Z5 Compact: FM radio stops working with bluetooth error

[Bhonder]

After an extensive testing I've opened a case with the Sony's technical support. Obviously, they addressed me with a "copy/paste" answer and I replied with the requested additional datas.

If they would eventually have read my mail, they would discover that I had already followed their directions before writing. In my country, Sony's technical support is very poor but this is not the point of this post.

Does it happens you too? This is what:

1) Launch the FM tuner;

2) Wait a couple of minutes;

3) Sound will halt, a "bluetooth application quit in error" will apper (see image);

4) Most of the times restarting the applications works for another couple of minutes. Sometimes lasts far longer.

What i did:

1. Cleared FM radio's cache;
2. Cleared bluetooth sharing cache;
3. Deleted all bluetooth pairings;
4. Restarted in safe mode: same result;
5. Cleared the cache partition (that trick with volume down press, three vibrations an so on);
6. Primed the phone on factory values;
7. Repaired the phone with Bridge for mac without restore (to avoid pollution from bad inherited parameters);
8. After repairing, restarting the cycle from the first step.
9. Wrote to my trusty Copy/Paste style Sony support.

Does it happens you too?

It's weird that I get the error screen even with bluetooth turned both off and after a phone restart. Maybe the same chip is shared between FM and bluetooth service but, if it isn't started (I checked in used applications), why would it get an error anyway?

On my wife's Z3 compact it never happens (long live the Z3c )

[Uliwooly]

@Bhonder

Do you experience the same on >>> safe mode  ?

[Bhonder]

Yes, sir. It's the point 4 of the aforementioned experimentations.

I found some very old threads regarding HTC phones and an older version of android.

I remember that, when I bought Z3c (july '15), radio FM was prone to hangs after some minutes. An update came and that problem was gone. But I never had that weird bluetooth error.

[Uliwooly]

@Bhonder

It seems that you will have to contact your Local support as it seems to be hardware related. 

[Bhonder]

I already did.

It is like talk to an alien. They told me to restore to factory defaults.

I am not sure it's hardware-related. It would happen every time. It's more a weird software bug. I am quite sure that, in order to access the fm radio chip they have to deal with Bluetooth's APIs, which is why I can see "bluetooth sharing" in the list of battery drawing application. I can tell because the Bluetooth spent time is the same as fm radio.

Now I am curious. I have to find snapdragon specifications.

[Uliwooly]

@alexdon could you test it?

[_alexdon_]

@Bhonder@uliwooly

Been listening to radio with bluetooth on for about 5 minutes, nothing until now. Does the screen need to be on?

[Bhonder]

At the beginning I've had the same doubt. I've tried with both the screen on or off but it doesn't matter. I've also thought that it could depends upon the use of phone speakers rather than headphone but again, it does not matter either.

I noticed that since the last cache partition wipe, when it happens, if I shut-off the radio with the upper left on/off virtual button and then restart the application, most of the times it works well.

I've tried to search on Qualcomm's site the chip specifications and the difference between 810 and 801 (Z3 compact) board. Whereas the 801 has all connectivity on a single die, in the 810 BT and wi-fi has been separated.

Maybe it's a firmware bug and it depends on the region of the firmware. It could be interesting to know if it happens to other italian users too (with a phone bought in Italy).

p.s.: I'm listening radio since over an hour right now. It stopped the first time, relauched and now it works.

[Bhonder]

Is there anyone in Italy who could test radio Fm function with the bluetooth switched on Too?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[RobertoDS]

Could be caused by your headphones ? 😛

Have u tried with another pair ?

Don't forget that headphones are necessary to turn on the radio, so there could be a distorction by your headphones ...