Hit control buttons during phone calls

[Steeler6]

I am having problems while I am on the phone with accidentally pressing the control buttons at the bottom of the droid during phone calls. I am not sure which ones I am hitting (menu, back, home, search) but whenever I do, I get the short vibrate then whoever is on the other end of the phone can no longer hear me. I can still hear them. I think sometimes the screen comes back on while up to my face, allowing the phone to do this and then hit mute. When I try to get the person back on the line, my phone screen quickly turns off again after I take it away from my head and I can't get to the phone screen to 1) hit unmute or 2) end the call. Very frustrating. The folks at the Verizon store told me to hold my phone differently, but no matter what I do I can't seem to remedy this. Even if I sit perfectly still. It doesn't happen on every call, but maybe every 3-5 calls. I have tested the proximity sensor and the numbers on the test come up right. I really want to keep my Droid but if I can't keep someone on the line for a call, I may have to switch to something different. Thoughts?

 

[640k]

you have to remember that the sensor is in the upper left corner of the front of the DROID (to the left of the speaker) and is VERY sensitive while you're in a call and make sure that phone is flat against your ear.

 

[Steeler6]

Right. I know where the sensor is and it is VERY sensitive. That is a huge part of the problem. I have been working hard to hold the phone/sensor against my ear/face in a position which is very awkward, which works fine if I sit very still and am indoors, don't have to move the phone for any reason, etc. But how realistic is this to have to be that careful on every phone call. I know others who have the Droid who never have this happen to them...could it be something else?

 

[640k]

honestly, i haven't had this problem. i've held the phone up to my face using my shoulder and have had no problems. are you using a case or a screen protector?

 

[Steeler6]

There is no case or screen protectors. Not sure it is the proximity sensor. I just tested it again. I can see from the corner of my eye when I have the phone to my ear that the phone screen does not light up. Yet I can still push the control buttons and this all happens. Doesn't go into mute (which does not make the vibration when pushed on a call) but instead when I pull the phone from my head, the screen either quickly comes on and off again, or never comes back on. If I try to go to the notification bar to get back to the phone call, the screen doesn't stay on long enough for me to be able to do this function. The in-call screen with the end button and numbers never comes back on. So the person on the other end is talking, but can't hear me, I can't get them back on the line, and I can't hang up. While it makes sense to say just hold the phone differently, little things like leaning it against my shoulder puts it into this mode.

 

[640k]

i just tested this. i can't invoke anything on the screen when the screen is off. the sensor is in the very top corner. the slightest shadow makes the screen go away.

i'd go to vzw.

 

[flyer05]

Phone held on left shoulder and call disconnects, phone on right shoulder and all is fine ? go figure.

 

[640k]

Think about where the sensor is. It has to do with how you're holding the phone.

 

[job]

amazing computer...phone function problems

I've had mine less than a week......my voice is muted during a call almost 90% of the time. I've tried holding the phone close and far and everything in between. Clearly this is more than phone position problem. Perhaps my earrings or long hair are causing a problem, but it's unlikely that I'll shave my head and stop wearing earrings. It appears to be a technical Moto Driod issue. Any other advice? I'd rather not exchange my Droid for a Blackberry, but frankly the most important function of a cell phone is the phone.

 

[rebekah_rosebud]

i'm having the same problem

i have friends with the droid and have NEVER had a problem during calls, but i'm having problems on 90% of my calls. the screen comes in and out and i never move from the spot. i hold very still and still push buttons, hang up on people and push mute. i can't understand it. i've exchanged it and am still having this issue. i may have to go back to my blackberry, but i really don't want to. it's good to hear that it isn't just me. verizon said it is they way i talk into it, but i can't understand how it can be so wrong.

 

[Steeler6]

Well I am pretty much at the end of my rope with this. I have had the Droid for about 6 weeks...replaced it twice, been on countless calls with Verizon tech, been to the store numerous times, checked every message board out there. I am not the only one having this problem, but all I can get from Verizon now is that it must just be the way I hold the phone. I have to admit, Verizon has been great about doing everything possible to help me figure it out but the final answer seems to be that some people just trigger the phone the way they hold it or handle it. I am thinking now that I will trade the Droid in and get the Eris to see if the problem goes away. It seems that the layout of the Eris is more conducive to this sort of thing not happening, and I love the idea of actual call and end buttons for the phone. Now that they are upgrading the Eris to 2.0, the Droid and Eris are almost the same except for the keyboard, which I surprisingly find I hardly use. It seems like this could be the best solution. I've talked Verizon into letting me change phones without the restocking fee or penalty since this has all been documented quite well in my files. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

[640k]

I've been meaning to ask... when you're on a call, is the keyboard open or closed? Because you should be closing it everytime. I was testing this out last night and an open keyboard left the screen on. A closed one always produced consistent results. I could have the phone 4 inches from my face aned the screen would still be off.

 

[Steeler6]

The keyboard is always closed. I very rarely open the keyboard anymore because I have found it just as easy to use the touch screen so no real reason to open the keyboard.

 

[Mamaperk]

I've replaced two Droids now for this issue ... the first one had the issue so I called and they replaced it ... while on the phone with VZW for a billing question, it happened a few times and the guy said it sounded like I was cheek dialing ... he put me in touch with tech support who asked around and had not heard of the issue so they sent me third phone ... it's doing the same thing. Grrr... I have tried both ears, pulling hair back, staying very still but it's crazy to expect a person to use their phone standing still and keeping phone pinned to ear the entire time without moving or bending down ... today while talking outside the wind started blowing and it disconnected my call. I've dropped several really important calls because of this issue ... I am a week or so past my 30 days but they have my complaints on record ... I really hope someone comes up with a software fix for this because as others have said, it's necessary that this Droid works well as a PHONE!!

Edited to add:
Here are links I compiled from similar complaints:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...ggestions/6767-dropped-calls-long-hair-2.html

https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/101323

http://androidforums.com/support-troubleshooting/34485-droid-dialing-my-touch-while-call.html

https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/95496;jsessionid=19E6E175583E2895E672FC34C1CBEFCE.node0

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/19258

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/17080?start=15&tstart=0

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...uggestions/9179-voice-drops-during-calls.html

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/motorola-droid/15689-hit-control-buttons-during-phone-calls-2.html

 

[Steeler6]

It would be great if they could come up with a fix for this, but don't cross your fingers. Yesterday I went into the store to get them to replace my phone and they couldn't get the phone to do it (of course, it never does when you are in the store). They claim they have never had anyone complain about this problem before. The store and tech support on the phone now tell me that because they can't replicate it, they won't replace my phone or let me get a different one without paying. Especially since I am now past my 30 day tryout period. I argued that there is documentation that this has been going on for six weeks and we have all been trying to fix it, but they claim that unless they can replicate the problem, its just their word against mine that there really is a problem. Total frustration! I am going back to the store where I bought it over the weekend (where they also said before they would replace it with a new droid or another phone for no fee) to try and get it resolved. Not happy at all.