Samsung Galaxy S4 NG6 Upgrade Issues GPS/SD/Battery

I think you meant a different word than resurrect. Possibly address.

With respect to one, I think perhaps a low-level cache wipe. I think you can find the link to doing that here somewhere.

With respect to two, after an update, it takes approximately three charge cycles for the battery monitoring/prediction function to assess battery charge remaining. It should improve over the next few days.

With respect to three, I think you need to Google it. I think the means to access the SD card was changed, and there's still a way to access it, but you need to use your file manager application to do so. Not positive about that.

Other people are evidently experiencing random reboots... so your issues don't seem as severe. Try the low-level cache wipe, and see if that fixes the GPS issue. Also see in the next few days if your battery life improves.

Good luck.

LOL yes I used the wrong word there...still waking up.

Yea my issues are more annoyances then anything but at the same time disappointed in the update. I will try your suggestions and monitor battery life as well after a few full discharge/recharge cycles.

As for the SD card issue I can only use apps that came with the phone. Any 3rd party app for file management (ES File Explorer) or pic management (QuickPic) can no longer modify files on the SD card.

Verizon_Support

I understand your frustration FuzzyDomain, having a reliable phone is very important. I truly apologize for the problems you've had since the software update. Since you're experiencing several problems, I suggest running the device in Safe Mode http://vz.to/1ldHnPU for a couple hours. Let us know if it helps.

AdaS_VZW

Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport

vstjames

1) GPS: I'm not really sure but my impression is that this update combined GPS and Location settings. Pre-update, I could have Location turned on without having GPS on. Now, it seems I have to keep Location on to get GPS readings on GPS Test or to get results with Google Maps. Or even get weather updates for my location. I have my Location settings mode set to power saver using wifi and cell tower or mobile networks. But, if turning it off, it defaults back to High accuracy.

2) Because of 1) above, like many others, I've had noticeably faster battery drain even when not using my phone. If I turn off Location, it doesn't drain as quickly but then any app that is Location based doesn't work as it should. That includes weather apps and some widgets.

3) I can verify that with the update, gone is the ability to write to external SD card with any 3rd party file manager. Pre-update, I was still able to do that even with KitKat 4.4.2 because of workarounds that app Dev's had been able to utilize. It seems that the update killed those workaround pathways.

I can also verify that the built-in file manager known as My Files DOES WORK for copying/moving/deleting files and photos to or from phone storage and extSD card.

GPS: I think you need to be set to Hi-Accuracy in Location setting in order for GPS to work. But otherwise you can have it set to something else. You just have to remember to return it to High-Accuracy.

Update time:

Safe mode did nothing to help remedy the situation. Battery life is still the same and the GPS still needs to be toggled off the back on to get it to work.

As for the write capability to the EXT SD card that appears to be a Google requirement. I will take that up with Samsung and Google.

Fuzzy,

Your best bet to just flash back to NC5 using Odin ver 3.09. You can get the Verizon full stock flash from Sammobile, here's the link http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/ . Make sure to put your Cell Phone Model on the Box next to "FIRMWARE" .You don't even need to be rooted to flash back to stock. Once you Flash back make sure to boot to stock recovery ( Home Button, Volume UP, and Power) and perform a Factory Reset and Clear Cache. After that you will be back onto Stock NC5 Firmware with no root access. Go to youtube, there's a bunch of videos that people are posting on how to fix this issue since VZN screwed the pooch on this OTA......

To be honest I think VZN pushes out these failed OTA'S on purpose so that you get so pissed off with your phone that it makes you want to upgrade to a new phone or cancel all together.. SNEAKY MOVE VZN......

I don't think they purposefully create OTAs that fail. That's a bad business model. Likely, they check for ideal scenarios, like, the person is running stock and has next to nothing loaded on their devices.

This is why some people perform FDRs BEFORE they take an OTA, and then perform another FDR afterwards.

Interesting report - one could flash back to NC5, then take the OTA to NC6 with success. Others reporting they took the NC6 and had no issues. Others took the NC6 and performed an FDR and were successful, others took the NC6 and after FDR, are still stuck.

No sneakiness, just too much complexity / too many variables.

Stef7,

What NC6 firmware are your referring to? Last I checked VZN pushed out NG6, is the NC6 that you are referring to a new one or a fix to the broken NG6?

I meant NG6. Sorry.

EdFromOhio

Put me down for another user having these issues. It reboots several times an hour and I can't swipe left or right after unlocking about 80% of the time.

Verizon, Safe Mode did stop my phone from rebooting. I'm not about to do a factory reset on this and lose everything. I've heard there is an update currently being worked on. Is that true, and if so, when can we expect it to be released?

Thank you.

vstjames

Turning Location off, then on again or just turning it on resets it to High Accuracy automatically. At least on mine. I no longer have a switch for GPS. Where it used to read GPS, it now reads Location in its place.

You have to ask yourself, what "magic" would be included in another update to stop someone's device that took the NG6 update from rebooting? ...It's even possible, you'd have to do a factory reset prior or post THAT update. Follow?

And you don't know how long it would be or even if one is really in the works...

If it were me, I'd back up important content and do the FDR. Or I guess keep running the phone in Safe mode for an indeterminate amount of time. For you, those appear to be your choices.

I also HIGHLY doubt anyone is going to be able here to tell you authoritatively if and when another update would be forthcoming.

tbo27

Yeah go ahead and immediately do the fdr after full backup. Thanks a bunch

EdFromOhio

I'm not looking for magic, I'm looking for this to be fixed quickly given the magnitude of the problem. Verizon should be able to correct or roll back certain changes they've put into place. As a software developer, I always make backups and notes of everything that's changed from version to version, and I highly doubt Verizon is any different. It doesn't take a lot of time to roll something back yet giving it a newer number so the phone doesn't reject the update as something older than what it currently has, thus not needing to go to a previous version first.

tbo27

Well no doubt vzw is putting together a fix/rollback right now. Hundreds of software developers are working pretty much around the clock to get this corrected.

philhulett

May I add these issues to the pile?

1 - Random reboots, up to 4 per hour. Very annoying...happens during (important) calls, too.

2 - Incorrect Contact ID's appear on incoming calls

A Verizon technician suggested I take my phone to Best Buy and have them re-install the operating system and back up my data to Verizon Cloud (which I do not use). The technician went on to say that if the re-install does not work, Verizon would send me a new phone. Big hassle, but it's a solution.

If I may...this debacle is a great way to get a percentage of people to buy a new phone. For me, doing that is less of a hassle than going to Best Buy for the re-install. Way to go Verizon! Too bad I forgot to buy stock.

Well, battery life is progressively getting worse. I'm down to 17% and its only been 6hrs 16m on battery with light texting usage. According the the battery details page Android OS is in use 48% of the time.

Android OS 48%

CPU Total 2h 3m

Stay Awake 1h 33m

Unfortunately it doesn't tell me any more.

Where is Verizon in all of this? They only responded once to this post?

Fuzzy,

Odin Flash back to VZN STOCK NC5 Firmware is your best option. Did you see my last post i sent you?

anotherhaus

The problem is that this is an engineering problem and as customers we can only reach technical support. It's not a technical support issue. So all tech support knows is that people are complaining, and the reps are going through their usual suggestions - try safe mode, full data reset, wipe cache, etc - all of which I've done.

Incidentally I did a full data reset *before* taking the update and while my phone hasn't rebooted on its own since the NG6 update, the battery life is now measured in single-digit hours (been posting in another thread about that).

I had a Verizon rep ask me if I had water damage to the phone (no), which is further evidence that the only "arm" of Verizon support we can reach has no ability to help us with this issue because it's nothing they can solve. When my battery life is now abysmal after a fresh full data reset this morning and no apps installed, it's clear to me that this is something broken in the firmware. I'm living with it for now by keeping a spare battery charged all the time and swapping out every few hours when the battery dies, or turning off data sync whenever I remember to do so (assuming I'm not waiting for any emails).

I'm not confident there's any other solution here. I'm not wasting time bringing the device - which was working fine until the software update - into a store and having someone look at it and tell me it's fine, and I should reset, or do any number of things I've already done.

I apologize, RLmecca, I did see your post. I could try that as it doesn't seem too complicated but I'm wondering since I am out of contract and my phone was replaced by Asurion within the past year would they cover Verizon's software push issue? I'm going to call them.

Magic was apropos. I've never EVER heard of a rollback in this sort of scenario... point me to one..., and looking at the issue, I highly doubt there's a fix that's going to "fix" your rebooting device, unless in the process you do an FDR. And I'm being serious.

I *THINK* tbo27 was being flippant. I also highly doubt hundreds of developers are on it, and definitely not around the clock.

vstjames

It's not likely to be a "new" phone they send you but most likely a refurbished one without the NG6 update. Of course, I could very well be wrong here and they might send you a brand new, never before used, phone. In that case, don't update to NG6 if it's still at NC5.

DeniseKNJ

I too am having MAJOR battery drainage! This ALL began after upgrading to the NG6 the other day! I had 100% battery at 6:00 am and by 2:00 pm I was alerted that I had 8%! I didn't even touch my phone that day! I went to the battery store, thinking my battery was dead. I walked in holding my phone. The man behind the counter said, "Samsung/Verizon?" I was shocked! He pulled out a basket. In that basket, there must have been 75 Samsung batteries from "THIS WEEK ALONE!" I bought a new battery *sucker that I am* thinking that would help. Well.... I watched my battery drain in front of me. I used to be able to go ALL day and by the end of the night still have a 40% charge on my phone. That is UNTIL THIS "UPGRADE." This is not a coincidence! I have done EVERYTHING that has been mentioned above. I am NOT going to "reset" my phone. That is ridiculous. I ran it in "Safe Mode" and still watched my battery nose dive. I've been with Verizon for 17 years and I'm really frustrated. I have spent way too much time and energy trying to fix a phone that isn't broken. Please, please, please .. the problem is in the upgrade, I'm hoping a fix is quick to come.

You don't want to do the FDR.... I understand. You await some patch. I really don't think there would be one... more likely another OTA, and you might have to do an FDR following that anyway, but that's off point... Whose to know? No one is forthcoming with concrete or actionable info.

Your battery drain... after an update, the phone has to model the battery charge remaining. And this generally takes a number of charge/use cycles to improve the estimate..

Now it could be there's a super hungry data app trying to resynch stuff post update, but its also probable your phone needs to model consumption. Hopefully that will continue to improve for you over the next few days....

Good luck.

EdFromOhio

You're quite a Johnny Rain Cloud. Next you'll be telling us that Santa Claus isn't real.