Major/Critical failure of BlackBerry Passport. Suggestions welcome..what's my next step?

I have had my Passport since Dec 2014 (Current OS = 10.3.2.2226). I love(d) it. Until about 5 days ago.

the first thing i noticed was on Thurs last week my screen was suddenly at its brightest. I don't ever have it to full brightness so i went into the display settings and tried to dim it. However no matter where i pushed the setting the display stayed at full brightness.

The second thing that happened later that day is the phone started to get unusably hot. The whole back of it and the top corners and sides were too hot to even have in my hand. As such i put the phone down and stopped using it for a few hours.

When i started to use it again the screen while still at full brightness would flicker. First from being on to being black screen. Then also on a couple of occasions the screen flashed grey or green and with lots of different colours.

The phone was still usable but was still getting hot. Then in the evening the phone suddenly told me the sim was no longer recognised and "emergency calls only". It also says in the same right hand corner of the pull down menu, "technical problem". I pulled the sim out and tried in another phone it was unusable/dead. I put this down to my passport phone overheating and burning out the sim.

To top matters off the same evening the screen no longer worked properly and died. It wont come on when i slide up and the only way to get it to work for a bit is to lightly nudge the back and then the screen comes on. Of course only at full brightness. The screen will then soon start to blink and then go to black again. rendering any use over about 20 seconds useless.

So i now have a Blackberry Passport that no longer works. It fried the sim, the screen doesnt work and its too hot for constant use. I have no idea what to do next.

Yes i have deleted the android apps. Yes i have reset to factory settings.

I have a Seido hard case and have not dropped the phone. Nor have i got water on it. I also have taken the phone out of the case to see if perhaps the case was making it over heat. It heats up whether in the case or out of it.

Now i'm just pissed at this unreliable product which basically failed after 9 months.

I live in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean and the phone operators here do not stock Blackberry Passport so i have been unable to find anyone to fix it.

Any help or advice any one can offer, including who i might send it to in Florida, would be greatly appreciated

Hi from Vancouver Canada

Are you able to get the device to start again and then to go into the Application Monitor (Settings screen, App monitor) to see if there is any one thing using all the CPU power? I've had a couple of passports (Black, Red) and I have never run into your problem yet.

Also - do you have a standard boring OS release on it or do you have a hybrid (by hybrid I mean this radio with that os)?

On the front page of CrackBerry here there is a link to the latest OS available for all devices, today. Do you know how to use that to get your phone as updated as possible? (Most of the fixes were for annoying bugs and other stability issues).

Something is chewing your CPU. As you have already factory reset your phone you might as well trying to flash a new OS onto it and get current as well.

The same thing is happening to me! I don't even have any Android apps or any unofficial software. My software update came through Rogers.

This is driving me nuts. My eyes are watering as I type this.

Posted via CB10

Thanks for your reply.

I have done what you said. I have installed the latest update,

The phone still runs hot, the screen still flickers and doesn't always come on, and the brightness can not be turned down from maximum brightness.

The app monitor does not suggest the cpu is working overtime. The numbers i see run between 5% and 14%

I think something is wrong with the circuit board.

I got a new sim after the heat fried the other one and its working. however i cannot use the phone for over 15 mins without its getting crazy hot, too much so to leave in your hand.

If this happened suddenly, without any changes instigated by you, this is clearly a hardware problem.

See if BBVE sees anything wrong.

PassportSQW100-4/10.3.2.2639

Ps what is BBVE?

PPS, the phone has just knocked out a second sim.

Originally Posted by rumagin

Ps what is BBVE?

PPS, the phone has just knocked out a second sim.

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...ntent/27226887

Attachment 370853

Attachment 370854

Attachment 370855

Attachment 370856

 BlackBerry Passport on Telus Network

No problem i worked it out. running BBVE now

Did you try reloading the OS using BlackBerry link?

Furthermore, your phone must have another 3 months of warranty. Where did you buy it? Bring it back there and have them fix or replace it. Otherwise contact BlackBerry if you bought it unlocked.

Thats what im going to do. Im in Trinidad. I got it unlocked from Blackberry. Heading to Florida in two weeks so will deal with it there.

I tried the BBVE as aanother reply suggested and twice it just closed itself quite deep into the test. Not sure if that connected?

Bbve won't help if your entire phone is shot lol. Try to reload the OS through BlackBerry link, if that fails you have no other option than to get it replaced.

When you bought your phone, if it was bought direct from BlackBerry, look inside the box. You will find a 'card' with the BlackBerry tech support line. Get in touch with them, they will send you a replacement overnight.

Just to let anyone who is interested know, after all the problems i got onto Blackberry support. We spoke on the phone on 5 different occasions and it was very frustrating. They made me go through lots of steps i had already done like BBVE, reloading OS, remote accessing the phone and more.

Finally after i could hardly take it anymore, 5 calls spread over 2 weeks, they escalated my case to US support who told me it was clearly a hardware issue and they would replace my passport with a new one (they also offered to fix my old one instead, but i took the offer of the new one).

Im tracking the parcel now and it says i should get the new phone this evening.

So it seems a Passport can die on you. But at least im getting a new replacement. its been kinda interesting not having a phone. But time to get back into the matrix.

Thanks to anyone who offered me help in the beginning. It was greatly appreciated

Mines done that before gone really bright it came right and hasn't done anything since. You will notice when the screen goes super bright that your backlit keys won't work as in light up. Somthing to do with sensors. Mines fixed itself

Posted via CB10

It's nothing to cry over.

Posted via CB10

To me it feels like it's not regulating the voltage properly. Screen always bright, overheating, burning out two SIM cards.
That's my best guess anyways. Glad you have a new one coming.

Originally Posted by rumagin

So it seems a Passport can die on you.

Apparently, yes it can... but very rarely that it will die due to unknown reason... like human, it can be a 'natural death' or by 'accident'...

Originally Posted by rumagin

But at least im getting a new replacement.

Good for you... ;-)


Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by rumagin

Now i'm just pissed at this unreliable product which basically failed after 9 months.

I understand you are upset, but you realize this can happen to any phone, right?

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by igor10000

I understand you are upset, but you realize this can happen to any phone, right?

Posted via CB10

I'm not sure about that...
After owning probably 6 smartphones and 6 dummyphones over the years, the Passport was the first one I had to return due to hardware defect.

I really like my Passport, but the quality is kind of disappointing.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by yyz321

I'm not sure about that...
After owning probably 6 smartphones and 6 dummyphones over the years, the Passport was the first one I had to return due to hardware defect.

I really like my Passport, but the quality is kind of disappointing.

Posted via CB10

I'm very disappointed too!
I've got issues with 2 BB Passport SE.
After 9 months of very satisfying use, my "first" BB Passport SE could not fix any satellite anymore. GPS navigation is crucial for my job.
I had noticed it got sometimes extremely hot for instance.
So I brought it to a service center to have it fixed under guarantee and waited for almost 3 months (!) to get it back. When returned, the service center report stated no issues found on the device and a full reset performed. In addition it was returned with the battery completely drained so I could not test it immediately but once home I fully charged it, tested and the GPS was not working at all! Got back to the service center quite upset, showed them the issue and then waited for more than a month. They finally replaced it with a brand new one. After only 3 weeks, suddenly and with no reasons, the display got half black making the device almost unusable and it was getting rather hot too. I did a full reset with no results so I think it should be a major hardware problem! Again and on a brand new device! Now I'm forced once again to bring this one too to the service center and wait who knows how much time to get it repaired or replaced.
Well I've been a very happy BB user since a lot of time, FYI my first one was the 7500, and used at least 10 successive models or more provided by my company and bought as private too.
I sadly think it is now time to look somewhere else. :broken-heart:

Not only me to get problem of this device. I hope I can buy again. Hehe lol

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by tegar ramadhanu kariadinata

Not only me to get problem of this device. I hope I can buy again. Hehe lol

Posted via CB10

I can sell you mine when returned from servicing/replacing LOL

Originally Posted by Graziano Tirapelle

I can sell you mine when returned from servicing/replacing LOL

I don't sell... lol
my problem becaused of software. yesterday I upgraded it, and then I got it fine

 Passport Silver Edition SQW-100-4 / 10.3.3.2206