[Q] Screen backlight flickering updates

[canhazpixels]

Hello,

I'm looking to figure out if anybody has found a software fix for the issue of screen backlight flickering on our phones. I've hunted down some threads through Google, but found nothing except 'go replace your phone and hope for the best.'

As a reminder, when grays are displayed onscreen (as in Play store loading screen), it seems as though the screen refresh rate can't 'keep up' with those colors. To me, the problem is even more noticeable when viewing pictures in the Gallery - seriously, I feel like I'm watching one of those 3D movies, and my eyes and head start to hurt! It's just enough that it drives me crazy, but other people do also seem to notice it, so I'm not just ACTUALLY going nuts. This problem showed up on stock before I rooted and went MeanROM, so I know it's not my fault. The problem is worse at higher brightness levels, and persists even with manual brightness settings on.

So yeah, anyone else have this problem? Any stories of successfully resolving it? I'm still within my Sprint 30-day replacement period, but already got 3rd-party insurance on my phone, so it'll be interesting to try to get a replacement phone insured under the same policy...

 

[drmclove69]

Yep have had this problem for a while now and actually got tired of it this morning and will take my phone back for a replacement whenever I have time! Gets so annoying especially noticing it in the littlest of places.

Sent from my EVO using xda premium

 

[SquallLHeart]

Hmm.. I never really noticed it until you pointed it out..

Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app

 

[canhazpixels]

Yep have had this problem for a while now and actually got tired of it this morning and will take my phone back for a replacement whenever I have time! Gets so annoying especially noticing it in the littlest of places.

Sent from my EVO using xda premium

Whoa, please let me know if your replacement is any better after a day or two of playing with it. I will probably do the same if there's an improvement.

 

[canhazpixels]

Was on meanROM 4.2 until today, when I relocked and unrooted in preparation for getting a replacement at Sprint (I'm still within my 30 days). I was going to replace the phone because of this exact problem - a weird, barely-perceptible strobe effect when viewing grays and looking at certain photos in the gallery. And now - after all the hard work of finding an RUU for 2.13, figuring out the android SDK, learning how to use ADB (not to mention the whole initial unlock/twrp bootloader shebang) - I find that the screen flicker has dropped off. OK, sometimes there's an extremely brief (~150ms) hint of it all on a gray screen, but absolutely nothing compared to the headache that it was before. I'd recommend completely unrooting/relocking your phone and pushing the correct RUU. QBking77's the best for it - look up his youtube vids on android sdk intstallation/usage, then relocking your bootloader, then unrooting/installing an RUU. Remember to clear your Google Wallet first, and set your fastboot to off (under power settings). After relocking your bootloader, you might notice that you cannot boot past it. That's fine; just push your RUU with fastboot USB. You'll know what I mean after watching the vids.

After all that, if your results were like mine, you'll know it actually had something to do with your custom ROM. I have no idea how that is possible, as I seem to recall a flickering in my stock ROM, too, but I guess I was wrong. Perhaps it has something to do with my charge status, and I'll see the issue come back... who knows?

For relocking/unrooting

Step 1: Android SDK setup

Step 2: Relock the bootloader

Step 3: Unroot/Push RUU (for some reason, I had to go straight to pushing RUU from step 2 without booting into any ROM).

From all my scouring online, though, I've noticed that the people most consistently hammered with this problem (especially on screens other than photos in the Gallery or gray colors in the battery histogram of power settings) have build issues with their screens. These include light leak seeming to emanate in bands fanning up out of the home 'button' or graphical issues. These people usually report a fix to the problem once they receive a replacement; the ones with my problems typically complained of having received up to 3 (!) phones in a row with the maddening flicker, suggesting a software issue. It seems that the HTC One X itself was plagued with these problems, with graphical glitches also entering the mix, but an OTA fix a month ago or so minimized issues.

Lemme know how things go... I still have 4 days or so to return my phone if the flicker comes back, haha.

 

[Spyderekz]

I had to get my phone replaced. sadly for me it was a hardware failture. check google maps and see if it the graphics flicker there, of if the background on minecraft main screne flickers in and out

 

[canhazpixels]

I had to get my phone replaced. sadly for me it was a hardware failture. check google maps and see if it the graphics flicker there, of if the background on minecraft main screne flickers in and out

Yeah, woke up this morning and problem was back in full force. I think it might be charge-dependent or temperature dependent (which makes sense if its an analog hardware component like a voltage regulator that's being futzy). I ended up replacing it, too, but Sprint charged me a bull**** $35 because I bought the phone at third-party reseller instead of a corporate store (god... damn... it). Anyway, my new (and refurb, btw) unit has absolutely no problems. Zero. Rooting and reinstalling meanROM now, haha. At least the store people acknowledged that they could also see the problem. Software scans turned up absolutely nothing, although Sprint says HTC does not allow them to open things up because it's a unibody phone, so it's still possible that my regulator was faulty.

Anyway, seems to me that it's a hardware problem having to do with a particular batch of phones. Strange, since my new phone is a 0003 hardware revision, just like my last...

 

[drmclove69]

Went today for my 3rd time trying to get a replacement because of this issue and not to mention I got denied a replacement when I was in my 14 grace day period I went in 2 times after that today being the 2nd and I asked for a replacement, I then have to wait for the "tech" to look at it...waited 1 hour to get told it phone has no problems we ran all the tests and passed, me really confused asked her do you even know what the problem is? She replies no....I then am like WTF. I tell her about my issue and try shwowing her and somehow doesn't notice it. Then asks 5 other people and they notice it and then they replace my screen? After I wait another hour (caused me to be late to work) then once done it actually fixed the problem completely, go home to find out she broke my speaker and my sd card won't mount! Drop it off and picked it up and all is fixed. I know want to terminate my contract cuz sprint has been giving me Shi**y customer service since day one! Someone who works at sprint plz help me!

Sent from my EVO using xda premium