Samsung Galaxy S3 Problems

ED E

Do a factory reset just in case but that sounds like hardware.

Its a defect so you dont need to claim insurance, they're legally obliged to repair or replace, which will mean a new motherboard or a new phone.

I suppose if the SDS hit the right part of the system partition it could prevent the OS from interfacing with the SIM. Just a guess though. Try this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.vinagre.android.emmc_check

Using the EMMC check app from play, you can see if your eMMC is the VTU00M 0XF1 (affected chip).

Please note:

1) this app is for the S2. Use it ONLY to check the version.

2) nothing you see in this app will change once you apply a fix. It simply gives you the version. If you expect 0xf1 to change to something else, you are mistaken. Only replacing the motherboard will do that.

Further to this, Technical (rooted) users who don't mind flashing a kernel and running terminal commands can additionally check their firmware date, to see if they are 100% accurately affected (returning result "2"). Please can people who do this, post their result along with their production date (date of manufacture) found in the EMMC check app?

errlloyd

Having a long day here.

so under "SGS3 Sudden Death"

I have "YES. Insane Chip"

ED E

I dont know a huge amount about the SDS(mines safe, phew) but basically the memory controller can just bite the bullet at any time. AFAIK some users get problems before it goes though, this may be a symptom of that.

In any case, you want the phone replaced. Hopefully they can do an on the spot swap for you but its probably going to have to be verified by the service centre first. They have a habit claiming faulty phones are fine, so you may have to fight your corner. Good luck.

errlloyd

Thanks for your help

sentient_6

I've backed up my contacts to my google account & did a lot of tidying over the last few days. So now iv a list of phone contacts & a duplicate list associated with my google & they are each linked. Is there anyway to get around the prompt when selecting a contact to send a text? It basically asks which number i want to use & i see the same one twice? I'm wondering if i just delete everything off the phone & just have a list from google, but will deleting the phone list wipe google? Should i just break the link? Is there any point to having them linked if they are the same?

EDIT: i seperated one contact to check & when i go to sent a message i now see it twice on the list. Contacts list when adding to a text bascally shows all contacts for all locations/accounts including email addresses, thats annoying

EDIT 2: sorted, i just deleted everything from the phone side. Now i just have one set of google contacts.

diceyreilly

I got me one of these as an upgrade last month. It's just not for me and I'm gone back to my iPhone 4
Can anyone tell me what I might expect to for it if I sold it and a good website to sell it.

Erper

check boards other site... adverts.ie
or on facebook limerick buy and sell

duploelabs

Ok, this could be more an android problem but it's on a sg3.
So my galaxy started freezing randomly and restarting on its own last week, with the odd error message saying that Googleapps or google+ or Android processes have stopped. It also seems to be forgetting any wifi networks and have to rescan.
I've just uninstalled the most recent apps I've installed and I'll see how that affects it.
Anyone else having this issue and also any good back up app recommendations for an unrooted phone?

duploelabs

Ok, this could be more an android problem but it's on a sg3.
So my galaxy started freezing randomly and restarting on its own last week, with the odd error message saying that Googleapps or google+ or Android processes have stopped. It also seems to be forgetting any wifi networks and have to rescan.
I've just uninstalled the most recent apps I've installed and I'll see how that affects it.
Anyone else having this issue and also any good back up app recommendations for an unrooted phone?

ED E

Could be the Sudden Death Syndrome. Factory reset and if that doesnt work send it to be replaced.

duploelabs

ED E wrote: »

Could be the Sudden Death Syndrome. Factory reset and if that doesnt work send it to be replaced.

Ok, downloaded brickbug and checked and it's saying it's an insane chip that's susceptible to sudden death, next question is that is this covered under warranty given that the phone is 9 months old bill pay from 3 and unrooted

ED E

duploelabs wrote: »

Ok, downloaded brickbug and checked and it's saying it's an insane chip that's susceptible to sudden death, next question is that is this covered under warranty given that the phone is 9 months old bill pay from 3 and unrooted

You're covered for a year from 3 and two years by samsung.

sentient_6

I'm having no problems with my phone but im after after downloading brickbug just to check after it was mentioned above & it says that i have an insane chip. Whats the story if im actually having no issues(that im aware of)?

waynegalway

sentient_6 wrote: »

I'm having no problems with my phone but im after after downloading brickbug just to check after it was mentioned above & it says that i have an insane chip. Whats the story if im actually having no issues(that im aware of)?

AFAIK the fault has to develop before Samsung will do anything for you. All you can do in the meantime is make sure you're backing up regularly and keep media on an external card. When it goes, it goes, no warning in my case anyway.

ED E

So far there is no guarantee it will happen, but its common enough. Waynes advice is good advice to follow.

mollser

Wrong threadS

nc19

My phone has a few issues

It seems to have gone very slow. With my SII if i was on the internet say any i pressed back 5/6 times it would be very quick to return to the home screen. With the SIII it takes a good few seconds. Its lik that opening apps too.

A lot of the time when i open twitter it freezes and force closes. Also i cant open any pics on twitter expect instagrams

Checked my phone for sudden death and ive got it!!!!

Vego

the lag on the s3 if I remember was something related to the s-voice you have to disable the activation button or something ..speeds it right up .....

On the sudden death thing the last update was ment to have "fixed" that problem

With the random reboots and freezes as far as im aware that problem hasn't been recognized officially from samsung so it could just be a bum handset ,,send it in to get fixed under warranty

ED E

Vego wrote: »

the lag on the s3 if I remember was something related to the s-voice you have to disable the activation button or something ..speeds it right up .....

Thats with the home button, not the back button.

HeidiHeidi

I've asked this before, but don't think anyone replied....

Can anyone tell me where I can find the off switch for the S push thing? My only issue with the S3 is that lag, and it's really annoying! I'm never going to use the S push function (clearly, since I don't even know where/what it is!) so I'd love to be able to knock it off and see if that speeds things up.

Also, not a troll question - but has anyone who has checked so far NOT got the insane chip? As far as i can recall everyone who's posted on here has said they have it - which doesn't exactly inspire confidence! I haven't checked yet, and am not sure I want to know!

ETA - sorry, S voice function is what I'm on about! (I think.....)

Vego

ED E wrote: »

Thats with the home button, not the back button.

Just telling you what worked for me

waynegalway

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I've asked this before, but don't think anyone replied....

Can anyone tell me where I can find the off switch for the S push thing? My only issue with the S3 is that lag, and it's really annoying! I'm never going to use the S push function (clearly, since I don't even know where/what it is!) so I'd love to be able to knock it off and see if that speeds things up.

Also, not a troll question - but has anyone who has checked so far NOT got the insane chip? As far as i can recall everyone who's posted on here has said they have it - which doesn't exactly inspire confidence! I haven't checked yet, and am not sure I want to know!

ETA - sorry, S voice function is what I'm on about! (I think.....)

If you go to Application Manager, All, then scroll down to SVoice, you should have the option to Disable it. You can on 4.2.2 anyway.

I had no reason to check the chip before it died, as I wasn't aware of the problem until then. But after getting it repaired, I can confirm that the app for checking the chip is showing mine up as a "sane" chip.

Media999

How do you send a phone to Samsung?

My phone 100% has sudden death and its 13 months old. Bought on day of release.

What if its rooted? Does that void the warranty?

ED E

Call Product & Customer Support

Telephone Support

To assist our customer service team, please have your model number, serial number and date of purchase ready when calling
Samsung products: 0818 717100 Samsung memory cards
Monday – Saturday: 9am – 6pm
EIRE

Sunday: CLOSED
0818 717 100

Monday – Saturday: 9am – 6pm
Please note that our opening hours may change on public and bank holidays. To maintain and improve the quality of our service, we may monitor and/or record telephone calls.
If you need to call us from overseas, or prefer not to use 0818 717 100, you can call +44 (0)1932 454358. Call costs vary - please contact your provider for details.

Just dont mention you rooted it.

Vego

I think I read somewhere in the firmware they can tell if u rooted

waynegalway

Vego wrote: »

I think I read somewhere in the firmware they can tell if u rooted

Doubt it. Not if it's completely fried, how can they access it?

Anyhow, there are lots of articles online about how rooting and custom ROMs do not affect your warranty. Basically, the vendor would have to prove that it was the software you put on it that caused the issue, and in the case of SDS, it is clearly a hardware issue that Samsung have acknowledged.

http://piana.eu/root

danniemcq

if you got the last update it shows a small red mark in top left of boot screen if rooted,

But rooting does not void warrenty. Mine was rooted and running custom rom, i'm pretty sure even without the red mark they would have noticed but nothing was said and had a replacement within a week

Vego

They acknowledged the issue but also sent out a patch for that specific. Problem. ....unless I'm wrong there has been no recall

ED E

Patch *might* save you, we're not sure of that yet.

waynegalway

Vego wrote: »

They acknowledged the issue but also sent out a patch for that specific. Problem. ....unless I'm wrong there has been no recall

You're right, there has been no recall.

Here's the latest encounter I've had with the issue....

My wife bought an S3 from Meteor a couple of weeks ago. Before leaving the shop, I asked the sales assistant if she could check the manufacture date of the handset, just to make sure it wasn't one lying around there for ages and potentially being from such old stock that it would have the malfunctioning motherboard in it. I was told that there was no way to check this until the device had been unpacked and turned on, by which time it would be deemed to be "used".

So I mentioned why I wanted to know this, and I was told that even if it had the insane chip, the fault would have to manifest itself and the handset would then have to be sent back to Samsung for repair/replacement. No pre-emptive action could be taken. So, yeah, there hasn't been a recall.

(Turned out the chip was sane).

ED E

Insane doesnt guarantee a fault yet, so it makes sense that they wont take them back without symptoms.

Vego

Anyway. The min your phone starts acting up bring it back tell them it's not fit for purpose ....more than likely they will replace the motherboard

kaimera

had the mobo replaced in my s3 last July/Aug I think, I didnt have the phone long before it was acting up.

Anyway, running supernexus 2.0 build4/siyah kernel 1.9.1 for ages now and only lately has the phone been acting up. Like sluggish, apps FC-ing, hard reboot to get it running smooth again.

ran the emmc check and I'm still vulnerable to SDS.

so I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing now is the start of a fail again or not

Vego

July ......probably

kingtiger

Vego wrote: »

it's not fit for purpose

bu jupiters cock, you are watching too much Spartacus

Vego

Hate that show

Media999

kaimera wrote: »

had the mobo replaced in my s3 last July/Aug I think, I didnt have the phone long before it was acting up.

Anyway, running supernexus 2.0 build4/siyah kernel 1.9.1 for ages now and only lately has the phone been acting up. Like sluggish, apps FC-ing, hard reboot to get it running smooth again.

ran the emmc check and I'm still vulnerable to SDS.

so I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing now is the start of a fail again or not

Your phone is about to die.

Exact same thing happened to me and now its f"cked.

Seriously. restore back to factory settings and return to Samsung for replacement before its too late.

duploelabs

Ok, so I've found out that my phone is suffering from sudden death syndrome and it has an insane chip. So back to my original question, Does anyone know of a back-up app for a non routed phone so that when my phone goes back and gets reset or I get a new one that I can get it back to the way I have it without too much trouble

ferrigan101

duploelabs wrote: »

Ok, so I've found out that my phone is suffering from sudden death syndrome and it has an insane chip. So back to my original question, Does anyone know of a back-up app for a non routed phone so that when my phone goes back and gets reset or I get a new one that I can get it back to the way I have it without too much trouble

I've been using this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5rb3VzaGlrZHV0dGEuYmFja3VwIl0.

It doesn't require root. It backs up call logs, sms, apps and app data all to your SD card. Found it very handy so far.

danniemcq

ferrigan101 wrote: »

I've been using this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5rb3VzaGlrZHV0dGEuYmFja3VwIl0.

It doesn't require root. It backs up call logs, sms, apps and app data all to your SD card. Found it very handy so far.

gotta agree with this, it used to be called carbon and even though i have Titanium i use this quite a lot

JaMarcus Hustle

Hey, so turns out I have the insane chip. My phone has been freezing maybe between 20/30 times a day and restarting maybe 10 times a day - it's practically unusable.

I have the phone insured, but what's my best option? Go to Samsung or go through insurance? (Can I even do the latter?) I don't want to be without the phone for weeks while they repair it. Thanks.

waynegalway

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Hey, so turns out I have the insane chip. My phone has been freezing maybe between 20/30 times a day and restarting maybe 10 times a day - it's practically unusable.

I have the phone insured, but what's my best option? Go to Samsung or go through insurance? (Can I even do the latter?) I don't want to be without the phone for weeks while they repair it. Thanks.

You can't really get anything done under warranty until it finally packs in. All you can do for now is make sure you've got everything on it backed up. When it finally goes, there will be no way to get stuff off it.

I used fonemenders (at the recommendation of Samsung, who I contacted directly over the issue). All told, I was without the phone for 6 weeks. FM are not qualified (at least back in January they weren't) to do a Level 3 repair, which is the replacement of mother board, so they have to send it elsewhere. I haven't need to use them myself, but from what I've read on here, fonfix seem to have a quicker service, so I'd suggest trying them out when it finally goes.

As for insurance....check your policy. My only experience with this was a few years ago when my N95 was dropped on water. I had it covered on house insurance, and the insurer didn't bat an eyelid over it. I paid an excess of €15 and had a cheque out to me within a week. But every policy/insurer is different, so make sure that if you're going to go that route that you're covered.

duploelabs

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Hey, so turns out I have the insane chip. My phone has been freezing maybe between 20/30 times a day and restarting maybe 10 times a day - it's practically unusable.

I have the phone insured, but what's my best option? Go to Samsung or go through insurance? (Can I even do the latter?) I don't want to be without the phone for weeks while they repair it. Thanks.

Is it over a year old? If not then it should be covered under warranty

waynegalway

Just another thought on the insurance route......they are unlikely to pay out on something that they consider a warranty issue. So you might want to consider making it a lost/smashed to pieces under a bus issue. Not suggesting that you make a false claim, just that you might want to think about how you present it as an insurance claim rather than a warranty issue.

waynegalway

duploelabs wrote: »

Is it over a year old? If not then it should be covered under warranty

Samsung give a 2 year warranty on their phones

danniemcq

i got mine replaced around January i think, 5 days without it and got it back with whole new internals.

Went through the three shop i got it in instead of Samsung

Vego

Is no one reading anything..... if your phone is unusable ie freezing restarting etc ....bring it back to the shop you got it explain what is happening to your phone and they will get it repaired for u under warranty! !!!

waynegalway

Vego wrote: »

Is no one reading anything..... if your phone is unusable ie freezing restarting etc ....bring it back to the shop you got it explain what is happening to your phone and they will get it repaired for u under warranty! !!!

That's a fair point. I was responding in terms of how to deal with the insane chip and sudden death issue (ie. that will only be dealt with when it happens), but yeah, if it's acting up and unusable it should be returned.

DaNiEl1994

hey guys.
i got an new s3 today and im with 48, when i turn it on it seems to be i romaing mode constantly its weird any fixes?

waynegalway

DaNiEl1994 wrote: »

hey guys.
i got an new s3 today and im with 48, when i turn it on it seems to be i romaing mode constantly its weird any fixes?

It's probably nothing serious. It could be something to do with 48 using the O2 network, and roaming onto that. It happens all the time with Three, where they don't have a 2G network so it roams onto Vodafone if its not in a Three 3G area. No hidden costs in that case, its all free.

Contact 48 to put your mind at ease that it's not costing you money, and if that's the case, then I wouldn't worry about it. Is it effecting how you're able to use the phone, or is it something thats just annoying you?