Google maps causes phone to hang and then reboot...

[Guest detellis]

Hi,

I recently bought an Orange SF2 for my dad and installed Fish 'n Chips R7 onto it for him. He mentioned to me recently that he wasn't able to use Google maps, and so I cleared the cache and app data but it still caused the phone to hang.

I performed a full wipe and reinstalled the ROM, but it still hangs a few seconds after opening the maps application. The GPS Test app seems to work fine, so I believe the GPS itself is ok.

Since then I have tried several ROMs listed as suitable for 'Daily Use' from the list I found on this forum (http://www.modaco.com/topic/353611-list-guides-roms-and-recoveries-updated-240113/), but Google Maps hangs on every one.

I've tried to search an answer, but haven't found anything so far. Hope someone can offer some advice.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Guest surfungus]

Hi,

I just tried it on my sf2 running CM7, seems to work fine. What roms did you try?

Good to see my list being used too!! :D

Cheers surf

[Guest detellis]

It's a great list, thanks for posting it and for your reply!

So far I have tried AndroIum, Dazzozos CM7 & CM9, Fisn 'n Chips RLS7 & RLS8, Sebastian404s debranded, and Flibblesans FLB2! In between these I have tried the usual factory reset/wipe cache/wipe dalvik, and I even threw in a format system for good measure, but it's always the same result. Google maps opens and may appear to work normally for 1-5 seconds before it locks up. During this period I can sometimes press the Menu key and get into the settings (where I have tried clearing the cache), but when I return to the map it will always hang.

I'm tempted to put the Orange stock firmware back onto the device and see if Google maps works then. If not then I guess it might have some kind of hardware fault and I could try to return it to Orange. Some of the posts in this thread have made me think it might be hardware related ---> http://www.modaco.com/topic/341091-zte-blade-constant-freezesreboots/

Putting the stock ROM back on should be easy enough, but I just had a quick look for the stock recovery and couldn't find any download links.......I'd be willing to try anything else you can suggest before I go for the last resort option....?

[Guest surfungus]

No worries! Seems you've tried a few roms then lol, you'd think one of those would work ok. If nobody else has any ideas then maybe go with your returning to stock plan..

If you search near the back of the forum there's a few threads about returning to stock.http://www.modaco.com/topic/356711-request-step-by-step-guide-on-returning-to-ftm-unlocking-and-flashing/ I believe you can flash a standard rom or try the ZTE tool, maybe someone could confirm this?

Good luck, surf

Edited May 9, 2013 by surfungus

[Guest dodgetimmy]

If you simply install one of the stock orange images it includes ftm so you'll revert back to stock recovery.

Not sure if Orange will notice it's been unlocked though.

As for the problem itself, have you tried underclocking the phone using an overclock app?

Also, does this hanging only happen when charging?

The only time I've had hanging or restarting of the phone is when:

1. The phones been charging whilst using gps and generates a LOT of heat.- is your phone running hot?

2. I've overclocked the phone to much- has this phone been overclocked before? -Perhaps that's what has damaged it?

Oh one other thing to bare in mind is some roms include a "GPS fix". Maybe that's causing you problems. I know stock and androlim don't have this, so maybe try with them.

And finally, the obvious, apart from a test app, do other GPS apps cause a problem? You could try downloading something like android speedometer to see if you can replicate the problem. Are you also updating Google maps to the latest version? Do the freezes occur with just maps or navigation too? Have you tried using a2sd gui to move dalvik cache to sd ext and free up more space on your device?

[Guest detellis]

I just tried underclocking the max CPU one notch down from 787 to 480, but it didn't help. It hangs whether the phone is charging or not, and whether I use WiFi or 3G. The phone does appear to get warm, but not as warm as some others I have used in the past. There seems to be plenty of space on the device so I haven't tried moving the dalvik cache. Both the version of Maps included on the ROM and the updated versions from Play behave in the same way.

I've never overclocked the phone deliberately in the past. The FNC R7 ROM has been on it since purchase so I don't know if maps has ever worked. GPS test apps seem to work ok, so I'm wondering if it's a GPU related issue...

The device now has the stock firmware, kernel and recovery installed, but maps still doesn't work. However Google maps no longer hangs (I can see the search bar and access the menu at any time), but the actual map area remains black at all times. Similarly when I use Navigation, the GPS locks on and I receive voice instructions, but the centre of the screen is just black. The borders surrounding the blank map area are showing the correct information.

Looks like I'll have to take a trip to the EE store this weekend, but I reckon I'm in for a hard time because everything else about the phone appears to work just fine. I'm just running some stability and benchmark apps to see if I can cause an issue elsewhere. The phone no longer has Clockwork recovery so I'm hoping they won't be able to tell in-store that I've been tampering.

I appreciate the help guys and I will post back here when I have some news, good or bad.

[Guest dodgetimmy]

That's a weird problem you have. Yes you may as well try and return it. Let us know how it goes and good luck!