8 Problems with the HTC One M9 and how to fix them

The HTC One M9 may have not been a significant departure from its predecessor, but brought with it a further refinement of what we loved about the One M8 and One M7 before it. HTC always has a winner on their hands in terms of design and build quality, with a streamlined software experience allowing for a smooth and snappy performance, along with its signature front-facing BoomSound speakers still being one of the best in the business. While the camera does fall short when compared to its competition, the One M9 is still a great option for those in the market for a classy and elegant high-end smartphone.

That said, the One M9, like any other smartphone or tablet, is not without its issues. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of these problems that users have been experiencing with the HTC One M9, and offer potential solutions on how to fix them.

Disclaimer: Not every HTC One M9 user will face these issues, and it is quite likely that you won’t come across any of the problems listed below.

Problem #1 – Vibration motor is not working

A few users have reported that the vibration motor on their HTC One M9 is no longer working, with no vibration when receiving notifications. Lightly tapping the right edge of the device on the back temporarily fixes the problem, but it stops working soon after.

Potential Solution – 

• From the phone dialer, call *#*#3424#*#* and then tap on Accept. This runs a vibration motor test.
• If the vibration motor is responding, let it run for a while, up to an hour, and this should fix any future problems.
• If the vibration motor does not work, the only solution unfortunately is to send the device in for repair or pick up a replacement.

Problem #2 – Double Tap to wake not working and other wake issues

Some users have reported that the double tap to wake feature is quite finicky, and not always working as it should. Others have also mentioned that sometimes, the device requires two presses of the power button to wake the device up.

Potential Solutions –

• Make sure that there are no issues with the G-sensor using the pre-installed Help application. Go to Hardware Misbehaving – Hardware Diagnostics – G-Sensor Test, to test whether it is working, and to calibrate the G-Sensor.
• Make sure that double tap to wake is actually enabled, by going to Settings – Display and Gestures – Motion Launch. 
• For those with issues with the power button or double to wake, download an application like Gravity Screen from the Google Play Store, that gives you far better control with regards to turning the screen on or off automatically, without needing to press any buttons or tapping on the screen.

Problem #3 – Significant and rapid battery drain

While the general consensus is that the battery life of the HTC One M9 is better than average, some users have reported facing issues with rapid battery drain, draining out in under 9 hours, with only around an hour of screen-on time.

Potential Solutions –

• In cases with such rapid battery drain, it is a good idea to check what services are using the most battery, as the issue could be related to an app that is syncing continuously in the background. If there is such an app, go to Settings – Accounts and Sync, and turn off these apps.
• Boot the device in Safe Mode (see instructions below), and if the issue no longer exists, then it is a rogue app. You can either perform a Factory Reset and be careful about what apps you install, or uninstall apps one by one and check if the issue stops.
• If you’re otherwise unhappy with your battery life, there are a few measures you can take to extend it. Turn off location services as they can be a drain on the battery. Reduce the brightness of the display to a reasonable level. Finally, take advantage of the various power saving modes baked in, as only the Extreme Power Saving Mode severely limits functionality.

Problem #4 – Auto-Rotate not working

Quite a few users have faced an issue with the auto-rotate feature not working on the One M9, failing to switch from the portrait to landscape orientation, regardless of which app is being used.

Potential Solutions –

• This is an issue with the gyroscope. Make sure that there are no issues with the G-sensor using the pre-installed Help application. Go to Hardware Misbehaving? – Hardware Diagnostics – G-Sensor Test, to see if it is working.
• You can also calibrate the sensor in the menu above, or by going to Settings – Display and Gestures – G-Sensor Calibration.
• A soft reset might fix the issue, but for most users, this has only been a temporary solution.
• If this proves to be a hardware issue, the only remaining option is to send the device in for repair, or pick up a replacement.

Problem #5 – Sapphire glass covering the camera unit is cracked

Quite a few users have reported seeing cracks on the sapphire glass that covers the camera on the back, even without the device suffering from any accidental bumps or drops.

Solution –

• There is no real solution here other than to pick up a replacement for the device. These cracks do tend to appear along the sides, and don’t show up in the photos you take.
• HTC One M9 owners in the US can get a replacement easily and are covered under the “Uh-Oh Protection Plan,” an extended warranty program, but users in other markets such as the UK and India have also reported being able to get replacements directly from HTC or the network carrier for no charge, as long as it is within the regular warranty  period.

Problem #6 – Connectivity Issues

Connectivity issues are quite common when getting a new device, and below are the general steps you can follow when facing problems with connecting to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices.

Potential Solutions –

Wi-Fi Issues –

• Turn off the router that you’re using and the phone, and wait for a while before turning them back on.
• Go to the Wi-Fi settings on the device and forget the preferred network, before entering the details again from scratch.
• Check the level of activity on your current channel with the Wi-Fi Analyzer application. If necessary, simply switch to a different channel.
• Disable Power Saving Mode through Settings. 
• Find the MAC address for the phone by going into Settings – About Phone and ensure it is recognized by your router.

Bluetooth Issues –

• Make sure that no power saving mode is enabled.
• Start by turning the Bluetooth on your device off and back on again.
• If the problem continues, clear the cache for Bluetooth by going to the Bluetooth Settings.
• Restart the phone after clearing the data and cache.
• If the Bluetooth device saves multiple profiles, you might have reached the limit for the number of profiles it can save. Delete old and unused profiles, and try setting up the connection once again from scratch.

Problem #7 – Slow Charging

A few users have found the HTC One M9 to be charging slower than expected.

Potential Solutions –

• Keep in mind that while the One M9 comes with Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 fast-charging capabilities, the available charger included in the box does not support this, which might result in you thinking that the device is charging slower than expected. An official fast charger from HTC is available, and there are some good options available on Amazon as well.
• If the phone is charging slowly, disable any unwanted applications that may be unnecessarily syncing in the background.
• Press the back button twice when exiting an application, instead of simply tapping “Home”, this closes the app from the background and prevents the excessive drain of power.
• Don’t play games, or generally use the phone much, when the device is charging, as they require extra processing power.
• Check the charger cable is working by attempting to charge using another cable, or charging a different device with the same cable.
• A malfunctioning application could be causing the problem, boot the phone into safe mode and see if it charges faster. This will imply a faulty app. If an application is the problem, perform a factory reset and reinstall apps selectively.

Problem #8 – Overheating

While the overheating issues with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor aren’t as rampant as first thought, some users have found the device to be getting uncomfortably warm even when not running any intensive processes.

Potential Solutions –

• Make sure that your device software is up to date, as a recent update has introduced changes to the power and temperature management systems, that significantly reduces the overheating issues. Keep in mind though that this seems to result in some performance issues when the device does heat up.
• Using a power saver mode when the device is heating up helps to cool it down faster.
• If you have a case on, it might help to take it off before doing anything processor-intensive, such as gaming.
• Let the device cool down for a while when it starts to get uncomfortably warm, before continuing anything you may have been doing.

So there you have it for this look at some of the issues that users of the HTC One M9 have been suffering. If you have struggled with one of these problems yourself, or have experienced something that we haven’t mentioned above, make sure to get in touch through the comment section. We’ll be working to keep this list updated as more solutions and problems appear.

SEE ALSO:

• HTC One M9 Review
• Best HTC One M9 protective cases and covers

Following are the guides on how to perform some tasks like Factory Reset and booting into Safe Mode on the HTC One M9.

Safe Mode – 

• Press and hold the power button until you see the power menu pop up.
• Tap and hold the Power Off option.
• A “reboot to Safe Mode” option should appear.
• Tap on the “restart” option and wait for the device to reboot.

Soft Reset –

• Press and hold the power button when the screen is on, and tap on the Restart option.
• If the device is unresponsive and the screen cannot be turned on, press and hold the volume up key and power button together for at least 10 seconds, or till the device restarts.

Factory Reset –

• Turn off the device.
• Press and hold the Volume Up key, Home button, and Power button, until you see the HTC logo.
• Select from Recovery Mode menu “wipe data / factory reset” using Volume buttons to navigate and Power button to confirm.
• Select “Yes — delete all user data” to confirm the whole operation.
• After that select option “reboot system now.”
• You can also go into Settings – Backup and Reset and tap on “Reset Phone.”
• Keep in mind that performing a Factory Reset will erase all your data, so don’t forget to backup anything important you might have.