C7 proximity sensor problem

raweso · ‎2011-06-09

Hello.

Me and my wife both bought the nokia C7 a few days apart. There are many problems with the phones but the major one is the really badly working proximity sensor on both phones. While talking on the phone the sensor has trouble keeping the screen turned off for the duration of the call causing the person we are talking to to accidentally be put on hold with the cheek sometimes two or three times during a call. This is extremely annoying especially during important calls! I noticed the sensor is insensitive to hair as well as most textiles (like my Nokia case for example) so even a single hair on the ear while talking can make the matter much worse. It also seems to me that the sensor works a little better when the phone heats up near the earpiece speaker during a conversation (unfortunately it does heat up). I wonder if this is a hardware or a software problem and if we have to live with it or it can be repaired?

Please don't recommend apps or using the screen lock on the side of the phone, I am already aware I can do that but that does not solve the problem for me.

chanchan05 · ‎2011-06-10

I think it may be in how you hold the phone, press the sensor against your head. Standard sensors only have 0.5cm sensitivity range, so just holding it against your ear, may not do it. Or the way you are holding the phone puts the sensor in a position with the sensor more than 0.5cm away from your head. A hair is too small and too light to be detected by scanners IMO.

If you find my post helpful please click the green star on the left under the avatar. Thanks.

proximity · ‎2011-08-01

i also have a problem with my c7 proximity sensor.it gives a harsh beep sound with screen on and off during call.i want to get rid of it .can u please help me with that.or is there any way to turn off the proximity sensor.??????????

raweso · ‎2011-08-01

The proximity sensor is a major weak point of the C7. If I knew it worked the way it does I would have never bought the phone. I wrote to Nokia about it and they said that a lot of users complain about this and that there is not much one can do. Some of the things you can do is to lock the phone with the side slide lock button after making a call or use an application like Slide Answer which works really well but in my experience is not very stable and needs to be restarted every few days. Nokia also said that the Symbian Anna update might help.

michaels · ‎2011-08-03

Here is Nokia's guidance on the proximity sensor:

Your device (e.g. Nokia N8-00, C6-01, C7-00, E6-00, E7-00, X7-00, 500) has a proximity sensor which detects when the phone is close to your ear during a phone call and automatically locks the touch screen to avoid unintended actions, e.g. ending the call by mistake. The proximity sensor is located in the top right corner of the device (on the left side of the light detector and front camera).

If the touch screen is not properly locked during a call, check the following:

Check that there is no protective foil tape covering the touch screen which could affect the sensitivity of the proximity sensor.
Keep the phone tightly to your ear when you are having a call. Proximity sensor is designed to detect contact from a distance of up to 10 mm and having the phone tightly to your ear will improve the sensor functionality.
Do not move the phone during the call. Shifting the phone upwards or moving the upper side farther away from your ear might expose proximity sensor for light and could open the key lock.
If needed, use the key lock switch during the call. Turn the key lock on by using the key lock switch after you have answered the call. This will force the touch screen to be locked and moving the phone away from your ear during the call will not open the key lock.

klaxner · ‎2011-08-03

I know 4 people having the same issue with the C7.

NOKIA guys you need to fix that thing, not to loose more customers.

Even if the X6 is a very bad phone, but this sensor is one of the working things on that phone.

Till the beginning of this year I have been really recommending NOKIA to others, but now not any longer...

dawnofdarkness · ‎2011-08-04

Hello.
i can't believe some of these guys experience some of these problems with C7! You both bought the same phone and they both had the same problem?!
Sorry but for me some of these are unbelievable-No offence. Problem exists, no company can claim to be perfect. Although i have had my own problems and i am a bit unsatisfied with nokia for them, but i think these sets of problems are a bit exaggerated. Since i have bought this phone, works just fine for me.
No problems with second camera, and with any kinds of sensors and so on. THANK GOD.
I believe nokia C7 is still a great phone.
Thanks.

NOKIA C7-00 Charcoal Black, Powered by Nokia Belle

RFN7 · ‎2011-08-10

I have a C7 and have experienced significant problems with the handset cutting off during calls. I have used touch sensitive handsets previously - both Nokia and other brands - but have never had problems like those I've experienced with the C7. I've noted the advice regarding 'holding the handset correctly' etc but this doesn't help. I've read with interest that I'm not alone. One question - I see one person states that a 'red light' stays on all the time. I don't seem to have any red light on the sensor. Should there be, is this the problem? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

klaxner · ‎2011-08-12

We are lost - we can never expect to get some real help from NOKIA.

tremendicke · ‎2011-08-15

The C7 touch screen is very sensitive, I say too much sensitive, and there is no way to adjust it. Proximity sensor is too tight as I test around 0.5 cm. Hair reduce or null sensitivity. That means sticky the phone on naked ear during every conversation, without moving. I found a weak but elegant solution with the apps 'slide answer' and 'slide lock' type. The problem with this apps is when you need to come back to dialer (e.g. automatic call centre) or contacts. You need unlock and you can, but it is pretty complicate, and if you are in hurry ...

So my opinion is that C7 has two issue: touch screen too sensitive and proximity poor. I am falling into temptetion to dump this phone over the window forever ...

OT. This is only the last confirm that Nokia is not the same as before. I couldn't immagine what will happen when Nokia will be MS-Nokia ...

Winston_77 · ‎2011-08-25

I have the same problem with my N8, and my wife with E6.

Nokia Anna update is not solving this problem.

But there is differences. Sensor working distance for N8 is less then 1 cm, but for E6 is close to 2 cm. So for E6 this is not an everyday problem, but for N8 it is terrible.

Normally I can use phone only blocking with side key. But that means that to answer call I need to make 4 actions:

1) Press green to answer;

2) Use side lock to lock screen;

...

3) use side lock to Unlock screen;

4) press red to cancel call.

Stupid.

auj6117 · ‎2011-09-02

i m also facing the same problem...

can anyone tell me the solution???

tonyravi · ‎2011-09-11

I also have a C7. Sometimes we see the things with a different angle.

I think most of the time when your call goes to hold during a call due to touch sense from the cheek, you will observe that you would be holding the phone at your right ear.

Now the thing is, when you hold the earpiece of the phone at the right earlobe, the proximity sensor sometimes actually gets positioned beyond the ear during a conversation. The proximity sensor thus looses sense and opens the screen. The hold button on screen being at the jaw-end of the cheek, gets touched and the call goes to hold. The users feels this is a sensor issue.

Recommendation: Try using phone on the left ear and check, u'll never get a call on hold again this way.

calex23 · ‎2012-03-09

Damn NOKIA! Im also having this proximity sensor problem on my x7-00, and with this Im starting to lose faith on any upcoming NOKIA phone... I would like to dump this unit and go for other brands...Ive been a loyal nokia user ever since but this problem makes my head ache all the time... worse is Ive brought this x7 to nokia care 2x for the same reason and dont think they got a solution for this...... NOKIA sucks!!!!

veeyoes88 · ‎2012-03-10

klaxner

Contributor

Posts: 28

Re: C7 proximity sensor problem

12-Aug-2011 06:37 PM

We are lost - we can never expect to get some real help from NOKIA.

IT SEEMS THAT AFTER THE RELEASE OF MICROSOFT OS PHONES, NOKIA HAS FIRED THE SYMBIAN TEAM AND NO ONE AVAILABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. RELYING ANYMORE ON NIKA WILL BE A VERY BAD IDEA

terex122334 · ‎2012-03-16

Dear Friends,

I wrote the Driver for Proximity sensor. Sadly the sensors were highly unreliable.

Later the team got shifted to Beijing.

Please dont expect much from nokia.They killed symbian!! Proximity sensor suffers from many problems: Light condition,Hair,IR,Kalman filter ineffectiveness,Cheap quality of hardware privided by the chip manufacturer.

The only solution for C7 users

1. Visit nokia care and tell them to calibrate the activation of proximity sensor in phone for ~3-5 cm. (Only valid for Capacitive touchscreen as they are highly sensitive)

dinesh_46 · ‎2012-07-12

Hi,

I had a problem in attending / dialing a call.

My C7 screen is not responding and buttons are not working,

I can't see the number who is calling the screen goes black without displaying the caller's image, even I can't attend the call.

My device keeps on ringing and I can't cut the call since my buttons are not functioning.

And my buttons are not working only when I try to make a call/receive.

I need to switch off my device to cut the call..

My proximity sensor is not functioning..

Pls can anyone say what is the problem with my C7.

vibhash1993 · ‎2012-07-14

you should try resetting the software or operating system

vibhash1993 · ‎2012-07-14

i too have nokia c7 its proximity sensor works like a charm and nokia officials with whom we talk or communicate donot know anything you should talk to noka europe or try resetting the software of the phone