topic Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing in XPERIA archive

Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

TheMadScientist — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 05:53:53 GMT

Okay. So, I've always been on the stock GB rom it shipped with and had no issues. I decide to update to ICS but since the update doesn't show up in PC companion or Update Service or OTA, I get flashtool and the stock .431 ftf and flash my mini pro (SI 1249-0751) to ICS (and also plug in a fresh new 32GB microSDHC card to celebrate). A bit laggy, crashes of the contact viewer when searching throught the dialpad, but that's okay, I can use a different launcher (Zeam) and dialer app (Dialer One).

But when I open the camera app and try to take a picture with the front camera ...

... there's no option. It's gone.

Another camera app, no front camera.

Skype recognises only the rear camera. No front camera.

I open the service menu (*#*#SERVICE#*#* i.e *#*#7378423#*#*) and test the secondary camera, and it says "This device does not support the function". The primary works fine. All other supported features work fine. Light sensor (next to the front cam) responds too. (But the Proximity switch doesn't. Not sure if it should. Perhaps that could hint at a hardware problem with the connections from the bottom half to the top slider part.)

I scout the forums and find that there's some some strange relationship between the SD card and the front camera for the Ray (or some other device) . With the old SD card, still no luck.

I downgrade to GB. Still not working. Front cam missing.

I unlock the bootloader and install a custom rom (CyanogenMod 9.0.0 Stable mango). Still not working. Front cam missing.

I reinstall GB, relock the bootloader in the hope of an OTA update and do finally get one (to ICS). I update it. Still not working. Front cam missing.

I don't think it's (gulp) hardware. There hasn't been any drop onto a hard surface. And Seychelles doesn't have any Sony service centers.

So, now, I'm here.

Anybody with similar issues ? Ideas ? Suggestions ?

Anyone with a ... fix ?

Anyone ?

Please.

Help..

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

Abhi027 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 07:09:00 GMT

I have the same problem after the official android 4.0.4 on my mini pro(sk 17i), even the proximity sensor does not work. someone please help on this issue.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

MarlonUk1 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:24:36 GMT

HAve you tried to run repair using http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/tools/update-service/

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

TheMadScientist — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:44:51 GMT

Tried that too, once. It repaired the system, and I had stock ICS afresh. Even then, the option was missing.

I've tried a factory reset, coupled with an SD card erase. Even then, the option's missing.

I figure, even if it's hardware failure, it should at the very least be available as an option, and then maybe crash when switched on/enabled.

So this is quite intriguing.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

MarlonUk1 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:49:50 GMT

but before that, you flashed the phone with a custom rom ?

i suggest to reflash your phone again.. try with the tft's here

http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/38251

http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/35239

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

TheMadScientist — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 09:33:15 GMT

Yes. I had tried a repair after that. I had flashed CM9, then flashed GB again and locked the bootloader to allow a successful OTA update. I got ICS, OTA update and the front cam still wasn't working. Then repaired it with PC Companion, which, by that time, had got the .431 ICS update, but same thing. No front cam.

I have the .431 ftf. But I'll try the download/install again and send an update. I haven't tried the new .587 firmware though.

(Is there a .587 fw for the mini pro ? The Support Forum announcement says there is, but I can't find any links on xda or anywhere else, to download the firmware image.)

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

MarlonUk1 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 09:49:21 GMT

maybe the GB you flashed back is not optimized for your device, maybe its for xperia active.( no front facing camera)

I have no idea for that one, how about you flash the .431 then try to update.

maybe the update is not yet out for xperia mini pro.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

thaiguyinla — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 02:11:34 GMT

I have the 2011 Xperia Mini Pro.... SK17A.... Came originally with GB, and lately upgraded via Sony's PC Compansion to ICS...

After the ICS upgrade, my front camera still works when accessed via video calling apps like Skype or Google Talk.

But in the OS Camera app itself, the option to switch from the main to the front camera is now GONE. So I can no longer take photos with the lower res front facing camera.

There used to be a toggle switch in the camera app to switch between the two cameras. There's still a toggle to move between the still camera and video camera uses. But no front camera anymore.

Why???

PS - I've never rooted or romed my phone. It's only had the original factory GB OS and then the official Sony ICS upgrade.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

Uliwooly — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 02:36:41 GMT

just tap on the SCN AUTO > front camera

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

DaveBee — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 23:05:23 GMT

I have (only now in Decembre 2013) the same exact problem: front camera disappeared and proximity sensor not working, after upgrading to 4.0.4.

I bought my Sk17i on Sept 2011 (so I think it's out of warranty now....), I have always been pretty happy with it, except some occasional black screen freezing (once/two every month) with backlight and physical keys working but scrren not turning on to unlock it, which forced me to shut down phone by battery removing.... I never went to a repair center.... no time 😞

I never rooted nor romed my phone, only upgraded to 2.3.6 in 2011 via OTA and kept 2.3.6 until some days ago.

Some days ago when my mobile went crazy. It turned off by itself even if >50% battery. After turning it on battery status was unknown or zero/red (tried many times)

I thought I damaged the hardware since the last exact time I charged it I used an electric socket in a office I never used and after less than 20 minutes the AC adapter was very hot, I plugged it off and kept using phone before it switched off by itself at >50% battery.

Phone was working (not good) but working, except that I did not know when battery was going to die.

Sometimes I did not turn on and the status led was flashing in different colors (error codes?): red / white.....

Phone was not charging anymore when plugged, or only sometimes, or only via USB/Laptop.

In the last days before the 'hot' charge I noticed that the proximity sensor was not working, well it was working only 10% of the times: after ending a call and getting phone off my ear the screen did not light up with all its stuff but it kept being black, I had to use the physical home key to get the screen on and then press the red dialer icon to finish the call.

After getting many switch offs due to crazy battery I tried updating the software.

The first thing I tried was restore to factory settings with option in the mobile, so it wiped out all apps and all also personal data (had backups anyway) and went to a clean 2.3.6.

All seemed fine, battery too, but after a day it had the same problems: crazy battery switchoffs, charge with ac/adapter not working (or only some times).....

So I took a step forward: I downloaded SUS and updated to ICS 4.0.4. Same story: worked for a bit with the new ICS then died again with unknown battery status: see left screenshot down here, it says 'plugged' (in carica) even if it was not plugged

Then I took away my SIM card and tried other tests: another reset but this time with PCCompanion: worked for some hours then first night I left it in airplane-mode: see screen shot

50% of battery used during night (7 hours when normally it used 2/3%)

Then I reseted again with SUS, again with PCCompanion, removed SD card, now it seems working (like other times, I think it will die this night) but I did a search in the internet and I found this (and other threads) with people with similar problems.

I calibrated the battery in the meanwhile and did the tests you can access with the *#*#73 etc code

I found that my Phone camera is not detected: test says "this device does not support the function" and the same thing for proximity switch. Ambient light sensor is OK and also speakers. I say this since I know the speakers are on the same hardware piece of the front camera and proximity sensor (from what I saw on online markets).

Test moreover does not count the flip keyboard flips, but it works on the phone: goes from portrait to landscape and back.

When phone was crazy I saw also the main menu going to landscape with flip closed ...!!

So I don't really know what is my mobile problem, if battery, if phone hardware, if software, or all of these.

I know for sure that front camera has gone with 4.0.4., in the last screenshot there are my camera options, the front switch is missing.

Now I'm trying to keep the phone clean from apps, but I did have very few, now I deleted all removable from stock and I added only Whatsapp.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

alienmi — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 23:09:52 GMT

I realized today that front cam and prox. sensor is missing after factory reset. Its a" feature" for service the device or what? I use it only as home phone for keyboard but it still.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

alexrx — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 05:09:58 GMT

Hi there,

Repair your software with Sony Update Service

Perhaps it will solve your problem, otherwise take your phone to Sony repair center(or some other if the phone is not under warranty).

Cheers.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

DaveBee — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 18:29:31 GMT

Hello everyone,

Well... the problem with my mini pro is due to the broken ribbon flexible cable which slides between the two blocks of the phone 😕

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

MEXICORROSIVO — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 06:37:31 GMT

I'm having the EXACT same problem.

UPDATED THE FW TO ICS-> LOST PROXIMITY SENSOR AND FRONT CAMERA.

You're saying that the "ribon" between screen and the keypad broke. It "casualy" happened to me. Kind of. It were something like a cassette tape, metallic, and it poped up whenever I used the keypad. A pair of days it finally fell off.

You're saying it was IT, but how do you know? Have you repaired it yet? What did you do?

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

SonyInsider — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:50:23 GMT

There seems to be a major compatibility problem of the Android soft and Xperia hardware, as I read through multiplying fora across the web... (see xperia z etc...) Same problems for me... I did a factory reset and the problem remains, as many users before me indicated already. I read a reply of a sony employee, somewhere on this site, advising to send the phone back for service. So I decided to do so, also to help sony to find out what the problem might be. I recently got a mail from the phone-shop that my phone is out of warranty (always the same in our society, after 2 years your just.) and a decent factory reset would cost me 106 €. (+/-half of phone-price) There is only one problem, the Belgian law states that if a problem is due to a failure/ lack at production, the producer remains responsible no matter what the guarantee says. Pffff... Not sure what I'm gonna do yet... For that price I have a new phone and could meanwhile reinstall an OS myself... I understand that Sony doesn't want to take full responsibility for the Android system, but why blocking the bootloader then ?

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

vikuz — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 18:14:48 GMT

Yep, same trouble for me with the same model of phone.

And same bus cable broken on the back where the phone slides, so I guess that is the reason for which the frontal camera doesn´t work anymore.

Re: Xperia mini pro - SK17i - mango - Front camera (option) missing

anwar19khan — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:42:20 GMT

Thnx bro