LG ENV3 shutdown problem fix?

[onipar]

I just called customer service at LG concerning the problem many people seem to be having with the LG ENV3, namely the phone shutting down by itself.

I really want to get this phone, but the issue worried me, so I called to do some research. The man was very helpful and said the issue is actually a "power cycling" issue that occurs when the user puts in a 16GB card (or other large micro SD card) and loads it up with downloaded apps and files from the web.

He said it's partly a problem with the phone trying to access the data, and partly that the things downloaded from the web may contain spyware/viruses/etc.

So in order to try and access the data the phone starts to shut off on its own.

My question to those of you who have the phone and experienced this problem is simple: Does this explanation sound plausible?

In other words, if you experienced this, did you in fact have a lot of downloaded music/games/apps installed on a large capacity micro SD card in the phone?

If so, this man's information is correct. If not, his explanation may have simply been rhetoric the company is spewing.

Either way, I'd like to know before I go out and buy the phone. So please, chime in.

Thanks!!

[Rocko73]

Try putting some paper in between the battery and phone. Enough so you can still lock the battery in place, yet it is tighter. This seems to help.

[onipar]

Kegri, how long have you had the phone, and how long before this problem started?

From my research there seem to be a couple unrelated problems that cause the phone to shut down.

One is the problem you explain, with the battery.  The fixes for this, according to a few people, are to first clean the connectors on the battery and phone.  And second, as the previous poster mentioned, try folding up a little piece of paper and putting it between the phone and battery (there are links earlier in this thread that explain this in more detail).

The other problem seems to be related to the firmware (which may or may not have to do with using an SD card in the phone).  Supposedly this problem has been dealt with in the latest update, but there are still reports of people having the problem *after* updating the firmware.

One possible reason for this may be that they are having the battery issue like you, and *thought* it was a firmware issue. 

Let us know how things work out for you.

[momcos]

I have had this phone for 4 months. It didn't cut off the first month or so, but over the last few months it increasingly cuts off. The phone has been in a rubberized cover since I first got it. I have never installed a memory card. The phone has cut off 5 times today so far. Once I just found it off when I picked it up, three times it cut off in the middle of my texting, and the last time it cut off just sitting on the counter. Software version VX920V03.

[onipar]

momcos,

I'm very sorry to hear that.  I actually just checked and I have the same version number on my phone, and I just bought it today...

[MojaveMoon_]

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momcos wrote:

I have had this phone for 4 months. It didn't cut off the first month or so, but over the last few months it increasingly cuts off. The phone has been in a rubberized cover since I first got it. I have never installed a memory card. The phone has cut off 5 times today so far. Once I just found it off when I picked it up, three times it cut off in the middle of my texting, and the last time it cut off just sitting on the counter. Software version VX920V03.

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I didn't realize this was possible. But the firmware on the LG enV3 can be updated from home:

http://www.lgcommunity.com/forums/aff/6/aft/5541/afv/topic.aspx

"You can't update the phone's software wirelessly.
You have to get the USB/Charger cable (should've came with the phone) and go to LG's website and look under the support section for the enV3 and download the updater. Then before plugging the USB cable into your computer, run the update program, it will automatically install the USB cable drivers, and then it will ask you to plug your phone in to the computer. When you do that, it will verify everything is ok, then it will download and install the newest software version and then reboot your phone.

There is a warning on this updater that you may lose all your personal data (contacts, pictures, music, etc) after the update is completed, but I've updated mine twice now (first to V05 then to V06), and I haven't lost anything.

Good luck!

Or if you don't want to do all of that, you can just drop your phone off at just about any Verizon store and tell them you want the software updated. And I think they do it for free. If there is a charge for this, it's probably not a lot. But I think it's free. "

[onipar]

Ohhh, that makes sense.  i tried to update the software wirelessly but it kept saying "no update avaiable."  So I guess I have version 3, and there are a few updates available...  I think I'll wait to see if the phone messes up before doing anything.

[SuzyQ]

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onipar wrote:

Ohhh, that makes sense.  i tried to update the software wirelessly but it kept saying "no update avaiable."  So I guess I have version 3, and there are a few updates available...  I think I'll wait to see if the phone messes up before doing anything.

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Ours are v. 05 - and I am with you - I'll wait and see if the phone messes up before I mess with any updates.  If there are any beyond 05 for the Env3 - I don't know.....

[onipar]

Yeah, I figure there's no sense messing with it if there's nothing wrong.

I mean, I did hear that the new firmware fixes a bunch of different bugs (I forget the exact things), but if I don't notice the problems, I'm not too worried.

[MojaveMoon_]

I stopped by a Verizon store tonight to ask about the probably impending data plan policy and to ask questions about and check out the env3 and the Alias2.

The very nice employee who helped me was a Flextronics technician. I asked him about the env3 shutting down. He said that the firmware is one part of the shutting down problem. He said, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's a hardware component to the problem. I said, I've read that people were putting pieces of paper behind the battery and that that resolved their issue. He said what he's talking about is that when the phone was flexed that the phone would shut down. He then put one hand on the bottom of the env3 demo phone and the other hand on the top part of the phone and applied some pressure -- the phone instantly shut off right in front of my eyes. He said, to be fair, this particular env3 demo phone probably dates back to not long after the phone was launched. He said that as the env3 firmware revisions have been released that LG has tried to concurrently release env3s with revisions to the env3 hardware to try to address the shutting off.

To verify that last statement of his, I walked across the floor to the other env3 demo phone and tried to physically replicate what he did to see if I could replicate the shutting off. Unless I was supposed to apply a LOT of pressure, this second env3 demo phone did not shut off subsequent to me trying to flex the phone.

[MojaveMoon_]

In regards to the version 6 firmware, for what it's worth here are some comments from people who're trying to figure out what was improved or changed in v6:

"Lg Env3 Vx920v06"

http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1603767

[onipar]

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MojaveMoon_ wrote:

I stopped by a Verizon store tonight to ask about the probably impending data plan policy and to ask questions about and check out the env3 and the Alias2.

The very nice employee who helped me was a Flextronics technician. I asked him about the env3 shutting down. He said that the firmware is one part of the shutting down problem. He said, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's a hardware component to the problem. I said, I've read that people were putting pieces of paper behind the battery and that that resolved their issue. He said what he's talking about is that when the phone was flexed that the phone would shut down. He then put one hand on the bottom of the env3 demo phone and the other hand on the top part of the phone and applied some pressure -- the phone instantly shut off right in front of my eyes. He said, to be fair, this particular env3 demo phone probably dates back to not long after the phone was launched. He said that as the env3 firmware revisions have been released that LG has tried to concurrently release env3s with revisions to the env3 hardware to try to address the shutting off.

To verify that last statement of his, I walked across the floor to the other env3 demo phone and tried to physically replicate what he did to see if I could replicate the shutting off. Unless I was supposed to apply a LOT of pressure, this second env3 demo phone did not shut off subsequent to me trying to flex the phone.

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Arrrg.  That's not good news at all...

I wonder how new the phone is that I bought.  I mean, it has vesion 3 of the firmware on it, but I'm not sure that means anything...

So far the phone is fine, but it's only been a day.

[onipar]

I actually went ahead and updated to Version 6 using my computer at home.  I was a little worried that I'd mess up the phone, but I figured it's better to preempt any possible problems by having the latest software.

I haven't had any problems yet, and I'm still enjoying the phone.  I just hope the hardware side of the problem doesn't come into play...but then, I'm pretty delicate with my stuff.

[acraftylady]

How do you find out what version of the software is on the phone?  I got mine after Christmas and when I acrivated it said something about doing and update on the phone so I am thinking that's what it was but want to check.  Mary

[SuzyQ]

Hi Mary, You asked - "How do you find out what version of the software is on the phone? " Go to your Menu on the inside screen>>Settings>>Phone Info>>HW/SW version. Our says VX920V05.

[onipar]

Yeah, after updating my version says:  VX920V06

[acraftylady]

Thanks SuzyQ I see it now and mine says version 6 so it did update when I activated the phone.  Mary

[deadsilenced]

I've got the enV3 with a newly updated v6 firmare, and before getting a replacement, I had my enV3 for about two weeks.  It worked fine with zero restarting problems, but today it started continuously power cycling (every 5 seconds or so).  It did this without warning and days after my last download/data transfer/sync.  It could remain on for a maximum of maybe 20 seconds without restarting.  It would do so without being touched, but I didn't think to check whether the SD card was causing the issue.  I took the phone to Verizon and they gave me a replacement, but the new phone instantly power cycled when the SD card was inserted.

I went home, formatted the SD card, copied back over the old files (minus the picture cache), and put the card back in the phone.  Right away, instant restart.  I took out the battery and restarted the phone.  This time it stayed up for about 40 seconds and  I could browse my pictures before it power cycled again.  It went back to power cycling every few seconds, so I removed the SD card.  I formatted it again and put it back in the phone.  It's been 5 minutes so far and the phone hasn't power cycled.  I'm going to try just copying photos, then just music, then fewer and fewer files, in an effort to locate the offending file(s).  I don't want to wear out the flash memory with all that copying though... Regardless, I'll report back with my results soon!

By the way, flexing the phone did not cause a restart, even with moderate pressure.

[onipar]

Thanks for the info, Deadsilenced.

So am I to understand that when you remove the SD card, and leave it out, the phone works fine?  And you have confirmed (with your phone at least) that it is something to do with the SD card that causes the restart?

This is what I was told by an LG associate at one time, but I've had no one here actually confirm it, and usually, people say that their SD cards have nothing to do with the shutdown... 

To help figure out what files may be causing the problem, do you have any files that were downloaded direct from the net?  The associate I spoke with suggested that sometimes the power cycling could happen because of music, games, or applications that were downloaded from the net, and may have some kind of spy-ware with them.

Also, what size SD card do you have, and what brand?

I've had my Env3 for only 5 days, but so far I haven't had any problems.  I'm afraid to try flexing the phone, because I'd hate to actually *cause* a problem that night be avoided by gentle usage.

I don't have an SD card yet, as I might not bother adding many files to the phone.  But if I do get one, I'll be sure to test it out and report here.

I've been hoping that through gentle use and the new firmware upgrades, the phone would function fine.  But only time will tell I guess...5 days isn't very long in the grand scheme.

[htcj07]

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onipar wrote:

Thanks for the info, Deadsilenced.

So am I to understand that when you remove the SD card, and leave it out, the phone works fine?  And you have confirmed (with your phone at least) that it is something to do with the SD card that causes the restart?

This is what I was told by an LG associate at one time, but I've had no one here actually confirm it, and usually, people say that their SD cards have nothing to do with the shutdown... 

To help figure out what files may be causing the problem, do you have any files that were downloaded direct from the net?  The associate I spoke with suggested that sometimes the power cycling could happen because of music, games, or applications that were downloaded from the net, and may have some kind of spy-ware with them.

Also, what size SD card do you have, and what brand?

I've had my Env3 for only 5 days, but so far I haven't had any problems.  I'm afraid to try flexing the phone, because I'd hate to actually *cause* a problem that night be avoided by gentle usage.

I don't have an SD card yet, as I might not bother adding many files to the phone.  But if I do get one, I'll be sure to test it out and report here.

I've been hoping that through gentle use and the new firmware upgrades, the phone would function fine.  But only time will tell I guess...5 days isn't very long in the grand scheme.

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I didn't have any problems with mine shutting down until I actually put mp3's on a 2gb micro sd card. After having to take off the battery cover about 4 times to keep it from rebooting, it only stopped when the sd card was out of the phone. It was actually fine in the phone prior to adding the mp3's. I will try to reformat a different card and then see if it works.

[onipar]

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htcj07 wrote:

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I didn't have any problems with mine shutting down until I actually put mp3's on a 2gb micro sd card. After having to take off the battery cover about 4 times to keep it from rebooting, it only stopped when the sd card was out of the phone. It was actually fine in the phone prior to adding the mp3's. I will try to reformat a different card and then see if it works.

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Were the Mp3's downloaded from the net?

I was told that if the MP3 files are "safe" (ripped from a cd you own, or I guess from itunes or something legit like that) it will work fine.  But I haven't actually tested that myself...

[htcj07]

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onipar wrote:

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htcj07 wrote:

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I didn't have any problems with mine shutting down until I actually put mp3's on a 2gb micro sd card. After having to take off the battery cover about 4 times to keep it from rebooting, it only stopped when the sd card was out of the phone. It was actually fine in the phone prior to adding the mp3's. I will try to reformat a different card and then see if it works.

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Were the Mp3's downloaded from the net?

I was told that if the MP3 files are "safe" (ripped from a cd you own, or I guess from itunes or something legit like that) it will work fine.  But I haven't actually tested that myself...

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The mp3's were from cds I own and had ripped myself . I am going to try it again now....will let you know.