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Lollipop upgrade ruined my Note 3 cell signal strength.

After installing Android 5.0 on by Note 3, my cell signal strength got much worse. At home, where my signal was decent but not strong before, I can no longer make calls. If it does connect, voice quality is poor and the signal drops constantly. I often cannot even send SMS messages now because of poor signal strength. Often, even when I go to an area with good signal strength, my phone will not connect, and I have to reboot it to reestablish a cell connection. At work, where I used to get full or nearly full signal strength, I now get only one or two bars. My daughter has a Galaxy S4, which she luckily has not updated to Lollipop. Side by side, it gets much better signal strength than my upgraded Note 3. What did the OS update do to the cell reception? My phone has become almost useless. Is there any way to fix this?

Comments

smattera

Same issue. Called tech support 5 or 6 times. New sim card, factory reset, etc. Nothing. Finally got them to agree to replace the phone even though the warranty has lapsed. Hopefully the new note works. Will report back.

Shepstyle25

Same exact problem with a note 4. Since Lollipop horrible reception. My wife a ND sons phones also.

MiiHere

What I read said end of July 5.1 should be out, but it wasn't an official statement.

Verizon_Support

Shepstyle25,

I am so sorry to hear of the issues with signal since the update. What exactly was you signal like prior to the update and after? Only issues in certain areas since the update? Do you all have Note 4's running on Lollipop?

LindseyT_VZW

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Shepstyle25

Hello,

In my area code which is 75662 my signal on Kit Kat was 3 to 4 bars with

occasional 5 to 6. Even in my home I was getting better reception as

opposed to just old note 2 in our home with 3 to 4 bars. After the Lollipop

update it is a consistent 1 to 2 bars in my home and maybe every now and th

we n 3 to 4. I noticed a lot more dropped calls going from my home down the

interstate to work where they never happened before. At first I thought it

was just me until my wife , daughter and sons experienced the same problem.

We all have Note 4 phones. What was weird n is my daughter in law has a

Note 4 also and hesitated to upgrade to Lollipop and her reception blows

ours away. Consist having 4 to 5 bars while ours are registering 1 or 2

with an occasional 3. My son uses his in graphic design for calls and he

won't use it thinking it will drop him while talking to a customer. We

resorted to using a land line on important calls. This is a serious problem

for us as we're paying for services we can't use. They even tried the hang

the Sim card bit that didn't help either. This is definitely an issue as

I've seen numerous postings about the lost of signal strength. I hope

something is done soon.

Regards,

[Name removed for privacy reasons required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service]

On Jun 7, 2015 11:45 AM, "Verizon Wireless Customer Support" <

RepairCelt

I, too, have experienced worse cell signal strength on my Note 3 since the Lollipop update. Where I live, I already have poor signal strength, but would have one to two bars prior to the Lollipop update. After update, my phone spends most of its time with no bars and an "X" next to the signal indicator. What's worse, if it is like this long enough, it does not automatically renegotiate when I am back in an area with good signal. It will stay with the "X" indicator until I reboot the phone.

I am not interested in playing the troubleshooting game, as this is clearly a case of poorly implemented software. I would like very much to know exactly when a fix will be put out.

And, Verizon, you better pray that I don't need to call 911 before you get this fixed. I doubt if an intruder would allow me to reboot my phone so I can call the police.

RepairCelt

UPDATE:

This afternoon I was able to revert my Galaxy Note 3 from Android Lollipop 5.0 to KitKat 4.4.4. I did not have to root my phone, but I did have to download some software to load the KitKat OS onto my phone and I did have to download the OS itself. And I had to be willing to put the phone through a Factory Reset and go through the initial set-up again.

I am happy to report that doing so resolved my cell signal issue. And my phone, once again, will quickly renegotiate a signal when it moves from being in a no signal area to an area with signal. Whereas, on Lollipop, this would have required me to reboot the phone.

I am also thrilled that my phone now looks like an Android OS phone again, rather than the childish look of the Lollipop OS.

So, Verizon, there is the definitive answer. The Lollipop OS update does messed up the Galaxy Note 3's ability to maintain a connection to the cell tower.

Content modified as required by Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Bongko5

I have the same issue. I used to have full g4 signal at home, now it's next to nothing and sometimes it drops to g3 with less than 3 bars. I'm considering switching to other providers. Why would I pay a premium pricing for a mediocre signal...so much for the best g4 signal coverage.

Bumps

I am experiencing the same issues and have never been more frustrated. Signal ranges from 3G-1X-No signal. I realize the bars don't give us a true indication of signal strength, however, when you look at the mobile networks and signal strength, it is constantly changing. In my case, it stays near -104 dBm 1 asu and can jump to -117 dBm 99 asu.

I am not sure what the numbers indicate. What I do know is I am not receiving a good steady signal, like I have, since shortly after the recent software upgrade. I sometimes have to resend text messages 2 or 3 times and texts have always worked better in weak signal areas.

My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S III and stays at a constant 4G sitting right next to me. Her phone has not altered a bit. I also have a Verizon MiFi that maintains a 4G connection. This tells me it is a NOTE 3 issue, at least in my case and SOMEONE needs to correct it. I don't care if it Samsung or Verizon. I am tired of paying for a phone that isn't even a decent paper weight.

I have talked with tech support at the first level and nothing has changed. I don't feel I need to spend my time sitting on my wife's phone trying to fix my phone, when it is known the NOTE 3's have a signal issue...Verizon...ADDRESS THE ISSUE!

sococky

Thanks for this news

Tnronin

I'm in the 38506 area code and my signal has gone to worse. This results in horrible battery life from trying to find and hold the signal. I've been and customer for over 20 years, we have four phones and I'm thinking of changing. My S3 had no issues, but I was "gifted" the note 3. Um thanks? LOL

I hope this is fixed, if enough of us depart verizon they might listen. As it is now we're are just stroked along with how sorry they are, and how concerned they are Yada Yada Yada.

Verizon_Support

Thanks for your loyalty and tenure Mitchell! I want you to have the best wireless experience possible always! You indicate that you had no issues in this are with your previous device, did service issues started immediately after activation of your current phone, or days/weeks after activation? No alerts are noted for Cookeville area. How many signal bars do you see on your screen? Is service better outdoors?

AntonioC_VZW

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bcook30

Just to update, I upgraded to Lollipop on April 18. I have tried clearing cache, but that does not help. I have been waiting for Verizon to make a fix available but have seen nothing. When will a fix be available? My signal strength is still terrible and I am getting very tired of not even being able to send texts from home.

Johnq917

Add me to the list of note 3 user with non existant cell service. Its is horrid! Verizon really needs to fix this issue or stop prompting us with OS upgraded... i was fine with kit kat and wanted nothing to do with lolipop, but i cant stand the multiple prompts every day.

Since lolipop my phone buzzes in and out service everynight i put it on the dresser. Keeps me awake not knowing whether its a text, new voicemail, or just going in and out of service. Then it stops altogether, finally some sleep. Then in the morning it will not force itself to pick up a signal when i get into any normal signal area! I have to reboot the phone every morning if i remember, otherwise it stays off until i realize i am trying to make a call... sooo frustrating.

Even worse is i rely on my cell as a home phone and have no way of people getting in touch with me in case of emergencies or importance, do you have any idea how stressful this is?!?!

Ive tried ALL the troubleshooting steps but nothing works...

Verizon_Support

Johnq917,

We want to see you enjoying your device. Could you describe a bit more what you mean by it buzzing in & out of service? Do you see the phone go to No Service? Do you have any issues with call quality when on the phone? Does this only happen in your home?

SandyS_VZW
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Johnq917

I appreciate that VZW reps are sympathetic, and they want me to enjoy my device but really this problem just needs to be...

1. Acknowledged (like VZW needs to stop playing dumb about being aware) that it is not an isolated problem.

2. Address it and fix it.

3. Let us revert back to kit kat.

By "buzzing" in and out i mean I will place the phone in a weak signal area in my home (in this case the night stand to charge). And the phone will beep with the notifications of going from weak signal to no signal. Everytime it goes out of signal the "notification" ringtone sounds. Then when it comes back into a weak signal the "notification" ringtone sounds. It will go through cycle a handful of times, at which the phone, i assume by default, just gives up and stays with "no signal" ("x" next to the signal strength meter). During this time I also get notifications for unchecked voicemails I may have as it goes into and out of service.

This does not only happen in my home but other weak signal areas, like my sisters home, exact issue as stated above, though it happens anywhere in her house.

Prior to this I dont think I can ever remember my phone going into and out of service, or losing service at all, no exaggeration. I am not in no coverage zones, and i havent had any problems with kit kat or any other galaxy device.

To add insult to injury, the phone will not "resuscitate" itself back into calling service once a known normal/strong signal area is around. It will stay with no service (x next to the signal strength meter) until the phone is powered off and then powered back on. So as i said I have to remember to do this in the morning when i wake up, or i go without calls the whole day until i remember to power cycle.

As i said it is very, very stressful to be without reception and wondering if there may be an emergency or something of importance that someone is trying to contact me about.

To a much lesser extent ive had mobile data problems also where the phone needs to be power cycled, but this has only happened a hand full of times (less than 5) and mostly while riding the train.

Broot

I'm having the same issue with my Note 3. Poor reception, no reception, dropped calls, failed SMS. The list goes on. I usually cannot make calls from indoors. I've tried resetting the phone and swapping the SIM card. No improvement. My wife has an iPhone 5S, also on Verizon, and never experiences any of the issues I have.

I want to love this phone, I really do. This Note 3 was great when it was running Jelly Bean, got slightly worse with Kit Kat and is now horrible with Lollipop. It's great for games, or a paper weight. It's no longer any good as a phone. I hate that I'm paying Verizon for service I can't use. I visited a Verizon store and their solution was to sign up for Edge, trade in my phone, and pay $200 for a new phone. Sorry Verizon, but that doesn't cut it.

I've been a Verizon customer with the same account for nearly 15 years. I've never considered leaving until now. My contract is up in a few months. Not sure what I'll do, but AT&T is looking pretty good right now.

Verizon_Support

Upates are meant to improve your device Broot. I regret to learn of all the difficulties you are experiencing after the recent Lollipop update. I appreciate the troubleshooting steps you have taken so far. When did you update the software on your phone? Do you have a lot of third party applications installed on your phone? If you use your phone in safe mode, do you still experience difficulties? For directions on how to run your phone in safe mode click, http://vz.to/1Huo3gG

Thank You,
MichelleS_VZW
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Broot

MichelleS_VZW:

Thank you for your reply. I can't remember the exact date I updated the phone, but I pretty much update immediately after updates are pushed to my device, hoping that the next update will resolve my issues. Yes, I have several third-party apps installed, though like I mentioned, a reset of my phone did not resolve the issue. I'll switched my phone into safe mode and am not currently seeing any improvement in cell reception.

In other forums, I've read this is a compatibility issue between the cell modem and Verizon's LTE service. My phone was manufactured in 2013 and it's my understanding 2014 Note 3s may not be experiencing the same issue because their cell modem hardware has been updated. Is there any truth to that?

Thanks,

Brad

Verizon_Support

I appreciate the additional information provided Broot. I understand you recently reset your phone. However, if you reinstalled all the same thrid party apps back to your phone, there may be some apps that are no longer compatible with the new software update and cause service issues on your device.

In regards to the compatibility between cell modem and our LTE service, we have not been advised about his by the manufacture of the device. If you do not see any improvement in signal while running your phone in safe mode, I would suggest to run the Software Repair assistant. For directions on how to do this click, http://vz.to/1N6yVRy

Doodleink2000

I have to agree. Since the update I have noticed several things. Firstly, my cell signal has been much worse. Whereas I used to have 1 to 3 bars of 4g now often I have no signal. In addition, the phone will often stop communicating with the cell towers at all stating "No Signal." When this occurs I will power off the phone and then immediately power it back on and lo and behold it connects with again 2 bars of 4g. I have to do this every day to every other day.

I have also noticed that my device will not stay connected to my home wireless network. It will connect and disconnect constantly. To try to correct this, I will switch from 2.4ghz to 5ghz spectrum only to have it also happen there as well. I should mention that my and my wife's phones are the only devices on the wireless network experiencing this issue. After trolling through numerous posts, the only solution which works intermittently is to either power cycle the router or clear the cache partition on the phones, though neither works in the long term.

All of this also drastically impacts the battery life due to the constant connection attempts both on wireless and on cellular signal.

VAStargazer

I have experienced the same frustrations as many of you and can be added to the list of users who have tried, new SIM card, several restore to factory, etc, etc. I'm out of ideas. And lets face it, if you go to the Verizon store you get 4 bars because your sitting under a cell tower. The default answer there is "well you have max bars here so it looks like its not the phone." Seriously? Come on, some of us are rather excellent engineers and that's an insulting response.

I spend more time with the triangle and X icon then ever before. Like Doodleink2000, I too experience a lot of WiFi issues at home that I never experienced before with this phone. All other devices in the home do not experience this and they range from laptops to i Phones and other network appliances. I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone from work, also on Verizon. It almost never drops out of 4G with a medium to strong signal. Ironically, it is still on 4.4.4. Coincidence it has a great signal? I think not.

I am perplexed by what they did to the OS to attenuate the signal to such a degree. It is a very significant reduction.

Its funny, I switched to Verizon over a year ago because the competitors signal strength was horrible in my area. I was totally in love with my Note 3 and the service (family members using iPhones are still happy). If it wasn't for the fact that all the other carriers signal strength suck in my area I'd consider switching.

I don't know if this is a Verizon issue or a Samsung issue. Either way, I am up for contract renewal in a few months and I am considering options. With the arrival of the Note 5 in September I certainly hope Verizon and Samsung get it together and resolve this issue. The Note 3 is still a strong and capable device. They should not abandon Note 3 users and resolve this long standing issue.

I'd even like a technical explanation of why its occurring and how they resolve it, assuming they do.

Good luck to all of us.

Matthewhome

Add me to the list. Went to my parents lake home and had no reception for days when everyone else in my family had decent 3g or 4g service.

leinbachsemperfi

How were you able to do this? I'm fairly tech savvy and think I could do it given the right direction.

Johnq917

Read above... according to verizon there is no issue. We are like lost spirits wandering the earth.. our issues are never documented, our voices are never heard, and our problems are never resolved or even acknowledged. We are like the homeless guy on the side of the road that everyone looks the other way at ĺno offense to homeless people).

If you want something done, you need to do it yourself.. i will be looking into rooting my phone and getting kit kat back. VZW technical service is 100% worthless.

esahin

Exact same experience with Doodleink2000. Phone is a Galaxy S4.

Nmollo

I have a note 3 and I am experiencing this same issue. I have no cell service most of the time. And even the WiFi needs to be turned off and on very frequently. I did the factory reset and no change. This definitely related to the lollipop update.

leinbachsemperfi

Do a little bit of research. If you Google the issue you can find links to revert the software to kit kat. It takes some time to do it so be prepared. But it is completely worth it! My phone is back to functioning even better than before!

Ranashi

When is this going to get fixed? I called technical support and got the answer "We know nothing about this issue" I have read about it on the net, I have been told it will be fixed with 5.1. So now that I have waited and waited, I don't want to loose my data on my phone when is it going to be fixed? When is the upgrade going to come out for this problem? When can I expect it to be corrected, we have multiple note 3s my wife changed out to an older phone so she has signal. I am not going to do that but find myself rebooting my phone 1 to 5 times a day on average to correct the issue. I never did that prior to the upgrade of 5.0 and this has been going on for over a month now. I would imagine a fix should be available. Please can we get an update on this item?

Johnq917

Verizon has a habit of not publicly acknowledging issues (in my own experience dating back to the "push to talk" days). They know this is an issue, im sure plenty of people have called, im sure its documented, im sure they are aware. For every one person who complains in this thread there are many others who have the same problem and havent partaken in this particular discussion.

As of right now verizon has no fix, they are only buying time with the playing dumb, and the run around troubleshooting they put you through.

The only relief in sight that i can see is to root/reinstall kit kat. Other than that, dont hold your breath waiting on this company to fix the problem.

Tniah

I also had the reception issue also on a Note 3. I was traveling when Lollipop installed on my phone. So at first i was not sure about the degraded signal strength. But when I got back home to San Diego it was obvious. Reception would drop at my home with a cell tower less than 1/2 mile from my home. The bars would jump up and down constantly with almost every call dropped.

The loss in reception actually cost me a client and caused lost income to me of over $10,000. Finally I called Verizon tech support 3 times. At first they wanted me to do the fix, but like some others here, I would have had to gone to landline phone somewhere where my cell had good reception (at my office it did not have good reception), spend hours messing with it and had no guarantee the fix would work (sounds like it does not from what I read). So I kept calling to get different techs. Finally got Verizon tech lady who told me SHE had the same issue, that it was well known at Verizon and that she sent her phone back for replacement and then did not let Lollipop install. So that is what I did. Reception is great now. But I still lost that client. We should trade numbers and talk about a class action lawsuit.

dickday0

My Note 3 , with Lollipop, has zero bars of signal strength while my wife's Verizon iPhone 5s is showing 4 bars. I keep dropping calls and normally the phone will not ring and callers go straight to voicemail. If I restart it, it seems better for a while and then it reverts back to zero bars.

This problem is well documented and Verizon has known about it for some time. At nearly 70, I am not anxious to try anything as complicated as a root, I just want my phone to work.

Verizon, when can we expect a fix to 5.0, or an easy way to revert back to a stable build?

ncialdella

I've had the same issue and I can barely use this device now.

Broot

I traveled to India recently and used my Note 3 there. The signal was nearly perfect during the course of my visit. Was never on 4G, but 3G service was flawless. Not ideal, but better than I the service I get at home in the U.S. I wonder - can 4G be disabled on this phone? It might make my phone usable again.

Verizon_Support

Broot, I hope you enjoyed your travels. I'm concerned about your service here in the United States. I really want to make sure you are getting stellar service at all times. Were you able to complete the Software Repair Assisant step that was provided to you earlier on in this post? To address your concern about switching the phone to 3G, there is not a way to turn off the 4G LTE on the device.

KevinR_VZW
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VAStargazer

Well folks, I couldn't take it any longer. The constant reboots just to get it out of stupid triangle/X logo. The bad signal where it used to be great. Constantly fighting with the phone to maintain a signal. Rapidly draining batteries and a phone that heats up so fast I can keep my coffee warm.

Therefore, I restored my phone to KitKat by following some simple instructions I found online. A few minutes of downloading and 10 minutes to flash the phone. If it sticks in the Verizon screen after completing, don't panic. Take out the battery. Reboot into recovery mode (hold POWER+HOME+VOLUME UP) do a factory reset and cache clear. After rebooting you will see the comforting screen of KitKat and along with it.........are you ready.........a signal. A signal in the very room where Lollipop said there was none and KitKat said sure dude, here's 3 bars of signal. Verizon, do yourself and your customers a favor. Just admit something is wonky with Lollipop. No one is saying it must be you just that something isn't right. Admitting there is a problem will keep customers happy because it is easier to have patience while a problem is resolved vs being treat as though your incapable of understanding the obvious status of your phone which is right in front of you. The scientific method says before something is declared a fact it must be independently repeatable. I think there have been enough people, many on this thread, who have experienced problems, restored the phone to KitKat and the problem was no more. That is called empirical evidence folks.

Cheers,

mark

Broot

Mark, thank you for your post.

Any chance you could post a link to the instructions you used to revert to KitKat?

note3improvement

Strange. Lollipop IMPROVED my signal A LOT. I was on 4.4.2 kitkat and was about to dump the Note 3 for poor signal performance. With Lollipop update it rarely drops a call and where as on 4.4.2 I could see the signal drop with the phone sitting on a table, with Lollipop it holds a steady signal.

Bongko5

Thanks mark!

Verizon, you might want to learn a thing or two from him.

VAStargazer

I will post the info later today. I'm wonder why Note3Improvement would be

on this thread? We are all having problems with the Note 3. If it's doing

well for you, why would you seek out the thread to tell us how great its

going? Hmmm.

VAStargazer

Broot and others:

Here is the site https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-easily-downgrade-from-Lollipop-to-Kitkat-in-Note-3

Just follow the directions and you are in business.

Cheers

note3improvement

I wonder why someone would think someone would post it improved the singal if it didn't.

Give me a break.

Actually I ran into this thread doing some research on the Note 4.

sococky

I think the Note3 has antenna issues in general. I can be in a very low signal area and on 3G with my Note3. Put SIM in LG G3 and 2 bars at 4G LTE. It's been like this for at least 3 months in this area and I'm seeing it in others.

rdy42k

I am in agreement, As I have just gotten out of an hour long chat with a Samsung Rep. He wanted me to do these ridiculous steps after explaining that the phone was at 4.4.4…was ok Lollipop….Terrible signal. Back to 4.4.4…OK signal again. They suggested I send my phone in to be "evaluated". Pointless when advanced users do the work for them and report the problem. And oddly enough, older phones do not get updates (stagefright anyone?) when "the next big thing" is about to arrive. There is no reason a well cared for phone should have 2 bars of signal in the Verizon store, when the only damage exists in the software/firmware compatibility. As a Class, maybe we can stop future occurrences of this behavior. Just my two cents on a phone thats now just a tiny tablet.

rdy42k

Similarly, I use my phone for business. It is frustrating to wait for a call and then get an "all to late" notification with a voicemail after the phone never rang. I am certainly open to join any Class that will prevent this company from doing what amounts to purposely making good phones non functional. If it is an unintentional action, they would fix it, or at least offer a timeline in which the solution would arrive. I had your same thought as I stood today in a Verizon store looking at a Note 5 with all its signal bars and my Note 3 with just two. Was all set for the purchase, until I really considered that the 5 would suffer the same fate the next time "The Next Big Thing" was about to arrive.

ShawnOB

Add me to the list. My signal strength will go from 4G to "no signal" and I will have to restart my phone; it seems that if I go into a building I will loose signal and it will just never come back. I have done all of the troubleshooting suggested above; new SIM, reset, etc. Even found a site that told me to blow out the phone with compressed air, that's how desperate I am for a fix. Nothing works. Went to a Verizion store and was told, "your radio is probably bad, there is nothing we can do about it, but you can buy a new phone on monthly installments." That is not help. Thanks to the new update, however, I now get a pop-up error message that says "unable to download..." (or something like that) so at least I know when I need to turn my phone off and back on again. Please tell me there is a fix for this.

Broot

Welcome to the club, Shawn.

There is no fix and Verizon is still denying any knowledge of such issue. It's funny because there is plenty of evidence for the issue in this Verizon forum. I've been with Verizon for roughly 15 years, but this is ridiculous. My contracts are both up this Fall and I plan to move to AT&T at that time.

Ranashi

New update out, seems to be better than it was for sure....

Broot

There is no mention in the release notes of improved cell signal. I've installed the update and have not noticed a change.

I, and others in this thread, have seen that the signal can temporarily improve when you reboot the phone. Though, the signal drops back to unacceptable levels shortly thereafter. Currently, I'm rebooting just about every time I need to make a call.

Verizon_Support

Broot,

We truly value your loyalty & wouldn't want to ever lose you as a customer. I've read that you have to keep rebooting your phone before you make a call & that's not what we want to hear at all. Had you been able to do the software repair assistant by clicking on this link http://vz.to/1JDIox7? Please keep us informed of how this works. We are here to help!

AliciaS_VZW
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ShawnOB

I see directions on how to use it, but where do I get the "Software Repair Assistant"?

Verizon_Support

Look no further ShawnOB. Here is a link to all the information about our software update and steps to utilize the software repair assistant http://vz.to/1NUYcBZ .

KinquanaH_VZW
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Johnq917

Flashed to kitkat 4.4.4 and BIG SURPRISE... my signal is now restored.

VZW is so full of it by claiming there is nothing wrong and there are no known issues.

I dont blame the techs or the reps who post here, because i KNOW the know of the issue, but they are forced to keep tight lipped. Not the first time ive experienced this scenario.

Anyways, problem is VZW still tries to update to Lollipop 5.0, currently you can delay, delay, delay, but one day they will get sneaky and you will press install by accident, or they will force it on you. There is no root (in order to disable the OTA software update) ive been able to find for 4.4.4 on the note 3, I don't know if you can flash back to JB 4.3, i've heard you can not, but will explore it. If you can get back to 4.3, you can root and disable the OTA update.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS that verizon forces us to go these extremes, just have a phone that WORKS.

Wmzurek

I agree, Why should I as a novice have to figure out by myself how to go back to KitKat....or Meow or whatever.
I should be able to get a fix right here or by walking into my Verizon store.
Has anyone gotten any kind of satisfaction at all? Any one got a free upgrade to the Note 5? ANyone have the Note 5 and not have this issue? My phone is absolutely fine but will not work at home. y

Lollipop ruined my phone (it upgraded May 8). I went into the Samsung store at Best Buy and then completely updated yesterday, so I don't need to run anything new. I need a FIX for my phone that doesn't involve a rocket science degree.

I have not understood why until i read this forum. Anyone want to start a massive tweet campaign? We could come up with a #Tag like #LollipopN3FAIL and use it on Twitter to Verizon support over and over. People should not be losing clients/their minds/the WiFI signal (I have this issue too) over a phone. I have over 19300 followers on twitter. The silliest thing is that I got this phone as a Verizon BLogger and adored it. Now I feel like I own a brick. Unless I go outside I cannot use my phone.

turbotank

Add me to the list! I've been struggling with terrible signal and switching since the update... Its made my phone useless in places I had great signal. I have to switch it into airplane mode to get it to find signal again...

dickday0

I finally found a tech who admitted that VZ is authorized (after you jump through the hoops) to replace the Note 3 with a new S5. I need the larger screen due to my eyesight but the Note 3 was worthless if it could not even be used as a phone, so I took the S5 since it was the only option. I want my larger screen back. I am considering contacting the ADA people to see if they cannot get VZ to re-think their refusal to get me back into a phone that I can actually see.

At work I deal with the government account rep and there is a night/day difference in how customers are handled. The retail side of VZ needs to take lessons from the govt side.

This is the first time I have ever been unhappy with VZ.

Broot

Per requests by Verizon to run their Software Repair Assistant, I finally ran the tool. No surprise here - it didn't resolve anything. Still drops calls, still doesn't get a good signal in areas my wife's iPhone gets a great signal.

I held off on running the tool because it wipes your phone and essentially does a system reset. I'm growing extremely weary of Verizon's first troubleshooting step being to reset my phone. Backing up my data and reinstalling my apps is getting exhausting.

Verizon's handing of this issue - as reported by MANY customers is unacceptable.

Broot

As I noted in this forum a week ago, the Software Repair Assistant did not repair my phone. I am seeing no change from my previous state. My phone still has a poor signal indoors when my wife's iPhone shows a good signal and I have to reboot daily after losing my signal.

This issue has gone on far too long. I've visited a Verizon, followed Verizon Support's guidance on this forum, and am still left with a smartphone that barely functions as a phone. It's so bad I've pretty much stopped using it as a phone and use my wife's phone or a landline instead. Very frustrating.

I've been a Verizon customer for over 13 years and have paid thousands of dollars over those years. Though you say, "We truly value your loyalty," I don't *feel* valued. If you really valued my loyalty and wanted to keep me as a customer, you'd admit to the issue and provide all customers with an acceptable resolution. A few years ago, Verizon Support was much more responsive - they replaced my Droid Incredible twice when I was having hardware issues. Not once has Verizon offered me a Note 3 replacement. Though, given the numerous complaints on this forum and on the web, I doubt a replacement would help.

I'm not sure how Verizon can get away with ignoring legitimate hardware issues like this. With my account, at least, I guess my $140 per month isn't worth their time. My wife's contract is up and mine is up in November. I feel robbed by this company and cannot bare to continue doing business with them.

Lanpazi

So we are in mid-october with no resolution. I have the same reception problem. Whenever I go into bad reception area my note 3 looses cel Connection and does not recover even when I am standing next to a tower. The only way to restore phone service is to cycle power or reset the phone. It may sound like a temporary solution but it is not. When I am at work the reception us poor and without warning my phone will drop connection. If I reset I may restore reception for a short time. At the end of the day I need to recycle power EVERY DAY.

I miss most of the calls while at work!! Yet I am required to pay for full service. Why?

Verizon_Support

Lanpazi, we pride ourselves on having the best coverage in the business. Allow us to investigate this in depth and get the resolution you deserve. What zip code are you in? When did this start? Is there anyone else impacted in the same way?

AnthonyM_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response.

This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

Lanpazi

It started about 1.5 month ago when I got the latest update. My reception at work seems to be worse lately so it is more pronounced. Yesterday I was in a theatre where there was no reception. When we came out my note 3 was the only phone that did not restore connection. Just for fun I have not cycled power. We came home where I have a Verizon network extender. Still no reception. Right now after a whole night - no reception. It has nothing to do with zip code. The phone just does not restore connection.

Whether you admit it or not the new Android 5 has bugs. Nice language does not resolve problems. I did not even bother contacting Verizon. My post is mostly out of frustration. After hours of research on the web where I have a chance of finding real solutions I have come to the realization that the only way out on this phone is rooting and then going to the previous Android version. I do not want to root. Hence my frustration. I am entitled to an upgrade but the note 5 does not have uSD, and LG comes short on other features that I use.

mtncur08

New member here, same exact problem you all are describing.

I called Verizon about 4 or 5 weeks ago and they remotely checked my phone and stated i had software problems. They replaced my Note 3 with a new/refurbished one they promised was updated and all bugs fixed. new Phone arrived with 4.4 software and worked great. Shortly after I was getting update notices every 5 minutes to update to lollipop. I refused as long as I could and called verizon. they told me Samsung would push it to my phone anyway..even without my consent.

The phone updated itself and.....same problems I had before.

I called Verizon again today and they advised I drive an hour to a BestBuy and have them run the software recovery software they have. they did offer to replace my Note 3 with a S5..smaller screen..not happening.

I have been a customer since 1996, I have 5 lines and pay them over $300.00 a month. I only have one line still in contract...and that ends in two months. I have two lines that are unlimited data. Sprint and AT&T advised they would match my current data plans.

If Verizon doesn't make this right...I'll switch carriers

Verizon_Support

mtncur08,

Sorry to hear about the trouble with your device. We know how much phone software issues can impact your day and we're eager to get these issues resolved for you. We don't want to lose you! We'd like to work with you directly and make a review of your account. We appreciate you being our customer for so long and we know it's essential that we get these issues cleared up ASAP. Since the community forums are public, we can't obtain your account information here. We have support via phone, livechat, or even social media available for you and I'm sure we can get this fixed for you. Here's the link to our page that will show you how to access each of those options. I hope you have a wonderful day! http://vz.to/1IczeM5

EricW_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

taterlalo

Stop

On Oct 13, 2015 2:17 PM, "Verizon Wireless Customer Support" <

tikibar1

taterlalo wrote:

Stop

On Oct 13, 2015 2:17 PM, "Verizon Wireless Customer Support" <

If you're wanting to stop receiving notices of posts from the VzW forum, you'll have to change the settings on your account yourself. First, look to the right of each thread that you're receiving posts from and if you see that you are Following that thread, click on that notation so that you're no longer Following the thread. Then at the top of the screen in the desktop version of the forum, click the drop-down next to your user name and click Preferences. Change the e-mail notifications to Off to your liking, then click Save at the bottom of the screen.

focusbmx

I have the same problem after the update. Bad signal and dropping calls a lot. Always dropping to 3G. Verizon better hope I don't ever have a real emergency. I'm paying for A quality 4G network and not getting anything close. Very poor service. Fix this problem or lose a customer.

seanvb1

I agree! The 4G signal is very spotty after the update. Prior to the update I had very strong 4G signal everywhere I travel. Now, my phone says 3G more than it says 4G. I feel Verizon should release the Lollipop 5.1.1 update for Note 3. Rumor is that this update fixes the 4G connectivity problems.

verizoncustomersince1

Yes, I'm having the same problems as everyone else:

1. In spotty coverage areas, I get no service, but a Galaxy S5 next to my phone gets 2 bars of 4G.

2. If I remain in the spotty coverage area for X amount of time (maybe an hour), when I leave and come back to a great coverage area (adjacent to a cell tower), the phone still thinks it has no coverage and will not perform phone or internet functions until I reboot it. The "Airplane Mode" option is disabled until I reboot, so I can't just use that.

Both of these problems are potentially life-threatening, and I want them fixed. I don't want a "we value you as a customer" stuff "support" posting. I've called about this before, but got nowhere.

There's also a third issue, but I'll post about that in another thread.
3. "StageFright Detector" app (Zimperium) still shows my phone as having 2 out of 8 vulnerabilities.

kitkathelp

I have the same problems. .... when I tried to get Verizon to help fix it they said it could be the Sim card. They sent me the wrong size sim card. When I Did get the right sized one it didn't help. i have reset my phone several times at the request of Verizon technicians to no avail. Their final solution was that i could BUY a $200 cell repeater station for my house that would use my hardwired Internet connection for my cell phone calls. leave alone the fact that I would be essentially paying to have my own cell phone signal that I already paid for sent through my Hardwired internet connection eating up my internet bandwidth, it would only work while I was at home. so when I would leave and go somewhere else I would still have weak signal unless I was close to a cell tower. I've been with Verizon for a long time and have paid for three lines for more than a decade. I bought the note 3 outright from there and paid for their service for the last 2 years with the expectation that I would have good service. after the lollipop upgrade my service has been shotty at best and their idea of fixing the problem is to have me buy more stuff from them to fix something that they forced onto my phone.

Broot

As promised, I jumped ship and went to AT&T.

I was able to transfer both lines and both phones to the AT&T network. My wife's iPhone 5s transferred easily and is 100% compatible with their network. My Verizon Galaxy Note 3 also works on AT&T with two caveats: 1) My 4G service is limited to HSPA+ (no LTE), and 2) Verizon's bloatware, include a warning that a non-Verizon SIM card is installed, cannot be removed.

Still, even with the caveats, I am happy. I have a working phone again - a week in now and I have observed a much stronger signal indoors and outdoors and have not been dropped once. I no longer need to reboot my phone and call quality has been great. HSPA+ speeds have been between 2Mbps and 3Mbps - plenty fast enough to stream movies. All this without reseting my phone's operating system.

Oh, and one more perk - since I own the phones, I get to pay month-to-month and get a discount on service for each line. That alone saves me $30/mo.

Good luck, everyone.

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