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Help Bluetooth will not wake up Atrix 4G if screen locked

I have posted on Motorola, Atrix and Android Central forums, but no one seems to have an answer, although it seems to be a common problem. With the GB "upgrade", bluetooth functionality went south. The phone will not wake up from a locked state to allow voice dialing. Press the button on your bluetooth and the screen will blink twice before going back to locked state. You have to turn the phone on, then make your phone dial via bluetooth. It seems to be a consensus that there is an Android problem. Anyone know when a "fix" will be in the making?
 
I just tested this with both or my Jabra BT units. Both of them were able to activate the phone and voice dial when the phone was "Asleep" (Screen locked).

Verify that you have the same settings I do.
-Settings
--Wireless & Networks
---Wi-Fi Settings (yes, Wi-Fi... the advanced options here control BOTH the Wi-Fi and BT settings)
----Press the Menu key and Choose ADVANCED
-----Wi-Fi Sleep Policy - I have mine set to "NEver when plugged in" - as I keep my phone plugged in while in the car.

I have no problems just tapping the button on my BT headset and activating voice dialing.
It might also be that you have the Battery Mode (under Battery & Data manager) set to "Maximum battery saver" - this has a tendency to put devices into an almost comatose state until you manually wake them up. I keep mine on Nighttime saver.
 
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If you will actually look at those settings, you will see there is also a
NEVER setting, not just the "never when plugged in" I use.

20110924103130.jpeg


Both settings work just fine for me.

There is a reason that this is the common answer you get, it's the right one for the phone.
If this does not fix the problem, perhaps its your BT headset losing sync. It would not be the first time someone blamed the phone only to come back and say they replaced the headset and their problem went away.
 
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Wi Fi is on Never Sleep. Again, have you unplugged your phone turned it off, or let it lock and then try to make a bt call? It happens with my Plantronics Pro, Jabra Jawbone II, and with a Motorola visor clip bt, so I would have to say with such an array of bt equipment, the update to GB has set us back a little. I don't understand your reluctance to admit the Android GB update has had any effect on BT operation. I have been on 4 other forums and this problem is a prevalent one.
Kindly let me know how your phone reacts to a bluetooth initiation while it is locked. Thanks.
https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/451354#451354
http://forums.androidcentral.com/t-...bluetooth-button-pressed-after-gb-update.html
http://www.atrixforums.com/forum/mo...luetooth-wont-wake-up-phone-standby-mode.html
 
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Wi Fi is on Never Sleep. Again, have you unplugged your phone turned it off, or let it lock and then try to make a bt call?

Yes. On many occasions. I did it today while at the grocery store. Got out of the car, turned the screen on the phone off, stuck it in my pocket and went in the store. Realized about 30 minutes later that I needed to call someone, tapped the button on my Jabra headset, and voice dialed the call.

As I said... IT WORKS FOR ME.

It happens with my Plantronics Pro, Jabra Jawbone II, and with a Motorola visor clip bt, so I would have to say with such an array of bt equipment, the update to GB has set us back a little. I don't understand your reluctance to admit the Android GB update has had any effect on BT operation.

I have 2 Jabras and a Motorola and have no problem.
Why do I not want to "Admit" it's a problem with the GB update?? Because, counting my Atrix, My fiance and her 2 kids with the Atrix, and 3 co-workers with the Atrix (That's 7 phones, first hand experience with!), all updated to GB, NONE of them have the problem.


I have been on 4 other forums and this problem is a prevalent one.

That does not mean it's a problem with EVERY phone, and a problem with the GB update itself. Sure, you see dozens of posts about people having issues. What you don't see is MILLIONS of Atrix users that don't bother to come online and say they are not having a problem.

Not to mention, how many of those are the same person posting on multiple forums (As you have). The same person posting on 4 sites makes the problem APPEAR 4 times worse.

Kindly let me know how your phone reacts to a bluetooth initiation while it is locked. Thanks.

I have already told you in my other posts... IT WORKS for me.
Not only for me, but for the 6 other Atrix phones I have first hand experience with.

And, I've helped several people here (And other sites) that insisted that it was a problem with the GB update. But, some have turned out to have defective BT devices. One turned out to have a faulty charger on his BT device. All of them replaced the defective unit, and the problem went away.
 
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If you can help get my BT to connect and allow voice commands, I will give you full credit when I post the fix on all the other forums. I will be a happy camper. I took the phone to my local AT&T retailer, and they were unaware of the problem. She got on the phone to support and must have told her under no uncertain terms they were aware of the problem and Android was working on a fix. I just hate paying so much money for a phone that is not performing as it should.
 
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I still go back to power saving. If the BT get's turned off, it won't hear when the BT headset signals it.

Do you have any other "Power saver" apps on the phone?
Do you have a battery monitoring app on the phone that might have a power saver tool in it you are not aware of?

How old are your BT devices? Do you know, are they BT1.0, 1.1, or 2,0?? (mine are all 1.1 or 2,0)

The biggest problem we have trying to help people is they get it in their head that it's something, like the GB update. It has to be that... and they refuse to listen to anything that does not support that argument. I will work with you as long as it takes to try to help you. But, you've got to be open minded about what I ask you to try and willing to accept that it might not be the phone itself.

One last thing... you don't have ALL of the BT devices powered on at the same time do you? That will confuse the CRAP out of a phone. It will lock onto one, and ignore the other devices. So, if you have a BT speakerphone, and it's on, it could be "In control" of the phone preventing the BT headset from working.
And, remember, BT devices can work up to 30 meters away. So, if you are in range of more than one active, paired device at a time, that can cause problems.
 
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Another reason why I don't believe this is the GB update...

I've been doing this for YEARS on the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Android platforms. When there is a BUG or FLAW in an OS release, it effects all of the devices in some way. Maybe some users don't notice it, but it effects them. You wind up with 90% of the people complaining about the issue.

I've seen a small fraction of Atrix users complaining about post GB update BT issues. I'm talking less than 5% of the total units sold.
And, so far, everyone that I've talked to, we've found that is was something with absolutely no relation to the GB update. From their BT hardware, to settings, to 3rd party apps on the phone.
 
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Must be this cool mountain air. No all BT devices are off except the pro that I have with me. I turn it off each night, and it receives adequate charge. It will even let me know when I leave the phone on my console and wander more than 40 feet from it.
Face it, too, probably only 5% of Atrix users, use bluetooth to its fullest capabilities. Now, I can press the button on my bt and the screen flashes twice, like it wants to wake up. I can, then, turn it on. It will immediately ask for a command. It just won't wake it up to make the command by itself.
No battery savings apps.
Thanks for your patience and advice. Just hope it leads to a fix for my and several hundred other phones.
BTW, I use the Blairsville ATT store.
 
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OK, so, we see that the BT is still on since it get's enough of a signal to flash the screen.
That rules out:
- the BT radio in the phone, since it's getting signal.
- the power saving (since it's on to get the signal)

That tells me that the signal being sent by the BT when you tap it is either not telling the phone to wake up, or the phone does not understand the command.

That points me in the direction of compatibility. How old are the BT devices? Do you know what BT revision they are? Is it possible they are older BT 1.0 devices that are not "Fully" compatible with the newer BT chips in the phones?

EDIT: I've got distant relatives (Like 4th cousins??) that live up in Blairsville. I've only met them once or twice in my life. All I know is that my grandfather used to bring us some powerful "Homemade Cough Syrup" ;) ;) in a Mason jar when he would go visit them!
 
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Face it, too, probably only 5% of Atrix users, use bluetooth to its fullest capabilities.

While that may be true, you don't have to use BT to it's fullest to see this problem, if it were GB related. At least 50% of people use a BT headset/speakerphone/Car integration system, thanks to handsfree laws.

I'm sure that everyone of them, at some point, has to make a call when the phone is asleep.
 
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Jawbone is probably 2 years old. Got tired of it falling off my ear, so I sidelined it. Using the Plantronics Pro about a year now. I have no idea what version they are. I do know they worked flawlessly until my phone upgraded to GB. OK, I'm going to be open minded. Maybe it was a coincidence. Now we're getting somewhere. Not necessarily the "chips" in the phone, but the OS that is keeping it from waking up completely. Thanks.
Oops, Plantronics is version 2.1
 
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Well, this has been going on since LONG before the Atrix was built, or GB was ever released for it...
And, it's not limited to Motorola Phones...
I have a Samsung Fascinate with Verizon Wireless and Jawbone Prime using Nuance Voice Commands and it does work well, especially after training it, but when I have the phone password protected requiring a pattern, I cannot access voice commands without physically un-protecting the phone. This is really unacceptable, I wonder when Samsung, Nuance, Google or Verizon will come up with a solution?:mad:

http://androidforums.com/motorola-m...a-bluetooth-when-screen-sleeps-wont-work.html

From what I gathered reading through that forum, it was related to a Password or pattern lock on the phone. Do you use Password, Pattern lock or Fingerprint? I don't.

That would make a little more sense as, once locked, it goes into a secure mode and will only allow emergency calls until its unlocked.

If you use a security method, remove it for testing and tell me if that works.
 
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No on the fingerprint or other security measures. The phone locks and I have to slide the icon to the right to access the home page. HOWEVER, I don't have to do that to make BT calls. All I have to do is press the "ON" button and press the BT activation button. If I press the BT button first, immediately when I press the "on" button on the phone, she says "please say a command".
 
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I modified my google search from "Android Bluetooth Sleep Voice" to "Android Bluetooth Lock Voice" (note: I never searched on Atrix. That way I don't limit my results!)

I found a LOT going back on other phones, on older builds of the OS. This is in the actual Android development dated back to 2009... You can't voice dial if it's LOCKED (Not asleep).
Issue 4848 - android - Have voice dial work through bluetooth - very important driving safety isse! - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting
Issue 1181 - android - [VoiceDial] Voice confirmation for Voice Dialer - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting

Here's a possible fix for you...
At the end of this thread, a guy comments that WidgetLocker lets you use Voice Commands while the phone is locked.
Bluetooth experts help!
 
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No on the fingerprint or other security measures. The phone locks and I have to slide the icon to the right to access the home page. HOWEVER, I don't have to do that to make BT calls. All I have to do is press the "ON" button and press the BT activation button. If I press the BT button first, immediately when I press the "on" button on the phone, she says "please say a command".

Yes, but that is considered a LOCKED state. Just without a security measure to UNLOCK it.

It's not a bug, or a problem with the OS, it's not a Motorola issue... It's a standard part of the GB os as released from Google. That's why you noticed it after the update. And, why no tech support knows of it as a problem. It's not actually a problem.

I disabled that function on mine with No lock.. It's a free app in the market. I recommended it to everyone I know with an Atrix after the GB update. That could explain why it works for us, and not for you.

EDIT - link for No Lock in the market. https://market.android.com/details?id=org.jraf.android.nolock&feature=search_result
 
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It's a standard part of the GB os as released from Google. That's why you noticed it after the update. And, why no tech support knows of it as a problem. It's not actually a problem.
So now we are getting somewhere. Not being able to dial with BT is a standard part of the OS as presented by Google in GB. Higher up tech people are aware of it, just not front line phone answerers, or desk attendants.
I don't want to disagree too harshly with you, but IT IS A PROBLEM!! If GB intentionally left out the ability for us to dial using BT, and every Moto phone I have ever used, Razr, etc. has had voice dialing, it is a problem. Just because someone intentionally left it off doesn't make it right.
BTW the link was a waste. It just showed some guy tapping his screen between lock and unlock. Worthless.
My BT will work with the phone locked. It won't work with it asleep.
 
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Go back and read the links. GB didn't leave out the feature to dial when the screen is LOCKED. That has been disabled since the beginning.

The difference is, on FroYo, you just turned the screen off... not locked it.
On GB, Google added the slide to lock.

I posted several links. As I said, this shows that the "No voice dial when LOCKED" has been around since 2009.. It was not "Left out" of GB.
Issue 4848 - android - Have voice dial work through bluetooth - very important driving safety isse! - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting
(Like you, I agree it's a stupid decision, and so do the people posting there. But, it's Google's call, not ours.)

It's not a PROBLEM. A problem means there is something wrong, or defective. This is a change in how the OS behaves when the screen is turned off. They added the slide to lock (A very popular feature for some reason... I can't stand it!). This locks the phone, even without a password. You may not like it. But, that does not make it a problem with the OS. Just a problem to you.

We found your issue.
I've provided you with 2 solutions...
-a free one that I use and know to work, the No Lock app
-a paid one, WidgetLocker, that many others use.

There are 2 choices for you on how to get around the changes in the OS.
Or, you can go on with how you are doing it now.

But, I've spent several hours of my Saturday night researching this for you. I'm leaving it up to you to decide where you want to go from here.

My final advice is to just download the No Lock app I linked you to and use it. That guy "Locking and unlocking" his phone is showing how you enable and disable the locking.
 
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Take care.

No lock works for me, and on the other Atrix phones I know of. I am able to just tap the button on my BT with my phone in my pocket, screen off, and make a voice call. (I'm guessing you didn't even try it, you just dismissed it??)

I assume you are going to wait for a "FIX" to be released. I can tell, there will be no "Fix" as there is nothing broken. Just a change in how things work.

Good luck.
 
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Your guessing and assumptions make you out to be a person who has one opinion and that's it. How in the world do you think I discovered the no lock works and that the BT wouldn't wake up the phone if it was off? You gotta get your brain on the same wave length. I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. The phone will not allow BT phone calls while it is asleep. You must turn the phone on for it to continue. Geesh, how plain can I get?? You're getting irritated and I'm getting frustrated. Let's not get any deeper.
 
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