition it says "Couldn't open camera. Try again."
I then tried opening the camera app, all rear sensors work. But when I switch to the front camera, the app crashes with a warning "Camera failed". I also can't open the front cam in third party apps like messenger and Instagram.
What I did so far:
1. Deleted cache and data for camera app. Still same error when switching to front cam.
2. Removed permissions for All apps except the default camera app. Same error.
3. Uninstalled all apps I have installed since it was last working, still no dice.
4. Booted in safe mode, front cam works fine.
Since it's working in safe mode, I guess this isn't any serious hardware issue, I hope.
I have the Snapdragon version with 512gb storage model SM-S908E/DS.
Anybody have an idea what may be causing this and how to fix it?
Thanks in advance!
It's a 3rd party app. Look at which ones have or request cam permissions to start.
A package disabler is helpful as you can disable apps one by one until you find it.
blackhawk said:
It's a 3rd party app. Look at which ones have or request cam permissions to start.
A package disabler is helpful as you can disable apps one by one until you find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it to work eventually by doing force restart (holding down power button + volume up key). Turned it back on and front cam started working again.
I also then re-allowed the app permissions when I was diagnosing it and front cam still works fine.
Yeah might have been a third party app though it's weird that it didn't work even when I removed all camera permissions for all the apps.
Glad it's working again though, and thankfully I did not need to do factory reset and it's not a hardware issue so I avoid the trouble of returning the unit.
Thanks!
Unless you find the root cause it likely will return.
This is why one should use factory reset as a last ditch measure. It can be tedious but rewarding.
Many times issues are inadvertently caused by the user, many times by installing buggy 3rd party apps. I tend not to experiment with new apps unless I need them because of the trouble they can cause... like 2 back to back factory resets because of boot looping. Android's should run fast and stable if not the cause(s) should be tracked down.
Malware, boot loops*, major firmware upgrades, apps changing hidden user settings and corruption of the user data partition are the only exceptions.
*if app caused you'll still need to track it down
The only recent apps that I remember installing was an app called Nice Lock (an alternative to good lock since we don't have it in my region) and the Keys Cafe module, as well as the "Write on PDF" app from Samsung. I uninstalled these when I was having the front camera problem but removing them did not solve it even after a few regular restarts and cache/data clearing. It only started working when I did the force restart. I reinstalled "Write on PDF" back and so far, so good.
Hard reboot is the solution sometimes.
If you need to continuously use it though it can indicate a hardware issue.
Run it through it's paces while still within the window of return.
Yeah I might need to keep an eye on the issue.
Thanks!
hard reset and start installing apps 1-by-1 and test camera