topic Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering in XA Series

Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 05:43:41 GMT

Dear Forum

Problem:

I got this new Xperia XA Dual SIM on the 5th of november (less than 3 weeks already), it was great and working fine until yesterday

after I charged the phone.. the UI itself became slow, just like everything else, it stutters and its so annoying, also the phone gets overheated not from the battery, not the camera. but top left side (where the SD card and the SIM card are).

Attempts to fix the problem:

1. Turned off the phone and back on: It doesn't lag for the first 10-20 minutes, then it becomes sluggish again

2. Removed SD card: problem still presists

3. Removed Cache: problem still presists

4. Did the "volume up power button" trick while turning it on: Problem still presists

5. Software repair using PC companion: problem still presists

Observations

well that's weird. when its connected it via USB it works fine, I tried this many times. no lag when USB attached (Wall charger or PC) and as soon as the cable is removed .. sluggish again

Notes:
- I don't complain about the battery, yes definitely overheating causes it to drain quicker but its not that noticable

- My SIM card was originally a micro one that got trimmed into nano

- I have been very careful with the phone, It never fell or had any hits

Thanks for your help in Advance

I hope you can return my trust in Sony because I had an Xperia Z1C before and the service center told me "its unrepairable" and despite this I bought Sony again because I like the brand, I hope it wasn't a mistake.

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:52:02 GMT

Hi @AL95, I'm sorry to hear about your phone.

Are you using the STAMINA mode in your phone? You can see that if you go to Settings > Battery > STAMINA mode. If this is set to "Always on", change it to "Never" and try using the phone as normal. Do you still experience lags/stuttering?

When you start to charge the phone the STAMINA mode is turned off automatically, so if it's set to always on it will be activated at all times except for when you charge your phone.

When STAMINA mode is active, the following activities and features are limited:

Location services (for example, GPS).
Background data incl. synchronisation activities.
Vibrating alerts.
Image enhancement and frame rate.

I would recommend that you ask a colleague, family member or friend if you can borrow their SIM card(s) and put them in your phone to see if you experience that the phone heats up on the top left side.

Let me know how it went!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 23:09:54 GMT

Thank you Jonas for your help
I never use Stamina mode and its set to Never as well
I discovered that connecting it to charger boosts it up and makes it work fine. Its just like oxygen mask now which is not comfortable

I also found out that the stuttering doesn't just affect animation or scrolling but also whatever media is played, the sound comes out laggy as well
I haven't tried a different SIM card yet but i guess its far from it? I will try it anyway and return with a feedback

I hope my reply narrows the possibilties you are thinking a little bit. It would be great to get a solution online as I dont have time to leave it at the service center nor I have a back up phone for now

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:29:02 GMT

Thanks for the update!

Could you please try and reboot your phone in safe mode to rule out that a third party application that is causing for the lag and stuttering?

If you experience the same behaviour in safe mode without the charger connected I'd recommend performing a software repair using Xperia Companion.

Keep me updated how it works with another SIM card and/or in safe mode!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 13:34:23 GMT

Thank you Jonas for following up.
Well i have removed the SD card yesterday and until now the phone didn't lag which is good news, I saw online that corrupt files can cause overheating and lag so maybe its the case
I will still update you tomorrow but just in case the SD card was the problem. Will formatting the card fix this issue? And if i am going to buy a new SD card. Are there any recommendations you have about what to buy?

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 13:38:25 GMT

P.S. My work environment is very dusty. Can this be related to the issue? If so. I already have a backcover for the phone but of course the ports and the speaker grill still get dusty. Is there a safe way that you recommemd to keep them clean?

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 14:44:13 GMT

You are correct, if you for example move applications to the SD card and the SD card is corrupt, you will experience this behaviour as well or when the phone needs to access data on the SD card.

I'd recommend that you try and format the SD card before buying a new, so you can save some money if the SD card is corrupt and not broken.

Xperia XA supports SD cards up to 200 GB, Memory card speed class Class 10 and Memory card UHS speed class Class 1.

If it works directly after the SD card was removed it's likely not due to you working in a dusty environment. Since there is no IP-classification for the Xperia XA be very careful when you clean it. I'd recommend using a soft and dry cotton towel or similar.

I hope this answer your questions, if not let me know!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 18:22:42 GMT

Hello again Jonas,
After a day and a half no lag without SD card the phone lagged again, so i got a new nano SIM inserted but still the lag happened (still without SD card)
When i tried safe mode it took forever to be turned on first time so i had to restart and try again. No lag but it doesnt lag immediately when restarted anyway

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 19:29:46 GMT

I can confirm It lags in safe mode as well

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 08:27:58 GMT

Update:

when it lagged I checked the Memory usage and I googled for sometime and it seems higher than usual for android OS to use all this amount

(when i check the average usage over a longer interval of time it gets less and less which leads that somehow its related)

is this a software or a hardware issue? may other XA dual users do me a favor and check their usage too?

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:11:34 GMT

Hello again!

I'm sorry to hear that the lag started again.

It's hard to say if it's related to hardware or software. Did you try and perform the software repair using Xperia Companion?

If you haven't performed the software repair I'd suggest that you do that. This will reset your phone and everything stored on the internal storage will be deleted so backup using Xperia Companion your stuff first.

Let me know how it works after the software repair!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:47:49 GMT

Hello again,

I did software repair just yesterday, I currently have very few apps installed after the software repair (messenger,whatsapp, candy crush) but sadly the lag still occurs

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 07:24:05 GMT

Thanks for getting back to me!

Since you experience the lag/stutter after performing a software repair I'm afraid there isn't much else to try.

I'd recommend that you get in contact with your Local support in order to be assisted with getting your device sent in to a authorized service centre. Since I work globally, I won't be able to help you with questions regarding for example, service routines but your Local support are experts on your market and they will be able to answer all of your questions regarding your specific market.

Please keep me updated!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:06:00 GMT

Well I sent it today to the customer service of the store where I bought it from and they will in turn send it to Sony service center here (basically its a maintenance center officially authorized by Sony, that's the case here in Alexandria Egypt as far as I know)

14 days Maxiumum and I will get the phone back (let's just hope they won't just reinstall software and give it back to me :D)

I am really curious about what's with it

Definitely i will be following up with you later and sharing the results here

Thank you again

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:39:33 GMT

No problem at all!

Looking forward to the update.

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 17:10:55 GMT

I recieved my phone today after 18 days of waiting and what did they do? install software just like I predicted! and within an hour my phone was back laggy!

I am really furious at the moment. of course I will take it back to them when I have time

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:38:10 GMT

Hello again!

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Was it stuttering and felt slow before you restored a backup or installed new applications in the phone as well?

You can try and and perform a software repair using Xperia Companion again, not install any applications or restore any backup that you have made and use the phone for a couple of hours and see if the same trouble occurs again.

I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, I fully understand that it's no fun to send your phone to service and the trouble is still there when getting it back.

Keep me updated!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

AL95 — Sun, 15 Jan 2017 19:26:55 GMT

Dear Jonas,

Its almost a month since the last time i sent my phone to sony service center (around 50 days since i experienced the lag and the phone became unusable) and i hear no news about it. I don't even know what's wrong with it!

the customer service person who replies to calls tells me "We don't have data about it on system at the moment, its still in maintenance"

its very unprofessional and very frustrating. a nightmare that i got scammed for a piece of plastic that costed me a 3 months salary!

I raised a complaint to the customer protection agency here and still no news about it and I don't trust I can get anything through them at the mean time because you know.. beuracracy. and now guess what. I am going to Police report sony service center because they don't answer my calls and they did when i called from a different number later!

its like my phone is stolen. absolutely rubbish treatment for someone who just bought sony because he trusted the brand

Please don't tell me to install software because your authorized people can do it easily and they already did last time they sent it back to me and didn't fix anything

if there is a way I can complain to sony where my voice will be heard I would really love a link to that

I am sorry for ranting. I know its unrelated to sony itself or to this forum or to you but sadly yes. they are your authorized people and they represent you

I am pretty sure anyone would do the same if he was in my shoes

Thank you

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Jonas — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 16:38:12 GMT

Hi again!

I'm so sorry to hear about that.

I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with your service case since it's handled on a local level and I can only refer you to contact your Local support team for more information regarding your service.

I'm really sorry about this and I hope your phone will be repaired and returned to you as soon as possible.

Keep me posted!

Re: Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

Tooky — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 03:41:07 GMT

I have the same problem on my new Xperia XA Ultra. All music or video sound staggers, lags, over all my Bluetooth devices. What is wrong with these Xperias?