[anon(4270544)]

for some weeks I have been observing some very stupid behavior on my Passport. The symptoms are:

Proximity sensor disabled: phone display does not go dark during phone calls
Ambient light sensor disabled:
- keyboard lighting stays off at all times. It is one hell of an annoyance in the evening and at night
- the display gets VERY bright and no longer reacts to ambient brightness changes
- the display brightness slider goes from "too bright" on its far left to "blinding" from 50% thru 100% (same brightness, no matter where on the right half the slider is)
- BBVE identifies both sensors as nonworking:



- a reboot may fix the issue for some minutes up to some hours. But the issue will come back sooner or later. Sometimes it exists right from the start (beginning with the PIN input screen)
- does not seem to be triggered by a specific app. It happens just as well if no app is running
- I think all this began right in the middle of things, not with a specific OS version. I have given leaked betas a try in the past, however, the current OS version was delivered to the phone through BlackBerry Link, it is now 10.3.2.2876. The issue persists.

Hope someone has an idea what I could do...
thanks everyone, and have a nice weekend!

[ronfc]

The only thing to do now is to do a Security Wipe. If the issue still persist, you may try wiping your OS using cfp nuke -a then load a later OS, eg. 10.3.2.2813.

[anon(4270544)]

Thanks Ron, gonna try that.

[anon(4270544)]

Okay, I can hereby confirm that a security wipe resolves the problem. I have made a backup before and restored only the apps but not their settings. It's quite some work to recover from this but at least the sensors appear to be back on track. Thanks for the clue, Ron

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[ronfc]

Okay, I can hereby confirm that a security wipe resolves the problem. I have made a backup before and restored only the apps but not their settings. It's quite some work to recover from this but at least the sensors appear to be back on track. Thanks for the clue, Ron

You're welcome!

[anon(4270544)]

... well that would have been just too easy. The issue returned today or yesterday. So it appears safe to say this is not a hardware issue. Well, I think I'll have to live with it. Not too fond of repeating all these settings...

By the way, the "swipe up to unlock" gesture works worse than ever. If at all, 1 out of 5 times. And the standby button is also unresponsive now. I need to tap it two times now to switch the display off. And mostly it requires being pushes twice to get it back on.

[ronfc]

... well that would have been just too easy. The issue returned today or yesterday. So it appears safe to say this is not a hardware issue. Well, I think I'll have to live with it. Not too fond of repeating all these settings...

By the way, the "swipe up to unlock" gesture works worse than ever. If at all, 1 out of 5 times. And the standby button is also unresponsive now. I need to tap it two times now to switch the display off. And mostly it requires being pushes twice to get it back on.

Have you tried going back to 10.3.2.2813 and not do a restore of backups and/or installation of Android apps after? That would be my last troubleshooting procedure.

[coffeeaddict305]

I did a downgrade to 2339 and still no luck I'm afraid..

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[Optimus4]

I had the same problem. I am on 10.3.2.2836. Not sure if the software fixed it but I haven't had the problem in weeks. I really don't know why it stopped? Probably jinxed myself now.

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[anon(4270544)]

I must say I'm getting more and more frustrated over this. It doesn't get any better by BlackBerry officially ending their BB10 OS artwork in favor of Android. WTF? Now that BB10 is finally able to compete, with a little help of Android apps integration, they throw away their stellar work for good? Will it at least become public freeware then? Oh, I'm digressing...

While the problem about the sensors has become much less frequent since I software-wiped the device, it every so often happens now that the phone is completely unresponsive, especially after lying around for some time on battery power without being used. Symptoms:

• screen is black - well, that's expected but...
• device does not respond to "swipe-up" gesture to unlock
• device does not respond to pushing the top button (which also usually unlocks)
• pushing any key on the keyboard won't do anything, which is normal in locked state
• to actually unlock, I need to push the top button for some seconds as if I wanted to switch off or reboot. The screen flickers for a fraction of a second in which it's showing the "running apps" screen, then goes black again
• now I finally have its attention. One more push on the top button actually unlocks it

At this point, people often tend to recommend a "battery pull" reset... well, not really applicable without warranty void on the Passport. That's really a pity. I feel it might help but don't want to void my warranty as well. It's one of the situations where a replaceable battery is priceless.
So as all this is on the highway to abandonware, I really have to think about the next phone. The Priv is somewhat appealing but much too expensive right now. And it feels like betrayal for the long-term BB fan in me.
On the other hand, I don't feel much pleasure in trying out more versions, losing more data, downgrading or whatever one might try to get back a reasonable fully working state, which is totally uncertain anyway. Simply don't have the time for this, and with a modern product like this kind of smartphone it feels wrong that there is no easier way. And obviously no way at all to find out why sensor dropouts or unresponsive lockups happen at all.
I would really love to keep the Passport but it gets more and more nagging...

[Stomps01]

Do you have a non OEM screen protector on by any chance?

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[anon(4270544)]

Stomps,

no, I'm using the original BlackBerry Passport Leather Flip Case and no additional glass protector. Also I am not aware of any software / apps installed which would interfere with locking or unlocking the device.
I am using the picture password though, the one where you have to align the right digit on the right spot of a backdrop picture. Never had issues with it before.
Yesterday I couldn't even get the device to respond by pushing very long on the top button. It stayed black. When I retried later, I found the device shutting down, when the display came on then restarting. It appears to become worse. If I could, I would switch automatic locking completely off, but the best option is to have it lock automatically after one hour idle. And I think the problem arises as well when I have previously locked the phone with the top button on demand.
If I have too much time on the weekend, and the weather stays as bad as it is now, I might wipe and reinstall again without restoring any setting from before. It's a PITA but if all else fails...

[ronfc]

Or if you're really concerned, have it checked by a technician on a BlackBerry repair center.

[coffeeaddict305]

It really is a software issue! I let the battery drain out and then charge it. I haven't set the phone up after OS reload, let it stay empty overnight. After its full, I plug it into USB computer, then keyboard just works! All sensors are working 100%. Oh I should mention, I removed my sim card and SD card as well during OS reload and let the battery drain out. I'll summarise:

Steps:
1. Remove sim card and SD card
2. Backup and security wipe
3. Download latest OS and do autoloader
4. Let battery drain out overnight
5. Don't turn on phone, plug in charger until 100%
6. Plug into computer ("device connected to computer") ---> here keyboard should already be lit up!
7. Finish the setup and place sim card and SD card
8. Use phone as usual.



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[anon(4270544)]

Okay, thanks for these detailed instructions. I attempted something different today: a proper battery pull. So I disassembled it which was rather easy. Just two T5 screws behind the plastic cover below the keyboard, then another five T5 behind the detachable SIM / SDCard cover. It is advisable to carefully note which screw went where because they have different lengths.
The battery connector is secured with another T5 screw. I detached it, then let the device hang around for ~30 minutes. It is back on and back together now. I'll watch it carefully, maybe that zero power phase did something.

[anon(4270544)]

Just a quick update. The problem was not solved and kept coming back. It appeared to me as if the sensor lockups would become more frequent.
It would also occur regularly now that I could not get out of the black screen / locked state easily. To resolve that, I would usually have to push the top button down until the device would reset.
Since yesterday, a new problem was added: when the device is locked and a new e-mail or other message comes in, the lock screen would display the subject, sender, and time received. I did not change any settings and verified them, and the message info should still appear. Instead, the lock screen would just show the background image.
I've had enough. Trying a security wipe (built-in), and I think this time I won't restore anything but set it up completely from scratch with no backup / restore involved.
Let's hope that does it. Otherwise it might be time for a new smartphone soon.

[coffeeaddict305]

Do keep us updated! Hopefully it will retun back to normal!

 White Q10 

[anon(4270544)]

Yeah, now that security wipe seems to be very thorough indeed. Started it yesterday right after I posted, and when the progress display was virtually frozen in the evening at 96%, I attempted to restart, only to see it begin the wiping process from the very start again. Wow. So that process takes about 30 minutes to reach 75% and then it slows down so much it feels like it will never finish. Probably I cannot get out of this loop before it actually finishes. If a reset does not cancel it, then a battery pull probably won't either.
I had it do its thing over the night and it's back at 97% now, and hopefully counting... there are so many posts where a security wipe is supposed to take between 15 and 45 minutes. I am getting a really bad feeling about this.

[SOFO888]

Yeah, now that security wipe seems to be very thorough indeed. Started it yesterday right after I posted, and when the progress display was virtually frozen in the evening at 96%, I attempted to restart, only to see it begin the wiping process from the very start again. Wow. So that process takes about 30 minutes to reach 75% and then it slows down so much it feels like it will never finish. Probably I cannot get out of this loop before it actually finishes. If a reset does not cancel it, then a battery pull probably won't either.
I had it do its thing over the night and it's back at 97% now, and hopefully counting... there are so many posts where a security wipe is supposed to take between 15 and 45 minutes. I am getting a really bad feeling about this.

This is a common problem of BB10. I had the same problem with my last Security wipe last year.

Take a look at this (there are different threads about this issue):
http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?t=1065378

Connect the phone to BlackBerry Link and reload the OS.



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[anon(4270544)]

Thanks SOFO,

well, the apparent problem for me is: how do I connect the phone to Link in its current state? Connecting it during the wipe operation does not register the phone at all (it may charge but is not listed among the connected devices).
I did another device reset (10 seconds pressing the top button) while the Passport was connected to my Laptop with Link waiting, and guess what, it just restarted wiping without connecting to Link either. So how would I do that?
Just for kicks I tried the latest autoloader I have here (Passport_10.3.02.2876_SQW100-1-2-3-4.exe) but that freezes up early in the "Connecting to Bootrom" state.
So it's basically a brick now. Will try battery pull next.

[anon(4270544)]

Okay, pulling and re-plugging the battery helped, here is what I did:

• disconnected from USB
• disconnected the battery
• started the said autoloader on the PC
• reconnected the battery
• instantly (max. 2 seconds later) connected the device via USB

The Autoloader would then pick up within just a few seconds and refresh the system image, and this finally broke the wipe loop.
I don't know whether it will eventually solve all the trouble I had lately. But I am not planning to restore any of my apps or settings from before, instead I'll do my first clean install in years, so let's hope for the best.
I am so happy now I don't have to buy another phone. Wouldn't know which one to pick anyway right now because nothing seems better than the Passport in all respects. The Priv might be something but I don't back BlackBerry's move towards Android at all. BB OS10 had so much potential. Even though the Priv may preserve the BlackBerry feeling with its excellent keyboard (also software-wise), I think the Passport is likely to be my last BlackBerry device. Nice that it decided to stay with me for some more time.

[SOFO888]

Good to hear that. Keep us updated about your sensors.

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[anon(4270544)]

Sigh... just launched BBVE and the display went super-bright again. Both sensors dropped out. I begin to think the sensors have a hardware issue.
Maybe it is a contributing factor that I tend to wipe the display clean by rubbing the phone's front against my shirt (cotton so I would not suspect a static charge). I remember the issue sometimes started right after I did that.
I'll keep you posted anyway.

Edit: I think it's a fact. I can finally reproduce the problem. Firmly wiping the Passport face against the shirt on my chest has a 90% chance of triggering the sensor issue immediately.
Anybody else here to verify whether other units show the same behavior?
It would be nice to know whether it can be solved by renewing only the sensors, or if at least a front frame exchange could repair it.

[anon(4270544)]

Hi all,

the reliability of my Passport appears to degrade a bit each day. Recently I found that the display backlight would not turn on anymore after opening the flip cover. It's the original cover with the magnet in it so the Passport detects whether it is closed or not. Well, the LCD turned on, I could see in bright sunlight that it shows something but without any backlight it was not usable until I rebooted once again.
The proximity / ambient sensor is also becoming more buggy. Testing it with BBVE after a reboot it works fine in the first test but as soon as I repeat the test, it fails. At least I had this situation recently but it is not perfectly reproducible. Just like wiping the front face to clean it does not always cause the sensors to fail but it is a pretty reliable method. I think that this cleaning method may overload the sensors. Eventually, all sensors will fire: the proximity sensor because it is fully covered, the ambient sensor which indicates no light, the display touch sensor is practically 100% occupied, and then the keyboard has another touch sensor that might be pretty busy during a cleanup like that. Plus the gyro / compass / gravity sensors of course. So that's a lot of (useless) sensor information but no excuse for failure anyway.
Whenenver the proximity sensor fails, the ambient light sensor does likewise instantly. So the display goes to a very high brightness, which would not be a huge problem for me, but it does not turn off during calls, so I'll accidentally push on-screen buttons while talking. The keyboard backlight stays off in any situation which is also a major annoyance in dark environments because the keyboard stays a challenge even after using it for more than one year. It definitely helps to see the key labels. I'll never be able to type perfectly on it without seeing them. And the display is way too bright for night-time usage such as reading an e-book.
I'm now rebooting the phone about 5 times a day minimum, sometimes more than 10 times.
So far the trouble starts sometimes when I clean the display surface, sometimes just a BBVE test run is enough, sometimes the problem exists right after booting when the PIN needs to be entered, and then there are times when the sensors fail without any previous interaction. Maybe opening / closing the flip cover is another player here but I'm not sure. It's driving me mad. The nature of this entire problem is still completely unknown, I can't even say after weeks of observation whether it is more likely a hardware or a software fault.

[SOFO888]

Is it still under warranty? If yes, try to return it and get a new one.

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