After reading multiple threads over and over in regards to the glitchy and unstable nature of the 4.0.3 ICS update for AT&T SGH-I777 and reading is should be resolved with firmware 4.0.4 I contacted Samsung Tech Support today rather than just complain about it in hopes it would magically get fixed.
I have sad news for all of you. This is not the answer any of us want to hear.
I've pulled my battery. I've done a factory reset. The firmware is glitchy, my phone locks up and freezes when I get a sms text, a google talk msg, an email. I'm unable to access my email account that is not gmail. Also my battery life has dropped to almost lasting 40% of the time now. This is ridiculous.
Short version is, they claim there is NO documented issues with 4.0.3 having any problems and their solution is if a battery pull or a factory reset doesn't work. You should send in your phone. This is not a solution for a faulty firmware.
Here is my chat session with Samsung Tech Support:
You are now chatting with 'Daniel'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK56401351923X
Daniel: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Daniel: We have not heard from you. Do you wish to continue the chat?
Visitor: sorry was waiting
Visitor: I have a SGH-I777
Visitor: This weekend I upgraded to the firmware via kies to 4.0.3 from 2.3.6.
Visitor: the new OS is very glitchy, my phone freezes up and I have to force quit apps. Also my battery life is now severely decreased.
Visitor: I have done a factory reset and it has not resolved any of the issues I'm experiencing.
Visitor: If I receive a sms txt msg, it will freeze up my phone for 2-5 minutes until I can use the phone again.
Daniel: As per our records, there is no known issue for the same at our end. However, I will forward the same issue to the concerned Samsung department.
Visitor: If I receive a google talk message the phone will freeze also from 2-5 minutes along with the notification tone will not stop unless I force quit the application.
Visitor: I've been reading several threads on the android forums. This is a known issue and some issues are resolved with firmware 4.0.4
Visitor: What would my next course of action be to resolve these issues with firmware 4.0.3 until an official 4.0.4 is released for the SGH-I777?
Daniel: Not to worry, As this is a Samsung technical department we troubleshoot the technical issues on the phone. Let us try performing some troubleshooting steps and check the result from our end.
Visitor: ok
Daniel: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
Visitor: ko
Visitor: ok
Daniel: Let us try to resolve the issue by performing a Soft reset on your device and check the result.
Daniel: By performing soft reset, settings on the phone will refresh and this might fix the issue.
Visitor: ok. how do I do a soft reset?
Daniel: I will provide you with the steps.
Daniel: Please follow the steps mentioned below to perform a soft reset on your Phone.
1. Turn off the handset.
2. Remove the battery and wait for 30 seconds.
3. Reinsert the battery and turn ON the device.
Visitor: Ok. I've tried this several times already but I will do it again now.
Daniel: Thank you.
Visitor: ok, the phone is coming back on now
Daniel: Okay.
Visitor: I just swipped to change screens and the phone is frozen.
Visitor: I just received the msg "Unfortunately, Email has stopped"
Daniel: I am sorry about that.
Daniel: Are you able to charge the device?
Visitor: Yes
Daniel: Okay. As you have performed soft reset on the device and the issue persists. Let us go ahead and perform a Hard reset on your device.
Daniel: Most issues can be solved by performing a hard reset on the phone.
Daniel: However, by performing a Hard reset on the device, the information like texts, pictures, videos, contacts, any downloaded applications saved on the phone gets erased.
Visitor: so a hard reset is a factory reset?
Visitor: I've done a factory reset already and it did not resolve the problems Im experiencing with firmware 4.0.3
Daniel: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Daniel: I am sorry about that.
Daniel: As we tried with every possible step and you have already done with the factory reset and the issue persists, In this case, I recommend you send in the device to Samsung Service center as the device needs to be examined physically by our technician to fix it.
Visitor: This is a known issues with firmware 4.0.3. I've read several threads in regards to this. I don't understand what sending my phone in is going to change with a firmware that has bugs. Is there a patch for the firmware or is there an ETA for when 4.0.4 will be released for the SGH-I777 for AT&T phones?
Daniel: I am really sorry, we do not have any information on the update details.
Daniel: I would have surley helped you in this regard if I had the information with me in our database.
Visitor: Outside of sending in my handset there isn't any further advice you have for resolving the issues with the 4.0.3 firmware for the SGH-I777?
Visitor: How would I go about making sure this case is documented so that someone there can look into this issue. I'm not the only one experiencing the issue. I've read literally over 100 posts in regards to the 4.0.3 glitchy firmware..
Daniel: As I have informed you that we do not have any issues recorded in our database in regards to the 4.0. update.
Visitor: Could we start with this being a documented case then?
Daniel: I apologize, As this is a Samsung technical department we troubleshoot the technical issues on the phone. We do not have any access to accessing any sites rather than Samsung website from our end
Visitor: Ok. I'll will go ahead post this to document the issues and will contact Samsung again in regards to the issue that it is not being documented there. Thank you for trying but simply a soft reset and a factory reset are not resolving the issues. The firmware 4.0.3 is not stable on teh SGH-I77.
Daniel: In this case, as you have done with the troubleshooting steps on the device and the issue persists, we can send in the device to Samsung Service center for a service/repair from our end.
I have sad news for all of you. This is not the answer any of us want to hear.
I've pulled my battery. I've done a factory reset. The firmware is glitchy, my phone locks up and freezes when I get a sms text, a google talk msg, an email. I'm unable to access my email account that is not gmail. Also my battery life has dropped to almost lasting 40% of the time now. This is ridiculous.
Short version is, they claim there is NO documented issues with 4.0.3 having any problems and their solution is if a battery pull or a factory reset doesn't work. You should send in your phone. This is not a solution for a faulty firmware.
Here is my chat session with Samsung Tech Support:
You are now chatting with 'Daniel'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.
Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK56401351923X
Daniel: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Daniel: We have not heard from you. Do you wish to continue the chat?
Visitor: sorry was waiting
Visitor: I have a SGH-I777
Visitor: This weekend I upgraded to the firmware via kies to 4.0.3 from 2.3.6.
Visitor: the new OS is very glitchy, my phone freezes up and I have to force quit apps. Also my battery life is now severely decreased.
Visitor: I have done a factory reset and it has not resolved any of the issues I'm experiencing.
Visitor: If I receive a sms txt msg, it will freeze up my phone for 2-5 minutes until I can use the phone again.
Daniel: As per our records, there is no known issue for the same at our end. However, I will forward the same issue to the concerned Samsung department.
Visitor: If I receive a google talk message the phone will freeze also from 2-5 minutes along with the notification tone will not stop unless I force quit the application.
Visitor: I've been reading several threads on the android forums. This is a known issue and some issues are resolved with firmware 4.0.4
Visitor: What would my next course of action be to resolve these issues with firmware 4.0.3 until an official 4.0.4 is released for the SGH-I777?
Daniel: Not to worry, As this is a Samsung technical department we troubleshoot the technical issues on the phone. Let us try performing some troubleshooting steps and check the result from our end.
Visitor: ok
Daniel: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.
Visitor: ko
Visitor: ok
Daniel: Let us try to resolve the issue by performing a Soft reset on your device and check the result.
Daniel: By performing soft reset, settings on the phone will refresh and this might fix the issue.
Visitor: ok. how do I do a soft reset?
Daniel: I will provide you with the steps.
Daniel: Please follow the steps mentioned below to perform a soft reset on your Phone.
1. Turn off the handset.
2. Remove the battery and wait for 30 seconds.
3. Reinsert the battery and turn ON the device.
Visitor: Ok. I've tried this several times already but I will do it again now.
Daniel: Thank you.
Visitor: ok, the phone is coming back on now
Daniel: Okay.
Visitor: I just swipped to change screens and the phone is frozen.
Visitor: I just received the msg "Unfortunately, Email has stopped"
Daniel: I am sorry about that.
Daniel: Are you able to charge the device?
Visitor: Yes
Daniel: Okay. As you have performed soft reset on the device and the issue persists. Let us go ahead and perform a Hard reset on your device.
Daniel: Most issues can be solved by performing a hard reset on the phone.
Daniel: However, by performing a Hard reset on the device, the information like texts, pictures, videos, contacts, any downloaded applications saved on the phone gets erased.
Visitor: so a hard reset is a factory reset?
Visitor: I've done a factory reset already and it did not resolve the problems Im experiencing with firmware 4.0.3
Daniel: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Daniel: I am sorry about that.
Daniel: As we tried with every possible step and you have already done with the factory reset and the issue persists, In this case, I recommend you send in the device to Samsung Service center as the device needs to be examined physically by our technician to fix it.
Visitor: This is a known issues with firmware 4.0.3. I've read several threads in regards to this. I don't understand what sending my phone in is going to change with a firmware that has bugs. Is there a patch for the firmware or is there an ETA for when 4.0.4 will be released for the SGH-I777 for AT&T phones?
Daniel: I am really sorry, we do not have any information on the update details.
Daniel: I would have surley helped you in this regard if I had the information with me in our database.
Visitor: Outside of sending in my handset there isn't any further advice you have for resolving the issues with the 4.0.3 firmware for the SGH-I777?
Visitor: How would I go about making sure this case is documented so that someone there can look into this issue. I'm not the only one experiencing the issue. I've read literally over 100 posts in regards to the 4.0.3 glitchy firmware..
Daniel: As I have informed you that we do not have any issues recorded in our database in regards to the 4.0. update.
Visitor: Could we start with this being a documented case then?
Daniel: I apologize, As this is a Samsung technical department we troubleshoot the technical issues on the phone. We do not have any access to accessing any sites rather than Samsung website from our end
Visitor: Ok. I'll will go ahead post this to document the issues and will contact Samsung again in regards to the issue that it is not being documented there. Thank you for trying but simply a soft reset and a factory reset are not resolving the issues. The firmware 4.0.3 is not stable on teh SGH-I77.
Daniel: In this case, as you have done with the troubleshooting steps on the device and the issue persists, we can send in the device to Samsung Service center for a service/repair from our end.