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Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
Well, not sure if this is a "black screen of death" issue or not, but yesterday my phone started turning off by itself.

Took me a while to figure out, but it only happened when it went into sleep mode, meaning I could turn it on and use it for however long I wanted, but as soon as I set it down and the screen timed out, it would be off, and I would have to turn it on again.

Sucked it happened while I was on the road, so had to pop my sim out and use on my iPhone for the remainder of the day so I would lose any calls from clients, which then ment i missed out on some messages my family sent me.

I did 2 factory resets and it would work fine at first, then it would start to do the same thing over again.

So today I did an exchange and setting up my new one now, appears to be working perfectly, but so was my previous S9 until yesterday. Hopefully nothing happens still loving this phone, but if it happens again and I'm still in my return window it will be going back.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
I honestly can't understand this undying devotion to imessage as well. There are so many other messaging apps that have a much bigger user base, and on top of that, they're cross platform. Whatsapp and messenger alone would have you covered for almost anyone. Are people so closed in their Apple bubble that they refuse to use anything else to message anyone without an iPhone? I myself am open to using any messaging app as my list of contacts grows. Currently I'm using whatsapp, messenger, Telegram, Allo, BBM, and Signal (from the original developers of Whatsapp.) When you have a communication device, you use it to its potential to communicate.

Why would you recommend anyone throw their information at Facebook? And, it looks like you have to have 6 messaging apps. That’s definitely too many.
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Well, not sure if this is a "black screen of death" issue or not, but yesterday my phone started turning off by itself.

Took me a while to figure out, but it only happened when it went into sleep mode, meaning I could turn it on and use it for however long I wanted, but as soon as I set it down and the screen timed out, it would be off, and I would have to turn it on again.

Sucked it happened while I was on the road, so had to pop my sim out and use on my iPhone for the remainder of the day so I would lose any calls from clients, which then ment i missed out on some messages my family sent me.

I did 2 factory resets and it would work fine at first, then it would start to do the same thing over again.

So today I did an exchange and setting up my new one now, appears to be working perfectly, but so was my previous S9 until yesterday. Hopefully nothing happens still loving this phone, but if it happens again and I'm still in my return window it will be going back.
I have a Samsung Clear Cover case on. It works sort of like the iPad covers do. Meaning it wakes the phone up to the lock screen when you open the cover. And it displays a simplified AOD through the cover at all times. I have a custom AOD screen but don’t get to see it much because the cover only uses the Samsung default.

So I’m not sure I’ll see this issue even if my phone could be afflicted with it.

Very disturbing news if this is some sort of widespread problem. I hope not. Thanks for letting us know about it. Good luck with the replacement.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Well I’m boxing up my Gear Fit Pro 2 for a return. For one thing it dropped in price to $149 almost immediately after I bought it. I do have to pay $6.49 to return it. Another is that it’s too big and bulky to wear as a fitness band in addition to wearing an Apple Watch. And wearing it on its own was making my wrist a little itchy. I didn’t know if that was going to get worse down the line but adding everything together I decided to send it back.

I will miss the great sleep and step tracking. I also liked the display. Notifications worked well, too. Not quite as well as on the Apple Watch where you can flick your wrist to see them (assuming you can wake the Apple Watch display at all. It does not always respond well to a wrist flick). But I did get good notifications with sufficient details for my purposes.

But another thing happened today and that just solidified my decision. We live anywhere between 25 minutes to 45-60 (60 under extreme disturbances) minutes away from school. This wide variance depends on traffic and traffic around here is insane, even with so much open countryside. Because most of our residents work in one of several important cities and “tech corridors”. With a generous supply of lucrative relatively stable jobs we have an ever increasing population density. But there must be some sort of corruption or waste or something going on because we have terribly messy infrastructure.

So there will never be good traffic around here no matter how many horses and cows and chickens I see around on the way to school. We have all that rural beauty but if you go fifteen minutes in a particular direction or try to utilize the school in your district you have to worry about gang violence, so really we don’t escape city problems all that much.

The roads and power line issues around here are a mess so I ended up detoured so many times down roads I don’t normally travel and barely knew existed. There are some tricky lane changes and any help preparing for sudden unexpected but needed turns is appreciated. A 20 minute trip turned into 45 minutes today.

So I fired up Apple Maps, which is the best option where I live because Apple vans mapped the crap out of it. Every crazy backwoods road that looks straight out of the movie “Deliverance” is mapped out.

The Apple Watch thumps my wrist well in advance so I can prepare to make the turns I need. You do need some prep because you always have to deal with several confused drivers converging onto the same turn lane at the last minute. I was on some backwoods roads clogged with traffic like New York City. I got stuck at one intersection in a deep stack of cars and there were horses watching us in a field by the road. It was surreal.

It’s not like living up in Amish country like when I would visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. That’s REAL country. I don’t know what this shnizzle is that I live in.

If I am going to totally go all in with an Android phone I do want a wearable that can help guide me through all this crazy damn traffic I live with. I also have to determine if my Android phone can itself be the best option for this particular need. I was crushed for time and under too much stress to try and experiment today with my S9+ running alongside my iPhone.

So I have a lot more examination of options to do and stuff to figure out. But for now I decided I can’t settle down with a $200 fitness band. Especially when it’s so chunky.
 

co.ag.2005

macrumors 68020
Jun 17, 2009
2,365
1,810
Fort Worth, TX
Stuff like the last few posts make me want to stay with Apple. As much as I’m annoyed by Apple and don’t really LOVE the company.

yeah, apple support is unrivaled. My father in law is in town and his iPhone 5s (that I purchased for him in mint condition a few years ago on Swappa) started having the screen lift out of the chassis due to a swelling battery. We took it to my local Apple store and since they don't replace batteries on the 5s, they gave him a refurbished one (brand new essentially) for the out of warranty battery replacement cost of $79 (plus tax). So a 4.5 year old phone that I bought 2nd hand off Swappa and Apple still replaces it with a practically brand new phone for $85. Most OEMs wouldn't even dare help you if you bought the phone 2nd hand and especially not a 4.5 year old phone.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
yeah, apple support is unrivaled. My father in law is in town and his iPhone 5s (that I purchased for him in mint condition a few years ago on Swappa) started having the screen lift out of the chassis due to a swelling battery. We took it to my local Apple store and since they don't replace batteries on the 5s, they gave him a refurbished one (brand new essentially) for the out of warranty battery replacement cost of $79 (plus tax). So a 4.5 year old phone that I bought 2nd hand off Swappa and Apple still replaces it with a practically brand new phone for $85. Most OEMs wouldn't even dare help you if you bought the phone 2nd hand and especially not a 4.5 year old phone.
Oh my goodness that is exactly was happened to my mother-in-law’s 5s last week. But we were heading out of town with her so all we could do was leave it with the administrators of the seniors complex for safe disposal. We gave them my daughter’s SE and I gave her MY SE when we got home.

Must have been time for the 5s batteries to self destruct and make life interesting for the elders.
[doublepost=1523459048][/doublepost]Oh I still haven’t reset my S9+ to try and get that odd Photo Editor Pro app off of it. The kids have research projects due and we got into helping them out with that and just haven’t had a chance to troubleshoot phones. I’m using my iPhone more until I can get to the bottom of that and make sure I didn’t somehow get some weird malware stuck on my phone. I sincerely doubt it but it’s weird how it’s there but can’t be found and uninstalled.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
16,079
19,070
US
yeah, apple support is unrivaled. My father in law is in town and his iPhone 5s (that I purchased for him in mint condition a few years ago on Swappa) started having the screen lift out of the chassis due to a swelling battery. We took it to my local Apple store and since they don't replace batteries on the 5s, they gave him a refurbished one (brand new essentially) for the out of warranty battery replacement cost of $79 (plus tax). So a 4.5 year old phone that I bought 2nd hand off Swappa and Apple still replaces it with a practically brand new phone for $85. Most OEMs wouldn't even dare help you if you bought the phone 2nd hand and especially not a 4.5 year old phone.
I have had similar experiences with Apple customer support. They are on the top of the heap in my book.
They do have some discretion at the store level as well. It always pays to be friendly and courteous when asking for help too :)

Don't always agree with some of the corporate decisions...but love their customer support!
 
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co.ag.2005

macrumors 68020
Jun 17, 2009
2,365
1,810
Fort Worth, TX
I have had similar experiences with Apple customer support. They are on the top of the heap in my book.
They do have some discretion at the store level as well. It always pays to be friendly and courteous when asking for help too :)

Don't always agree with some of the corporate decisions...but love their customer support!

Agreed! I've had them fix things they really weren't supposed to but did anyway, definitely helps to be courteous and engaging in conversation.
 
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nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
Stuff like the last few posts make me want to stay with Apple. As much as I’m annoyed by Apple and don’t really LOVE the company.

Leaving Apple could be the best thing you can do.

Apple: Here's Animojis!

Samsung: We have DeX.

If you want software and hardware harmony, go Pixel 2/2XL.
[doublepost=1523460797][/doublepost]Samsung is including DeX devices free with S9/S9+ purchases in the US. It's going until the end of the month.
 

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,513
4,754
Land of Smiles
yeah, apple support is unrivaled. My father in law is in town and his iPhone 5s (that I purchased for him in mint condition a few years ago on Swappa) started having the screen lift out of the chassis due to a swelling battery. We took it to my local Apple store and since they don't replace batteries on the 5s, they gave him a refurbished one (brand new essentially) for the out of warranty battery replacement cost of $79 (plus tax). So a 4.5 year old phone that I bought 2nd hand off Swappa and Apple still replaces it with a practically brand new phone for $85. Most OEMs wouldn't even dare help you if you bought the phone 2nd hand and especially not a 4.5 year old phone.
Whilst I am pleased you have a result and a happy farther in-law lets not get too excited. They sold you a phone that's worth $55 for $85 and made you a happy customer and expect a future return, very clever, but never the less your problem solved and they shifted some old refurb. A Win Win for both :D

https://www.apple.com/iphone/trade-up/
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
Whilst I am pleased you have a result and a happy farther in-law lets not get too excited. They sold you a phone that's worth $55 for $85 and made you a happy customer and expect a future return, very clever, but never the less your problem solved and they shifted some old refurb. A Win Win for both :D

https://www.apple.com/iphone/trade-up/

I am surprised they can even crack out a 5S to sell to a customer. That phone is so archaic lol. At its release time, it was very powerful device. Now, it's just a whatever device. A lot of Android OEMs would need litigation compelling them to provide post-purchase support. LG is about to cough up checks or $700 credits to people who won an arbitration case against them.

Google is the best you can get from Android because you can get them to ship phones to you with free advanced exchanges.
 

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,513
4,754
Land of Smiles
I am surprised they can even crack out a 5S to sell to a customer. That phone is so archaic lol. At its release time, it was very powerful device. Now, it's just a whatever device. A lot of Android OEMs would need litigation compelling them to provide post-purchase support. LG is about to cough up checks or $700 credits to people who won an arbitration case against them.

Google is the best you can get from Android because you can get them to ship phones to you with free advanced exchanges.
:)

I do not think this was post service support just a sale of an old refurb, that suited :)

I have fortunately only once ever tried to use Apple support. Unlike the lucky US customers the City/Capital I lived in only had 2 authorized retailers at the time.

I took it to the nearest one at lunch time ( A 4 year old MBA which had a logic board issue and almost reasonable given its age), 1st question was did you buy it from us, which was a no ,so it was a sorry you have to take it to where you bought it (which was over 7000 miles away).

After insisting that they should help, as it was likely I would be purchasing more devices and knowing full well a new Logic Board from Apple would cost more that the MBA was worth. They reluctantly sent it off to be checked.

Yep needed a new board and was not cost effective to repair but it cost me $25 for the repair estimate

The only good news was after that the Guy and I got on well and I did buy several Iphones
 
Last edited:

Wildo6882

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2015
522
561
Illinois
Leaving Apple could be the best thing you can do.

Apple: Here's Animojis!

Samsung: We have DeX.

If you want software and hardware harmony, go Pixel 2/2XL.
[doublepost=1523460797][/doublepost]Samsung is including DeX devices free with S9/S9+ purchases in the US. It's going until the end of the month.

Dex I will never use, just like I won't use Animojis. My main issue is reliability. I know Apple isn't perfect. Heck, I don't really even like them as a company. But they back up their products. Samsung is a pain to deal with in the US. And Google is bordering on Apple's support, but I still have issues with their phones. Bluetooth issues, screen responsiveness issues, etc. Not sure if I give them the same trust I tend to give to Apple.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
:)

I do not think this was post service support just a sale of an old refurb, that suited :)

I have fortunately only once ever tried to use Apple support. Unlike the lucky US customers the City/Capital I lived in only had 2 authorized retailers at the time.

I took it to the nearest one at lunch time ( A 4 year old MBA which had a logic board issue and almost reasonable given its age), 1st question was did you buy it from us, which was a no ,so it was a sorry you have to take it to where you bought it (which was over 7000 miles away).

After insisting that they should help, as it was likely I would be purchasing more devices and knowing full well a new Logic Board from Apple would cost more that the MBA was worth. They reluctantly sent it off to be checked.

Yep needed a new board and was not cost effective to repair but it cost me $25 for the repair estimate

The only good news was after that the Guy and I got on well and I did buy several Iphones

That's strange because Apple seems to allow warranty coverage to work across borders for many localities. I have a feeling that once my warranty is up, my MBP will slowly wither away and age.

In that case, I will go to Windows for a more cost-effective product because a 2nd Mac will be cost-prohibitive.
[doublepost=1523465550][/doublepost]
Dex I will never use, just like I won't use Animojis. My main issue is reliability. I know Apple isn't perfect. Heck, I don't really even like them as a company. But they back up their products. Samsung is a pain to deal with in the US. And Google is bordering on Apple's support, but I still have issues with their phones. Bluetooth issues, screen responsiveness issues, etc. Not sure if I give them the same trust I tend to give to Apple.

Take a chance with ZTE then. I heard the Axon 7 had accidental damage included into their warranties. They might be willing to give you more support as a means to carve out a market share in the States. Gotta make compromises. Once I get my S9+ issue resolved, I am going to live with the repair situation with warranty support because UBreakIFix is available nationwide. I love my S9+ otherwise when the screen functions. I am not going back to Apple anytime soon if I can help it.

Their products are overpriced, limited w/ accessories (HomePod to get the most out of a AI Assistant), requires HomeKit support for IoT to fully function, requires CarPlay, a reliance on iTunes to get saved MP3s onto a device or change ringtones, buggy outdated software.

If paternalism were an OS, iOS would be the choice because Apple tells you what may do with your device. I don't want that.
 

Wildo6882

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2015
522
561
Illinois
Take a chance with ZTE then. I heard the Axon 7 had accidental damage included into their warranties. They might be willing to give you more support as a means to carve out a market share in the States. Gotta make compromises. Once I get my S9+ issue resolved, I am going to live with the repair situation with warranty support because UBreakIFix is available nationwide. I love my S9+ otherwise when the screen functions. I am not going back to Apple anytime soon if I can help it.

Their products are overpriced, limited w/ accessories (HomePod to get the most out of a AI Assistant), requires HomeKit support for IoT to fully function, requires CarPlay, a reliance on iTunes to get saved MP3s onto a device or change ringtones, buggy outdated software.

If paternalism were an OS, iOS would be the choice because Apple tells you what may do with your device. I don't want that.

ZTE has absolutely NOTHING that I would want to buy. Plus their service would still require me to send a phone to god knows where in China. UBreakIFix isn't located anywhere near me, so it would require me to drive 2.5+ hours just to get a phone fixed. No. Thank. You.

I do agree that Apple is incredibly overpriced, but really, what isn't these days? Not saying it's OK, but an 8 Plus is priced similarly to a Pixel 2 XL. And in fact, I just got a brand new 8 Plus 256gb from Best Buy for less than I can get a Pixel 2 XL. I also tend to use all Google products, and don't rely on Apple's services. A HomePod is a big fat no for me. I have multiple Google Homes and use those frequently and have a Google Play Music subscription that I love. If I stay with Apple, I get the fun stuff from them, my Google apps, and support that I want. I don't get customization, which sucks, but I'll live without it for the peace of mind.
 
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nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
ZTE has absolutely NOTHING that I would want to buy. Plus their service would still require me to send a phone to god knows where in China. UBreakIFix isn't located anywhere near me, so it would require me to drive 2.5+ hours just to get a phone fixed. No. Thank. You.

I do agree that Apple is incredibly overpriced, but really, what isn't these days? Not saying it's OK, but an 8 Plus is priced similarly to a Pixel 2 XL. And in fact, I just got a brand new 8 Plus 256gb from Best Buy for less than I can get a Pixel 2 XL. I also tend to use all Google products, and don't rely on Apple's services. A HomePod is a big fat no for me. I have multiple Google Homes and use those frequently and have a Google Play Music subscription that I love. If I stay with Apple, I get the fun stuff from them, my Google apps, and support that I want. I don't get customization, which sucks, but I'll live without it for the peace of mind.

Well, ZTE's Axon 9 isn't even out yet. Not sure where exactly their repair center is, but I saw Samsung and HTC use Texas based return centers.

I am sure if you search the market, there is something that can offer comfort with Android. The Pixel 2 is a relatively safer choice because you get two year warranties and advanced exchanges for any troubles you get.
 
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Wildo6882

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2015
522
561
Illinois
Well, ZTE's Axon 9 isn't even out yet. Not sure where exactly their repair center is, but I saw Samsung and HTC use Texas based return centers.

I am sure if you search the market, there is something that can offer comfort with Android. The Pixel 2 is a relatively safer choice because you get two year warranties and advanced exchanges for any troubles you get.

Yeah, not really looking into ZTE at all. I have searched the market and there are quite a few phones that I like. I like the U11, I like the OP5T, I like the Pixels. But they're all missing something I really like. Plus, you can't get a OP5T from OnePlus anymore and I don't know when they're actually going to release their 6. I also don't want to get a U11 with the 12 on the way. The Pixels I just don't like the way they look and they're missing wireless charging which I've grown very accustomed to. But I like stock Android.
 

jamesrick80

macrumors 68030
Sep 12, 2014
2,665
2,218
Hmm thought I wouldn't give up my Note 8 but I did for the Galaxy S9 Plus in Lilac.......this thing is a true Beast!!! Forget the critics.......greatest phone available currently. And for those who use the S Pen, its a nice feature but I have one with my Galaxy Book which has better use cases for it. You never know, I may upgrade again when the Note 9 arrives if it has much more to offer such as 8 gb ram, 3D Face detection, and all of the other Samsung biometric features (no need to upgrade to my next Samsung device unless its either the foldable phone or the features I requested above).
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
Yeah, not really looking into ZTE at all. I have searched the market and there are quite a few phones that I like. I like the U11, I like the OP5T, I like the Pixels. But they're all missing something I really like. Plus, you can't get a OP5T from OnePlus anymore and I don't know when they're actually going to release their 6. I also don't want to get a U11 with the 12 on the way. The Pixels I just don't like the way they look and they're missing wireless charging which I've grown very accustomed to. But I like stock Android.

May have to go Motorola Z3, HTC U12+, Sony Xperia XZ2 if you want clean Android software. OnePlus cut sales too early. If the 5T was still for sale, I would've purchased that over the S9+.
 

Wildo6882

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2015
522
561
Illinois
May have to go Motorola Z3, HTC U12+, Sony Xperia XZ2 if you want clean Android software. OnePlus cut sales too early. If the 5T was still for sale, I would've purchased that over the S9+.

I would definitely be interested in the U12+ if and when it comes out. But I also don’t want to wait. I’m in the market right now. The new Sony doesn’t look bad, but I wonder if I’m running into the same issue with service. And I actually was looking into buying the OP5T when they cut sales and now they lost a customer.

My other issue with Android is the lack of cohesive ecosystem. Apple has the phone, tablet and watch that are easily accessible. Android has nothing of the sort.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
I would definitely be interested in the U12+ if and when it comes out. But I also don’t want to wait. I’m in the market right now. The new Sony doesn’t look bad, but I wonder if I’m running into the same issue with service. And I actually was looking into buying the OP5T when they cut sales and now they lost a customer.

My other issue with Android is the lack of cohesive ecosystem. Apple has the phone, tablet and watch that are easily accessible. Android has nothing of the sort.

Samsung and Google probably have the best possible combos. You have the Pixel 2, Pixel Tab, and Android Wear. Samsung has the Galaxy Phones, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy Gear.
 
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