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LG G4 Incident: Difference between revisions

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The LG G4 phone was discovered to have defects, which caused it to become unstable or inoperable. Despite the widespread problems in the phone, LG did not issue a recall when millions of customers were affected.{{Citation needed}}
The '''LG G4''' was an [[Android]] smartphone developed by [[LG]] Electronics as part of the {{Wplink|LG G series}} of smartphones and was released in April 2015.


This issue in the phone was caused by heat which would detach the soldering, with the most common result being a bootloop issue where the device would be stuck in a cycle of booting but never post.[https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/lg-g4-bootloop-problem-how-to-diagnose-and-fix-2946272] This would result in all user data being lost, and the device being unusable.{{Citation needed}}  
Shortly after its release, it was found to have issues that resulted in the device becoming unstable, inoperable or even so far as {{Wplink|data loss}}. LG released a series of forced updates where the phones installed them without the user's consent or permission.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Nicole |last=Arce |title=AT&T LG G4 Users Complain Of Automatic Update: What's Happening? |url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/59241/20150610/at-t-lg-g4-users-complain-of-automatic-update-whats-happening.htm |website=Tech Times |date=10 Jun 2015 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612201958/https://www.techtimes.com/articles/59241/20150610/at-t-lg-g4-users-complain-of-automatic-update-whats-happening.htm |archive-date=12 Jun 2015}}</ref>


Other problems included touchscreen issues, where the screen would stop responding permanently (or until restart for some users), charging port death, speaker function damage, and double tap features no longer functioning, which was an early precursor to the touchscreen issues. When abnormally high failure rates were reported in the first few months,{{Citation needed}} LG hid the issue and refused warranties. When public outcry became too much of a wave for them to deny, they told outlets it was a very small subset they would look into, all the while having confirmed many months before that it was a universal issue.
==Issues==
===Touchscreen===
In 2015 it was identified that the G4 was experiencing touchscreen issues, making the device unresponsive or causing the device to restart.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Ketan |last=Pratap |title=Some LG G4 Users Reporting Touchscreen Issues; LG Says It's Investigating |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/some-lg-g4-users-reporting-touchscreen-issues-lg-says-its-investigating-704572 |website=Gadgets 360 |date=17 Jun 2015 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001181541/https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/some-lg-g4-users-reporting-touchscreen-issues-lg-says-its-investigating-704572 |archive-date=1 Oct 2022}}</ref> LG released several patches in an attempt to rectify the issue, however some of the patches had to be pulled as they caused more problems to the device itself. By November 2015, LG had released a series of software updates to address the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anu |last=Passary |title=LG Outs Fix For LG G4 Touchscreen Issues |url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/62417/20150622/lg-outs-fix-for-lg-g4-touchscreen-issues.htm |website=Tech Times |date=6 Jun 2015
|access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623144513/https://www.techtimes.com/articles/62417/20150622/lg-outs-fix-for-lg-g4-touchscreen-issues.htm
|archive-date=23 Jun 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Cory |last=Gunther |title=LG G4 Touchscreen Problems Fixed in New Update |url=https://www.gottabemobile.com/lg-g4-touchscreen-problems-fixed-in-new-update/ |website=Gotta Be Mobile |date=25 Nov 2015 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305201051/https://www.gottabemobile.com/lg-g4-touchscreen-problems-fixed-in-new-update/ |archive-date=5 Mar 2017}}</ref>


The issue was exasperated by the device's Snapdragon 808 processor, which famously had overheating issues (along with the 810), but it was LG's devices (including the G Flex) that suffered these desoldering issues en masse.  
===Boot looping===
From approximately September 2015, users reported an issue in the device wherein it would constantly cycle between booting and restarting without being operable (known as a "{{Wplink|Booting#Bootloop|boot loop}}").<ref>{{Cite web |first=Andrew |last=Williams |title=LG G4 Bootloop Problem: Global Software Upgrade Centre the final fix? |url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/lg-g4-bootloop-problem-how-to-diagnose-and-fix-2946272 |website=Trusted Reviews |date=12 Apr 2018 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180604022107/http://www.trustedreviews.com:80/opinion/lg-g4-bootloop-problem-how-to-diagnose-and-fix-2946272 |archive-date=4 Jun 2018}}</ref> Initially appearing to only affect a small number of devices, the issue quickly became more widespread and by the end of 2015 it was apparent that this issue could afflict almost any model.


LG did not recall the devices, as the G4 was its best-selling phone to date. LG instead continued to marketing the device (the G4 was marketed for over two years at bus stations in Canada, well after the release of the G5).{{Citation needed}} The company later launched a replacement scheme with US carriers,{{Citation needed}} which did not address the phone's systemic problem of breaking down and losing all user data.
Users either complained that the devices were not having appropriate repairs undertaken or called for LG to acknowledge that there was a major fault with the devices. In some instances users started online petitions calling for LG to address their concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Santiago |last=Archila |title=Launch a replacement program for defective LG G4s |url=https://www.change.org/p/lg-mobile-launch-a-replacement-program-for-defective-lg-g4s |website=change.org |date=2016 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016135326/https://www.change.org/p/lg-mobile-launch-a-replacement-program-for-defective-lg-g4s |archive-date=16 Oct 2016}}</ref>


Users who had their phone replaced reported it dying a second or third time because the heating issue was never fixed.  All data is lost upon bootlooping and LG still continued selling it for over a year after finding out.{{Citation needed}}
LG acknowledged in January 2016 that there was a hardware issue causing the boot loop and advised they would repair or replace affected devices.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kris |last=Carlon |title=LG admits G4 bootloop problem is a hardware fault, will repair affected devices |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/lg-admits-g4-bootloop-problem-hardware-fault-669603/ |website=Android Authority |date=26 Jan 2016 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127084809/https://www.androidauthority.com/lg-admits-g4-bootloop-problem-hardware-fault-669603/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2016}}</ref> LG did not offer assistance with the recovery of data from affected devices.
<!-- this section is a bit repetitive, might want to consider rewriting or removing it -->


It was identified that the fault was caused by detached soldering between components, resulting in lost user data  and complete interoperability of the affected devices.


===Other issues===
Other problems included:


The phone received Android 5.0 roughly two months after release, and was expected to get two major updates. This was even confirmed through a LG spokesperson in South Korea (twice) that the device would be receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow,{{Citation needed}} but the update was never globally released, despite LG's promise for months that the phone would receive updates. At the time Android updates were not yet segmented (link to video on this topic), so updates took much longer to develop, and the decision to do so would have been made well in advance. The device was still being advertised for over 6 months after Android 6.0 was slated for release. The update was eventually released, but only in South Korea.
*Charging port death{{Citation needed}}
*Speaker function damage{{Citation needed}}
*Double tap features no longer functioning{{Citation needed}}


LG only ended up settling one class-action lawsuit on the issue exclusively in the USA.{{Citation needed}} They avoided a recall that executives knew would be needed months after release (source on LG knowing the bootloop issue existed 3 months after release).
==Class-action lawsuit==
LG left the phone market in 2021.<ref>
LG settled one class-action lawsuit in relation to boot loop issues in the USA, with LG offering affected device owners either $425 in cash or $700 in store credit to buying an alternative LG device.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Chaim |last=Gartenberg |title=LG settles bootloop lawsuit with $425 in cash or a $700 rebate toward a new LG phone
{{cite web
|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/31/16957332/lg-bootloop-lawsuit-settlement-g4-v10-v20-nexus-5x-g5 |website=The Verge |date=31 Jan 2018 |access-date=11 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201022442/https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/31/16957332/lg-bootloop-lawsuit-settlement-g4-v10-v20-nexus-5x-g5 |archive-date=1 Feb 2018}}</ref>
|url=https://www.lg.com/global/newsroom/news/corporate/lg-to-close-mobile-phone-business-worldwide/
 
|title=LG to Close Mobile Phone Business Worldwide
==References==
|date=2021-04-05
{{Reflist}}
|access-date=2025-01-18
 
|website=www.lg.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:LG G4}}
|publisher=LG Electronics Inc.
[[Category:LG]]
|archive-date=2025-01-18 21:03:36 (utc-5)
[[Category:LG G4 phone]]
|archive-url=https://archive.ph/xK5is
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
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