Software update: FP4.SP2J.B.086.20230807

[AngusMcFife]

@KurtF

No, error, actually I do have the same effect (less responsive when lying on the table). I had forgot to unplug the charging cable! The charging cable did the “holding hand” effect…

So yes, you seem definitely onto something here. And for those who use it in their car, plug it in, that should restore touch screen sensitivity.

Thank you for your suggestion with the charging cable, I could reproduce that here. Leaving the phone plugged in when in a car may not be a solution, but for me it is certainly an acceptable workaround.

P.s., I love the suggestion that we have to hold hands with our phones so they are more sensitive, that’s so cute

[yvmuell]

I just tried to zoom in a map while the phone was in the car mount and I had to touch it somewhere at the back or side to make it work. A third finger of the same hand was sufficient.

[G33K2303]

@anon64862762 Any update on the .086 release to the download page?

[Holly1]

Thank you for this thread. I thought I was going crazy, pressing my screen trying to get it to respond! Seems I have the issue of the screen being less responsive when it’s flat but fine when held upright. I got a screen protector a few days before the update but was fine until I updated.

[anon64862762]

Hi all,

I just wanted to thank you for the detailed feedback about the touch sensitivity after the update. There’s already an internal bug report about this and it will be treated with a high priority. I will periodically monitor this topic and forward relevant feedback to the team.

Please be mindful that we’ll need time to investigate why the display reacts differently, depending on how it’s placed and whether it’s charging. After we have a better understanding of these factors, we’ll have to adjust the calibration and make sure it doesn’t have any other unintended consequences. We are still at the start of this process and there is a lot going on in the background (including a certain Android upgrade) so don’t expect it to be fixed in the next update.

I’ll let you know when there’s a clearer ETA.

[KurtF]

Caveat, totally wild guess, I’m not an electronics engineer, touchscreens are AFAIK a whole science on their own, and we don’t know how the FP4’s one works anyway (there are several methods).

All we know is that there is some empirical evidence that the FP4’s touchscreen now requires the phone to be connected to some larger conductive body to reliably work – Either the user also touching the phone’s chassis, or the phone being connected to something else by its USB cable (like while charging it).

Could it be the update lowered the gain of the capacitive touchscreen so much, it now requires some kind of grounding to reliably create any detectable change on the screen’s electrostatic field?
In which case it should be simple to raise the gain back again, just enough to make this annoying side effect disappear (don’t know what this would do to the ghost touches issue though…).

[StevenHachel]

@yi4ieMLK7

After this update, I am experiencing significant issues zooming in and out in various apps using two fingers. When placing two fingers together and moving them apart to zoom in (or doing the opposite to zoom out), the phone seems to only recognise one finger, and starts scrolling around in accordance with the movement of that finger, rather than zooming. This happens across various apps (very noticeable in Google Maps). It keeps happening repeatedly until I leave the phone alone for a few seconds and then tries again, at which point it seems to usually work as expected. Presumably this has something to do with the fix to the ghost input issue

I have exactly the same problem, but only when the phone is on the table, for example. As soon as I pick it up, it works.

[Vasco_Lenzi]

After the update the screen works normally, even when unplugged on the table.

I don’t have a protective glass foil, do people with the new issue have protective foils?

[UPPERCASE]

@Vasco_Lenzi

do people with the new issue have protective foils?

I use the official screen protector by Fairphone. I have the issue when its flat on a table and trying to pinch to zoom. Then the multi toch isn’t registered. You are testing zooming? Just to make sure we’re testing the same thing. There are some other issues as well, but the one on a flat surface is reproducible and thus a great reference point.

[Ingo]

Just tried it myself and put the FP4 on a table and used it like normal with one or two fingers. I don’t notice any issues with tapping, swiping or zooming. I don’t use any screen protectors or cases.

[Vasco_Lenzi]

@UPPERCASE

Then the multi toch isn’t registered. You are testing zooming? Just to make sure we’re testing the same thing. There are some other issues as well, but the one on a flat surface is reproducible and thus a great reference point.

Flat on the table, testing both rotating and pinch to zoom. Works as expected 95% of the time. Sometimes effectively seem to have trouble to immediately register the rotation after zooming, without taking away the finger. If you remove the finger and touch again then you can rotate normally.
As I said, no screen protector.

[Lidwien]

I use a BROTECT AirGlass Matte Glass Screen Protector.
Tapping and swiping is good. If hold the phone in my hand no problems with zooming or typing.
But zooming or typing is not working when the phone is flat on the table.
As I never use the phone flat on the table, I don’t know if I could before the update.

[yvmuell]

Without screen protector its def a lot better, I also use the Brotect Air glass

[Razem]

I also use a protective glass. So it seems that they calibrated it with a bare screen.

[KurtF]

I don’t use any kind of screen protector, so it’s apparently more complicated.
Anyway:

@AngusMcFife

Leaving the phone plugged in when in a car may not be a solution

Apparently there is even simpler: Just plug a USB cable into the phone, doesn’t need to actually be connected to anything! I tested it by just plugging the official USB-C to mini audio jack adapter, with nothing plugged in it!
Despite its only 10 cm length, it was enough to restore normal touch sensitivity, so it really doesn’t need much. (YMMV, if it doesn’t work try different cables)

(Test made as always on the same (wooden) table, using Google Maps)

[facetto]

thanks @KurtF for your valuable input! till now I was hesitating to install the update, maybe I will do it soon however.

[KurtF]

Uh-oh!
I shall not be responsible for any loss or damages resulting from any action taken on the basis of the contents of this forum post.

[cosmic]

Now I am worried whether I should really try to plug a USB-C cable that is not connected to anything into my phone! The risk of this “hack” is just to high! /s

Edit: just tried it. This works for me too, screen is much more responsive when I plug something in and the phone is laying on a desk with no hand touching the back or sides of the phone. I am using the Airglass screen protector.

[yvmuell]

Just plugging in the magnetic adapter does not help, the cable is needed, even if the other part is not plugged to a charger

[AndreasChris]

I have originally posted my issue in the Ghost Input Thread, but was just redirected here, since that (hardware) issue indirectly relates to this software update, since the update does not resolve the issue but changes its symptoms. In short: The Ghost inputs have been replaced by an unresponsive touchscreen in the corresponding areas, which may cause less unwanted behaviour, but does not restore control over the phone when the issue occurs.

Here’s the Text I wrote up earlier:

@AndreasChris

I have been experiencing the ghost input issue for at least several months now. It’s been getting worse over time and was especially annoying when trying to type or scroll through something. Most of the time I had to resort to turning of the screen and waiting in those cases.

Once the system update claiming to resolve the issue was released I installed it. Unfortunately symptoms have been replaced by different ones in doing so. The good news is that the disruptive, erratic ghost inputs are gone now. So at least the days of accidently opening, typing or sending something are hopefully over. The bad news is, that I’m instead experiencing phases of unresponsiveness now. Most of the time the unresponsive areas appear to be close to the center of the screen. It is also noteworthy, that usually not the whole screen is unresponsive but only certain areas. Also starting an input in the responsive area and slowly moving into the unresponsive area usually works, while tapping or starting movement in the uresponsive area does not. As with the ghost inputs this is not a continuous phenomenon but an issue that appears and disappears in irregular intervals. Also I’m certain that the unresponsiveness is not due to an app being slow, since I have experienced the issue in different scenarios and also activated the touch input visualization in the developer options. Whenever an area is unresponsive, the developer-overlay does not display any touch input on touching the screen either.

To me it honestly looks like that the ghost-input issue is a hardware proplem, that is being masked with a software solution by selectively disregarding touch input. Maybe it’s also seperate issues working together, but either way it’s hardly a workable solution. I might try removing and refitting the screen in the hopes of eliminating the issue. Are any of you guys experiencing this transformed issue as well? Any ideas for potential solutions, or is a screen replacement the only way to go here?