Help 3g data droppers post your apps.

[Leslie Ann]

Update 7mar11
I heard of another app being a problem today, didn't write it down, so I will have to troll the forums I watch and find it again.
Also:
Some are claiming Virgin IS having provisioning issues with some phones.
At least one has also claimed VM knows there is a problem with the phones and their network.

This doesn't mean the information in here is inaccurate, just that there is now more things we now know are causing it.


Update 3mar11 to include a quote and added Market to the list of apps with troublesome connections):


Original post
So far I have nailed down 3 things happening...

1. Phone loses activation. This is rare and resetting your connection does not fix it, try the Activate button. I had a bad rom flash do this to me, but others have had it at random.

2. 3g drops due to loss of connection and using an app or setting to increase battery. There is speculation that the menu is labeled wrong on our phones, creating problems. personally, I wiped and got rid of all connection manager type of stuff and leave it stock, it works fine. Fix the other things robbing your battery like Twidroid and Gallery running in the background if you are considering this.

3. The browser. (and Market app)
Dolphin mini has been reported to have connection issues, and I confirmed last night that HD has the same problem. Everything worked on the phone, except for it. I reset data, and it came to life. Do NOT use Dolphin to check for connectivity. If it's your default browser, change the home page to a more reliable site like Google or Yahoo, it may help at least some. The Market tends to drop often as well.


This is another possibility for Cyanogen users:

I've had similar intermittent but frequent loss of data connectivity on the Optimus V.
I'm running aosp CyanogenMod 7 (gingerbread).
I stumbled on an apparent fix for this particular ROM, at least:
Under "Settings/Wireless & Network Settings/Mobile Networks", make sure "National Data Roaming" is enabled and under "System Select", choose "Home Only".
With these settings, 3G has now been solid for me for the last 2-3 days.

Original post:
----------------------------------------

Okay,
So, when I got the phone I left it stock for a week, maybe two, I didn't have problems. Unfortunately, about the time I rooted was at the same time I started loading more and more on it which is when the problem started.

It's happening to rooted and non-rooted people so I'm thinking it may be an app we are using, so let's post them and see if there is a connection. The more info we share about the problem, the more likely we can find the cause.

NOTE: This is for those who's data resets after using airplane mode, reset, or disabling and re-enabling data. Losing data permanently is another issue entirely (try the activate button).


A Online Radio (pretty sure it's safe)
Adfree
Angry Birds
App 2 SD
AppBak
aTrackDog
Barcode Scanner
Dolphin Browser HD
Endomondo
ES File Explorer
File Expert
Gingerbread Keyboard
Gmail (safe)
GPS Status
Jewels
LauncherPro (pretty sure it's safe)
Maps (safe)
Maverick
Meebo IM
Mobile Banking (BofA)
Pandora
QRDroid
Quick Settings
Solitaire
Speedtest
Speedview
Terminal Emulator
Tetris Party
Titanium Backup (pretty sure it's safe)
Trapster
Wifi Analyzer

 

[lynx2cross]

I have Pandora and Angry Birds just as you do but I don't think those apps are what caused my problem. When I look back it started soon after I installed Juice Defender app to help save battery life. That app turns off the data connection when the phone is idle. It worked fine at first and I never connected my problem to the app but I suspected it might be and uninstalled it. When Virgin mobile reset my phone and my internet was working again I reinstalled the app and hours later my data connection was lost again. I toggled airplane mode and it came back but I still think the app caused this so I got rid of it. By the end of the day it happened again so this time I restarted the phone thinking maybe some remnants of the app might still be affecting the phone. Haven't had any trouble since. Now with that said, I just installed another app which is an ad blocker so when I play Angry birds for instance it turns off the data connection so I don't get those ads that pop up. This app toggles the 3G on/off so we shall see if I have any further data problems. If so then I guess that app will have to be deleted as well.

 

[darthmad]

Pulse
Facebook
Quick Settings
Pandora
Key Ring
Grocery IQ
Gas Buddy
Barcode Scanner
Soundhound
Lookout
Jedi Light Saber
Desktop VisualizeR

 

[maylea]

At least on my phone, dolphin browser mini was causing my 3g and wifi to act strangleh
y as well as slacker radio

 

[Leslie Ann]

Working from lynx2cross' tip, I may have found at least some of the problem.

24 hours so far, I lost connection a few times, but it came back each time (YAY!), with all my apps installed. That is the longest it has remained stable in a while by a long shot.

So here it is, at least for me, maybe it will help some of you as well.


If you did any of the "battery saving" tips, that may be your problem. I was using Network by Phillip Mangelow. Before I uninstalled it I put it back on the appropriate "auto" setting. While the "correct" setting, it's not properly setting the phone back to what it should be set at.

Not being correct, when it loses the 3g signal, it doesn't auto-reconnect, nor does it kick down to 1x so you end up with a non-working 3g connection.


Now, here is where I made a mistake and made it a huge hassle.
I was using Titanium Backup to backup my call log and text messages. When I made the first backup, it contained some of the settings that should have been removed or changed and I was restoring this setting. It's either in the same file, or named similar enough that I thought it was part of the sms system or call logs.

Unfortunately, for me to correct it I had to wipe it, or figure out what/where the setting is and correct it. I simply wiped it, the call log wasn't important, neither were my sms logs

 

[Leslie Ann]

At least on my phone, dolphin browser mini was causing my 3g and wifi to act strangleh
y as well as slacker radio

I confirmed this with mine last night with Dolphin HD.
Everything else connected except Dolphin.





So far I have nailed down 3 things happening...

1. Phone loses activation. This is rare and resetting yoru connection does not fix it, try the Activate button. I had a bad rom flash do this to me, but others have had it at random.

2. 3g drops due to loss of connection and using an app or setting to increase battery. There is speculation that the menu is labeled wrong on our phones, creating problems. personally, I wiped and got rid of all connection manager type of stuff and leave it stock, it works fine. Fix the other things robbing your battery like Twidroid and Gallery running in the background if you are considering this.

3. The browser.
Dolphin mini has been reported to have connection issues, and I confirmed last night that HD has the same problem. Everything worked on the phone, except for it. I reset data, and it came to life. Do NOT use Dolphin to check for connectivity. If it's your default browser, change the home page to a more reliable site like Google or Yahoo, it may help at least some.

 

[ultramagnus]

i've got a samsung intercept but am having the same issues:
i have no installed apps.
reset to factory default, wiped out my SD card.

still have data connectivity issues.

 

[Leslie Ann]

i've got a samsung intercept but am having the same issues:
i have no installed apps.
reset to factory default, wiped out my SD card.

still have data connectivity issues.

Re-do the activate app, see if that helps.

 

[ejlmd]

I've had similar intermittent but frequent loss of data connectivity on the Optimus V.
I'm running aosp CyanogenMod 7 (gingerbread).
I stumbled on an apparent fix for this particular ROM, at least:
Under "Settings/Wireless & Network Settings/Mobile Networks", make sure "National Data Roaming" is enabled and under "System Select", choose "Home Only".
With these settings, 3G has now been solid for me for the last 2-3 days.

 

[Leslie Ann]

Updated first post to reflect new information.

 

[jetfactor]

since i'm fairly obsessed with new gadgets and can't put them down when i first get them, the drain of battery life on my 5 day old optimus v is most likely my own fault. STILL, i DL'ed JuiceDefender to help combat this and it seems to be working fairly well... at least better than without having it on, and there are no real phone issues. of course, my 3G drops when the screen is off, but as soon as i wake it up it kicks back on immediately.

it's only slightly annoying because my words with friends notifications aren't instant, ha.

other than that, whatever. i don't need constant email notifications, nor anything else other than incoming calls and texts, which aren't affected by the app. we'll see how it goes in another week or so.

 

[Leslie Ann]

It's great if that is what you want.
For many of us, and it seems like the numbers are quite high, they didn't want or expect this.

I'm seeing threads all over various forums about this where people are (often but not always) blaming the phone or Virgin for the problem. I realize some of it can be attributed to the phone, and Virgin obviously has outtages on occasion, that's to be expected from any carrier and technology, but clearly a lot of the problems are caused by the user.

 

[Lanzagas]

In my case.

no battery saving app.
stock rom.
only the original browser.

And 3G data is loss somewhat frequent (couple of times a day) usually I can recover by going into airplane mode 5 secs and then back to normal. But sometimes I need to shutdown and turn on.

Where I live coverage is good.
I do use Pandora but is kind of crappy even in low quality mode. My blackberry 8530 in EDGE was able to play pandora without issues.

At this point I believe that phone or the carrier has the problem.

 

[raphy3]

ok here is my entire installed (bloatware not included) app list!
adobe reader
ak notepad
angry frogs beta
appmanager (now called appmonster but I have not upgraded)
astrid
barcode scanner
bluetooth file transfer
bubble
compass
connectbot
dazzle
gensoid
google reader
google voice (push service turned off though)
GPS status
kayak
keeper
market (updated)
my tracks
Network
OI File manager
Pandora
Phonalyzr
Remote Droid
Ringdroid
Sensor List
Smart Ruler
Stopwatch
talk to me
tank hero
TasKiller (I know, don't worry, only installed to test killing off apps to see if they are causing the data problem; this one does not run in bg and auto kill apps)
TaskManager (this just shows you what's running and how much memory you have free, does not autokill apps or otherwise mess with android, installed to compare with my old G1)
unblock me free
VidTrim
Wifi Analyzer
WordUp
XDA
Xtremelabs Speedtest
Zillow

OK, more apps than I thought... still 100+MB free though!

 

[Leslie Ann]

Added "Market" to the list of programs with troublesome connections.

And 3G data is loss somewhat frequent (couple of times a day) usually I can recover by going into airplane mode 5 secs and then back to normal. But sometimes I need to shutdown and turn on.

At this point I believe that phone or the carrier has the problem.

Did you ever have any others in for managing connections or battery?
Doesn't matter if you uninstalled it or not.
Also have you tried the Activate app?

What you are describing is exactly what you will see if you have had an app in that allows you to change from 1x to 3g and back. That is EXACTLY what it does.

Network

There is your problem right there.
Just so you know, simply uninstalling it, may not fix it.
I needed wipe to do it.

Someone somewhere has a way to get it back to stock using the app before you uninstall. It's not hard, but i don't remember the process, next time I see it, I'll put it in, but I just wiped instead. Get's rid of lots of junk and it's better to learn early on how to back things up and restore, before you have a ton to worry about.

 

[raphy3]

I am not trying to be facetious, but if the network app caused my original problem, it would be somewhat paradoxical. In another thread on howard forums a guy posted that toggling in the network app helped him recover his dropped data connection, so I installed it and it also worked for me when I tried it. I'll admit at this point there's no reason for anyone to install it or use it though, since simply disabling mobile data or airplane mode works most of the time to restore data.

Now, it could be that the network app does screw things up and makes them even worse by selecting the wrong menu item, but it is definitely not the cause of my original data connection dropping problem.

I just looked in phone status - my mobile network type is listed as EvDO rev A. How can I know what is has done to my phone or what signs to look for if my phone's network settings are screwed up?

 

[Lanzagas]

Added "Market" to the list of programs with troublesome connections.
Did you ever have any others in for managing connections or battery?
Doesn't matter if you uninstalled it or not.
Also have you tried the Activate app?

What you are describing is exactly what you will see if you have had an app in that allows you to change from 1x to 3g and back. That is EXACTLY what it does.

The most I use that could be considered to be managing connections or battery is Quick Settings and Advanced Task Killer and the latter is not set to kill anything automatically.

 

[Nor*Cal X4]

I live in NOR CAL and 3G comes and goes.....pretty annoying....but when its on.....it streams very fast. Just wish i didnt have to power off, soft boot hit activate etc, etc, etc. when 3G is not on. this is with the LG Optimus V.

 

[Leslie Ann]

I am not trying to be facetious, but if the network app caused my original problem, it would be somewhat paradoxical. In another thread on howard forums a guy posted that toggling in the network app helped him recover his dropped data connection, so I installed it and it also worked for me when I tried it. I'll admit at this point there's no reason for anyone to install it or use it though, since simply disabling mobile data or airplane mode works most of the time to restore data.

Now, it could be that the network app does screw things up and makes them even worse by selecting the wrong menu item, but it is definitely not the cause of my original data connection dropping problem.

I just looked in phone status - my mobile network type is listed as EvDO rev A. How can I know what is has done to my phone or what signs to look for if my phone's network settings are screwed up?

My understanding of the program is that it is just toggling a stock Android menu option.

The problem is that that menu is buggy or has a mis-labeled button. I'm not entirely sure on the details. What I do know is that apparently it sets back 3g running, but it's the wrong 3g setting. There is a magic way to toggle it and get it to perform the correct setting though.

Here is the thing...
If you use it, while it's working, the settings will look fine, because it's when it looses the signal that you have trouble. It's not reconnection or dropping down or something properly. Auto, isn't auto, it's similar to giving you the option of Rev. A or 4g, except we don't have 4g so it hangs.

When you uninstall the app, some have claimed it reverted to the original setting. Mine did not. Worse I was backing up that setting. Each time I reloaded the rom it was working, I would feel comfortable it was working, then put the files back and have problems again.

Network is exactly the app that caused my trouble, but it's not the only one causing this problem. I have heard from enough people to verify it.

 

[Leslie Ann]

The most I use that could be considered to be managing connections or battery is Quick Settings and Advanced Task Killer and the latter is not set to kill anything automatically.

What else have you installed and removed.
Some do not uninstall properly.

Also, we have seen screen timers and other things cause problems that seemed unrelated.

Both of those should be safe, but what else are you running, what else have you run in the past.

I hadn't had one troublesome app installed for 2 weeks and was still having problems from it.

 

[raphy3]

My understanding of the program is that it is just toggling a stock Android menu option.

The problem is that that menu is buggy or has a mis-labeled button. I'm not entirely sure on the details. What I do know is that apparently it sets back 3g running, but it's the wrong 3g setting. There is a magic way to toggle it and get it to perform the correct setting though.

Here is the thing...
If you use it, while it's working, the settings will look fine, because it's when it looses the signal that you have trouble. It's not reconnection or dropping down or something properly. Auto, isn't auto, it's similar to giving you the option of Rev. A or 4g, except we don't have 4g so it hangs.

When you uninstall the app, some have claimed it reverted to the original setting. Mine did not. Worse I was backing up that setting. Each time I reloaded the rom it was working, I would feel comfortable it was working, then put the files back and have problems again.

Network is exactly the app that caused my trouble, but it's not the only one causing this problem. I have heard from enough people to verify it.

Ahh OK I see. I can see how network is causing it for some people. It looks like there are a whole bunch of different causes as outlined in your original post. It could be that installing it in my case made the problem worse. I may very well have two reasons for network drops for a while! I still don't know what started the drops in the first place. I.wonder if VM can remotely reset your phone's network configuration. I am not sure why but yesterday was my first day of no data drops! I wonder if they did something after I called them. I'll see how it goes today and report back again. Otherwise if it happens again I will wipe the phone.

 

[TVCCS]

Ahh OK I see. I can see how network is causing it for some people. It looks like there are a whole bunch of different causes as outlined in your original post. It could be that installing it in my case made the problem worse. I may very well have two reasons for network drops for a while! I still don't know what started the drops in the first place. I.wonder if VM can remotely reset your phone's network configuration. I am not sure why but yesterday was my first day of no data drops! I wonder if they did something after I called them. I'll see how it goes today and report back again. Otherwise if it happens again I will wipe the phone.

Yes...VM can reset your data connection...if you can get through to the escalation department.

 

[raphy3]

Yes...VM can reset your data connection...if you can get through to the escalation department.

OK so today I got a text from VM that said they reset my data connection. It also said please pull the battery now that the connection has been reset. Call if more problms. So I turned off my phone, pulled the battery, and powered back on. No data drops yet today. We'll se for tomorrow .

 

[raphy3]

Sigh, well, I still have the problem. Even after VM reset my data conn. and even after I WIPED my phone. Ush this is driving me nuts. Here is the new list of installed apps I have:
Dazzle
OI file manager
Gensoid
Google Reader
AppManager
Market (updates)

That is everything that shows up in my downloaded apps.

I have discovered at least something repeatable with this data bug finally though. Whenever I have a long series of texts with someone, the data connection is gone afterwards even though it shows 3G. Whenever someone calls me or if I go to check voicemail, the data connection is down afterwards even though it shows 3G. Oddly enough, just one or two texts won't do it. It has to be a series of texts back and forth. Voice calls seem to cause the data to drop seemingly almost 100% successfully. Right now my phone is nearly bone stock and I still have this issue.

 

[Leslie Ann]

I heard of another app being a problem today, didn't write it down, so I will have to troll the forums I watch and find it again.


Also:
Some are claiming Virgin IS having provisioning issues with some phones.
At least one has also claimed VM knows there is a problem with the phones and their network.


This doesn't mean the information in here is inaccurate, just that there is now more things we now know are causing it.