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Potential Fix Found For Motorola Photon 4G “Sleep of Death” Issue [Forum Talk]

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Quite a few Motorola Photon owners have been experiencing an issue with their device in what they are calling “The Sleep of Death.” Apparently, the device will shut down at random times without warning forcing users to power back on and check for important missed calls and/or texts. MoPho users took to our very own Android Forums to address the issue though it seems nobody could figure out exactly what was going on and if this was a software issue or a hardware one. This ultimately lead many users back to their Sprint stores for hardware replacements.

As it turns out, AF member 408SandShark seems to have found a possible fix. Apparently, the battery isn’t secure inside the phone and when the device is moved, this causes the battery to lose a connection with the terminals on the device, making the device shut off. The fix? Well, placing some kind of cushioned tape or folded piece of paper in between the battery cover and battery seems to hold everything in place. 408SandShark claims this has remedied “The Sleep of Death” issue for him. Give it a try and let us know if it works for you. Good luck!

[AndroidForums]

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

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15 Comments

  1. Wow. Here’s to hoping the Bionic doesn’t experience these sorts of issues. I don’t need no stinkin’ paper on my battery.

  2. Lmao. MOTO is full of fail with the photon.

  3. Sounds like fun. The build quality of Android phones (lack there of) speaks for itself.

    1. And what? the i(diot)Phone is perfect? I think not! Plus you can choose between dozens of different Android powered phones and choose what YOU want. With i(diot)Phone you get to choose what Lord Jobs chooses for YOU! Hah! This is Phandroid buddy!!

      1. Grow up buddy. Is the only response you guys have against Apple is that there’s a lack of choice? I’ll take dependability over “choice” any day. The thing just works man. I know loads of folks who have left Android for iPhone and maybe 1 person who went the other way. The numbers speak for themselves.

    2. Iphone 4 suffers from, The Death Grip, Rear camera stops working, Rear camera white balance doesn’t work, Yellow discoloration retina display, Glass easily scratches or breaks, Reversed volume buttons, overheating battery. oh no, these don’t exist, it’s the users fault, everything made by Apple is absolutely perfect, that’s why I buy one once a year, with brand new features that are 5 years old…….

      1. I’ve had my 3GS for over 2 years and it doesn’t have any of the issues you describe. Out of the at least 40 people i know with iPhone 4’s none have the ballyhooed “death grip.”. 89% of iPhone owners choose to buy another iPhone. I guess the brainwashing continues once you own the device?

  4. Haven’t seen that issue since my Samsung SGH-S105, the first REAL color screen phone in the US, back in 2002. Except that was a slide on battery and the clip didn’t keep it attached quite right and I would always pull it out and it would be off. Had put electrical tape on the back of the battery to add enough friction to keep it tight.

  5. I have the Photon and I can tell you two things. First….its an awesome phone…after the software update. Second, well there is no second…the phone is just Awesome. I came from the Evo 4g and that was a very hard phone to replace…it just worked. My only issue was I purchased the photon for the Lapdock….So Moto, where is it?

  6. Sleep of Death? A little over dramatic, isn’t it? That would with work if the phone never woke up after the screen times out and turns off.

  7. I’ve honestly never had that problem and I’ve been using the Photon for about a month. I love it. I came from the Nexus One and the Photon is awesome.

  8. Love my new photon. Never had this problem. As my first Motorola android phone I have to say I easily prefer it to samsung or htc phones. Battery life and call quality far beyond the 3vo I tried.

  9. Motorola Narcolepsy.

  10. This ALSO fixes the “metal contact with the kick stand short out” problem. In case anyone has that issue. When you put your photon on a metal surface and the kick stand makes contact….let’s say the toilet paper holder in a bathroom or a neat copper bar top, some Photon’s “short out” / turn off and need to be turned back on. This paper trick fixes it. My friend has this phone and reported that this works. I’m still debating my next upgrade.

  11. The battery cover attachment points are a bit finicky, so this problem may also be caused by not carefully and completely snapping the battery cover into place. Based on all that I have read today on this topic, a loose battery is the most logical explanation. Luckily I have not had this problem, but a friend of mine has. So far securing the battery has eliminated any further power losses/problems (and consequent shutdowns, inability to turn on, etc.) for my friend.

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