HTC One M8 User Thread

[Sammael]

I updated yesterday, has the same issues today.

 

I want from sprint a "data mode" that priorities data over calling, where the radio can be toggled to tune itself for data first.  I'd also like an option to force it to jump to lte if available.  That probably won't happen as they don't want users with that much control.

[miguell2]

I updated yesterday, has the same issues today.

 

I want from sprint a "data mode" that priorities data over calling, where the radio can be toggled to tune itself for data first.  I'd also like an option to force it to jump to lte if available.  That probably won't happen as they don't want users with that much control.

I have that mode on my tabled. I think the priorities are set based on what the device is, a phone is a phone, priority will always be making calls, I think that is actually an FCC mandate, u know E911 and such. Data only or data priority modes are reserved for data only devices.

 

Having said that I have an HTC one and reception leaves a lot to be desired, although I love the speakers, in my area and my commute I run into enough challenging zones to steer me away from M8 based on your experience. I hear Nexus 5 is the king on reception.

[echo4papa]

Wow.  I think I had my first official encounter with an HD voice call today when my wife (who I rarely talk to on the phone) called me for directions.  It was both amazing, and annoying as the call was so clear that I could hear every little thing she was fidgeting with in her car while we were talking.

[Sammael]

Have you guys run into connectivity issues with the m8?  I am coming from the m7 and this one seems to have more issues, i.e. not reconnecting to ANY 3g/4g when in range.  I have to sometimes restart the phone to get it to jump back onto lte.

 

 

And on 3g, it basically never connects.  I see full signal bars, so I guess the voice I don't care about is intact, but I just tried to use google maps and I could not even enter a destination because the phone would not get back on 3g or 4g, it just stood there while I was driving disconnected and I waited for it to pick up something.  

 

 

What is going on this this phones radio behavior.

[Dkoellerwx]

Have you guys run into connectivity issues with the m8?  I am coming from the m7 and this one seems to have more issues, i.e. not reconnecting to ANY 3g/4g when in range.  I have to sometimes restart the phone to get it to jump back onto lte.

 

 

And on 3g, it basically never connects.  I see full signal bars, so I guess the voice I don't care about is intact, but I just tried to use google maps and I could not even enter a destination because the phone would not get back on 3g or 4g, it just stood there while I was driving disconnected and I waited for it to pick up something.  

 

 

What is going on this this phones radio behavior.

 

Check the last several pages of this thread. There have been similar reports. Generally resulting in a store visit and unit replacement. 

[crazy_vag]

Check the last several pages of this thread. There have been similar reports. Generally resulting in a store visit and unit replacement. 

Replacement is not needed.  Simply do this until a software update fixes the robustness:

1) Go to dialer and enter:

2) ##SCRTN#  (##72786#)

3) Press MENU in top right corner

4) Select "Reset"

[crazy_vag]

I updated yesterday, has the same issues today.

 

I want from sprint a "data mode" that priorities data over calling, where the radio can be toggled to tune itself for data first.  I'd also like an option to force it to jump to lte if available.  That probably won't happen as they don't want users with that much control.

 

Switch the phone to LTE Only mode.  You won't get calls/sms, but phone will prefer LTE.  There's a dialer code for it, but people in the forum use to check if tower has LTE when eCFSB is not up yet.

[centermedic]

Replacement is not needed.  Simply do this until a software update fixes the robustness:

1) Go to dialer and enter:

2) ##SCRTN#  (##72786#)

3) Press MENU in top right corner

4) Select "Reset"

What is this supposed to do?

[centermedic]

Phandroid has a nice video set up showing tips and tricks for the M8.

[crazy_vag]

What is this supposed to do?

 

Reruns self-activation which resets the radios better than reboot or airplane mode toggle when you have serious connection issues and miss calls or can't dial.

[Sammael]

Reruns self-activation which resets the radios better than reboot or airplane mode toggle when you have serious connection issues and miss calls or can't dial.

 

I tried that, and it did.  I was outside and got connected back to lte and got a solid 30mbps down, signalcheck pro showed around 100 for the lte signal strength, not bad speed for that strength level... and then... it slid back into 3g and stopped connecting to anything.

 

 

I am going to give this phone about a week, if these issues are not fixed in that time, I am going to HAVE to return this phone.  If data is not accessible, the phone is an unusable paperweight.  If all I wanted to do was talk, I'd have a cheap low rent feature phone.  The PRIMARY core focus of any of these phones, is connectivity first and foremost.  If that is not implemented well, the entire thing is useless.  I tried using gps and could not lock in the destination location because this phone seems to have a harder time locking in a 3g signal in poorer connectivity areas, 3g connectivity seems far worse than the original one.

 

 

If I had known there were going to be this many issues with BASIC things, I'd have held onto my old One.  People say the nexus has a better radio, but if it has similar triband issues with switching, would that be any better when I get into and come from low signal areas?  Because that seems to be a big issue.

 

 

Another is that even when the lte signal is showing something relatively low like high 80s and low 90s, the lte seems to stall out.  That happened on the original one as well, but the lte strength would be showing something like 104 when that happened, which made more sense. Now the signal seems to be coming in super strong, and yet it still can't connect.

 

In areas where my old 1900 ONLY lte phone got fast service, sometimes this new one gets slower service on lte, though in other areas speeds are faster because that higher frequency band kicks in.  That part I can live with, it's the connectivity, the not being able to connect AT ALL that is the deal breaker.

 

If I do need to swap this out, I'll probably try out the note III.  I was disappointed it did not come with the newer triband radios, but if THIS is the kind of performance and connectivity we can expect, then never mind.  I hope I don't have to resort to that, the phone itself is perfectly fine, I like it, but I can't stay with it if I can't use it.  I need to travel all around town, and I need to be able to access the net all over, not just in single spots.  I don't need 50 mbps down in all areas, even a trickle of speed like 10-20 kbps is tolerable in underserved areas, but when it can't even provide that, when there are vast oceans of dead zones and black holes of connectivity that my older phone DID NOT HAVE, it's unforgivable.  

 

 

Sprint needs to understand something very basic.  FAR more important than top lte speeds, is decent connectivity, it's the not being able to connect and use the service AT ALL that kills everything.  That means the bad spots need towers filled in.  Upgrade towers, fine, if that tower can't reach some part of town though, then spend some money on some property owner and run some fiber to them and get some coverage, these holes need to be filled.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Sammael

[Tajustin95]

I am contemplating whether I should get the M8 or the S5. I like the build of the M8 but S5 has somethings I could use. I just don't know!

[centermedic]

I tried that, and it did.  I was outside and got connected back to lte and got a solid 30mbps down, signalcheck pro showed around 100 for the lte signal strength, not bad speed for that strength level... and then... it slid back into 3g and stopped connecting to anything.

 

 

I am going to give this phone about a week, if these issues are not fixed in that time, I am going to HAVE to return this phone.  If data is not accessible, the phone is an unusable paperweight.  If all I wanted to do was talk, I'd have a cheap low rent feature phone.  The PRIMARY core focus of any of these phones, is connectivity first and foremost.  If that is not implemented well, the entire thing is useless.  I tried using gps and could not lock in the destination location because this phone seems to have a harder time locking in a 3g signal in poorer connectivity areas, 3g connectivity seems far worse than the original one.

 

 

If I had known there were going to be this many issues with BASIC things, I'd have held onto my old One.  People say the nexus has a better radio, but if it has similar triband issues with switching, would that be any better when I get into and come from low signal areas?  Because that seems to be a big issue.

 

 

Another is that even when the lte signal is showing something relatively low like high 80s and low 90s, the lte seems to stall out.  That happened on the original one as well, but the lte strength would be showing something like 104 when that happened, which made more sense. Now the signal seems to be coming in super strong, and yet it still can't connect.

 

In areas where my old 1900 ONLY lte phone got fast service, sometimes this new one gets slower service on lte, though in other areas speeds are faster because that higher frequency band kicks in.  That part I can live with, it's the connectivity, the not being able to connect AT ALL that is the deal breaker.

 

If I do need to swap this out, I'll probably try out the note III.  I was disappointed it did not come with the newer triband radios, but if THIS is the kind of performance and connectivity we can expect, then never mind.  I hope I don't have to resort to that, the phone itself is perfectly fine, I like it, but I can't stay with it if I can't use it.  I need to travel all around town, and I need to be able to access the net all over, not just in single spots.  I don't need 50 mbps down in all areas, even a trickle of speed like 10-20 kbps is tolerable in underserved areas, but when it can't even provide that, when there are vast oceans of dead zones and black holes of connectivity that my older phone DID NOT HAVE, it's unforgivable.  

 

 

Sprint needs to understand something very basic.  FAR more important than top lte speeds, is decent connectivity, it's the not being able to connect and use the service AT ALL that kills everything.  That means the bad spots need towers filled in.  Upgrade towers, fine, if that tower can't reach some part of town though, then spend some money on some property owner and run some fiber to them and get some coverage, these holes need to be filled.

I really think you have a bum unit. Just another pitfall of early adoption. The earlier suggestion of taking it back for another unit is probably your best bet.

[ghostkilla1388]

What's a good app for to use the leds as a flashlight?

 

Sent from my HTC One M8

 

 

[Andrew Revering]

[...]

 

Saving all that, I am even more strongly considering buying one of those Wilson signal boosters for my car.  Any suggestions about which would be best for the sprint spark capable phones?  My last resort is downgrading to an older generation phone because of the way they handle connectivity, but I'd prefer not to have to do that.

 

I've done extensive research on cellular amplifiers as I'm a storm chaser and often travel where signals are limited. Wilson has a 'trucker' antenna, as well you can get amplifiers. The absolute best signal you can get is a simple direct connect with a external antenna directly to the phone. The best antenna I've found is actually a smaller 12" magnetic mount, NOT the big trucker type.

 

An amplifier will actually degrade your signal unless there is absolutely no signal around. IE you're in the middle of Wyoming or something...then it becomes a good thing. The reason is the amplifier will pull in a lot of noise and for a data connection, you're just amplifying noise, so most of the 'data' gets rejected. Yes you'll see a much better signal strength, but try transferring data on an amplified 5 bar compared to a non-amplified 1 bar. Your data will fly on the 1 bar if it's clean data without an amp.

 

So my advice is just get the external antenna -- no amp! 

 

Now the problem: Today's devices no longer have direct connect ports on phones for an external antenna! So the whole point may be moot. But there's a little hope -- can get a cradle from Wilson that is a fancy cell phone holder that you can connect your external antenna to, and set the phone in the cradle. The problem is that it's actually designed for use with an amp (doh!) so the signal received without an amp will be limited, but may be helpful. The other problem is you can't take it out of the cradle or you'll lose any signal after a half inch away from the cradle. 

 

But if you're only using it for data, you can keep it in the cradle and you should see some improvement. That's my best advice: 12" external mag mount antenna, Wilson cellular cradle mount.

 

Good luck. I'd be interested to hear how it works if you give it a try.

[Andrew Revering]

I'm curious about the sporadic connectivity/reception issues and if there's a relationship between purchase location/early adoption and the problems.

 

Can I ask for a roll call?... if you had any sort of connection/reception problems, where did you get your M8 from?

Maybe the phones that went out to x store (bb?) had a bad batch.

[gr8nuguy]

Kind of reminds me of the g2s when they first came out. Seems like early production ones had issues with GPS locks and later ones haven't had the issue as much

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

 

 

[kc5gtz]

I'm curious about the sporadic connectivity/reception issues and if there's a relationship between purchase location/early adoption and the problems.

 

Can I ask for a roll call?... if you had any sort of connection/reception problems, where did you get your M8 from?

Maybe the phones that went out to x store (bb?) had a bad batch.

I ordered mine from sprint, and had some horrible connection problems while travelling in a certain area of Dallas. The phone would completely drop connection to the towers, and then re-connect until i got out of the area. Once the update came out, that problem stopped, but it still has trouble keeping an LTE connection in the same area. i can get it onto LTE by toggling airplane mode, but when i change towers, it drops back to 3G. once i am out of that area, it will hold the 4G signal. im just guessing thats an CSFB issue?

[themuffinman]

I ordered mine from sprint, and had some horrible connection problems while travelling in a certain area of Dallas. The phone would completely drop connection to the towers, and then re-connect until i got out of the area. Once the update came out, that problem stopped, but it still has trouble keeping an LTE connection in the same area. i can get it onto LTE by toggling airplane mode, but when i change towers, it drops back to 3G. once i am out of that area, it will hold the 4G signal. im just guessing thats an CSFB issue?

Yep

[kc5gtz]

Yep

Thanks for confirming.

[crazy_vag]

I'm traveling to Europe next month, so I called Sprint to get the M8 Sim-Unlocked.  They did that, now I'd like to test it. 

 

Sprint that it's unlocked only for international SIM cards, and not domestic.  has anyone confirmed that?

[themuffinman]

I'm traveling to Europe next month, so I called Sprint to get the M8 Sim-Unlocked.  They did that, now I'd like to test it. 

 

Sprint that it's unlocked only for international SIM cards, and not domestic.  has anyone confirmed that?

I haven't sim unlocked mines yet but with the m7 when it was sim unlocked you could put any sim in it, domestic or foreign and it would work fine as long as the network supported the frequencies(except for lte).

[kckid]

I'm curious about the sporadic connectivity/reception issues and if there's a relationship between purchase location/early adoption and the problems.

 

Can I ask for a roll call?... if you had any sort of connection/reception problems, where did you get your M8 from?

Maybe the phones that went out to x store (bb?) had a bad batch.

 

I got mine from Best Buy and have not had any issues.  

 

btw: I got the invisible shield glass screen protector  and love it.  

[bucdenny]

Samsung S5 beats the HTC M8 by 5db on B25.  S5 sitting on -68 to -70 versus M8 sitting on -74 to -75.

 

The Nexus 5 sitting on -69 and LG2 sitting at -74 to -75.  All test done at store using SignalCheck.

 

I will miss my M8.  S5 RF is similar to Nexus 5 from my testing today at the Sprint store.  

 

 

[Dkoellerwx]

Samsung S5 beats the HTC M8 by 5db on B25.  S5 sitting on -68 to -70 versus M8 sitting on -74 to -75.

 

The Nexus 5 sitting on -69 and LG2 sitting at -74 to -75.  All test done at store using SignalCheck.

 

 

 

 

Cool that it reports the GCI now.