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Help M9 digitizer is going wonky
- Thread starter AZgl1500
- Start date
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- htc one m9
I've had an M9 for about 15 months and have had virtually no problems with it although I do recall something similar to what you describe - some months ago the display started jumping haphazardly.
I'm quite sure it was just a glitch and not due to a bad app - it cleared after doing either a power off/reboot or a 'wipe cache partition', my usual first steps in dealing with such problems.
I'm quite sure it was just a glitch and not due to a bad app - it cleared after doing either a power off/reboot or a 'wipe cache partition', my usual first steps in dealing with such problems.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
We've been sidelined with her mom in the hospital, so have not talked about it much.
we have been texting quite a bit keeping each other updated on my wife's condition, so I have to assume that something cleared up.
she was unable to text when I inquired on this.
thanks for your response.
we have been texting quite a bit keeping each other updated on my wife's condition, so I have to assume that something cleared up.
she was unable to text when I inquired on this.
thanks for your response.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
the damn thing is not even paid for yet....
and it is a super piece of junk...
I hate the menu structure on it, don't like the pale screen color saturation....
Compared to my Samsung S5 and my Note 4, it is a disaster for ease of use.
Anyway, it belongs to my daughter, and the digitizer has gone wonky.....
push here, and it thinks you pushed 'over there'....
random apps just jump up at random times and get in her way.
I retired it last night, gave her my spare S5 which has been a solid work horse for 30 months now.
Question: is it worth getting it fixed?
have not called for costs yet, we have a very good place called "Cellphone Surgeon" near me...
you who enjoy the M9, would you get another one?
the only reason I bought it for her was the dual speakers which are much louder than my Samsungs, and they face forward, instead of on the back side. she watches a lot of videos while doing her office work.... more of a noise than actually watching it.... but still, she enjoys that part of it.
and it is a super piece of junk...
I hate the menu structure on it, don't like the pale screen color saturation....
Compared to my Samsung S5 and my Note 4, it is a disaster for ease of use.
Anyway, it belongs to my daughter, and the digitizer has gone wonky.....
push here, and it thinks you pushed 'over there'....
random apps just jump up at random times and get in her way.
I retired it last night, gave her my spare S5 which has been a solid work horse for 30 months now.
Question: is it worth getting it fixed?
have not called for costs yet, we have a very good place called "Cellphone Surgeon" near me...
you who enjoy the M9, would you get another one?
the only reason I bought it for her was the dual speakers which are much louder than my Samsungs, and they face forward, instead of on the back side. she watches a lot of videos while doing her office work.... more of a noise than actually watching it.... but still, she enjoys that part of it.
Merged your similar threads into one 
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
even with the power of "two threads" the phone is still a piece of junk.
I just checked and it is two months in warranty, called Verizon and got the install date....
they gave me the HTC warranty phone number, and it is up to the factory to deal with it.
checked pricing on them, and it is almost worth $250 for a $700 phone?
Verizon told me it is an extinct product, and has been off their sales product list almost since the month I bought it.
very unhappy with the HTC product.
and no responses at all.... it is a dead piece of junk, IMO.
I just checked and it is two months in warranty, called Verizon and got the install date....
they gave me the HTC warranty phone number, and it is up to the factory to deal with it.
checked pricing on them, and it is almost worth $250 for a $700 phone?
Verizon told me it is an extinct product, and has been off their sales product list almost since the month I bought it.
very unhappy with the HTC product.
and no responses at all.... it is a dead piece of junk, IMO.
The menu structure of the M9 is more like vanilla Android than the Samsungs. I personally find it easier than my Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), but I'm sure that this is simply because it's more familiar to me (years of using AOSP ROMs before my M7, which is currently running a port of the M9 Lollipop ROM) and so it's harder for me to find settings on the Samsung.
(Incidentally my M7 is currently 40 months old, still working fine).
My daughter's M9 recently had an accident which necessitated replacement. I offered her her choice of current handsets, but she said that she'd rather just have another M9. Since it's ex-production I had to hunt a little to find a new one rather than second hand, but she's happy to have it back.
I don't understand your warranty problem though: surely if a device is under warranty and the problem is not due to damage then it's up to them to just fix it? I'm aware that you get worse warranty terms in the US than in Europe (e.g. 1 year rather than 2), but surely there shouldn't be charges as well.
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AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
The warranty here in the USA is a 2 stage affair IF you bought the phone thru the carrier, which I did on my daughter's phone..... but, the carrier asks for "Insurance money" each month, and that is not a small fee....
I have always figured it is cheaper to find a used replacement, than to waste money on insurance premiums.
in this case, I will fall back on the Manufacturer's 1 year warranty.
I was going to get that done today, but my wife's health issues took precedence...
( she is end stage in life, lots of things for our family to deal with )
Diabetes, one leg amputation 6 years ago, now an infection on the remaining foot, and the meds to control that infection are killing her, literally. it is a guess as to which is going to win, the meds, or the infection.
as a help, she was put on 'temporary dialysis' 2 days ago, every other day to encourage the kidneys to start taking over again..... but that darn antibiotic is a strong mother, Meropenem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meropenem
not asking for sympathy, it is just life...
From dust to ashes, to dust again.
I have always figured it is cheaper to find a used replacement, than to waste money on insurance premiums.
in this case, I will fall back on the Manufacturer's 1 year warranty.
I was going to get that done today, but my wife's health issues took precedence...
( she is end stage in life, lots of things for our family to deal with )
Diabetes, one leg amputation 6 years ago, now an infection on the remaining foot, and the meds to control that infection are killing her, literally. it is a guess as to which is going to win, the meds, or the infection.
as a help, she was put on 'temporary dialysis' 2 days ago, every other day to encourage the kidneys to start taking over again..... but that darn antibiotic is a strong mother, Meropenem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meropenem
not asking for sympathy, it is just life...
From dust to ashes, to dust again.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
I asked my daughter about the M9, after we get it replaced.
the current used value is $250 USA, and she said, that although it is a great video device and has great speakers, that is too much money to just have it as a toy laying around the house.
so, when the replacement comes in, we will sell it....
she has converted over to my old Samsung S5 in a heartbeat.
some of the features on it, for her, are a lot better than the M9.
She is still learning the 'different Settings menu structure' which you already mentioned.
I have been with Samsung for years, and I find all other menus very confusing... takes me forever to figure out where things are
TouchWiz? don't even know it is there, been using Nova Prime for years also.
the current used value is $250 USA, and she said, that although it is a great video device and has great speakers, that is too much money to just have it as a toy laying around the house.
so, when the replacement comes in, we will sell it....
she has converted over to my old Samsung S5 in a heartbeat.
some of the features on it, for her, are a lot better than the M9.
She is still learning the 'different Settings menu structure' which you already mentioned.
I have been with Samsung for years, and I find all other menus very confusing... takes me forever to figure out where things are
TouchWiz? don't even know it is there, been using Nova Prime for years also.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
did the old M9 survive enough to copy it to the new one?
like using Samsung Smart Switch?
I thought it super neat, that Smart Switch will read the M9 and move it to the S5.
I know it's of little help to you but to answer your question honestly it has be "If the M9 were still available then yes I would"
As I posted earlier on I have had very very few problems with my M9. Those that I have had I take as acceptable 'glitches' resolved by a combination of restart/wipe cache partition.
I've had HTC devices for a number of years now starting with the TYTN in about 2007 followed by the TYTNii (both secondhand from ebay), then my first Android, the Desire S in 2011, followed by the M7 in 2013 and the M9 in 2015 (all new on contract with Orange/EE).
The M7 was taken over by my wife and is in daily use and performing well.
I had no reservations at all about going from M7 to M9, and have no regrets in having done so.
I do try to take great care of my devices in both physical handling and the downloading of apps/data to ensure they maintain their integrity as far as possible.
I guess it's all down to a combination of personal choice, brand loyalty and the ever present luck/bad luck of the draw in ending up with a good/bad apple from the barrel.
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AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
My daughter just throws her phones into her purse, I suppose there are car keys there that could have dimpled the surface.
but, last night, she told me that when it is "cold", ie, has not been used in a while, that it works okay.
that it don't act up until it gets warm, and then it has to be "on charge" to make it go 'wonky'...
she seems to be adapting to my old S5 okay, says it is not worth going back to the M9 "just because",
will wait and see how it plays out if HTC will repair/replace it.
I just personally, have never used any brand but Samsung, so naturally am more comfortable with their menu structures.
an interesting side note on Menu Structure...
My old faithful Samsung Note 4 died when I left it on the truck dashboard in full sun.
@The_Chief had one that is rooted and wanted to move it on, I now have that one.....
the custom ROM Settings/Menu structure in it is different than the stock one, and lacks some features of the OEM menu that I really liked. ie, in the stock menu, you could place your favorite "hot buttons" at the top of the menu.....
on the custom ROM, that feature is totally missing.... sigh, but the 'rooted aspect' over rides the lack of that feature.
Just yesterday, a friend was showing me his new bottom drawer, new Samsung J(x) phone, his very first smart phone.... it was only $160 retail at the AT&T store..... I was showing him how to get around in the menu, and oh wow, did Samsung ever shake things up with that little phone.... none of the really gee whiz features are in it from the S5, just a bare, stripped down, barely usable Menu
but, last night, she told me that when it is "cold", ie, has not been used in a while, that it works okay.
that it don't act up until it gets warm, and then it has to be "on charge" to make it go 'wonky'...
she seems to be adapting to my old S5 okay, says it is not worth going back to the M9 "just because",
will wait and see how it plays out if HTC will repair/replace it.
I just personally, have never used any brand but Samsung, so naturally am more comfortable with their menu structures.
an interesting side note on Menu Structure...
My old faithful Samsung Note 4 died when I left it on the truck dashboard in full sun.
@The_Chief had one that is rooted and wanted to move it on, I now have that one.....
the custom ROM Settings/Menu structure in it is different than the stock one, and lacks some features of the OEM menu that I really liked. ie, in the stock menu, you could place your favorite "hot buttons" at the top of the menu.....
on the custom ROM, that feature is totally missing.... sigh, but the 'rooted aspect' over rides the lack of that feature.
Just yesterday, a friend was showing me his new bottom drawer, new Samsung J(x) phone, his very first smart phone.... it was only $160 retail at the AT&T store..... I was showing him how to get around in the menu, and oh wow, did Samsung ever shake things up with that little phone.... none of the really gee whiz features are in it from the S5, just a bare, stripped down, barely usable Menu
Yeah, I like those apps: much less hassle than faffing with backup apps and copying data, and much less expertise needed. HTC have something similar for a few years as well (that also works cross-brand).
Activating that was one of my recovery plans. However, by the time I'd managed to get into the device sufficiently to use that option she was already using the new phone, so we've not done that so far (in part because I'm not 100% sure it won't overwrite anything, in part because she's already popped off on a hiking expedition and I'm not fiddling with the new phone in her absence). I've copied everything she cares about to a hard drive, and she can reinstall it as she likes.
The problem I had was that both screen and digitizer were dead (and of course it was in charge only USB mode, USB debugging was off and the device was unrooted - all of the ways I'd have accessed data on my own device were unavailable!). I had to get an extra MHL adapter to be able to see the screen, because the one I had was for my Note and uses an 11-pin USB connector. Then I had to unlock it blind using a keyboard and OTG connector (frustrating, but possible with a bit of practice) and pair it with a BT keyboard I borrowed (which was fun because I had to use a USB mouse for some steps - using a mouse blind is a bit hit and miss!). Once I had the keyboard paired the rest was simple.
She's off to university in a few weeks. I'm going to use the remaining time to try to teach her to set up a proper backup regime...
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
OTHER THAT, no problemo, righto!!!
part of our 'south of the border dialect' around here
sounds like by the time she gets back, it will all be manicured pretty much like she wants it anyway.
My experience with using Smart Switch to copy stuff over to an existing setup on the S5, turned into a fiasco,
Merged her Contacts with my contacts.. and then we each started deleting "the other contacts"
but it was a huge learning experience, and now I know how to circumvent doing an FDR if I have a working phone, and all I want to do it put a different SIM in it on her account.
Unsync, and delete that phone from your own Google Account, then log out of Google account, add her Google Account, and presto! done...
Wish I had known that 8 or 10 years ago, back when I did not have any tools available to help us.
but, no one in those days knew of any way around the famous FDR that the carrier reps always suggest.
to the Script Readers, there is only one way out, and it is the one that produces a phone that will Precisely immulate their Script..... natcherly... FDR is the only thing that will do that.....
part of our 'south of the border dialect' around here
sounds like by the time she gets back, it will all be manicured pretty much like she wants it anyway.
My experience with using Smart Switch to copy stuff over to an existing setup on the S5, turned into a fiasco,
Merged her Contacts with my contacts.. and then we each started deleting "the other contacts"
but it was a huge learning experience, and now I know how to circumvent doing an FDR if I have a working phone, and all I want to do it put a different SIM in it on her account.
Unsync, and delete that phone from your own Google Account, then log out of Google account, add her Google Account, and presto! done...
Wish I had known that 8 or 10 years ago, back when I did not have any tools available to help us.
but, no one in those days knew of any way around the famous FDR that the carrier reps always suggest.
to the Script Readers, there is only one way out, and it is the one that produces a phone that will Precisely immulate their Script..... natcherly... FDR is the only thing that will do that.....
PyroSporker
Android Expert
I almost mentioned this a week ago. Cheap and 3rd party chargers have been mysteriously messing around with digitizers for years. It can cause "ghost touches" and the cursor can move all over the place all by itself.
A really hard drop can also cause the digitizer to begin to get all wonky. As well as residual moisture/water damage.
Once you get all her data off the M9, I'd recommend a Full Data Reset and the device will probably go back to working fairly well again (unless there really is a serious hardware damage). Also replace her charger and cable with the original equipment.
A good test would be running the wiped phone in safe mode and then executing the diagnostic line drawing test, to put the digitizer through its paces. You can even plug in to the chargers during the line tests to compare chargers and see if the wonkiness is repeatable.
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AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
a wrap up.
finally got a hold of HTC customer service, and they had me go thru some weird menu commands....
but the phone is working again and appears to be normal now.
One thing they did mention, was that it has to have 6.x installed to totally fix the digitizer random problem. they also did the Cache Partition clear, "redundant" buy hey, I was following their lead.
they only had me do one instruction I did not know about, but that must have been a 'good one'...
now the really interesting part "for me"....
I had switched my daughter over to my spare backup Samsung S5, and she won't go back to the HTC One M9.... says she likes the S5 much better....
the M9 is now just a Kindle ebook reader, video viewer, camera, and Facebook machine for her online business that she runs. the stereo speakers are nice for that....
so, IMO, it is still a Win Win deal.... the HTC is working again, it is a backup, and all of her important stuff is now on the S5 which has an external battery, and an extSDcard.... both of which are lacking on the M9.
.
finally got a hold of HTC customer service, and they had me go thru some weird menu commands....
but the phone is working again and appears to be normal now.
One thing they did mention, was that it has to have 6.x installed to totally fix the digitizer random problem. they also did the Cache Partition clear, "redundant" buy hey, I was following their lead.
they only had me do one instruction I did not know about, but that must have been a 'good one'...
now the really interesting part "for me"....
I had switched my daughter over to my spare backup Samsung S5, and she won't go back to the HTC One M9.... says she likes the S5 much better....
the M9 is now just a Kindle ebook reader, video viewer, camera, and Facebook machine for her online business that she runs. the stereo speakers are nice for that....
so, IMO, it is still a Win Win deal.... the HTC is working again, it is a backup, and all of her important stuff is now on the S5 which has an external battery, and an extSDcard.... both of which are lacking on the M9.
.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
well crap.....
here I am saying it is fixed... bull corn.
I just closed out the forum and open up my email, and found a note from my daughter saying she can hold her finger in one place, and it just jumps all over, and plays songs she did not want.
so, the M9 is a piece of crap.... I am going to force HTC to replace it.
here I am saying it is fixed... bull corn.
I just closed out the forum and open up my email, and found a note from my daughter saying she can hold her finger in one place, and it just jumps all over, and plays songs she did not want.
so, the M9 is a piece of crap.... I am going to force HTC to replace it.