dfran1

This is the strangest thing
When I wrote the other day I could not get to that clipboard storage area at all, I tried multiple times even rebooting and nothing.

Now today, right now, I tried and I can get to the clipboard and have my clear button there.

This is weird (this is on my note 2), so that means eventually I think I will get this issue on my note 2, guess its time to root everything some how, Safely or something.

hiddenmickey

What about the fact that Shotgun solved his issue by clearing his clipboard from the stock keyboard? My GS3 will not show me any clipboard contents to clear, and the Clipboard Cleaner app I downloaded says my clipboard is empty.

Going on day 47 of this problem for me. Astounded that they haven't fixed it yet. Worst tech experience I've ever had. Shame because before this I was very happy with my switch from iPhone.

CBers

I'm gonna sell my S3 and get a Nexus 4!

SEMIJim

I'm not prepared to go that far quite yet, but I'm close. (What I suspect will happen is that, before either my window-of-opportunity to return the thing closes or Samsung fixes it, I'll grow tired of the whole issue, return the tablet and move on. We'll see.)

For the sake of your blood pressure, do not try to call Samsung customer "support" to raise this issue with them. The reaction I got from the other end when I tried to explain the nature of the problem was such that, just a couple minutes into the effort, I said "This is futile. Never mind." and terminated the call.

I tried to use their web site form, too. That is also broken. It lets you select WiFi-only Galaxy Tabs, but then gives you no choice for the model number it insists you must choose.

I'm sensing a pattern, here... It does not speak well of Samsung. As such: Even if I keep this tablet, I'll think twice before ever again considering a Samsung mobile device. I certainly won't be recommending them anytime soon.

Jim

hiddenmickey

I've been dealing with them through Samsung Support's Facebook page. I at least get some attempts at help there and they understand that there is an issue and say they have reported it but that it's "being worked on." Nothing beyond that.

blue02

I regret buying Samsung. I was hoping to get a new Samsung phone for Christmas but won't now after all if this nonsense.

dfran1

I know the little things in life bother people, some bother me, I did not like having this problem with my siii, but it happened and I had 3 choices..

1.. clear cache and reset
2.. root
3.. live with it and wait for samsung to fix it

I chose #1, It was a kind of a pain but really not that bad, and I have lots of stuff to configure LOTS.

It really was not the end of the world.

Now I had iPhones 2 (4 and 4s) for the year I owned them, the more I used them, for the life of me, could not figure out WHY NO WORD WRAP when you pinch to zoom, especially on a 3.5" screen, I mean WT?....

Now imagine trying to scroll left and right on just about everything web,email related, every day and night you use it, Boy way I glad to dich them, and to this day I can not understand why people line up for them. Cause that is one MAJOR SUCK feature of them. Lets not even get started on the yellow tinted, washed out screens some iPhone's came with and apple telling people thats normal, my 1st 4s came like that and I got it swapped at best buy where I purchased it, and the guy was looking at me sideways.... but did swap it and the 2nd iPhone 4s was perfect, no washed out yellow screen, and apple DOES NOT CARE EITHER...

Now NOTHING is perfect, and it may suck to get the copy and past bug, but in MY OPINION (nothing else), it really is not that big of a deal, noway near as the 2 I mentioned above.

Now I have a note 2 and my wife has my siii, she loves it, and does not want the iPhone back. I love these samsung's and hope they keep em coming, and I may some day replace the iPad with a samsung tablet also.

Thats why we all have choices, imagine everyone driving the same car...

I do hope samsung gets this fixed, but the features they offer outweigh the small bugs, annoying for sure but (in my opinion only) minor.

albertojedi

I can't find any clipboard icon. To which specific bottom row button are you guys talking about?

dfran1

you must use the samsung keyboard and press and hold the mic Icon or 2nd in from the left bottom of the keyboard

ANdroidno17

What about firmware upgrade? Does it fix the problem?

Does Samsung new about this?

SEMIJim

When you pay $300 or $400 for something, and it's broken, that's not a "little thing," in my view. Then again: I guess I'm "old school": To me, $300 or $400 is still a lot of money.

And you know what: I wouldn't have a problem doing that if Samsung had the faintest clue as to what was causing the problem (besides their obviously broken clipboard code) so I'd have some hope I wouldn't have to turn around and do it again in another few days.

To you. To others of us that misfeature puts a serious crimp in the way we use our mobile devices. It's a show-stopper for me. Not because I wish to make a big deal of it, but because, for the way I use things such as this, it is a big deal for me.

Which is likewise broken design. If they felt they needed a manual clipboard manipulation interface, they should have made it available from Settings.

Which brings me to one of the most brain-dead aspects of this misfeature: Why is the clipboard being stashed in persistent storage in the first place? There is not another system I've ever used where the clipboard persists through logins, much less through reboots. If they hadn't put the clipboard in persistent storage the bug could be easily-mitigated by a cold start, rather than the extreme measures that are required.

In summary: It's a broken design, poorly thought-out, and poorly executed. To add insult to injury: It wouldn't even have happened if they'd just left the clipboard alone in the first place.

I've seen at least one report, maybe more, where upgrades to JellyBean did not fix the problem.

They know about it. I've seen reports that it was reported to them as early as sometime in August. Near as I can tell: They still have no clue as to why it's happening.

Jim

hiddenmickey

My GS3 doesn't word wrap...am I doing something wrong?

Also, factory reset is just a temporary fix.

Lastly, this isn't a missing feature like word wrap, or something the phone doesn't do that we wish it would. It's a vital function of the phone for some of us - 75% of what I do with my phone requires the use of cut and paste.

dfran1

I'm not here to argue with anyone, i'm just stating my opinion, and that is all. PLEASE.

I am very sorry to offend anyone on this matter!

On the word wrap feature, compared to the iphone, the siii screen size is accommodating as the iphone 3.5" is not, and when I had my other android phones in that screen size bracket, they would wrap. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I really do hope Samsung fixes this SOON.

SEMIJim

And a couple of us stated our opinions. That's how "discussion" works Nobody's offended.

I'm sure they will... eventually. I don't know as I'd bet on "soon." From what I've been reading, Samsung has a rather fine disregard for "customer service." In fact, not to put too fine a point on it, they appear to have an abysmally poor reputation in that regard.

Jim

Sent from my VTAB1008 using Tapatalk 2

dfran1

I just discovered dolphin browser beta has word wrap and is very quick and responsive.

I think I'm liking it better than chrome, just wish it synced with chrome bookmarks.

I ended up turning the font size to huge and now no need to get any bigger. In dolphin browser that is.

SEMIJim

So, following the links at Samsung's web site, I ended-up submitting a support issue.

I had written, in part:
I also supplied links to this thread and others.

Samsung's reply:
So they know.

Continuing...
Mind you: It was their web site that took me there, after I'd entered the proper model number earlier on.

With pointers to what menu options to chose, and the order. I dunno. When I tried that before, the resulting conversation made me feel like I'd rather commit Seppuku with a rusty spork

Of particular note: Not a single word as to when they expect to push a fix out for this problem, or even that they're working on it.

Jim

hiddenmickey

I don't think they meant that they actually "understand" that it doesn't work, as in acknowledge the problem. I think that was a generic form letter type response to an issue that that department is not involved with, or doesn't want to involve itself with. As in "We understand that [insert customer's complaint here]".

SEMIJim

I suppose that's possible.

I followed the recommendation in the email, choosing the 2nd option. Must have got a completely different group of CS people, because this time, instead of getting somebody allegedly with a Christian name, but speaking distinctly accented English, I got somebody with an unusual name, speaking flawless American English.

I explained the nature of the problem, and how wide-spread it was. She opened a ticket for me and, if I understood her correctly, escalated it right off.

Btw: This problem is apparently far more serious than "just" cut, copy and paste. Just saw Comment nbr. 80 at code.google.com and did what that poster suggested: Entered "android.sec.clipboard.clipboardexmanager" into a Google search. Turns up reams of hits. Hard to say how many of them actually related to the TouchWiz custom clipboard code, but it would appear that at least some of them do.

I would urge everybody who's experienced or experiencing this problem to use either the web form or, if a WiFi only version tablet, call, to report this problem. The CS rep. to whom I spoke just minutes ago agreed that complaint volume will affect Samsung's prioritization.

Jim

hiddenmickey

Could you link to the web form?

SEMIJim

E-mail Samsung Product Support (except for WiFi tablets)

They don't make it particularly straight-forward to get to.

Jim

hiddenmickey

Thanks! Submitted a long explanation and a link to this thread.

ardyer

I seem to have a new variation of this. I'm running 4.1.1 on AT&T in the US. Since Sunday, there have been three instances where I've gone to copy something and after I hit copy, the phone reboots. It doesn't happen all the time. I've tried the clipboard clearing tip above, we'll see if that helps. Otherwise, I'll try a reset. Definitely going to let Samsung know about this.

SEMIJim

Not new. This behaviour, too, has been seen. For example: Samsung Galaxy S3 random reboot during clipboard use

Please do.

I tried to tell the devs that the problem was more severe than at first thought... even to causing device crashes without even trying to bring up copy, cut and paste: Issue 35358: Using Standard input crashes when using Andriod 4.0.4 and [Q] Force close on ALL applications when keyboard input is requested. They just kinda blew me off.

24 hours ago I submitted my ticket. No (promised) email confirmation. Nothing else heard. Tomorrow I'll escalate it.

Jim

hiddenmickey

Here's the response I received via email:

Needless to say, clearing the keyboard data did not work and I don't want to factory reset. So, no help.

rynlpin

Samsung's official fix for their incompetence is to factory reset? What??

__________________
http://twitter.com/rynlpin

SEMIJim

So you tell them, firmly but politely, that their "solution" is not acceptable and you require the issue be escalated. That's what I did just an hour-and-a-half ago.

I made it clear that I would continue escalating the problem until it got to Kwon Oh-hyun, if necessary.

So far. Impressive, eh?

Jim

funkylogik

I just cant read this whole thread sorry but only two cures i know are factory reset or root and wipe clipboard.
I apologise in advance lol

__________________
GT-i9300 running Neat Rom with Siyah kernel.
A Scotsman. Be nice

hiddenmickey

Here's their response to my telling them FR is not sufficient. The model # was entered. I'm about ready to root.

SEMIJim

They should have given you a ticket number when you first opened the issue. That ticket number is critical. It establishes "history." From then on: All you need is the ticket number.

Jim

hiddenmickey

Never had a ticket number. Just what I posted earlier, and a message saying not to reply to message because it's for outbound only and a link for "If you have additional inquiries related to your original email" which is what I used - and automatically filled in all the information which they acted like they didn't have the 2nd time. Whatever - don't have time for their incompetence.

SEMIJim

Updates

After having submitting my ticket on the 10th, and receiving neither the promised emailed confirmation nor a callback w/in 48 hours: I called back to have the ticket escalated. That was done and I was again promised a callback w/in 48 hours.

On Friday, after not having received the promised callback, I called Samsung to have the ticket escalated again. They claimed they tried to call me on my home phone and, when they got no answer, closed the ticket. Thing is: I'd given them my wireless phone number and there was no message on the home line's answering machine. Nontheless, they opened a new ticket for me and immediately escalated it to a product support supervisor. I'm again supposed to receive a callback w/in 48 business hours.

Meanwhile, a developer has posted to Samsung's development forum that he's found that, not only does Samsung's broken software crash devices, but it may have introduced a security vulnerability:

Isn't that a comforting thought?

Jim

randun

I've had absolutely no problems with copy & paste post-JB (4.1.1) update.

You may want to visit the XDA-Developer's Forum ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1984126&page=32) where we have an ongoing thread regarding any & all problems with updates & post-updates.

As an FYI, I've found it much easier to carry on a dialogue with Samsung Support either on Twitter or Facebook.

PS: I copied & pasted this post using one of my text editors.

SEMIJim

It happens to some. It doesn't happen to others. It has been confirmed to remain a problem with 4.1.1. See: Issue 35732 - android - Clipboard Crash - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting and Forum | SAMSUNG Developers

This is neither a pre- nor post-update problem. This is a problem with Samsung's custom clipboard code. There is an XDA thread more germane to the problem: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766706 and perhaps others.

Jim

jaydee77ca

I had this problem on ICS on my Rogers Galaxy S3. Whenever I copied from any application the app would crash. I just upgraded to Jelly Bean the other weekend and did a factory reset after the upgrade. At first the copy paste was fine. However, now it works in some applications sometimes but most times when I copy something it doesn't just crash the application, but the whole phone reboots! So in my opinion it's even worse now. The factory reset was an all day process since Androids backup options are still terrible. I spent all day backing everything up, restoring it, recreating widgets, reinstalling applications, reconfiguring applications, homescreens, settings, etc. I don't want to do that every week to keep working around this issue. This is crazy that Samsung haven't fixed it yet.

randun

I understand that it's a spurious event, just like many others, e.g. notification bar scroll lag, battery drains, clock timing issues, etc.

I was simply adding to the dialogue here.

Regarding to the other XDA thread that you shared, unless I'm totally blind () the posts there are all pre-JB. The URL I provided covers just about every issue/problem that has come up since the update. I guess that's why it's now 32 pages long!

Randy

SEMIJim

That's that thread. Here and elsewhere you'll find plenty of JB users that have experienced problems related to Samsung's clipboard code--just above, for example.

Jim

MB17

I'm with JB, carrying the problem over from ICS.

hiddenmickey

I just updated to JB, and now when I attempt to copy text the phone reboots (with ICS the app just crashed).

EDIT: PROBLEM SOLVED

After my phone rebooted, I decided to go into S Memo and try it there. First, though, I switched to the Samsung keyboard (I use SwiftKey) and attempted to clear the clipboard using the method described by another user earlier in this thread (hold down 2nd key from the left on the bottom, then select the clipboard - then clear all). The clipboard was, in fact, full with 20 items - despite Clipboard Cleaner saying my clipboard was empty when I attempted to use it. Before JB update, attempting to clear the clipboard in this manner using the Samsung keyboard did not work - selecting the clipboard icon did nothing. Now, after JB update, I was able to see the clipboard items and clear them. Following this, I am now able to cut and copy text in various applications (including Chrome) without a problem.

Last edited by hiddenmickey; December 17th, 2012 at 10:59 AM.

kychia

I think there are 2 "strains" of this problem.

First strain is when the copy paste issue happen, the user can find the clipboard and clear the clips without rooting.

Second strain is when the copy paste issue happen, the user can find the clipboard, but the clipboard is inaccessible. Phone needs to be rooted to clear the clipboard clips.

hiddenmickey

But if you read my explanation, you see that I was in the first camp before updating to JB - could not access the clipboard. After updating, I could access my clipboard and clear it.

Bottom line - those of you who are not able to access and clear the clipboard, have you updated to JB? It worked for me.

kychia

I think that's a good idea!
Samsung has far too many crapware and doesn't work very well with Google...
The Nexus S is the worse Nexus phone, in my opinion...

Perhaps, LG is better than Samsung...

SEMIJim

Line under the bottom line: Apparently you've missed the posts from those who have upgraded to JB, and, not only has the problem remained, but, for some, it's become even worse?

Jim

hiddenmickey

Have they tried clearing the clipboard after upgrading? I had to clear the clipboard after upgrading - otherwise the problem was worse, as you say (rebooting instead of just crashing apps). 6 pages of posts, I'm not going back and looking at every one. Just giving my experience, certainly it will help SOME people.

jo256

THANK YOU very much- with the update to JB 4.1.1 over the weekend, I tried this method & I can now copy & paste again AND no crashes- so happy!! I hope it stays this way!

-------------------------

SEMIJim

Some of the people that have observed the problem, even after the JB upgrade, are developers. Others have reported it working after the JB upgrade, only to fail again later on. So if it's working for you now: I'm happy for you and I truly hope it continues working for you, but don't be surprised if the problem comes back again later--as it has for others.

Jim

sarm9

i already have JB and i still have the issue

SEMIJim

Did you try clearing the clipboard as hiddenmickey suggests? Apparently that gets some people going again.

Jim

SEMIJim

As I rather expected: No return call from Samsung. Called back. Nothing they can do for me. (Surprise!)

Now escalating to the Office of the President of Samsung U.S., as I expected would be necessary all along.

Jim

SEMIJim

Looks like Samsung has bigger fish to fry, now...

Posted to the "clipboard crash" thread on Samsung's developer forum:
From the developer of a patch to defang the root exploit:
ETA: I posted a new thread on the root vulnerability, with more information, here: Android Kernel Vulnerability Affects Samsung Devices

Jim

Last edited by SEMIJim; December 18th, 2012 at 05:25 PM.

MB17

I'm on the unlucky side: JB, Samsung keyboard, touch and hold second button down, tap clipboard... nothing happens, zero: no itens shown on clipboard, no option to clean it...