After OTA-6 MX4 is sometimes unusable

[Krzysztof Tataradziński]

Hello,
Since OTA-6 I'm facing strange issues.
Sometimes my phone is turning off automatically (don't know when, I saw that when I take it from my pocket) and sometimes touch don't work (need to restart phone to get it working again).

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

For now even restarting phone is not repairing touch. Last time I must restart ~20 times phone to get touch working. I must admit also, when I remove SIM card and restart phone - magic! Touch is working. But when I insert again SIM card and restart phone - touch not working. I'm in T-Mobile in Poland.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for your report.

If you're comfortable with command line tools, could you enable developer mode on the affected phone, reproduce the problem, connect to the device with adb or ssh and attach to this report the following information (redirect the output of the commands to a file and attach the files):
- The output of system-image-cli -i
- The full output of 'ps auxwf'
- The full output of 'top -b -d3 -n10' (it'll take 30 seconds to run)
- /var/log/syslog from the same time the problem occurs
- A tar file of /home/phablet/.cache/upstart

Thanks in advance.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Sorry, with SIM that was one time accident that touch was working. It's not anymore even without SIM card. How can I connect device with adb or ssh in Arch?

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

You have to install adb on the host system and connect the phone with a USB cable.

For reference, instructions for Ubuntu are here https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/start/ubuntu-for-devices/installing-ubuntu-for-devices/ (in the section "Prepare your Desktop" and "Enabling developer mode on your Ubuntu device")

I don't know Arch but found some documentation on the page below that should give you working adb on Arch:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Android#Connecting_to_a_real_device_-_Android_Debug_Bridge_.28ADB.29

Sorry I cannot help further with Arch itself.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Hi,
please look at
http://paste.ubuntu.com/12430186/
http://paste.ubuntu.com/12430207/
http://paste.ubuntu.com/12430241/
http://paste.ubuntu.com/12430295/
for details.
Sorry for last file, I don't know what hour that was.
What happen in meantime - because touch still didn't work, I've connected mouse and tried to do factory reset from Settings - after few minutes - success! Phone restarted, but touch still didn't work. After few time, few restarts -viola! Touch is working again. So I've choose language, WiFi, play scope edges tutorial and enabled developer mode and entered commands that you've asked me. For ~1 hours touch is working, I've made two calls and received one SMS - still working. But now I'm in middle of flashing phone to reinstall as much as can.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

I must admin that also when I turn device off and try to get into recovery (?) mode (volume
up + power), it's stuck at screen with purple background, white and orange Ubuntu logo and shining bottom button. Is that normal or there should appear some menu?
When volume down +power - text appearing: FASTBOOT mode...

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Another strange thing - maybe it's related to time? 6-7 AM - touch still working, I made few calls and SMS.
~7.30 AM, touch stopped working when I started my travel to work. Maybe phone is telling me - don't go to work!

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

For now (~ 12 hours) touch still not working. But I don't restarted it at all (maybe only ~5 times).
I've also flashed it to rc-proposed by
"ubuntu-device-flash touch --channel=ubuntu-touch/rc-proposed/meizu.en --bootstrap --recovery-image=recovery.img"
still nothing, phone turned on with touch off. Maybe it's something deeper? Do you need more information? Is there anything that I can do/check?

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

If touch doesn't work right after flashing the device it is very likely a hardware issue. Could you please attach to this report the file /var/log/syslog from the device (not from the host to which the device is connected)

You can copy data from the device by connecting the device with a usb cable, unlocking the greeter (when touch is working) then running the command:
adb pull /var/log/syslog /tmp/

Then attach the file /tmp/syslog (Button "Add attachment or patch" at the bottom of this page)

Thanks

[kevin gunn (kgunn72)]

It would be really useful to
- A tar file of /home/phablet/.cache/upstart directory

also, do you have crash files present ? (might check their creation time/date to see if they're associated)

do you think it could potentially be a hw issue ? has your phone experienced any mishaps ?

lastly if you are up for it, you could get a backtrace of unity8 and unity-system-compositor
don't do this unless your willing to operate in developer-mode and don't care about being ota update compatible until you reflash again
you can reflash with ubuntu-device-flash touch --channel=ubuntu-touch/rc-proposed/meizu.en --bootstrap --recovery-image=recovery.img --developer-mode --password=1111 (you can pick whatever, but 1111 is easy)
then when you get into this state, phablet-shell (or adb shell) into the device
first make writable $ sudo touch /userdata/.writable_image, then reboot

what would be really helpful is to load debug symbols before the backtrace
so add this line "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ci-train-ppa-service/stable-phone-overlay/ubuntu vivid main/debug" to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/extra-ppas.list
then do $sudo apt-get update
$sudo apt-get install libc6-dbg libstdc++6-4.9-dbg libmirserver33-dbgsym libmirclient9-dbgsym libmircommon5-dbgsym libmirplatform9-dbgsym libmirprotobuf1-dbgsym mir-client-platform-android3-dbgsym mir-platform-graphics-android4-dbgsym unity-system-compositor-dbgsym unity8-dbgsym qtmir-android-dbgsym qtdeclarative5-qtmir-plugin-dbgsym

Wait for your phone to get into your funky state, then get back on the device shell and
get pidof unity8 and unity-system-compositor, then run $ sudo gdb (needs to be root for u-s-c)
(gdb) attach <whatever pidof unity8>
(gdb) bt
copy output into a file
(gdb) detach
(gdb) attach <pidof unity-system-compositor>
(gdb) bt
copy output into a seperate file
(gdb) detach
(gdb) quit
....keep your phone this way if you want to remain helpful for debug, if finished reflash back w/o developer-mode and password to be ota update compatible

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Dear Jean-Baptiste Lallement,
Look for an attachment.

In meantime that are steps I've done since last 3 restarts.
1st restart - no touch, no SIM card, phone is on without body. I've disconnected cable responsible for screen - screen goes off. Connected - screen on.
2st restart - inserted SIM card, turned phone on - still no touch.
3rd restart - removed SIM card, turned phone on - touch working.

For now I will don't put SIM card into phone for ~ two days to be sure that problem is related to SIM card / notifications / calls.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Dear Kevin Gunn,
See attachment for my upstart. Please remember that I've reflashed phone, so I don't know if there will be any useful files.

"also, do you have crash files present ? (might check their creation time/date to see if they're associated)"

What does that mean? What file do you need?

I was replacing screen ~ two weeks ago. But almost all the time everything was okey. I've checked all cables, etc. - seems normal. To be sure that everything is ok (that somewhere cables are not loosely holding and interrupting from time to time) I've shaking phone, threw on the bed, etc. - touch is still working.
If there is no need, I would prefer to not modify my OS - but if information I've provided to you isn't enough - I will do that.

"Wait for your phone to get into your funky state, then get back on the device shell and" - I think that I don't understand that. You mean I must wait until my touch will stop working, right? And what mean 'get back on the device shell'? I think you need to provide me simple instruction step by step what to do (and in what conditions of phone - turned on, off, with or without working touch, etc.) in console, etc.

I remember that once I had a problem with bluetooth on the laptop. There was something 'hardware' locked, which had to be unlocked by rfkill unblock. Maybe that case is similar? Maybe problem is related to OS that is blocking touch permanent (in some low level places?), even when we restart phone? Maybe OS is blocking touch when receiving notification (maybe it's related to bottom button of MX4?)?

[kevin gunn (kgunn72)]

>You mean I must wait until my touch will stop working, right?
right
>And what mean 'get back on the device shell'?
connect your phone to your computer via usb, and then $phablet-shell back onto the phone
the idea being to collect the backtrace when your device is in the act of experiencing the issue - the backtrace is not interesting until this happens

from the sounds of it, i'm starting to agree with Pat that this is sounding more and more like a hardware problem.
as stated in an earlier mail, there have been some issues discovered with OTA6 but no one is reporting with the frequency or quickness you have.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Syslog attached in comment 11 contains 22 boots. Over these 22 boots, the driver fails to setup the input device. Probing fails with:
 [ 2.222452] mtk-tpd->synaptics_rmi4_probe_3000:enter rmi4 probe
 [ 2.392539] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_i2c_set_page: I2C retry 1
 [ 2.422508] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_i2c_set_page: I2C retry 2
 [ 2.452181] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_set_input_dev: Failed to query device
 [ 2.452240] (null): synaptics_rmi4_probe: Failed to set up input device
 [ 0.846524] mtk-tpd->synaptics_rmi4_init_3495:synatpcis register driver
 [ 2.212392] mtk-tpd->synaptics_rmi4_probe_3000:enter rmi4 probe
 [ 2.382477] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_i2c_set_page: I2C retry 1
 [ 2.412441] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_i2c_set_page: I2C retry 2
 [ 2.442112] mtk-tpd 2-0020: synaptics_rmi4_set_input_dev: Failed to query device
 [ 2.442170] (null): synaptics_rmi4_probe: Failed to set up input device

This would suggest that either the driver is really broken, or the device itself is. Since you replaced your screen it is possible that the touchscreen cable is not seated properly or the spare part you used is not fully compatible with the MX4.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Dear Jean-Baptiste,
like I mentioned in comment 11 (For now I will don't put SIM card into phone for ~ two days to be sure that problem is related to SIM card / notifications / calls.) with no SIM card everything is still okey. I've played some videos, play games, restarted phone couple of time, surfed on internet - touch still works.

Basing on the situations in which the bug appeared, I'm pretty sure that touch will stop working when I put SIM card.
It could be:
1. Bug related with inserting SIM card into slot (maybe placing SIM card moving some parts?), but I'm not sure that is that (because that bug not appearing exactly in the time of SIM card insertion).
2. Bug related to driver (maybe driver don't work too good when it find out that screen is not original) - also unlikely.
3. Bug related to notifications connected with SIM card (SMS, MMS, maybe some mobile data) or calls, because all of them was connected in time with notify or call. Also I'm almost sure that every 'switch touch off' was preceded by spontaneous automatic phone restarts (I observed that case two times directly).
4. Meizu discovered that I can't afford original replacement services (~160 EUR) and I've installed by myself one from third party shop (~35 EUR) - when they see that my phone is connected network - they sending SMS/call that is switching off remotely touch :)
5. SIM card is sending some unknown signal (that phone can't recognize) to device what cause some block in touch signal?
6. Other.

What now?
I've clean stable (OTA-6) installation of MX4. Please tell me what I should install/configure (commands in terminal - and which one: phone or computer) to prepare for next 'touch off'. When I will do all thing that you will tell me, I will insert SIM card into my phone, make some calls, send SMS, receive some. I will try to record video with everything. Tell me what to do also when bug will appear.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Hi all.
I've insered SIM card yesterday (about 10 pm), everything works. Wake up today, checked phone at ~ 9:20 am - touch still working. Tried phone at ~9:50 - touch not working. I'd put phone on desk. ~9:55 I saw that phone spontaneous restarted - after that touch was working. After ~30 minutes everything repeated (touch stopped working, after few minutes automatically restarted and again started to work).
See attachment for my syslog. Does touch driver included in Ubuntu OS or it's somewhere else 'deeper' (in ex. some equivalent to BIOS from desktops)?

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

Dears,
for now please stop investigating that bug.
I found that cable isn't connected (in my opinion) tight as it should. While notifications are appearing (I've got enabled vibrations) and I think that those vibrations made that cable little moved and lost connection.
Between back phone case and the cable responsible for touch I've put piece of paper, see if it will work for couple of days and let you know.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

If the above case will confirm, I will have to apologize you all for wasting your time and I will buy some chocolates/beer.

[Krzysztof Tataradziński (ktatar156)]

I confirm that the problem was with cable connection. I'm really sorry that you must involve time in that invalid case.