Droid Razr - too hot to touch

[steve_o]

Having several issues with my Droid RAZR, purchased in June 2012.  Current Android Version 4.1.2, Build Nbr 9.8.20-72....

Main issues are:

1. Battery life - stays plugged in all day & takes about an hour to go from 100% battery to about 65% battery.  It's under 50% at 2 hours after being unplugged & is around 20% within 3 hrs.
2. Overheating is a problem.  When not in use (and simply in a shirt pocket) it gets to the point of being uncomfortably hot.  Temp in a battery app is between 42-45 C.  If I use it for streaming audio, it gets too hot to hold.  Heat is also up during any phone activity at all.
3. Drops in & out of 4G/3G constantly & is much more apt to drop that coverage down to 1x than ever before. 
4. Also notice that the GPS flashes in & out more often recently than before. 
   

Not sure exactly when the update to JellyBean was rolled out to me, but I have had more of these issues in the last 90 days than I did prior to that.  I know that within the last 30 days other Verizon users with Droids have told me about abnormal power consumption on virtually all apps on their phone. 

Using Advanced Task Killer v1.9.7 & have it set to autokill = crazy and interval = when screen off.  Apps set to ignore are Gmail, a Craigslist app, Weather and Calendar. Everything else I have set to kill.  Even with those apps, it is still warm to the touch. 

Nothing I've done thus far has seemed to help curb the unusual power consumption on my Razr.  I've cleared the cache on it several times, and it seems to have curbed the constant heat issue, but not the spikes in temperature that went unnoticed before. 

I don't want to do a factory reset on it if I can avoid it, but would if it were the only resort. 

Any ideas what else to try? 

[B33]

First thing Get rid of the Task Killer that can for sure cause the Heating as the ( Task Killer ) is constantly fight the Apps, try running the phone in Safe Mode you could have some apps causing the issue as well)  And have you done a System Cache Clear in say the last couple of Months if not i would definitely try that with a follow up of a Factory Reset.. And one other thing i like to ask are you using the Charger that came with the phone or Charging it Via a Computer if by computer Switch to the charger that came with it in the Box..

Give these suggestions a Try..  Let me know how it's doing   b33

[steve_o]

To answer your questions:

1. First thing Get rid of the Task Killer that can for sure cause the Heating as the ( Task Killer ) is constantly fight the Apps,

It is now uninstalled.  I had installed it when I noticed that the Android OS was using a disproportionate amount of the system resources (over 50%).

2. try running the phone in Safe Mode you could have some apps causing the issue as well

I will give this a try.  Most apps I notice take 3% or under of power consumption.  The big ones are screen (30 second timeout), Android OS (as of now, they are about 70% of the power consumption) and Wi-Fi (at home).  Android System takes only slightly more than the most heavy power consuming app.

Outside of the task killer, I had only installed updates to apps over the last month or so.  I just booted it into Safe Mode & it got noticeably hot in the center after about 5 minutes. 

3. And have you done a System Cache Clear in say the last couple of Months if not i would definitely try that

Yes, several times in the last week or so (Power off, then Vol + and Vol - and Power ), select Recovery,then select wipe cache partition & then reboot).

4. with a follow up of a Factory Reset

I had wanted to avoid doing that unless as an absolute last resort, since I have so many pictures, files, and other things saved on the phone. 

and your last question:

5. And one other thing i like to ask are you using the Charger that came with the phone or Charging it Via a Computer if by computer Switch to the charger that came with it in the Box..

Yes (at home).  In the vehicle, I am using a charger I purchased from Verizon when I got this phone.  At work, I use an AC Charger that was also purchased from Verizon. 

Thanks for the help.  I will let you know if Safe Mode makes any difference.

[B33]

Okie Doke i'll be on the Forum for a While Longer this evening)  if you find something and want to let me know )  Tomorrow i will probably be on here around Noonish Maybe early Morning..

[steve_o]

I cleared the cache (again) last night & booted the phone in Safe Mode.  Below are observations.

1. Since phone was in safe mode, not all apps were available or could be run.  In using it how I could, I noticed that some apps when running would make the phone noticeably warmer in the center back of the phone.  Since I couldn't measure it, it is only a guess, but it was not significantly cooler than when running in regular mode.
2. Power consumption was the same if not a little worse in Safe Mode.  Approx 40 minutes on battery brought around a 10% drop.  Screen & Android OS were 70%+ of the use (Screen 57%, Android OS 14%).  Everything else was significantly under 5% (Gmail, Google Services, Cell Standby, Gallery, Google Play Store).  No other apps run. 
3. The temperature logger I just opened up supported Item #1 above.  Temp ran between 29-34 (85-94 F) during Safe Mode operation.  Out of safe mode, it ran between 27-38 C (80-100 F).  It had a few spikes that were between 38-40 C (100-104 F).  In looking back thru several days of those logs, I saw it consistently running between 41-48 C (105-118 F).  While I'm at work, I have a small fan that blows right by the phone which  I am sure helps some. 
4. In looking farther back in the temp log, I noticed the temp recorded during the streaming in my car (in original post) to have been consistently between 45-47 C (113-117 F), and as high as 60-62 C (140 - 145 F).  That's to the point of being able to cook an egg with my RAZR! 

Outside of the Task Killer, I haven't installed any apps over the last month (it is now uninstalled).  The only thing I've done is to install updates.  Friends who have a RAZR have also reported (to me) similar behavior on theirs being almost too hot to hold, particularly since late April 2013. 

I really don't want to do a factory reset & go to the trouble of having to restore everything on the phone.  I had done that a couple times on my old Droid with negligible impact.  Meanwhile, my wife's iPhone 4 chugs along & she charges it once a day.  My phone drains as much during my drive home as hers does - unplugged - all day long. 

Thoughts? 

[B33]

Steve give this app a Try it's called System Panel it's a Free app or you can purchase it i have the paid Version) Tell me with App installed what: CPU  1  &  2 is running How Much Memory is being used,  How much Internal and Eternal storage there is and the Temps when you First load the App the Temps are going to be in Celsius but they can be changed to Fahrenheit..

And i understand on the doing a Factory Reset they can be i'll call less attractive if things don't go Just right but sometimes especially if you update to a new OS it's the only thing that can kind of put the phone back on solid ground..

My Two Maxx's are Running around the 80.0 to 85.0 deg area one other thing you can do and i do Quite often is i press and hold on the Home button the stuff that you see in the vertical Line is essentially running a Swipe to the Right or to the Left will cancel what you see there..

Give Panel App a  try and Let me know how the Phone is Doing..  Lets try that  b 

[steve_o]

I installed the control panel app & have been running it for a couple days.  Just sitting idle, the CPU is running around 5-10% each, at between 350Mhz with the occasional spike to 800Mhz. 

Memory reports 72% used, with 224M available. 

Internal storage reports 10% used & 7404M available.  Temperature (idle) is around 91 F.  There's a noticeable warm spot on the center back of the phone about the size of a quarter. 

I looked at the battery history from yesterday (I let the battery go dead last night) & saw a couple instances where the phone lost 10% (or more) in a 10 minute span.  It dropped from 65% remaining to 48% remaining in one of them, while it had taken an hour to drop from 70% remaining to 65% remaining.  Another drop was from 30% to 19% that took place over a 5 minute span.  Meanwhile, the temps reported throughout that whole cycle was between 89F - 91F, with one or two spikes of 93F. 

[Ann154]

93°F for a phone temperature isn't really that high.

I worry when I see 110°F and higher.

[SoccerRef12]

A factory reset only resets the system, not the storage, so your pics and music should be ok.

[vzw_customer_support]

Good evening steve_o!

I've got a plethora of ideas to help. So, let's jump right into the deep end and get this resolved.

Now, as advised, safe mode is a great option to undertake given your description of things http://vz.to/rxg0ii . When in safe mode, please test things out to see if you notice the same issues. That will ultimately allow us to isolate the issues between the software and a potentially harmful application. Of course, this would be the step before we move into a hard reset. Please let us know how it goes.

EvanO_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[steve_o]

Please see post #5 in this thread where I had done the safe mode operation.  I did not notice an appreciable difference in temperature from regular mode operation.  However, not all apps were available/functional in safe mode. 

[B33]

Well Steve when i looked at Panel on my Maxx with Jelly it showed close to were your Razr is with the Exception of Temps mine is running @ 78.8 but it might be because my Maxx is running with the bigger battery that i'm guessing there was another Contributor that was on the Forum Quite often and i hadn't seen him in while he a Maxx and if he was on here today we could as em what the Temps are running on His Maxx)

My Razr Maxx With ICS is Running about the same if Jim was on here he could Shed some Light on his.. Razr Maxx but i haven't from him in While.. Hope he's Ok..

[steve_o]

What I've seen is that my Razr runs consistently at or above 98 degrees almost all the time.  At times, it's between 108 - 120F.  At times, the mA draw is 2 while it's doing it - and that's when it is charging.  Unless the phone is on my desk at work, with a small fan blowing across the top of it, it's consistently running at least in the mid 90's.  Only when its in front of the fan does it get below the low 90's. 

The other thing I notice is that there are spikes in the mA draw that sucks the battery life down.  In a single 20 minute span, there was a draw of -1669mA.  It had zero impact on the heat of the phone, but sucked the battery down by almost 20 percent of the whole battery capacity.  At the time this occurred, it wasn't being used for anything - it was sitting in the car idle while I was driving. 

One other additional thing I've noticed is that it drops from 4G to 3G in many places I used to get decent 4G service.  Also, I've noticed that the keyboard response (like putting in text for a search or a text message) is extremely slow to respond.   

I'm not sure what's wrong with it, but it seems to function better at times as a personal heater than a reliable phone.  It is looking like a factory reset is the last resort.

[B33]

Yea i understand these phones can be Pain to Work with:  Check with what i wrote Steve 

Steve i Tapped on your Avatar to Follow you and you can Mine as well to were we can send DM's Direct Messages there like an Email and i'll talk to you more on the phone Maybe i can shed some better light that way and keep what i want to say and write from certain Eye's). 

So when you get some time just Take you Mouse pointer put it in the Center of my Avatar when it brings up the bigger box click Follow to Follow Me and then up in the Actions Box with the Check you will have to go into that area and when you see Three boxes and the one that says allow by my UserName check the Allow and we can send the Direct Messages..

And i'll discuss a little more on the Phone there..  b33

[steve_o]

I think I did everything that I needed to do regarding info in the last post.  Please LMK if there is something I haven't done correctly.

Unless my Razr is sitting on my desk with the small fan running & circulating some air around it, it consistently runs in the mid to upper 90's and I've got a couple days recently where it ran between 102F and 110F for nearly 48 hours.  No idea what may be running, or if it's dropping in & out of 4G/3G during that time or what.  Phone was in the same room for all but 8 hours of that span. 

Also, response on the phone is "halting" for lack of a better description.  For example - to do a search - tap the search bar on my home screen & then click in it & start typing - it will take until I'm 4-5 letters into what I'm typing (and I'm not that fast) for the keys to start putting text into the box.  Same with other areas where keyboard entry is done.  Opening web pages is also slow (using the default browser or chrome, makes no difference). 

Other issues I've noticed is that it will drop wi-fi often, and will fall back into 3G quite a bit more than it used to. 

Still under contract for another year, but already have gotten sick of how temperamental this phone is & how if not being used MUST be chained to a power source. 

[steve_o]

Just following up on your initial response to my issue.  I have done the Safe Mode (not all apps were available) and did not notice an appreciable difference in performance.

Also, over a 48 hour span recently, the temp on the Razr was between 102F and 110F.  It was in the same room for the majority of the time. 

[newcreation7]

Steve

I have been having the IDENTICAL PROBLEM with the same phone ever since the update to Jelly Bean, other than throwing the previously exceptional phone in a river or going to an iPhone ASAP have you had any luck getting this issue taken care of? 

[newcreation7]

Evan

I just found this thread and I will paste in here my response to steve_o: 

Steve

I have been having the IDENTICAL PROBLEM with the same phone ever since the update to Jelly Bean, other than throwing the previously exceptional phone in a river or going to an iPhone ASAP have you had any luck getting this issue taken care of?

Has there been any resolution to this problem?  I am the last Android hold out of 6 people in my house and this is getting so frustrating.  If had to write a description of the problems I'm having steve_o has written them out verbatim. 

Please let me know, thanks!