[Q] Is the LG G3 - D855 faulty ? (Buzzing / Interference sound during calls)

[shaarky]

Can you do me a favor please ?

Mainly those of you on LG G3 - D855, can you please perform following ?

1. go to Settings --> Tethering & Networks --> Mobile Networks
2. remember current mode and select as Network mode : GSM only
3. check that "Use only 2G networks" is checked
4. wait 5 seconds and make a test call
5. listen to the attached audio View attachment noise_buzzing_G3_LG855.wma, whether you can hear similar buzzing / interference sound or not (ignore the white noise from the recording, it's simply just amplified during recording)
6. vote please
7. change back the settings as in step 2.

Use phone ear piece, NOT a bluetooth or audio headset nor loudspeaker.

Please discuss what do you think this could be, what could be causing this. I'm getting this when I'm on GSM / 2G (Edge icon as data) and it's extremely annoying.
Mainly apparent when no UMTS network is available (3G -> LTE) or inside the buildings.

Thank you.

* update 28.10.2014 * As pointed out by @manaxda, you may want to try following to reproduce similar problem. Use WIRED headset, call someone WHILE USB CHARGER is connected. The apposite side will hear background noise / buzzing sound.

note : seems more people have this problem, but I would like to know how big this problem really is - eg. http://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/415079-lg-g3-phone-call-buzzing-isue.html, https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/2bay4s/headphone_audio_issueinterference/, http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/help/poor-call-quality-distortion-noise-t2808530, http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...83-hissing-buzzing-sound-when-data-calls.html

 

[shaarky]

Still the same on latest V10L...

 

[bassamshehadeh]

I do have LG G3 D855 and gsm call has buzz noise. Compared to my ex huawei ascend p1 and honor 3c it is very noticeable and some times annoying. Very bad for such a hi price tag phone.

 

[djCarpio]

I had this problem when my phone was new but after a few calls it went away...

Sent from my LG-D855 using XDA Free mobile app

 

[shaarky]

Can you confirm that please even with that settings I posted ?
It important to force GSM/2G network, without it it is just "a feeling"and you never know in which mode phone is connected.
Luckily/unluckily I'm in the location where I got full signal, but GSM/2G only.

Thank you.

All my previous phones were much better - starting even with I9000, I9300 and LG G2... none of them were facing such stupid side-effect.

 

[GTMoraes]

D855P. No problems
Vivo 900MHz GSM, no inductive forces nearby

Also, don't expect this to be fixed in a software update. It might have to do with electromagnetic interference, which may be from your phone, the place you live or where you're standing. For example, when I use the stairs in my house, I go near the electric fence central, which electrifies the fence discharging high voltage in bursts. If I'm on the phone the moment I go down or upstairs, I can hear a rapid "click-click-click-click" on the phone, that intensifies the closer I am to the central. It happens with every single phone I've ever owned, and even AM/FM portable radios near to it. And specially in guitar amplificators, which seems to be extremely sensible to those variations (It can't be near the central, nor near the electric fence). Another good example is when you leave your phone near an unshielded speaker, and you can hear the "buzz code" your phone receives just before a call.

Well, anyway, you might have something that's affecting your call quality. Does it happen everywhere?
The G3 may be more susceptible to this, or the fact that its earpiece is so loud, it allows you to hear the buzz lol.

 

[shaarky]

Yes, for me it happens everywhere (eg. a per-requisite to CONFIRM it is to choose GSM network as advised). Except of that, also where I do have standard GSM network, I can hear this buzzing as well. Also I do have it confirmed on other pieces of G3.

For all the others, please whenever you are voting in a poll, be sure you really manually switched the network please.

 

[MarkRain]

Voted.
D855 and i can hear some buzzing during a call if i'm under the 2g network.

 

[manaxda]

I finally found someone with the same problem! I had been looking for folks who had that problem and were able to solve it but all I found was issues with AUX cable problems and hissing noise. Note that if you use a wired headset even in 2G GSM area, there won't be any noise, it's only through the phone speaker.

This is utterly frustrating, I have all these 3 problems, plus a fourth - below. The G3 is a fantastic mini tablet but a very poor phone IMHO.

shaarky, could you make a test, call someone or leave yourself a voicemail while using a wired headset with USB power on and then without USB connected. I bet that the receiving party (your voicemail) will have lots of background noise when USB is connected.

The workaround I found is to buy a wireless charger and a bluetooth dongle for my desktop PC.

 

[shaarky]

what the hell.... you are right @manaxda ! I wasn't even aware that there is also this issue.
When using wired headset and charging via USB, the opposite side hear terrible background noise/buzzing.
Now question is whether it's connected with the issue I'm describing....

LG should NOT sell such device which is even not able to perform clear call using some basics GSM standards....

 

[manaxda]

I think the issues are not related, though both are poor electromagnetic interference shielding
- from the phone radio into the phone speaker in one case (like when you place a cell phone close to a powered speaker)
- from the USB transceiver / power supply into the wired headset microphone in the other case (the headset MIC gets USB noise and sends it to the other party, the cell phone microphone does not have this problem)

In all situations it is bad engineering design and I suspect it doesn't have a SW fix... I'm no expert but usually there are HW measures / filters that can be placed on the PCB to filter unwanted noise, sometimes even an actual metal shield/case around components see an example:

 

[shaarky]

Well, I got my phone two times in warranty repair. 1st time they exchanged ear piece, 2nd time whole board... and no change whatsoever. LG support claims that there were just "few" users mentioning this problem, so they don't care about it. If it's by design and I would say it is, than this phone is faulty right from the beginning, LG will however never admit it.

 

[manaxda]

I'm hoping that they fix it in a new release, and slightly before my warranty expires I will try to get a replacement from Orange. It's easy, call support with a headset and USB power, they hear the problem immediately...

It's already my 3rd G3, each time Orange thought a new handset would fix the problem. Now I'm waiting a bit longer to get the 4th one

 

[manaxda]

shaarky, I just double checked today, our conclusions may be wrong, I have the buzzing noise either on 4G or 2G at home. HOWEVER I have that noise only in my neighborhood. If I go elsewhere in town (I guess connected to a different tower) I don't have the noise.

 

[shaarky]

Just to be sure - even when you switch manually to GSM as per my recommendation, you do not have this noise ? That's really odd then.

 

[manaxda]

yes, tried in forced 2G and in 4G, the noise is the same. But if I go to the Orange store a few km away to show them the problem, there's no more noise...

 

[shaarky]

So....no change also on Lollipop. Great.

 

[manaxda]

Have you tried lollipop on the g3? Any other bugs fixed like the aux cable detection?

 

[mietzsche]

Same problem on D855 16GB. 2G Only (not tried 4G).
I think that the poorer is the signal (=higher transmission power) the higher is the noise. That can explain no noise in some places also in 2G.
I really don't think a sw solution can solve the problem, but a really simple hw solution could, unless audio amplifier for internal capsule has some sort of software tunable filters...

 

[MeloiPT]

Yup, happens only in 2G mode..