Help Galaxy compass broken, or just bad sw?

[KlaymenDK]

Hmm, I've noticed a deterioration: the automatic screen tilt feature no longer works.

When I then go into the SensorTest app, it shows the "x","y","z","a" and "b" sensors flailing about as they do, but the "c" sensor is frozen at some seemingly random value. After rebooting, the "c" value is regularly frozen at zero.

I don't know if this may be caused by installing the "SensorTest" app, and I've written the Samsung developers to ask what the "c" sensor corresponds to.

The only other sensor-related application I have added in this time period is "Off the Hook", which is a great idea and seemed to be working perfectly (now, with the possibly-bad sensor, I'm not so sure).

 

[KlaymenDK]

Yup, now that "c" sensor is completely down, doesn't ever change from the initial zero setting.

The Bubble spirit level app only shows the circular mode (as if lying flat on a surface), and refuses to measure more than 25 degrees of tilt in any direction.
Also, Maritime Compass, which used to show the compass dial "level" no matter how you turned it, now refuses to tilt the dial more than a little bit.

...

Aha. Sensor Test, Sensor Debug, and Sensor Insider all report no response whatsoever on the Z axis (I'd show you a screen shot if I could). So it seems that it's more than just the compass that's not right with this device. I will try to contact Samsung support and see if I can get a warranty replacement/repair.

 

[KlaymenDK]

The latest version v7.6 (just uploaded to the Android Market) takes care of our Samsung Fix for all Samsung Galaxy phones (regardless of the software build).

Can you try the latest version and let me know if it works better?

I am currently having a little trouble with this (according to aTrackDog it's at v1.0.0 which is supposedly the newest version ), so I wrote back to ask for more directions.

On a side note:
The version 7.5 of Wikitude fixed this problem for Build Incremental 12. You have incremental 83, and I believe Samsung will not fix this "bug" - or to be more precise, stick to their implementation of the compass. I heard that Samsung has built their compass following strictly a specification, but HTC implemented it slightly different. Since HTC was first, all the apps implemented this "error". Now all the "correct" phones are having problems.

Oh god no, don't tell me it's Internet Explorer all over again!! I'll see if I can dig up any more info on this matter, but don't hold your breath...

 

[Rastaman-FB]

so this comes to mind

its not a default app for samsung tho. not everything works well with every device. the physical components of each device are different.

basically HTC fked it up and now it looks like all the other devices are the problem not htc.
ploy by htc much?

 

[KlaymenDK]

Okay,
I have now declared my Z-axis sensor dead. Don't know about the compass.

I have contacted the retailer's preferred service partner (in Germany) to ask about the repair/replacement procedure (I would much prefer a replacement unit, if for nothing else then because it'll take shorter, but I expect they have a commitment to try and repair it first). It's going to be a bit awkward since it's across the border and I'm not entirely clear which rules apply. But we shall see.

Next step is very likely to try a factory reset. I shall want to do that anyway prior to sending it to service, but I naturally don't want to do it too soon either -- it's my daily phone/pda.

-----

Update Saturday morning: Now all sensors are flatlining , all three accelerometer axes, and the compass. The "metal detector" app still works somewhat, somehow.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Another update, just to note that a factory reset didn't do anything to the sensors. They're still dead.

 

[KlaymenDK]

After I've had the sensors briefly come back to life and then die again half a day later, I yesterday sent the phone to the point of sale for warranty. We shall see what becomes of it.

At this point, being back on my Palm Treo, I find myself missing the Android experience and features ... not one bit. It actually feels good to come back to handwriting recognition, proper backups, birthday reminders, and all the rest (albeit, without nifty speedy online-ness).

 

[pegasus21]

I don't know about the whole HTC vs others but my compass is working fine. When I initially used it, the alignment was out till i rotated it 2 to 3 rounds then the compass points in the right direction. Possibly the initial time was for calibration.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Thanks for the response. I do think the compass on HTC works way better. On my device, calibration brings the accuracy down to about 10-30 degrees, but only for a very short while. For any real use (say, orienteering) it's plainly useless.

 

[Andronix]

After I've had the sensors briefly come back to life and then die again half a day later, I yesterday sent the phone to the point of sale for warranty. We shall see what becomes of it.

At this point, being back on my Palm Treo, I find myself missing the Android experience and features ... not one bit. It actually feels good to come back to handwriting recognition, proper backups, birthday reminders, and all the rest (albeit, without nifty speedy online-ness).

have you tried
Cyrket - MobileWrite Trial
Cyrket - EboBirthday

Regarding backup, I use "vcard io" for contacts, "apn b&r", "bookmark b&r", "atrackdog" for apps.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Thanks for the links!

MobileWrite I have tried, it's slow, puts the usual limits on the UI (as opposed to just doing transparent full-screen recognition) and, AFAICT, has no way to input an "

 

[Cougar]

For any real use (say, orienteering) it's plainly useless.

If you're considering going orienteering with a digital compass as your primary means of navigation, it'd save a lot of time if you just pre-arranged your collection with Mountain Rescue before you set off. Even if it -was- accurate, you really don't want to be out in the wilds with just a battery-operated compass. I'm supremely bored of reading tales of numpties in shorts and flip-flops who have to be scraped off the side of Scafell because they thought "I don't need a map, I've got a GPS."

The compass is a gadget. It's there to make toys like Google Sky Map work. I very seriously doubt that it was ever intended for serious use.

 

[kam187]

Cougar: LOL! So navigating a sailing boat using your samsung isnt a good idea too? Oh darn!

[posting by satelite phone in the middle of the atlantic... uh oh low battery]

 

[pegasus21]

Actually for contacts' birthdays, you can just use google calendars. There's a function in the website to add contacts' birthdays to your agenda.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Let's not take this off-topic, fellas.
@Cougar: No, I wasn't planning on going over land or sea based on my phone alone; it was merely an example.
@pegasus: No, the show-contacts-in-calendar isn't very useful; it does not show age, and it does not show anniversaries.

 

[Andronix]

Thanks for the links!

MobileWrite I have tried, it's slow, puts the usual limits on the UI (as opposed to just doing transparent full-screen recognition) and, AFAICT, has no way to input an "

 

[msiviter]

I've got the Modaco ROM and have tested my compass in a sterile environment next to a calibrated compass and it is between 30 and 90deg off regardless of orientation or magnetic sources nearby (god knows how it works! (or doesn't)).

I'm not going to use it for navigation but it's a potentially useful tool that's not working, the iPhone one is pretty good.

 

[kam187]

90 degrees?! There was a bug with the compass in older firmware. What firmware are you on? I guess I4 if you're on O2? It should be fixed in that version.

so are you saying if u calibrate the compass, and then turn it, it is way off?

 

[KlaymenDK]

So, I've sent my phone in for repair, and received it back. It's not working any better; if anything it's now even more broken.

I had a lot of "fun" communicating with the point of sale and their preferred service partner, because they kept referring me to each other. Finally, the point of sale says to send the phone to them, and I hear nothing for a month. After repeated inquiries, my father calls them up (because when I try from abroad, I receive an odd service tone) and after sitting in a phone queue for 4(!) hours they tell him that the phone is just now ready to be shipped out. Gee, what a coincidence!

One week later (Friday afternoon), and I have the phone in hand. It doesn't work any better than before, the sensors are still on-again, off-again. It's the same cover, battery, and case; I can't tell if they've actually opened it. I sent them an email about it Monday morning, but hear nothing for a week. Last night I sent them another email, demanding action and wondering about their definition of customer support (in kinder words than that).

People on the phone tell me they can't hear what I'm saying because of an incessant beeping -- it turns out that the proximity sensor has now died as well, causing me to (unknowingly) press the on-screen keypad with my ear during calls!

Also, my only backup phone is a 2G phone, and my 3G phone provider recently decided to kill all its 2G support in my area. So, if I want to be reachable while this thing is at service, I need to buy a new (2G) SIM with another phone number, or another 3G phone to use with my current SIM. This is a nightmare!

I've spent about €500 and rather a lot of time, and I have no usable phone. The next step is reporting the point of sale to the German equivalent to the Better Business Bureau, if such an entity can be found.

 

[Rastaman-FB]

is it not covered by samsung warrantee?

 

[KlaymenDK]

is it not covered by samsung warrantee?

Of course it is -- but you still have to get it to them, somehow. When this problem started, Samsung in my country wouldn't touch it because the Galaxy was not on the market here; they told me to go through my point of purchase. My point of purchase apparently is not willing to replace it outright, but they evidently aren't able to repair it, either.

Meanwhile the phone is now being sold in stores here, but if I walk into any phone store they'll refuse me because I didn't buy it from them, so they can't be bothered. I've emailed Samsung, but received zero response.

Overall, this has been my last purchase of a Samsung product, ever. It really is a shame, because on the face of it Samsung makes really nice hardware.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Ohh look, a same-day response from the point of sale!

They say they've upgraded the firmware (it's now at I5), and that that fixed the problem. I already knew that to be not the case.

No word on for how long they tested it, even though I specifically asked about that because it's a periodic issue.

As I expected, they will not cancel my order , and are referring me to Samsung if I want a replacement rather than (another) repair.

They are really racking up the points...

 

[KlaymenDK]

Oh great, now the phone is doing sudden restarts every now and then (about once every two days). I've never seen this before.

And the APN issue is back again (access point setup, and thus 3G data access is coming and going at random intervals).

 

[KlaymenDK]

Meanwhile the phone is now being sold in stores here, but if I walk into any phone store they'll refuse me because I didn't buy it from them, so they can't be bothered. I've emailed Samsung, but received zero response.

Ok, finally got a response. Samsung claims that, because the phone was not bought in this country, there is no warranty. So much for the EU, I guess...

I've written basically the same support request (asking for a replacement) to Samsung in Germany. Here's to hoping they won't dismiss me because I'm not a German/in Germany!