Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
chris_k1
Enthusiast - Level 3

I think the idea that it is a "rogue app" or anything other than the update/phone itself is bogus for a number of reasons.

1. Only the TB seems to have this issue--this is very unique.

2. Run-of-the-mill apps generally don't have the ability to do what is being done to these phones--this is getting down to the lower levels of the phone's OS and I/O.

3. A fully charged phone will last for hours if left idle, but will drain in mere minutes with ANY sort of use: voice, data, videos... anything.

4. Many phones worked great for some time after the ICS update, and only developed the problem later without any additional changes to the phone.

The fact that HTC and VZW have washed their hands of this issue are the reason why I have sworn off HTC for good, and warn my friends and colleagues against HTC, and why I am no longer a strong advocate of VZW (though I obviously haven't sworn them off, and don't try to steer friends away).

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
ThunderboltPM
Newbie

I tried a Factory Reset and also Safe Mode, same issues.  I will be getting my 4th phone later today, fingers crossed.  At the Verizon store, the rep told me that if I call support and explain the issues, they may sub a comparable model.  They are limited in-store as what support options they can perform.  Maybe that is a better route than hoping a replacement phone will work.

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
hammerofhu
Newbie

I was finally able to resolve my TB issues or random cut-offs and sudden battery drain.  I made sure to use a "good" battery.  did a factory reset, then deleted my Gmail acct associated with the phone and created a new Gmail acct.  All this was done without memory card in phone.  after making sure phone worked this way, I put the memory card back in.  ran phone this way until sure it worked and then began reloading apps one at a time.  Phone now works like a charm.  I'm inclined to believe that there was "actually" a rougue or corrupt app either on the phone or in the gmail acct associated with phone, that was backed up and saved and then reloaded to phone repeatedly causing the problem.  try this route and see what happens.

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
jennevans
Newbie

I have started having this problem in just the past week. However, I have had the SIM card issue for months now. My husband did a reset to see if that would fix it, it did not. I put the phone is safe mode and uninstalled all apps, all updates to apps that I cannot remove (when did FB and Kindle become standard apps?), kept it in safe mode for 24 hours as suggested, and as soon as I restarted to clear it from safe mode, it went to 9% power. A lot of the time I go from half charge to 2% or even 1% and it shuts down. A couple of times I saw a quick message that said "Android system failure" before the phone went black.

I am going to try to do the reset again, and if that does not fix it, I don't know what else to do.

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
budone
Legend

How long have you had the TB?

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
KathyH_VZW
Verizon Employee

Hello and happy Sunday jennevans.

I wanted to reach out to you to see if your device performance improved after the hard reset. We know how important your wireless device is for you to stay connected which is why we wan to act with a sense of urgency. If you can be so kind as to share your findings then that would be great. Also, please provide the software, android, and baseband version on the phone. This can be found under Settings > About Phone. I'm looking forward to your reply.

Thank you...

KathyH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
insulatorsplus

I have been experiencing this exact issue. I thought it was a bad battery at first because it would just drain really fast then my phone would shut down. Usually this would happen after about 15 minutes of use after unplugging and having a 100% full charge. When I restart the phone after it shutting itself down, battery will be extremely low (usually below 20%). However, if I manually restart the phone after that, the battery is instantly fully charged again and can last anywhere from that 15 minutes to all day long. So, it's definitely a system issue and NOT a battery issue. If this was a battery issue, when I restart, the battery would still be dead. I have gone through "settings>apps" and disabled whatever apps aren't required for system usage including gmail as I do not use it other than to simply have a Google account for my phone. I have disabled the "backup and save app settings" setting. I searched for this issue on Google and found this Forum. The fact that there are more people having the same issue indicates also that it is not a dead/worn battery. I have done Factory reset several times on this device. I've had the ICS update since it was released and received the Verizon update to add back the Emergency Alerts (which I had lost) and the Messaging update. Currently running ICS 4.0.4 Revision: 7.02.605.10710RD Baseband Version: 2.03.00.0201r, 0.02.02.1211r.

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
jennevans
Newbie

Sorry, I just saw this message. My TB has actually performed worse after the hard reset and even in safe mode it restarted itself. I sometimes am able to see an "Adroid system failure" message before it shuts down. It is the system, not my battery.

I have Android version 4.0.4; HTC sense version 3.6; couldn't find software version, but have a software number 7.02.605.10 71 0RD; Baseband version 2.03.00.0201r,0.02.02.1211r

Please let me know if you need any further information.

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
jennevans
Newbie

Kathy, I just did a few more things to try to keep this stupid phone from crashing. I did ANOTHER hard reset, even deleting everything on the SIM card. I deleted my gmail account completely, since I have read elsewhere that could be a problem. I have not put another gmail account on. I did get so far as to reset my yahoo email (in set-up) and then did a restore of my contacts through the verizon back up program. I signed into my FB account (in set-up when it asked if I wanted to provide the information), but never actually brought the app up. It has crashed twice. I have have it pretty bare bones at this point. It went from an almost complete charge to 3% almost immediately. I can't think what else to do. I have contemplated ordering a new battery since it is the original battery, but until this update, I never had a problem and I have read several people, even on this thread, say the new battery made no difference. I can't afford to buy a new phone-even at the discounted rate-and do not want to lose my current plan (unlimited data). Am I just going to have to cancel Verizon and just go with a plain phone somewhere else? (Though the only thing stopping that is my youngest son is on the plan, and we had to get a new phone for him, which extended his part of the contract...which I guess could mean I just leave him on until his plan runs out.)

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Re: Since Update to ICS, Thunderbolt Restarts randomly, instantly draining battery by 80%
RoseH_VZW
Verizon Employee

Hey there insulatorsplus,

I'm sorry to hear about the battery issues you are having. Let's bring some energy back to your Thunderbolt.  Thanks for providing the troubleshooting steps that you have already gone through.  The factory reset is the most effective step in the troubleshooting process as it would erase any software bugs that may be causing the issue.  If that didn't work we would have to look at replacing the phone.

Please dm me your mobile number and billing system password so I can review your account in detail and determine the best replacement option for you. For steps on how to dm me please visit

RoseH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

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