Help Screen Blackout when recieving calls

[Isaac Clarke]

Hi, I recenly had an update for my phone. I am pretty sure it is the KitKat update, however, I noticed that when I recieve incoming calls at times the screen will be black, and I will have to press the button on the side to turn the screen on so I can swipe to answer the call. Not sure why it is doing this, anyone else have this issue with there phone?

 

[RickSchlegel]

I'm still running 4.3, and have had this as an intermittent problem almost since I first got the phone last Oct. I can't detect a pattern, or any reason for it --- would love to get it corrected.

 

[abarzua21]

On your phone keypad go to settings and uncheck the box that says turn off screen during calls.. Hope that helps

 

[johnpjackson]

Unless you installed software that manipulates your proximity sensor, and it's buggy, you most likely are having a problem with lint/dirt having infiltrated the little window area in your phone that the proximity sensor looks out from, which is adjacent to the little windo that the front facing camera looks out from. The only way to fix the problem is to take the phone apart enough to clean out that spot. Yes, you can disable screen turn-off during calls, but that's not a fix for the dirt problem, obviously.

 

[sabo2000]

I am also having same issue. Once I got any notification phone hangs.. I am using original Samsung s cover. I really fed up after update to kitkat

 

[johnpjackson]

After another week of mucking around with this the "dust under the glass" theory appears to be correct. I didn't think this was the cause because even hitting the home or power buttons wouldn't turn the screen back on. The only way the phone would wake up is when the other party hung up.
Still doesn't make sense to me why the phone becomes unresponsive during calls with a dusty proximity sensor... but if a shot of compressed air in the earpiece every 6 months fixes it that's something I can live with.

I tried the spray air from a can procedure from every angle I could get in from and couldn't get the problem fixed that way. When I finally resorted to opening the phone up it became clear (pun intended) that no amount of external ministrations would ever have gotten that little port hole clean enough on the inside to fix the problem. Opening it up was the only way to get all that guck out of there. Next time I have to do it I'm going to try and add a little something, somehow, to see if I can seal off the gap between the sensor and the glass, to prevent the issue from ever happening again.

 

[behringer]

This issue is a disaster - my phone is a business tool - in this area the phone fails BIG - I

 

[johnpjackson]

This issue is a disaster - my phone is a business tool - in this area the phone fails BIG - I

 

[johnpjackson]

Just yesterday my proximity sensor stopped working again. I'm sure it's because crud from being in my pocket has once again worked its way into the phone and obscured its view of the world. The next time I take the phone apart to clean it out I'm going to try and insert some type of gasket between the sensor and its little porthole, to see if I can prevent the crud from specifically getting into that spot....

 

[Digital Controller]

Have you thought about just doing a soft reset, remove the battery and restart the device?

Sometimes I find my proximity sensor on the fritz so I just do that and it usually fixes the issue

 

[johnpjackson]

Have you thought about just doing a soft reset, remove the battery and restart the device?

Sometimes I find my proximity sensor on the fritz so I just do that and it usually fixes the issue

Actually, guess what?? Your reply moved me to actually take a close look at the sensor's porthole, which I hadn't bothered to do because I thought I already knew what the problem was again. It turns out that this time it was just dust/dirt on the front surface of the phone, over the porthole. The reason it is able to build up there is because the case I have the phone in has a little rubber frame outlining that area. The rubber prevents the phone surface right there from getting wiped clean unless you specifically are going for that spot. I wiped the dirt away and it's all better again

 

[Digital Controller]

Actually, guess what?? Your reply moved me to actually take a close look at the sensor's porthole, which I hadn't bothered to do because I thought I already knew what the problem was again. It turns out that this time it was just dust/dirt on the front surface of the phone, over the porthole. The reason it is able to build up there is because the case I have the phone in has a little rubber frame outlining that area. The rubber prevents the phone surface right there from getting wiped clean unless you specifically are going for that spot. I wiped the dirt away and it's all better again

Glad you got your issue fixed

I know that my first screen protector went over the proximity sensor....that was quite a no no, and I learned that pretty quick.

The next ones I bought I made sure to find one that didn't go over this