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Help Proximity Sensor

K

KBent

Member
I'm a little frustrated with this phone, I'm wondering if anyone has found a work around.

When on a call, the screen goes black until you move the phone away from your ear. Normally this would be good, but if you need to enter numbers on the keypad while on a call the screen keeps going black!

So I turned off the proximity sensor so that the screen stays on during calls. Works great if you need the keypad, but if you don't, the phone hits my cheek or something and starts doing things i don't want it to do.

So I'm damned if I do or damned if I don't. Anyone find a good solution?
 
funkylogik said:
Prox' sensor is up next to the front camera btw so make sure you dont have a hand close to that (like an inch or two)
Click to expand...

This drove me nuts until I figured that out a few months ago. What happens is quite simple. As you move your hand over the front of the phone to start pushing buttons, your hand or finger crosses in front of the sensor. Thinking it is your face, it shuts off. It will turn back on, but usually you're moving your hand again so it shuts off again. Endless loop.

Avoid putting your hand or fingers near the front camera.
 
Wait a minute.... I too have had the exact same problem with the screen blanking back off when I went to enter numbers on the keypad. Isn't the proximity sensor located at the top of the phone? I approach the phone from the bottom up when trying to enter numbers. After reading this, I just tried from all angles and it still goes off before a number can be entered. My only solution that works every time for me is to put the phone on speaker if I have to enter numbers.

I searched on this subject when I first got my phone about 2 months ago, other people have reported the same problem, but there has never been a solution posted. I honestly don't think that finger placement is the solution, if the sensor is at the top, then how come when the phone is in my left hand and I approach it with my right hand from the bottom, it still goes back off?
 
I've had this happen now and again. It's not anything to do with accidentally covering the sensor at the top of the phone, because like Ramer84015 I approach the screen from the bottom (doesn't everyone?).

However, I have a solution... be quicker!

Seriously, when this happens you just have to race and beat the screen-off process and touch the number you want before the screen blanks. You can do it - you just have to be quick. And once you've beaten it, the screen will stay on for subsequent screen presses, i.e. the problem goes away. :)

It does take a few failed jabs usually before you beat it. Basically unless we have to be quick we're pretty sluggish.
 
So, when the screens removed from your head, it has like a time-out period? But that period is maybe too short.
Its never happened to me tbh, i use the browser etc a lot when i get put in a queue on the phone. Wonder if display time-out setting has anythin to do with it? Im set at 2mins, whats the peoples with problems set at?
 
I've started playing around with it again since this subject came up again. One thing I've noticed, until you go to the keypad, the screen stays lit when you move it away from your face, but once you press the keypad, there is no rhyme or reason as to what makes the screen stay lit or go back off.

My only workaround has been to put it on speaker, then it stays lit. Maybe I need to go back to the lab and start working on that invisibility serum to make my hand disappear :smokingsomb:
 
Oh man i want an invisible hand too! :)

Thats weird though. I just tested it and it didnt happen. What if you press Home button instead of the keypad? Think thats what i usualy do..
 
My screen comes back on fine, but it tends to take what seems like forever, especially if you need to enter something to enable a menu. All I do is push the power button once, and the screen comes back on.
 
Sounds like hittin Home is best option when u wana do other stuff durin a call then eh?
Or power if screen goes off while u wana do something on dialer screen
 
funkylogik said:
Sounds like hittin Home is best option when u wana do other stuff durin a call then eh?
Or power if screen goes off while u wana do something on dialer screen
Click to expand...

Hitting the Home button just brings me to my Home screen. This has been problem has been reported quite a few times on GS3 forums, but as I mentioned before, only workarounds have been suggested. I suspect there was a batch of GS3's that have this problem as my local Sprint store hasn't heard of it either. When I first showed it to them, their reaction was that MA6/MB1 should fix it (not). I would bring it back, but I don't want to end up with a refurb.
 
I have a question for kbent, mcl981 and davoid. Are any of you rooted? If so, have you flashed a different rom?

The reason I ask, I want to get this solved. I chatted with Samsung tech support for about 30 minutes just now. They had me turn off the setting to "Auto turn off screen". I pretty much laughed to myself and explained that that won't fix the problem. They then had me do a soft reset. I did it, but I knew that wouldn't work as I've done it in the past. They then were going to have me clear the cache. (I've cleared the cache and davik cache about 6 times since I got the phone) At that point I said I was rooted and the support stopped. I don't blame them, it's policy. I know from my own experience that the problem occurred before I rooted, so I'm curious of the other 3 people are rooted or not before I call the Samsung tech support number they gave me.

I know many of you think it's user error on our part, but I know it's not. For those of us that have the problem, it's somehow related to the keypad and the proximity sensor. My sensor works as it's suppose to, until I press the Keypad button while on a call.
 
Just realized This problem is very similar to what happens to me when I try to acess my voicemail. After I dial voicemail the screen goes black as I am entering my code. I enter 1 or 2 numbers and it goes black.
 
Are you rooted or not?
Also, I'm wondering if it has anything to do with whether the phone is international or US? Mine is US.
 
Okay, this is getting freaky. I found a post blaming Smart Stay. I turned it off and it seems to fix the problem. Can anyone else try that and confirm?
 
Seriously? Why not keep the proximity sensor on. How often do you need to look at your phone when talking. And if you do need to look on your phone, just tap on the home button, do what you go to do, and then tap on phone to go back to the call. Much better than your cheek doing crazy things. I understand people wanting everything to be a certain way but sometimes you can't have both at the same time. 1st world problems, for real!
 
Droidunited said:
Seriously? Why not keep the proximity sensor on. How often do you need to look at your phone when talking. And if you do need to look on your phone, just tap on the home button, do what you go to do, and then tap on phone to go back to the call. Much better than your cheek doing crazy things. I understand people wanting everything to be a certain way but sometimes you can't have both at the same time. 1st world problems, for real!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Smart Stay toggle is in the Display settings, while "Auto Screen Off" (The Proximity sensor) is in the Phone App under call settings. Two separate settings, I would think most people don't want the screen lit while the phone is up to their ear.

Smart Stay is the little eye that checks if you are looking at the phone, I personally didn't get much use out of that anyway, as I wear glasses and it never seemed to work for me anyway.

But in the end, the problem with the screen going dark while in the keypad seems to be fixed for me.
 
The proximity sensor is at the top of the phone. I find that on my old HTC Desire Z, the dial pad is on the bottom half of the screen. The GS3's dial pad is towards the top half of the screen. When I try to use the dial pad, I sometimes accidentally cover up the proximity sensor. I think that Samsung should chang eth dial pad to be placed more towards the bottom of the screen and away from the proximity sensor to prevent the screen from accidentally blanking out when trying to use the dial pad.
 
Droidunited said:
Seriously? Why not keep the proximity sensor on. How often do you need to look at your phone when talking. And if you do need to look on your phone, just tap on the home button, do what you go to do, and then tap on phone to go back to the call. Much better than your cheek doing crazy things. I understand people wanting everything to be a certain way but sometimes you can't have both at the same time. 1st world problems, for real!
Click to expand...

What if youre on a call that asks you to select a number? That would be annoyin and they dont want crazy things, they want the phone to behave normaly, theres isnt :thumbup:
 
Droidunited said:
Seriously? Why not keep the proximity sensor on. How often do you need to look at your phone when talking. And if you do need to look on your phone, just tap on the home button, do what you go to do, and then tap on phone to go back to the call. Much better than your cheek doing crazy things. I understand people wanting everything to be a certain way but sometimes you can't have both at the same time. 1st world problems, for real!
Click to expand...
Personally, I like turning on the speaker. No need to keep it to your ear and it's always on!
 
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