**Ultimate GS3 sudden death thread**

[Obagleyfreer]

**** SAMSUNG HAVE APPLIED A SUDDEN DEATH FIX VIA A SOFTWARE UPDATE****

STOCK KERNEL: XXELKC AND NEWER

STOCK RECOVERY: XXELKC AND NEWER

ALSO ANY CUSTOM KERNEL AND RECOVERY THAT ARE BUILT FROM THE UPDATED SOURCES. THERE HAVE BEEN CASES OF SDS ON DEVICES THAT HAVE UPDATED BUT TO WHAT EXTENT THE DAMAGE WAS AT ALREADY BEFORE FLASHING WE DON'T KNOW.



WHO'S AFFECTED?
It seems that at the moment the only devices that have suffered from SDS are the 16GB version with:
eMMC: VTU00M
FW Rev: 0xF1

To check your eMMC version download eMMC Brickbug Check from Google Play.
What you want is the eMMC version and the FW Rev.



THE FIX
Samsung have now released a Sudden Death Fix via a patched Kernel and Recovery in latest firmware. Firmware Version: XXELKC

Simply update OTA or download XXELKC firmware (or newer) from sammobile.com and flash using Odin.

You need both the stock recovery and kernel installed for it to work properly, or a custom kernel and recovery built from the updated sources
ie Latest Perseus Kernel and PhilZ Recovery are examples



LINKS
For more info about SDS, who could be effected and how to fix check out this awesome thread by rootSU

For a detailed look at how the fix works check out this thread here.


WARRANTY
For those of you in Europe who have rooted your phone it appears that this doesn't void warranty. Check this thread for more info.
Also this website could prove very handy for anyone with a European or UK handset that has died.

 

[DeadSOL]

Okay, here's what just happened to me:

I went to sleep in the night with my phone's battery at around 29%. I just woke up and my phone's home button wouldn't respond. Then, the power button wouldn't respond! I took the battery out and put it back in. It still wouldn't respond! So, I plugged the charger in and then it showed me that it had begun charging. I turned the phone on and as soon as it reached the lock screen, it turned itself off. It did that twice more so I decided to let it rest. Now, it turns on. (>_>)

Apparently, 29% of its battery was somehow consumed last night. I really don't know how!!!! My wifi was on,it seems, but around 30% battery drain in just a few hours?!! That's insane! I'm on stock DL4. Not even rooted!


So it's not a "death" case, per se, but I had a really bad scare.

 

[UncleBeer]

What happened: Went to bed, left phone on charge, woke to the green "fully charged" light, but no response to buttons. Pulled the battery to make it reboot, and now nothing. Neither download nor recovery modes, no charging light, nothing. It's off for repairs.
What ROM/Firmware: Wanam's J5 (which I'm convinced had nothing to do with it.)
What kernel: stock
OV or UV: Nooooo
Where phone was made: No idea
Where battery was made: stock; no idea

 

[Shug69]

Seems like a weakness somewhere on the motherboard. Mine died on charge about a month ago. No led no nothing bought in late May. New motherboard working fine. Hoping the problem is identified and fixed now and I don't have the same **** again in three months time.

 

[ph512]

My story started last Tuesday night. My S3 was working fine: used it as satnav getting to work for night shift and used it a few times at work until I checked it at approx 9:30pm (about three hours into shift) and it was dead - nothing would make it respond.

Got home next morning and my caring wife asks me if it's still the same - I dishearteningly relied that it was. Then she announces that hers was now dead! She had been using hers normally the night before, as I had. She had plugged it in to charge overnight and when she woke in the morning the green light was on, but she couldn't turn it on - she did battery pull, etc, but nothing would revive hers either.

Clearly something has killed our S3's, but not spontaneously as we were in different places at the time of failure. Mine had been happily charging whist I traveled to work and it had over 80% the last time I had noticed / used it before it died - my wife's just died on the charger overnight at our house.

Two dead S3's in the space of 9 hours and I have no idea why...
Both were stock unrooted international models purchased from carphone warehouse at the same time. Both had the recent JB update too (I did both via Kies when it was released).

The only common element I consider could be a cause is the charger we use in our house (but as mine died some time later after being used for several hours away from my house I really don't see any technical explanation for it).

I'm baffled - Carphone warehouse faults tracker now says they have fixed them both and they are awaiting dispatch to our store for collection - maybe they can then offer soom explanation of thefaults / causes.

Either way I reckon I'll bin the "common" charger as a "just in case"!

 

[Obagleyfreer]

That's really odd that both yours and your wife's phones suddenly died at around the same time.

Do you share a charger?
Can let us know some details about both phones, where phones and batteries were made etc

It appears, from what I can gather, that it is a hardware fault. The ROM and kernel don't seem to matter. People's phones are dying regardless of which ROM they're running.

At least CPW have fixed both your phones for you

Maybe you could ask if they have had a few customers bringing back dead phones?

It'll be interesting to know what their technicians say about it.




Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

 

[Ausboy 2011]

this is happening a lot to people... I hope Samsung do something about this!!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dervish666]

What happened: Used as Satnav, it was charging on a 1A car charger, battery probably pretty full. Brought it in tried to turn it on and nothing happened. Had a white pulsing LED, after battery pull no reaction.
What ROM/Firmware: CM10
What kernel: Can't remember
OV or UV: Nope
Where phone was made:
Where battery was made: Standard battery but I do use a Anker battery as well, can't remember if it was in the phone at the time.


On the bright side, I have just got it back from Samsung who repaired it without question. They have also given me a 32GB model instead of the 16GB I had before.

Very happy dervish.

 

[tqgia2]

I know it is a hassle, but could people please post where their phone came from (language which was default on phone might be good, for example mine was Greek). Might allow us to isolate a particular region/batch

 

[ph512]

I know it is a hassle, but could people please post where their phone came from (language which was default on phone might be good, for example mine was Greek). Might allow us to isolate a particular region/batch

My 2 S3's were purchased at the same time from mobiles.co.uk (CPW) - English language by default, unlocked and with no network branding. I had not tampered with these devices in any way. They are totally stock handsets running JB (updated via Kies). They were only used with the Samsung chargers too. Mine had approx 100 apps on it, but my wife hardly had any on, just about twenty or so.

I'll update this page once I get them back so we can share the causes / fixes in my case

 

[Calpol]

What happened:

Phone was charging on Zenis dock. Checked it at 95% and returned 1 hour later to find it stuck on Samsung boot screen. Had to remove battery to unfreeze it. Phone would not boot and stuck on Samsung screen. Would only boot into Download mode but would not accept any relash of OS via Odin. Reflash attempts met with Invalid PIT partition fault. Tried to reflash a PIT as advised on XDA but with no success. On connection to charger phone displayed grey battery graphic.

Handed into Samsung service centre who confirmed battery was completely dead and that new battery allowed phone to turn on but no ability to reload software. Phone now has been sent to Samsung in the UK
What ROM/Firmware:Stock T Mobile 4.1
What kernel: STOCK
OV or UV: Nope
Where phone was made: UK model bought in June 2012 from Mobiles.co.uk
Where battery was made: Dont Know

Phone is English language version and has run fine for months. It was updated via OTA to 4.1 about 2 weeks ago when Tmobile released the ROM. since then I re-rooted it but have never flashed any other ROM.

 

[Isadora]

What happened: Picked up phone after its usual overnight charge , was showing the normal green "full charge" light but phone was completely dead - black screen, no download or recovery mode via key combo, no response to jig.
No self-reboot, freeze or anything that would indicate a problem prior to phone dying.

What ROM/Firmware: official UK ICS, (can't remember the firmware number now, but whatever the latest official UK unbranded was by mid-October)

What kernel: stock (rooted with cf-root)

OV or UV: Nope

Where phone was made: just says "made by Samsung"! UK sim-free, received 16th June

Where battery was made: Original Samsung battery. Made in Korea, assembled in Vietnam

Anything else that could be of use:
Always left my phones and other toys to charge overnight, been doing the same with the S3 since getting it on 16 June, using the Samsung charger that came with it. No longer doing that with the S3 just in case!
Phone came back with new innards, battery is the one the phone went in with.

As to really getting to the bottom of it, I guess only someone at Samsung might be able to tell us why so many S3 are committing suicide...



Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

 

[midyat47]

Did you guys tried a electric shock?
Maybe your gs3 back to life?

Hit thanks when its okk :thumbup:

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

 

[romeo57]

What happened:
I just flashed Wanam 4.2 ROM. Booted up normally. Then i proceed to install TiBu, and restore apps + data. After 10mins, I came back just to check the progress. It was dead.

What ROM/Firmware: Wanam 4.2

What kernel: Stock

OV or UV: Nope

Where phone was made: It wrote, "Made in Korea by Samsung"

Where battery was made: "Cell made in Korea, Assembled in Vietnam"



I sent my device to service centre, they repaired it within 2 working days.



Sent from my GT-I9300

 

[UncleBeer]

Then i proceed to install TiBu, and restore apps + data.

This is a stretch, but I wonder if Titanium could have anything to do with the bricking. I had an auto-backup scheduled in the middle of the night, after which the phone died. I don't know there's a connection, but interesting you mentioned TiBu.

 

[ph512]

This is a stretch, but I wonder if Titanium could have anything to do with the bricking. I had an auto-backup scheduled in the middle of the night, after which the phone died. I don't know there's a connection, but interesting you mentioned TiBu.

Neither mine nor my wife's phone had Titanium backup installed - not saying it wasn't that in your cases, but wasn't in mine

 

[Obagleyfreer]

I'm not sure if it's relevant but I checked the stock charging voltages on my S2 and it's a Wall:650Mah, USB:450.
The default on S3 is the same for USB(450Mah) but the wall charging voltage default is apparently 900Mah!

I know the battery is higher capacity but my S2 has a 2100Mah Samsung battery in it and charges just fine @ 650Mah.
Maybe 900Mah is just too high?

I'm no electronics expert so I could be talking rubbish but it's an idea.....

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

 

[Password1234]

I'm not sure if it's relevant but I checked the stock charging voltages on my S2 and it's a Wall:650Mah, USB:450.
The default on S3 is the same for USB(450Mah) but the wall charging voltage default is apparently 900Mah!

I know the battery is higher capacity but my S2 has a 2100Mah Samsung battery in it and charges just fine @ 650Mah.
Maybe 900Mah is just too high?

I'm no electronics expert so I could be talking rubbish but it's an idea.....

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Where did you check the stock charging voltages bro? I experienced something almost to this effect except that I woke up this morning and the menu and return keys were lit up (screen was off) , tried pressing some buttons but nothing responded. I then long pressed the power key and then it booted up normally and since has been working ok. Was so worried and paranoid at the time! I'm from South Africa if it's any use. Just to make sure these scares/sudden death issues are not just in one continent/country.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

 

[Obagleyfreer]

Where did you check the stock charging voltages bro? I experienced something almost to this effect except that I woke up this morning and the menu and return keys were lit up (screen was off) , tried pressing some buttons but nothing responded. I then long pressed the power key and then it booted up normally and since has been working ok. Was so worried and paranoid at the time! I'm from South Africa if it's any use. Just to make sure these scares/sudden death issues are not just in one continent/country.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Well it's not very scientific but I use Siyah Kernel on both my S2 and S3 and just checked the default settings on there.

Actually Gokhan states that the stock charging voltage for a wall charger on the S3 is 1000Mah! (Siyah default). But another member on here (an electronics professional) said it's 900Mah so I just went with that.

It might be over kill but to be on the safe side I have lowered the voltages in Stweaks down to 900Mah and 450Mah and I am only charging my phone through USB until we figure out what is causing this problem.

It seems that this issue is worldwide, it's not specific to country, Android firmware version, Kernel etc

It seems this is totally random and can happen without warning to anyone, scary stuff.

 

[MattBooth]

What happened: Used as Satnav, it was charging on a 1A car charger, battery probably pretty full. Brought it in tried to turn it on and nothing happened. Had a white pulsing LED, after battery pull no reaction.
What ROM/Firmware: CM10
What kernel: Can't remember
OV or UV: Nope
Where phone was made:
Where battery was made: Standard battery but I do use a Anker battery as well, can't remember if it was in the phone at the time.


On the bright side, I have just got it back from Samsung who repaired it without question. They have also given me a 32GB model instead of the 16GB I had before.

Very happy dervish.

I hope mine breaks and I get a free 32GB model!!