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Tablet Computer Turns Itself 'on'

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Hello again,

Little update...

The tablet turned itself on again. It took over a week again though while before it would only take 2 days to turn on. This tells me it is definitely some software because after disabling some software it took much longer to turn on, but it also seems that more than one software can do it.

Also, everyone is certainly right that even though i power down completely something is still running that can wake up the computer because when i unplug the power adapter the screen shows a 'battery' picture. It's not the full screen desktop but it is still something, so it must have some kind of low power wake up mechanism built in that is able to wake it up.

So this is more serious than originally thought. We cant have a portable device turning on any time it feels like it because that runs the battery down too fast.
 
We cant have a portable device turning on any time it feels like it
Looks like we already have :). Each new generation of OS seems to give less and less control to the end user and more control to the OS provider. Just don't leave your tablet in the bathroom, in case the OS is activating the camera module and uploading pics!
 
Hi Alec,

Ha ha, yeah, in today's world of infiltration software and slim laws i would not be surprised to find out something doing that like this tablet. In fact, even the US gov might be doing stuff like that with some excuse to do so legally. From what i had read, the gov has the ability to turn cell phones on, but i think that is when they are in the 'answer' mode not totally turned off, but i could be wrong. I'm all for making the world a more peaceful place, but you reach some point where you have to ask if it is too imposing on regular work a day lives that never have and never will have anything to do with harming other individuals in any way whatsoever. We're lucky they cant hire millions of workers to peek and poke in other's normal lives.
 
Hi Alec,

Ha ha, yeah, in today's world of infiltration software and slim laws i would not be surprised to find out something doing that like this tablet. In fact, even the US gov might be doing stuff like that with some excuse to do so legally. From what i had read, the gov has the ability to turn cell phones on, but i think that is when they are in the 'answer' mode not totally turned off, but i could be wrong. I'm all for making the world a more peaceful place, but you reach some point where you have to ask if it is too imposing on regular work a day lives that never have and never will have anything to do with harming other individuals in any way whatsoever. We're lucky they cant hire millions of workers to peek and poke in other's normal lives.

Hi

Yup...many people weren't aware that in a recent cell phone firmware update, the ability to receive government notification messages was included. There is also an additional one alert you cannot see, or control, and that is the ability to receive presidential alerts. :-/

eT
 
Hi there eTech,

Thanks much for the info.

When you say "alert", what exactly does that mean?

Is it a text message or a phone call or does it turn it on or something other?

I dont think the tablet problem is that, but i'd like to know more about this just the same :)
 
Hi there eTech,

Thanks much for the info.

When you say "alert", what exactly does that mean?

Is it a text message or a phone call or does it turn it on or something other?

I dont think the tablet problem is that, but i'd like to know more about this just the same :)

Hi

This was just an FYI, not necessarily related to your issue.

The messages show up as a text based emergency message on your screen, it will display even if the screen is locked. A message I received a few weeks ago was a Flash Flood warning...

eT
 
Hi again,

Oh that's very interesting. I wonder if that had anything to do with my original problem then.
 
Hello again,

Well, it turned on again today. This time i actually saw it boot up though. It went through the same routine that it does when i purposely push the power button and hold it for about two seconds. The normal startup screen comes up, followed by the desktop.

Unfortunately, there was no indication of what started it up. And when i checked for apps running, only the standard two apps like the keyboard and screen were running (something like that). They were always running though. And no Google apps or any other apps, at least as indicated by the software. So it might be that the app somehow starts and then exits once it starts up the tablet, but i dont see why it would want to do that. Maybe it's just a hardware design flaw.

I was also thinking of how good it might work instead as a frisbee or maybe cup or soda glass coaster :)
 
Maybe it's just a hardware design flaw.
..... or perhaps some gunk across the pcb traces connecting to the on/off button, giving enough conduction to be interpreted as a button press.
I mention this because I've just had to replace a leaky battery in an alarm clock. After cleaning off the crud around the terminals and inserting the new battery the clock decided that the 'set minutes' button was held down. I removed flux/chemical deposits between pcb traces leading from the button and got the clock to behave itself.
 
Hi alec,

Well i did check and it looks ok. Also, the turning 'on' seems to be quite regular: 8 days after shutting down. This is about the third or forth time now it has followed that 8 day pattern. I would think that if it was dirt or something that the pattern would be much more random.
 
MrAI, install a free antivirus app into your Tablet. And check. I recommend you to start with AVG Free and Avast Free.

You have a problem with turning it off, i have a problem keeping it on. ;)
 
That 8-day pattern sounds suspiciously like a scheduled event. Could the OS be trying to check for / download an update of itself?
 
Hello alec and Electroenthusiast,

alec:
Well, there is no indication of anything running that would do that, so i have no way of knowing.

Electroenthusiast:
So you've tried that software?
Why do you have a problem keeping it on? I ask because i had that problem too when i first got my Tablet. What would happen is it would go to sleep every so often, until i found the 'screen' setting. The screen setting allows me to turn off the screen after (say) 1 minute, 2 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or ON all the time (might be more settings than that though). If you want it to stay on until you purposely turn it off, set it to ON all the time.
I would think all tablets 'should' have this but of course i cant be sure of if they all do or not.
 
I've just checked the settings on my tablet. Two things noted which may have a bearing on your problem:
1) Settings/System/About Device shows Auto-update is set on by default.
2) Settings/Location Services/Use Wireless Networks has a pop-up box for Location Consent. This box warns that data may be collected and stored on the device and states "Collection may occur even when no apps are running" !!

So your OS can be doing things behind your back and presumably this won't show up in the app Manager.
 
Hi Mr.AI,
Actually my Android used to vibrate repeatedly, and also I used to lose signal (cellular network). So, i was not able to make any calls or receive any. Another problem i faced was that the power button stopped working when i needed to switch ON the phone. It was then usual that phone abnormally switches off by itself. I had to remove the battery which used to turn hot, and put it back waiting few second(power cycling) for Android to work. The former issue happens many times when battery is problem usually happen when battery its low.

Hence for this reason, i prefer iOS on Android. iPhone is par better that Android in reliability and interface.
 
Last edited:
Hi again,

I checked all the settings i could find in there and i did not find anything that would seem to want to wake it up. The only settings are for putting the screen into the sleep mode, but i dont use the sleep mode really, i only shut down completely when i want to shut off because i know i wont have to use the Tablet right away again.
 
Hello again,

Well it turned on yet another time. About an hour and a half ago. So that puts it on an 8 day schedule approximately although last time it was some hours longer.

Again there were no apps running except those basic to the normal running of the Tablet.

I tried to contact the company about a week ago, but still no response.
 
Please tell us the OS your tablet uses. Did you download any app from unreliable sources, or any app your suspicious about or Any app which has a timer function.


Androids are known to be prone to such issues.
 
Please tell us the OS your tablet uses. Did you download any app from unreliable sources, or any app your suspicious about or Any app which has a timer function.


Androids are known to be prone to such issues.

Hi,

Ice Cream Sandwich. I think that's 4.0 isnt it?

Thanks for the reply, but did you forget to ask me if i downloaded and installed any apps that had a warning that pops up just after you try to install it that says:

"Dire Warning: If you install this app your Android will turn on every 8 days all by itself. Press OK to continue."

That's a little joke to lighten things up a little, but this really is a serious problem because if the Tablet turns on by itself it starts to run the battery down, and if you dont know it the battery runs down until the Android can no longer be turned on. I originally bought the Android for more or less emergency use for internet communication just in case the main computer goes down due to power failure or other failure. So that means it will sit on the shelf possibly for months at a time without being used. If if turns on and 2 weeks later the battery is too low to turn the thing on again and i need it in a hurry, i would not be able to use it unless there mains power was still up in this area and even then i'd have to wait for it to charge before i could use it. That's not acceptable to me at all.

What i have been doing lately is checking it every day, once per day, to see if it had turned on by itself. If it turns on and i know it i can either turn it off or charge it first and then turn it off. But obviously that's a real pain and means i can not put it away on a shelf somewhere as i have to keep it nearby so it is easy to check.

In the course of this discussion with other members here, i also realized that this can happen AGAIN even if i do a complete system refresh. If it is a downloaded program doing it then that must have meant that i wanted that program in this Android device. If i install it again without knowing that is the one, it will happen again anyway.
If i can identify the program, providing it is not one i really need to run, i can simply not install it again and that would fix the problem. But who says this wont happen with some other program too right?

So i need a more timely solution that will cover any program that might be doing this, and that might mean the virus software might be needed or else a manual battery cut switch. Otherwise i could never download and install any program ever again.
 
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