Possible Hardware Fault / Software Bug

[Guest rct_uk]

Hi all, just picked up my shiny new SF yesterday but seem to have a problem with the illumination of the buttons. I'd imagine that this is in some way linked to the light sensor so that they are lit in low light conditions.

However I've found that even in complete darkness, they sometimes fail to light up at all. This occurs regardless of auto-brightness setting for the screen, hard reset etc. etc.

I'm using the stock ROM and haven't installed any extra apps as yet.

Could you please check whether yours does the same? I'd like to know if this is a software or hardware issue to decide whether to get it swapped.

Thanks in advance for your help :)

[Guest tgomas]

Mine seem to light up whenever I go into darkness, tried a few cycles. I am on stock rom as well.

Could you do me a favour in return and save me having to make another thread:

On the bottom of your phone, is the seam between the back cover and the phone completely tight? ie when you push the back cover towards the phone at the seam does it flex down a little bit or is it completely tight to the phones body?

Thanks

[Guest Simon O]

the hardware buttons only light up when the light level in the room or outside is very low. Basically darkness will trigger the light sensor to turn on the button lights. I'm currently sitting with the lights off and if I hold the phone next to my monitor and press the power button the hardware buttons don't light up. But if I turn the phone on under a table the sensor notices that there is very low light in the room and the hardware buttons light up. It's hardware that does this, not software. The auto brightness setting only allows the screen brightness to change depending on light levels in the room, not the buttons.

If your phone isn't lighting these up then you possibly have a faulty light sensor.

[Guest rct_uk]

Mine seem to light up whenever I go into darkness, tried a few cycles. I am on stock rom as well.

Could you do me a favour in return and save me having to make another thread:

On the bottom of your phone, is the seam between the back cover and the phone completely tight? ie when you push the back cover towards the phone at the seam does it flex down a little bit or is it completely tight to the phones body?

Thanks

Flexes almost imperceptibly on mine

[Guest rct_uk]

If your phone isn't lighting these up then you possibly have a faulty light sensor.

Thanks - looks like it's going back then :)

[Guest abbas_sheikh]

the hardware buttons only light up when the light level in the room or outside is very low. Basically darkness will trigger the light sensor to turn on the button lights. I'm currently sitting with the lights off and if I hold the phone next to my monitor and press the power button the hardware buttons don't light up. But if I turn the phone on under a table the sensor notices that there is very low light in the room and the hardware buttons light up. It's hardware that does this, not software. The auto brightness setting only allows the screen brightness to change depending on light levels in the room, not the buttons.

If your phone isn't lighting these up then you possibly have a faulty light sensor.

I can confirm mine works as flibblesan described.

[Guest feckineejit]

When i push the power button the screen lights up, then it takes a second or 2 after the screen is on for the menu etc lights to light up.

[Guest Simon O]

Thanks - looks like it's going back then :)

Do they not even light up after a couple of seconds?

[Guest rct_uk]

Do they not even light up after a couple of seconds?

Sometimes the behaviour is exactly as you'd expect it to be, other times they just don't light at all... I'm testing in a completely dark room.

[Guest Simon O]

Sometimes the behaviour is exactly as you'd expect it to be, other times they just don't light at all... I'm testing in a completely dark room.

Probably the light sensor then. Do you have any problems with the proximity sensor also? It should turn the screen off when you hold the phone to your ear.

[Guest harmohn]

I get this behavior on my SF too, however when in darkness, if I briefly shine a light at the sensor it resumes normal activity when the light source is removed. It seems when the phone wakes from lock it has issues.

Proximity sensor works fine though.

[Guest oh!dougal]

I get this behavior on my SF too, however when in darkness, if I briefly shine a light at the sensor it resumes normal activity when the light source is removed. It seems when the phone wakes from lock it has issues.

Proximity sensor works fine though.

To confirm -

My completely standard phone does not illuminate the buttons when it wakes up in the dark.

Works fine with changing light levels though.

Put it down to a "design oversight". (A standard "feature".)

Whether its hardware (sensor system reports change not absolute light level) or software (accept the level on wake up as being OK), it hardly matters -- its not a deal breaker.

To me the lack of (or subtlety of) tactile signposting (or illumination of) the power/wake button itself is more of a nuisance.

Finding the ruddy button in the dark to wake the thing is more of an issue than than illumination of the three buttons at the edge of the screen after its awake.

[Guest CHUMBLY]

Various sensor apps say proximity sensor is working but it does not. Also buttons illuminate when i turn off automatic brightness. Is there a software switch to activate/deactivate sensors?

[Guest harmohn]

To confirm -

My completely standard phone does not illuminate the buttons when it wakes up in the dark.

Works fine with changing light levels though.

Put it down to a "design oversight". (A standard "feature".)

Whether its hardware (sensor system reports change not absolute light level) or software (accept the level on wake up as being OK), it hardly matters -- its not a deal breaker.

To me the lack of (or subtlety of) tactile signposting (or illumination of) the power/wake button itself is more of a nuisance.

Finding the ruddy button in the dark to wake the thing is more of an issue than than illumination of the three buttons at the edge of the screen after its awake.

LOL yeah true.

I'm not in the least bothered by this - still an awesome little phone for the price :)

[Guest rct_uk]

Probably the light sensor then. Do you have any problems with the proximity sensor also? It should turn the screen off when you hold the phone to your ear.

Proximity sensor seems to work just fine. From a couple of the other posts it looks like the lights issue is not a one-off. This morning the phone is behaving impeccably in the dark! In any case Orange have agreed to replace it once they get stock.

Thanks all for your help.

[Guest rct_uk]

To confirm -

My completely standard phone does not illuminate the buttons when it wakes up in the dark.

Works fine with changing light levels though.

Put it down to a "design oversight". (A standard "feature".)

Whether its hardware (sensor system reports change not absolute light level) or software (accept the level on wake up as being OK), it hardly matters -- its not a deal breaker.

To me the lack of (or subtlety of) tactile signposting (or illumination of) the power/wake button itself is more of a nuisance.

Finding the ruddy button in the dark to wake the thing is more of an issue than than illumination of the three buttons at the edge of the screen after its awake.

An update - I picked up a replacement earlier today. Unfortunately it seems to exhibit the behaviour described above - so perhaps it's a "feature" indeed...