Wright On Fixing Lumia 920 Proximity Sensor

Posted by Peach Rabbit on December 28, 2013 · 4 Comments 

I have had my Nokia Lumia 920 for nearly a year now, and since getting it back in January have used it pretty much daily (it has taken a back seat to the odd trial device and more recently the Lumia 625 but is back in my pocket daily now). Generally it has worked fine but one issue I have had recurring since the GDR 1 software update (the one before Portico) is an issue with the proximity sensor, along with the front facing camera (FFC from here on) becoming very dusty. I looked online for a solution to these issues, and it turns out the dust on the FFC has also got into/onto the proximity sensor, which you can see on the Lumia 920 just to the right of the FFC. One of the solutions I tried involved blowing compressed air into the ear piece, but this didn’t do much for me so have decided to open the phone up and try to fix the problem. Now there is always the option of taking the device to a Nokia Care Point, but like with the Nokia N9 when I replaced the digitizer, I want to have a go at this one myself, and at the same time clean the FFC.

By the way, the dusty FFC and sensor is caused by a design flaw on early versions of the Lumia 920 and has supposedly been sorted out by Nokia now.

Problems Caused by a Faulty Proximity Sensor

You may wonder what is the big deal about a faulty Proximity Sensor, well it turns out it can make the Lumia 920 nearly unusable. The biggest issue it causes is when you make a call the screen locks, not allowing you to interact with the call menu normally present, for example End Call, Speaker, Keypad etc. Tapping the unlock buttons doesn’t seem to help either, it just acts like the phone is always against your face, thus shutting off the screen. You know those calls: “Press 1 to do this, 2 to do that etc” well they are impossible to make. Also hanging up a call it made nigh on impossible as well. This is also the same for Skype voice calls as well.

Another problem caused is that the Glance Screen, which came to some of the Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices doesn’t work properly. As far as the sensor is concerned, the phone is in your pocket, so won’t let you double tap to wake, or do that cool “peek” motion, where you wave your hand in front of the screen to bring the lock screen clock up.

My Solution

I had been temporarily fixing the issue by unscrewing the two Torx T4 screws on the bottom of the phone by the speaker holes, and pulling out the screen and vacuuming out the innards, but this doesn’t fix things for long. A few days back I tried to take the whole of the front screen off, which would have exposed the outer glass which covers bother the FFC and Proximity Sensor, but I was lacking a Torx T2 screw driver which is crucial to separate things. Well, I have ordered a Torx T2 from ebay (this set HERE) and when it arrives I will have another crack at taking it apart and cleaning/fixing it. Like when I replaced the N9 digitizer, I will bring you all along for the ride, photographing and videoing my progress and sharing it here. Stand by for that post, coming soon.

I will be carrying out the procedure with the help of YouTube’s LE55ONS, following the video found HERE.

A Reminder

Just a reminder of my efforts at replacing the screen.

See the videos I did and read the whole post HERE

Legal Disclaimer:

I would not recommend anyone attempt taking apart their own device, or in anyway trying to repair a fault. Doing so will void your warranty, and could lead to your handset being even more damaged than before. Please leave it to the professionals, and take any faulty devices you have back to the store where you originally brought it from.

You can read Part 2 of my attempts to fix my proximity sensor by clicking HERE

Filed under Guide, Nokia, Technology, Windows Phone · Tagged with Front Facing Camera, How To, Lumia 920, N9, Nokia, Proximity Sensor, Windows Phone 8