IssueTracker

The log messages are related to a technique used in Android 4.2 to reduce accidental presses on the main navigation keys while typing.  This "dead zone" should not, however, be active when touching the navigation keys in general, only during a short window after you've interacted with the rest of the screen. And the dead zone does not extend all the way to the bottom of the screen; it's worth trying to touch the navigation keys all the way at the bottom of the visible screen area to see if that still works.

I wonder if you might be having a hardware issue; a defect with your touchscreen that is causing stray motion events elsewhere on the display, invoking this DeadZone feature to prevent touching the navigation buttons. This could potentially be confirmed by turning on Pointer Location (in the Developer settings) and looking for stray touches elsewhere on-screen.

I turned on Pointer Location and I am not seeing stray touches. To me it looks as if the touch indicator cuts off halfway through the bottom buttons as I drag my finger down. I see the touch indicator only on the top half of the button I am touching. It does seem like a hardware defect where only that small portion of the screen is not responding to touches.

Hmm, yeah, that does sound like the touch panel is not responding on that edge of the screen.

I'd be interested to know if you can touch the screen in that area when there's something else there; that is, rotate the phone into upside-down landscape (so that the navigation buttons are up by the earpiece) and see if you can interact with the system (or generate Pointer Location traces) in that area. For that matter, I'd be curious if you can operate the navigation buttons when they're at the other end of the display, too.

i have the same problem, is there any way to fix it?

Sorry for the long response time. I ended up RMAing the device.

Same problem here.  The developer visualisation shows that the bottom 1 cm of the device (in portrait mode) is not accessible to the touch screen.  In landscape mode, the soft buttons are out of this dead area and still work.

Google telephone support had no problem sending a replacement device.

Also, I didn't measure this before factory resetting the device, but I think the dead area has gotten bigger.  Originally ~0.5cm, cutting through the soft buttons, but is now noticeably above them.

Most likely the root cause is hardware.

Hi, here with the same problem, but I don't think is a hardware problem, because when I rotate the phone and tried to use this area of the screen, the touch work perfectly fine, for example, scrolling a webpage.

[Comment deleted]

Dead area on screen where soft buttons are in portrait mode. When phone is rotated the dead area is the same group of pixels ie when rotated clockwise the dead area is the left edge in landscape. Debugging the touches shows no touch is recorded at all. The touch trace cuts out. Started suddenly after 5 months. Full reset with no restore of preferences did not fix.

so is there a solution to it  ? anyone found a solution ?

Returned device under warranty. Accepted by Google.

Was there a solution to this issue? or I need get a replacement?

My keys stopped working all of sudden. But it doesn't look like a hardware issue since in chrome I can still scroll in that area once I put the phone in landscape mode.

BTW. I work for Qualcomm and I did some work on this phone. So if anyone at Google would like to get the device for debugging than I would be happy to help. I'm also located in Silicon Valley.

Well my soft buttons stopped working too, but I'm in Lebanon, they're not working at all, under any condition. What should I do?

Same Problem here!

Factory reset/wipe as well as flashing the phone with a factory image did not lead to solving the problem .. contacted customer support and am getting a replacement ..

Well any way to solve that? It happens to me today. I'm able to operate my phone because in have cm ROM and pie controls

Same problem here. A technician told me that the problem is the touchscreen, but it doesn't sound right because the edge of the sreen works when the touchkeys are rotated.

Guys, IT'S JUST BROKEN - YOU WILL NEED TO RETURN IT.

@pedro do the soft keys work on CM Rom? If they don't work on CM rom than surely this is a hardware issue.

I have had time to factory reset the device and ask for replacement. Need to take full back so will likely do this over this weekend. If it doesn't help than I'll ask for replacement.

Sometimes it works, a sometimes not. Sometime the screen freezes and I have to turn off the screen. I brought my nexus from amazon you think that seller accept the return?? This weekend I will try like @hardik says and if that doesn't work in will try to return it

I am facing the same issue(softkeys not working).. Ul said it needs to be replaced, but the problem is dat I had bought the phone from US, but now im in India.. Can i replace it from here?

why don't you ask google, who can give you the correct answer, rather than people like us?

@22 and..calvin.it Try going to http://support.google.com/nexus/ as they are the best people to help you.

I went to this site but cud not find a place where i can post my query.. http://support.google.com/nexus/.. Can ne1 tell me how to file for replacement or where to file it? I hav tried emailing, but they just revert via automated mails wich redirect to useless sites.. How did ul replace the phone?

Im experiencing the same issue. Had my phone for about 3 weeks.
The softkeys are unresponsive, however if i open a webpage and flip the phone so they ocupy the other side of the screen then they work fine.

The issue seems to be intermittent. Ive just recharged my phone and the issue has gone again.

There doesnt seem to be any conclusions on whats causing the issue in this forum or suggestions of a solution to it yet. Anyone got any ideas or is it really only solvable with returning the phone for a replacement?

Thanks.
Dave

Update: its not intermittent any more :o(

Worth noting that if anyone is really stuck and cant change the phone on warranty then there are some apps available to offer a work around the issue. try searching for taskbar or softkeys.

Ive added 'taskbar switcher' which gets me back to the home page via the notifications bar, but my phone is new so its going back for a replacement.
Dave

Interesting that while those keys don't work in Portrait, the area of the screen on which the Softkeys located is scrollable in landscape. Clockwise rotation to horizontal is the only way to have the soft keys work though..  Would suggest it's a software issue?

My Nexus 4 phone has the same issue. I bought this phone from US, 4 months before. But now i am in India so how will i get fix my phone?, please help me.

I have bought a Nexus 4 from US 4 months ago and i am in India.
My Nexus 4 was working good and suddenly since 4 days Softkeys (Back, Home, etc.)are not responding even i have tried rebooting and restoring factory setting. I need a solution for this issue.

I have been having problems with my Nexus 4 as well. I bought it in India on 22nd June and it started giving me problems from 18th July...not even a month of peace!
First I started facing some phantom touches in the softkeys. I cleaned it once and it reduced the frequency of phantom touches. After some time it stopped on itself.
After phantom touches stopped the softkeys were back to normal but just for some time.
Later the soft keys became unresponsive in portrait mode. If I tilted to landscape mode towards right which shifted the softkeys towards the top of the phone(Where camera is), the softkeys worked in new location AND the the bottom of the screen where softkeys are placed in portrait mode was ALSO responsive to touch.
Then again after some time, that part of screen (where softkeys are in portrait mode) became completely unresponsive to touch. I enabled show touch and could observe that the lines break as soon as it enters the bottom of the screen where softkeys are in both portrait mode and landscape mode.
So I thought I should get a replacement as it is under warranty.
Thought of going to the LG service center(LG retails Nexus 4 in India) it next day.
Next morning however, the softkeys were working!!! BUT, again for sometime, then I again saw phantom touches, followed by unresponsive softkeys followed by normal functioning. The problem is that if I take it to service center and the keys are working normally they might not give me a replacement straightaway. So I am planning to take a video of it when phantom touches or unresponsive softkeys happen next time.

On the actual problem itself, I am still not sure that it is a hardware or software problem. Could be that the digitizer is acting weird. But then, how will it resolve itself after going completely dead in that area?
It could be a firmware issue as well and looks more likely to me. I dont want to root and try custom firmware or custom ROMs as long as the phone is in warranty. But I have a feeling that this problem is going to come in the replacement phone as well as some point of time. :(
Really disappointed with Google/LG. These kind of issues should not occur in a flagship phone and next time I am planning to go back to Samsung for a phone that is thoroughly QCd or may even try my hand at the next iPhone!

To add to my comment above: I have tried hard resetting it once last night, and it did not resolve the problem at least last night. But it was working this morning as I mentioned earlier again to start giving me trouble before coming back to normal.

Took it to the LG service center and they replaced the digitizer and seems to work so far. It is still in warranty (only one month old phone!) so didnt cost me anything.
But I am worried now, I am going to Australia for a few months in a few weeks, and if this problem comes again while I am there then I will have to shell out nearly AUD150 to get it fixed because the warranty wont be applicable there.

So, the same problem with my Nexus 4. I tried with pointer location (developer optioon) and it shown that the bottom of screen (softkey's position in portrait mode) was not responsive with touch. The same in landscape mode (plz see attach file).

I bought my phone non-officially in a store at my country - Vietnam (the phone made in Korea) so I think i cannt send it back to receive a replacement. The only thing I want to do is fix it (I'm sure that's hardware trouble), so anyone can help me, Please !!!

To the person above: You will need to get the Display+Digitizer assembly replace at any local LG/Google store. When you say you have bought it un-officially what does it mean? If you have a proper bill of the sale from a store within Vietnam you may still be covered by warranty. I would recommend going to the service center with whatever bill you have to check for warranty. If it is covered then you dont have to pay anything.
However, if that is not the case, and your phone is not covered by warranty, then you will need to pay for the part cost + labour for replacing the Display+Digitizer assembly which will cost somewhere between USD 100-150.
Good luck!

I agree to most parts with an addition.
Recently many a times the back button in chrome doesn't work. After we minimize the apps and then start again it works.
BTW back arrow button from menu always works.

Addition the keyboard doesn't pop up  sometime in the text boxes (even in chrome).

Galaxy nexus GWR66Y

exactly same issue. It appears when I have upgraded to android 4.3

After reverting back to Android 4.2.2 (JDQ39) factory image, I am still plagued by the same issue. Also it may be worth noting that I had the same issue while in recovery mode using twrp recovery. I still can not use the soft buttons. Using developer options on 4.2.2 show that the touch sensor stops working within the edges of the soft button bounds, but fails to detect touch on the button itself. Attached are screenshots and a catlog of "V/DeadZone" results when trying to hit the soft buttons.

I believe this issue to be a hardware malfunction of the digitizer because re-imaging all device partitions did not solve anything, so I performed the steps outlined below:


According to LG Live Chat consultant that messaged me, all LGE960 devices purchased in the United States are under a 1 year warranty provided by google, and that I must contact google 1-855-83-NEXUS (63987).

After calling, the google consultant stated that, since I admitted to have dropped my phone once I am outside of the bounds of the 1 year warranty provided by google. Even though this damage is not in any way hindering the screen's performance because it is on the back near the speaker. So I called LG where upon I have shipped it back to the address given to me with the RMA # provided. The device may fall within the manufacturer's 1 year warranty, and this must be determined by LG technicians so I await their verdict.

Hope this information helps anyone who looks for it.

I have the same problem with my Nexus 4.
I installed Button Savior and added the buttons on the right side of the screen until a solution will be found.

I too face this issue for the past few weeks. I am using this phone since June 2013 and  this problem cropped up after a few weeks of upgrading to Android 4.3. Will rolling back to an earlier version solve this? (I read elsewhere that it works). Or is it worth waiting for 4.4 upgrade?

I sent my phone back to lg since Google told me it was out of warranty.
They gave me a new phone.

If you look at my previous post... Revert back to 4.2 solved nothing.

@paresh, the problem with my phone is that I got it as a gift from a relative in the US. I am in India. So not sure about how to go for a replacement.

Any hope to have this fixed updating to KitKat?

AFAIK, this is a hardware issue and cannot be fixed with a software update.
I successfully replaced my phone (in the US) through warranty.

I'm now on kitkat ... Same issue

Yeah, bringing the bad news also, KitKat didn't fix it for me :(

Hi to all, pls help me out i have the same problem that the bottom three buttons are working for me.
I bought it in US and have all the bills, warranty documents. can i get replacement without any extra charge?

[Comment deleted]

I just read this:

Have the KitKat OTA 'broken home button' bug? Do this: 'adb shell am start -n com.google.android.setupwizard/.SetupWizardTestActivity'

This happens to me in landscape orientation, ie when playing a game or watching a video. The buttons are not responsive and the only way for me to go out of the app is to rub around the home button for Google Now. Failing that, I would have to lock/unlock and try again.

[Comment deleted]

Hi All.

I have the same problem in my Nexus 4. I canged the screen for a new one, and the problem persist.

Hi!

I had the same problem. Used a drawing app to see whether the touch sensors are working in that area (they didn't).

and Google support replaced me the phone without a question.

The problem with the Nexus seems to be in the digitiser,

Strange thing is it suddendly happens and affects only that part of the screen in different hardware models..


I replaced everything besides the digitiser and the problem did not go away.
This included, Main board, Charging flex, all other components. Tested all software 4.0 and up.

So ordered a digitiser today.

I am thinking this could be firmware related and hopefully google can find a fix.





 

Faced same problem. Suddenly buttons stopped working. tried basic trouble shooting soft reset and hard reset nothing worked. Called up Google service. Immediately they agreed to replace the phone no questions asked. Only thing which is disappointing is new/refurbished phone comes with warranty period of the existing phone.For me its just 6months its bit concern.

Contacted LG service too they asked to send the phone to their address and get repaired.But Google option was better going for it.
 
I think Google instead of working around the problem finding solution they are trying pass issue to LG. May be that's the cheaper option to them rather asking set of engineers to work on it. It very clear that part of screen is working if we roll to landscape mode and browse. Its software bug I guess.

The digitiser suddenly started working after a few weeks.:)

I am now thinking it could be the screen or proximity sensor.
try the phone tester app from the playstore by Miguel Torres.
Nice little tool to see if hardware components are working

please post if somethings not working

Can anyone confirm that the problem goes away after replacing the digitizer?

My softkeys suddenly stopped working a few months ago, I used button saviour to be able to control my phone. Suddenly a few days ago the original softkeys starts firing randomly which makes it impossible to use the phone. They are still not reacting when I tap on them, but going on randomly. It looks like the phone is monkey-testing :(

I'm pretty sure that it will be solved when I replace the screen+digitizer but that will cost me a lot, and since the nexus 5 is out already I don't now it will be worth te price I have to pay.

But on the other hand, just replacing the digitizer will be much cheaper but I'm not sure if that will solve the problem.

Any ideas?

screen+digitizer solves the problem , Although the digitiser is the issue replacing the digitiser alone is a mission so have to get the combination.

Its not a hardware problem it's software because this place of screen is working very well may Google made that for selling new phones !

Has anyone trying replacing only the digitizer? digitizer+screen would be quite expensive.

[Comment deleted]

The digitizer+screen works

The digitizer+screen works, LG in india does not sell digitizer separately.

@aashraya... I am facing same isssue... Was ur phone under warranty...
If no... how much did it cost to replace screen+digitizer

downloading the application "button Savior" (non root) and be happy! And next time do not buy more handsets from LG, definitely gave the android ... I go with a windows phone nokia

Or better get a new Nexus from LG if you still in warranty! I received a new one since my problem and has been smooth ever since.

hi guys
feeling the same frustration for my friend since he owns this nexus 4 device, i decided to help him and after two days of searching and some experiments i'm coming with a  workaround

1)sorry for my bad English

2)root your nexus (you can google it or follow the steps in this website:
http://www.android.gs/flash-twrp-recovery-cwm-recovery-for-google-nexus-4-non-rooted-devices-with-n-cry-toolkit/

3)Download the Xposed Installer APK froem here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/framework-xposed-rom-modding-modifying-t1574401

4)Download and install Gravity Xposed Module from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/app-gravitybox-v2-9-1-tweak-box-android-t2554049

5) open xposed framework apk and activate the Gravity Module

6) Once the module active you'll be able to modify the height of the Navigation Bar,    54 dp is the maximun and this is what we need to do so we can save around 80 bucks+
 

i hope this guide works for everybody and please don't forget to say thanks to the guys from XDAdevelopers and if you can buy them a coffee do it

if one of you want tho say thanks my email is y2leonevo4g@gmail.com 

Happy hacking :)

This is absoluetly Frustrating..... I wonder how come Google is not saying anythign on this..... despite of the fact, that so many people started having the same issue.....

i am facing the same issue can n e one help

I am facing the same issue. Starts firing randomly and most of the times it doesnt respond. Please help.
Screen + digitizer is quite expensive!

Any solution to this problem guys.... its annoying when I try to use this phone.

Same issue

Having same issue. Really frustrating. Any solution?

[Comment deleted]

@ y2leonevo4g@gmail.com : Could you please provide more details on the possible solution for non-responsive (half responsive) screen on account of the phantom touches?

What's the logic of going for Xposed framework along with gravity module to change the navigation bar to 54 dp??

Isn't there a solution without going for a new ROM (just by rooting the device and  using a module similar to gravity that may work on factory ROM)

The rationale is to widen the area concerned by the button. You may even
have to go to 100 pixels wide. I personnaly use Xposed with The Dimension
Editor module. And in my understanding, Xposed can be installed on any ROM,
even stock one.
Le 21 juin 2014 23:03, <android@googlecode.com> a écrit :

Is there a solution for the digitizer problem that has made half of the screen senseless to the touch.

Same problem .Bottom row of navigation key stopped working and now more area of screen is infected . Google seems not interested in solution

i have the same problem, yesterday i just actualize to 4.4.4 and now they don't work...
also when i initiate on safe mode

I have exactly the same problem after 4.4.4 update. What can I do to check whether it is caused by hardware or software?

I got the same issue after upgrading to android 4.4.4
Is been more than a year I purchased this nexus 4, Google won't replace this. Any other solution is most welcome.
TIA

Got same issue after upgrade to 4.4.4 and its out of warranty. can someone suggest solution other than changing screen+ digitizer

Got same issue after upgrade to 4.4.4 and its out of warranty. can someone suggest solution other than changing screen+ digitizer

Same issue. Help us, GOOGLE!!

I too face the same issue, has anyone able to fix this issue???

Got Same issue today.. my phone was u upgrade to 4.4.4 few days back... Google is it related to upgrade? or a HW issue?

same here since today, i got the 4.4.4 update last week.

Same issue with me as well.after few day usage in landscape mode the softkey in landscape mode has also stopped workin but same area of screen working for other fuctionality while in normal mode.so most probably its software issue

I'm facing the same issue in my Nexus4, got android 4.4.4 update few days back.
I tried flashing N4 with 4.3 but no luck.
Is is hardware issue or software issue? If its software issue then why Google team is not responding?

I'm facing the same issue in my Nexus4, got android 4.4.4 update few days back.
I tried flashing N4 with 4.3 but no luck.
Is is hardware issue or software issue? If its software issue then why Google team is not responding?

i'm also facing the same issue from today onwards.
I have tried factory reset but no luck.
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/7SNIT8xPYzc[276-300-false]
this thread is open.

Most of the user facing the same issue after 4.4.4 update.

Facing same issue

I am facing same issue. Soft keys as well as area just above soft keys goes non responsive. Sometimes touch turns not responding and sometimes just random touches. I am getting irrited.

Thank you for #71 y2leonev it works for me

The same issue with my nexus 4 too. There are reasons to believe for it to be a software issue. But even it is related to hardware, isn't it strange that it started occurring to most of users almost about the same time - Within first year or just months after it.

What was the expected life of a phones, Google thinks of building?

Its so frustrating since there is no response from Google about this.

Google products would suck big time considering the way they are treating their existing customers.

Disappointed as hell being a Google phone fan.

Hi folks!
Same problem for my Nexus 4... You know the story: the 3 keys at the bottom of the screen (back, home and recent apps) are not responding. It's working in landscape mode when the soft keys are on the top of the phone (not at the bottom). Scrolling in for example Chrome works fine in the area where the soft keys doesn't work. Luckily for me, I'm living in Norway, so a replacement for the screen shouldn't cost me anything, but it's still quite annoying! Appreciate a response from Google urgently!!

Handy Soft Keys is working very well as a temporary solution, recommended!

Sven-Erik

It seems to be a hardware issue since the screen is not registering any touch responses below the pointers mentioned in the screenshots that I have captured in both landscape and portrait mode.

My touchscreen has ghost touches and unresponsive hotspots since the 4.4.3 update. Maybe the update fried everyones digitizer? hah

My Nexus 4 is now a paper weight and I'm using an older phone to get by. I was patiently waiting for the next nexus device, but after this fiasco, I think not.

Google? Can you hear us? There are potentially thousands of Nexus 4 users who are disgruntled by this experience and may never buy another google device and suggest others not to do the same as well. The least you can do is tell us that you are working on it. Not responding like this is really not going to make our problem go away.

I am having the same issue! Although mine seems to be application dependent, the navigation bar works for all the time. On the desktop I don't have any issues. Problem persists in lock screen.

I am having the same issue! Although mine seems to be application dependent, the navigation bar works for all the time. On the desktop I don't have any issues. Problem persists in lock screen.

As reported, It all started when I install update to KK 4.4.3. I've been dealing with the same frustration all of you had. Google agreed to exchange my phone for a refurbish one.They say that my phone had to be in perfect conditions. They will charge me for replacement parts that my old phone needed. All though I think it's a fair deal, the question persist: what did trigger the issue? How do I know in one year from now (or on the next upgrade)the same issue will show up again?

I have been just hit by this issue.

I have been just hit by this issue.

Same here. Just happened this morning

Soft keys quit soon after 4.4.4 update, but I think this may be coincidence, as others have reported same issue prior to that update.
Apps that help cope:  handy soft keys, to put artificial soft keys on some other part of the screen.  And rotation manager, which can force the screen to auto-rotate, since rotating to the right puts the soft keys at the 'top' of the screen where they work just fine.
I did a whole list of checks as instructed by google play rep, including removing screen protector and doing a factory reset--no good.  They referred me to LG, and that went nowhere.
Soft keys at 'bottom' of phone don't work at all.  Swiping up for google now sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.  Phone occasionally registers swarms of phantom touches--turning screen off and back on usually stops that.

I've had the phone just over a year, so it's out of warranty, and thus google and LG have washed their hands of it.  As much as I love my nexus 4, I will never buy another LG product, and I'm hesitant to purchase anything at all from the play store, since they clearly don't stand behind their products.

Same issue here :( I can not do anything to go to main screen. Rebooted many times..no help et al., Any known solution people ? Any idea on how long their warranty period is ? I bought it last year from Paris.

it looks like is a general Issue that starts one year after you buy a phone... sucks

My soft keys are not working after some updates - not sure when my phone updated to 4.4.4 but the soft keys stopped working this morning.  They do work in 'upside-down landscape' however, some of the apps on my phone will not change orientation. Additionally, the area of the screen that would normally be my soft keys works fine in 'upside-down landscape'.  When using an app that will not change orientation, like the PHONE app, I have to reboot.  That's pretty spectacular.  I'm posting so that maybe we can get a fix sooner rather than later - I really like this phone, and I have over a year's worth of data on it, so I'm not super excited about changing phones.

Sane vere.
Suddenly andà without any clue or other storage symptoms the soft keys area stops responding.
I enabled the "show touch" option in the developer settings and discovered that soft keys area is not activated by the touch.
Sometimes the area starts responding again to stop again soon or later.

I just got it, did not work, then i downloaded some program which made it perfect. I got happy and restored my phone through factory reset and then it came back after about 20 minutes of no usage. There was a few ghost pushes and then it came  back....

is quite a coincidence that many nexus 4 began to fail at the same time! My navbar not work! any solution?

Guys! there is a solution to this problem. Download Hand Soft Keys from PlayStore. Link : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.yesoft.handysoftkeys&hl=en.

Below is the tutorial to use this app ----

How to use it:
1) Download and install the app.
2) Navigate to phone Settings, select Accessibility under SYSTEM section;
3) On the Accessibility setting page, select Handy Soft Keys under SERVICES section;
4) Switch the toggle to ON to enable the service for the app;
5) Restart the device and the trigger spot will show up in the middle of the right edge on the screen; it will fade off in seconds. Tap on the screen or rotate the device and it will appear again;
6) Touch the Trigger Spot, and the Pie Controls will show up just around your finger. Slide your finger to one of the three navigation icons and release.
7) To change the location of the app, press and hold the Trigger Spot until the device vibrates and then move it wherever you want by drag and drop;
8) Double click the centre of Pie Controls to bring up the Settings interface that includes two groups of parameters for Trigger Spot and Pie Controls respectively. Some parameters are intuitive. Below list are some useful scenarios that can be achieved via Settings. Please remember to press the “Save” button if you want to keep the changes.
8.1) Change colors: click the sample color to bring up the Color Picker dialog where you can select your favorite color and then click OK button to confirm the selection. Then the sample color is changed to the color you selected. After selecting a color for Trigger Spot, it is easy to set the same color for Pie Controls by clicking link “Sync from Trigger Spot”, or vise versa.
8.2) Set transparency to 0% [invisible] to hide the Trigger Spot and it won’t show up unless its set location is touched, albeit it will show up when rotating your device.
8.3) Pie Controls disappears right after one of the three navigation buttons is released. But for the Back key, you may want to use it several times to go back a couple of pages when you surf a website. If so, check “Keep up as normal”.
8.4) Pie Controls can stay on the screen permanently when the screen is big enough so you don’t have to tough Trigger Spot first.
8.5) After finding a suitable location for the app on your screen, you can disable re-location function temporarily. Enable it when you want to move it again.


I hope this will help you all. Cheers

Problem "solved" with the solution from #71. It's the best solution so far, you lose a bit of the screen but probably you won't notice it as you can see in the screenshot.

Solution #71 and other solutions mentioning use of apps like handysoft, floating bar, etc serve good when the non-responsive (to touch) area is small portion (10%) of the entire display.
But my 50% display has gradually become non-sensitive to touch. Initially the non-responsive area was 10% then increased to 20% then to 30% and now almost half the screen is non-responsive to touch.

Those who have the device under warranty, get the device RMAed asap as the issue with display is a hardware issue.
Those who have devices out of warranty, wait as long as possible (use handysoft or floating bar to get the work done even though it is tiresome at times) and then get the display changed from LG support center (it costs around INR 5000 and comes with a 3 month warranty for display)
Those who play games and have the device out of warranty, I would suggest sell your device to a local store and buy a new phone with similar or better specs.

#120 Vishal any good source to get these screens online in India?

You can visit the LG- support centers.

I am having the same problem in my Nexus 4. The lower 3-button row do not response to touch now. Has anyone found what created this problem?

Ashfaq (from Bangladesh)

Well I'm the guy from #119, and the dead part of my screen has increased just enough to stop the solution from #71. Now I'm using handy soft key and hoping it doesn't increase again. The best thing to do is buy another phone, one that is not LG or Nexus, to be sure it won't stop after an year.

This frustrating bug is also reported here : https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/7SNIT8xPYzc%5B1-25-false%5D

For me, the softkeys work when changing orientation.
also the "dead zone" works nicely for scrolling/clicks in landscape mode so this is definitely a software bug.

Same Issue with me and My warranty period just finished. Waiting for a solution other than digitizer Replacement.

[Comment deleted]

I am also facing the same problem on my Nexus 4. First off, it started with ghost touches, then my softkeys became unresponsive, and now 40% of my screen doesn't respond at all. I am using 'Button Savior' and 'Rotate' for this annoying problem. I have rooted my Nexus because of this cause.
I am from Pakistan, and I don't have the warranty (I have used it for about  15 months). And also I don't have PKR 10000, to change the entire touch unit cause digitilizer (as a single piece) is not available here. Google should take some responsibility because it's quite clear the problem came from their software update and messed up the digitilizer.

I got this same problem thrice. LG replaced my front panel thanks to warranty!

My problem was solved by replacing the front panel (display and digitizer). Don't wait software solution of harware problem, just replace digitizer. It is obviously LG fail, not Google, and they rejected me to do it by warranty, so I'll never buy anything from LG in the future.

I have nexus 5,in my phone display there are one very small dead pixel. What can I do,can company solved this problem plz give me review..

My nexus got the same problem, back, home and recent button is not working. But that area of screen is working perfect for keyboard buttons. I still suspect that this is a software issue and not hardware.

I have tried, 4.3 & 4.4 even custom rom, but the problem is still there. Currently I am using my phone with pie control.

Let see if I gget any other solution.

I have same problem, blyat!

Same problem.. Rotating my screen to use those buttons..

I too having the same problem, the last three buttons were not responding after updating to 5.0.1 version. is there any solution to fix the nexus 4?

I've FIXED that!
Enjoy: https://github.com/gkraynov/nexus-4-navfix

Since the update to 5.0, this issue is happening to my Nexus 4 too. Not always but very often and EXTREMELY annoying. Rotating eevice/screen does not help in my case and making it sleep then active again (having logged in again, sigh)only helps occasionally. In most cases, I need to completely reboot the phone to get out of an app !!

Sometimes I cannot answer an incoming call or the whole screen becomes unresponsive. I've never seen such a mess after an upgrade :(

Loosing faith in Android quickly here.

I tried:
1. Removing all recently installed apps, the problem remained;
2. A complete factory reset, removing everything (cleared cache, apps, settings)... problem remained;
3. Reverted to Android 4.4.4... problem still there!

Going to try patch https://github.com/gkraynov/nexus-4-navfix next. Will come back here to report.

LCD Display Touch Digitizer Frame Assembly Replacement With Frame Bezel For LG Google Nexus 4 E960.

Best website! Ive ordered several screens from these guys. Amazing!

Here is the Nexus 4 LCD/Digitizer W/ Bezel.
If you need help replacing it please email me!!!

tasc.cory at Gmail.com

I even installed ubuntu to get rid of this problem. But dead zone still exists. The bottom part of my screen doesn't respond to any touch.

@all, the patch mentioned at https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=41219#c136 is working for me. See my how-to on http://status301.net/how-to-fix-nexus-4-unresponsive-soft-navigation-menu-buttons/

See the patch
https://android-review.googlesource.com/#/c/147266

The patch isn't going to pass AOSP review, it looks like.

> The patch isn't going to pass AOSP review, it looks like.

Maybe if setting the deadzone to 0 was implemented as a developer option it would pass...

[Comment deleted]

Grigoriy Kraynov should create a patch setting that value to 0 in a SystemUI resource overlay as requested and I think it would pass code-review

Hi Guys,

I got some solutions to that and also tried with some of Nexus4 phones.

Please follow below step to enable your Softkey for Nexus4.

Step 1 : Re image the phone on earlier Build (Less then 5.1.1)
         https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Step 2 : install Custom Recovery
Step 3 : Install the update patch from below link.
         https://github.com/gkraynov/nexus-4-navfix

If any Issue please get in touch on my personal Email ID

Pramod Kumar
pramod.ite@gmail.com

To be honest, this fix here https://github.com/gkraynov/nexus-4-navfix , don't fix the problem, but it is actually another workaround.I installed it and the buttons on my navbar do work now, but when I turn on "Show touches" on "Developer Options", I can see my touchscreen is still unable to go past the half of the navbar.

Apparently this fix only remove the deadzone near the top of the navbar. Thanks for it anyway, but I still want an official fix for this.

@Gustavo

> Apparently this fix only remove the deadzone

Yes, as I understand it, that's exactly what it does and in that sense you're right: it's a work-around. But if you're looking for a real fix then you'll need to replace the touchscreen (including the digitizer where it is said the fault lies) because a hardware issue will never be fixed with a software patch -- however sophisticated you thing Android may be, it's no living organism (yet).

For me, GKraynov's fix (which has a 5.1.1 prebuilt available now) has been doing the job since 5.0 without any problems or negative consequences what-so-ever. Except maybe having to wait with upgrading until a new prebuilt is out...

I've read some reports that state the issue disappeared after the phone came in contact with water. If these reports have any truth to them at all (I cannot confirm any if this and must say it sounds unlikely!) it might suggest there is an issue with some kind of over-time charge buildup or a problem with 'grounding' (using quotes here for lack of a better term because a portable device cannot really be grounded, can it?)

I have noticed that my phone sometimes switches off on its own while the battery is still over 50% charged. Annoying when that happens while I expect the alarm clock to wake me or an important phone call. Could this be related to 'grounding' problems.

But I'm just stabbing in the dark here and even though I'm sometimes tempted to throw the phone in the pond, I'm not expecting that to fix the problem. Destroying the phone and getting a new one could be considered just another work-around ;)

Hello guys,

I faced this problem on my Nexus 4 as well (today) and I have already red all the comments. I decided to disasembly whole Nexus and heat it with fan (mainly - the contacts of digitizer and screen with mainboard). And, I fixed that problem ! :) Try it, maybe you will be successful too ! :)

Hey ondrej.b.... Grt news
Could you please give step by step guidance with pics for the work that you did specifically pictorially represent the digitizer + screen part which u heated. Also mention the time for heating. Pls give details of the heating fan etc.

In case u have made a video, pls share that as well.

Thanks.

Any updates?

After 2 years without a problem, suddenly soft keys stopped working.
Soft keys at the bottom of the screen don't work at all, but if the screen rotates
the soft keys in the right side of teh screen work perfectly.

The same problem appears with some apps with the lower part of the screen (above the soft keys).
Buttons and sensitive areas in the lower part of the screen do not seem to react to the touch (this area varies but is about 1-1.5 cm height).

It could not be an hardware problem, because the same screen portion works perfectly with some application, and doesn't work at alla with other apps.
Please investigate and find a bugfix (not an hack please)

joined to above list :/
stopped working 1.5 bottom area.
after 2.5 years.

No reaction from LG/Google is good plus move away from nexus-es to samsungs/apples.

same for me when i'm updated to 5.1.1 with nexus4

My problem was in the hardware. I replaced the screen and everything is fine, now.

1 1/2" screen from bottom  dosent work,factory reset didn't help HELP

for me also same problem. the area of screen is working in all other cases with other apps. Hard reset didn't helped me. It is also working when I enable talkback. So its clearly software problem.
                   GOOGLE Accept IT and FIX it

I am also facing this issue and goodle/LG need to fix it. Now I hate Nexus series and Android.

Has anyone tried this?  http://status301.net/how-to-fix-nexus-4-unresponsive-soft-navigation-menu-buttons/

I'm not sure if this works or not, as I do not have the expertise to do this kind of stuff.  I'm posting this more for the fact maybe a developer will download this guys patch, figure out what it does, then put it in a patch for everyone with nexus phones.  

My issue is a bit different than some of the others.  I have an unresponsive area of my screen, but it's not on the soft keys, it's more towards the middle of the screen going horizontal from end to end about 1 inch tall.  

In this area thats unresponsive I frequently get ghost touches, sometimes bad and sometimes not to bad.  I rooted my phone to try and test if any google apps might be causing the issue.  I deleted gmail, hangouts, maps, and chrome.  I restarted my phone and dead zone was still present.  I reinstalled each app from playstore one at a time.

I had really no problems until I reinstalled hangouts which was last.  As soon as I reinstalled hangouts and rebooted the ghost touches in my dead zone were non stop (I had developer options turned on with show touches enabled). I mean literally non stop ghost touches literally thousands of them in a direct line going from left to right (which was swiping my unlock screen open and then opening apps.

Somehow I managed to uninstall hangouts by rotating my phone so the phantom press were not hitting app icons, and then kept hitting power button to turn screen off and back on which would sometimes buy me a second or two to get through the hangouts uninstall process.  After I uninstalled hangouts the phantom touches stopped.  Something is seriously wrong with hangouts in my opinion.  While removing it didn't fix the deadzone, it might of been the cause of the problem to start with and most certainly that app is causing ghost touches within the deadzone for people effected by this issue.  

Deadzone will stay, as I believe it's a hardware problem. Get a new phone (not LG this time)

I probably would of thought it was a hardware problem also if the exact same thing didn't happen (in the same spot) after 4.2 update.  Then fix itself shortly after apps update about 45 days later and work fine for months until 5.0 update came out and it's happened again.  Searching google for Nexus 4 screen unresponsive shows it's happened to thousands of people, and the older threads from around the time of 4.2 almost everyone who didn't run out and replace the phone or LCD/Digitzer said it fixed itself right around the time my screen started to work.  So it's obvious they updated something to fix it. I've watched several youtube video's of people with the same problem with a dead zone in the same exact area.  This is to much of a coincidence to have random hardware failure leaving a small deadzone in the same area for so many people.

After using nexus 4 for around 2.3 years , bottom soft navigation keys stopped working all of a sudden, I am suspecting it to be either because of 5.1.1 update or might be a hardware problem. Really wondering so many people are facing this issue after around using this phone for 2 years. I installed other app which does the trick of going back and going to homescreen but it can't replace the ease of using softkeys. Anyways no more nexus now and going with one plus two.. :)

[Comment deleted]