Database Develop

How to remove 'creaks', 'squeaks', 'sponginess' & 'bulge'

for $5 or less!
what you need:
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Double sided tape (mines was about 1/32" thick)
Electrical tape
Knife (not shown)
(Since I had these already, the fix was free for me)
Open up your nexus 7
and put the tape as shown:
On the right side of the back (where the buttons are) cut about 1/4" of tape so you'll have a strip that's 1/4" wide and 1" long (the roll of tape is an inch thick)
Put your cover next to the nexus and trim the tape so that it will not touch the 'grooves' on the frame (I've marked it in red). and stick them to the back cover just below the level of the clips.
This will get rid of the 'creaks' & some of the sponginess on the right side.
click for close up
[1] This is what's cause the bulge on the left side. The border around the wifi antenna is hitting the 2nd screw. So take an knife and CAREFULLY trim it flush to the back. You don't have to trim it all, a good 1/4" will do. (note. I have a washer under the 2nd screw to fix the screen lift)
[2] the tape on the left side over the Touchscreen cable is what cause the 'creaks'. So use some Electrical tape and cover this area up. MAKE SURE NOT TO OVERLAP. You don't want any extra thickness in this area, you just want to hold down the existing tape from moving.
(I don't have any tape on mine since I don't have noise issue there)
Now on to the battery. This is what cause most of the sponginess and some of the creak on the right side. If you tap or press where the 'X' is on the back cover you'll know what I'm talking about.
Use your finger and feel where the battery ends and the wire area begins (I marked it with a blue line to show where the battery ends) This will give you an approximation on how long your double sided tape will be. From the frame to the battery.
Put your cover on top (as shown) to figure out how WIDE the tape will be. You want to leave a gap for the foam on the back cover (marked in red)
You might have to add another, smaller layer on top of your tape. If you push on your double sided tape and it goes below the frame, then you need to add that smaller piece to make it flush to the frame.
Here's a close up of what I'm talking about.
I also added a large piece (the size of the empty slot on top) from the motherboard to the top of the battery. Since the metal frame ends half way, this will make up the gap.
Put your cover on from LEFT to RIGHT (side with the buttons on last)
Now these are the spots that were giving me the most noise and sponginess, yours might be different. If you still hear a noise, note the spot and see if adding tape near that area will help.
BONUS TIP: If a game/app requires you to use it in landscape mode. First hold it in landscape mode on the right side, so that the camera is on your right instead of your left. Disable Autorotate screen to lock it in landscape mode. Now open your game/app and it'll run on the right side instead of default left.
WHY DO THIS?
Like most I had screen lift, so I did not want to put added stress on the left side of the screen.
Since the right side just have battery, I think it's also structurally more sound than the left where all the electronics are.
Also, since the processors are on the left side, it gets pretty toasty when running graphic intensive games, so holding it on the right side will keep your hands cool and allowing the heat to dissipate better/faster without your warm hands in the way.

is this dilldoe from the comic fame? and OT?

guitarofozz said:
is this dilldoe from the comic fame? and OT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, who r u on ot?

dilldoe said:
yup, who r u on ot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't do OT anymore. Reddit. But I used to love your stuff man. Haven't seen it in a while tho obviously. Anyways, did ur fix. Seems better for sure.

This is absurd, that anyone would even consider doing this after paying $249.99 or $199.99 of their hard earned cash.

Too each their own. I'm an engineering student and I completely understand the appeal of finding solutions yourself even when you can return a product. This is one of the reasons I come to xda. Thanks for the tips and pics OP.
Sent from my GNex - Stock/Rooted on 4.1.1

IceColdKila said:
This is absurd, that anyone would even consider doing this after paying $249.99 or $199.99 of their hard earned cash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absurd to save yourself an RMA ticket you might need later for a GOOD reason, fix your device yourself for less than five bucks, get to root around under the hood, and all without voiding your warranty?
What's absurd is your sense of entitlement.

Will it void the warranty (provided I remove them IF I need to hand it back)?
I just got my second Nexus 7 and this one seems to have squeaking issues in bottom left (sounds like in the back case, not screen) and I was thinking of opening it up but not sure about warranty...

Jay Aristide said:
Absurd to save yourself an RMA ticket you might need later for a GOOD reason, fix your device yourself for less than five bucks, get to root around under the hood, and all without voiding your warranty?
What's absurd is your sense of entitlement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Entitlement? I don't think there's anything entitled about expecting to receive a product free of defects, and exchanging it if it is not.
Also, what's this about saving RMA tickets you might need later? The warranty says you get a device free of defects, not you get a limited number of RMA tickets to get your device free of defects.

I guess you could ship it out to china and wait three weeks for them to do the exact same thing for free, or DIY in 10 minutes plus the cost of some supplies that most people already have laying around the house. Most people around on XDA are do it yourselfers, get used to it

I did something very similar with 3M to mine awhile back, except I just applied it above the battery. It fixed any flex, though I think I used a bit too thick 3M, as mine has a bulge in the back cover now.
Anyway, thanks for the post. The pictures and everything make it very easy to follow.

pankomputerek said:
Will it void the warranty (provided I remove them IF I need to hand it back)?
I just got my second Nexus 7 and this one seems to have squeaking issues in bottom left (sounds like in the back case, not screen) and I was thinking of opening it up but not sure about warranty...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
opening up the back cover will not void any warranty.
nothing in this mod should void any warranty, with exception of step one, the bulge fix (which you don't have)

manekineko said:
Also, what's this about saving RMA tickets you might need later? The warranty says you get a device free of defects, not you get a limited number of RMA tickets to get your device free of defects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manufacturers tend to cut their losses and cut you loose from the RMA process after a couple of RMAs. Usually, they do so by offering you a full refund for returning your product, but I've seen a few cases where they just say "You are abusing the RMA process and we won't service your device(s) anymore. Take it to a repair shop".

I never knew creaking was a defect considering its made out of plastic.... I would hate to be a manufacturer that had to deal with all these over exaggerated claims lol.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium

My permanent fix for screen lifting

As many of us, I got my tablet C8O series with the missing screws. Asus decided to remove 2 screws instead of creating a proper fix, which is crazy in my books. For those having a screen lift (even minor like I did), you can fix it very easy with few parts you can get at any phone repair shop. By "permanent fix" I mean this is my alternative to keeping on exchanging the tablet until I find a so called "flawless" one.
Important: Be aware that on the new tablets Asus started to place an adhesive band on the speakers, probably to reduce vibration. I strongly recommend you to open the case from the top and work your way down on both sides, leaving at the end the bottom and slowly opening the case to avoid damaging the adhesive speaker band.
Now, on with the actual fix. First, go get yourself the 2 missing screws and 4 stainless spacers. I went to the nearest phone repair shop and the guy working there charged me 1$ for the 2 screws and 4 spacers... I gave him 5$ for his trouble.
This is how the spacers look:
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The spacers are needed because the stock screws are too long, they also produce better friction between the screw and contact area. Originally, I tried to place the spacers between the inner brackets. That made the case not closing properly and snapped a plastic tab, so I placed them on top instead:
You will work with the 4 screws displayed above, leave alone the ones at tablet extremities. Install the spacers and screws, without having them tighten. This is where the tricky part is for actual fix. In order to completely eliminate the lift, you need to press down and towards outer side the bezel. Once the bezel is warped a little, you can tighten the screw:
The picture above shows the first attempt I had with the bezel warping. If you just press it down like I did, it will create a nasty space between the screen and bezel. Instead, I placed the tablet vertically on the table with the right side against my chest and using 2 fingers I applied pressure with one finger to the bezel to create contact with the screen, while pulling it towards outside with the other finger. You are actually rotating the bezel towards outside, while pressing it against the screen to maintain proper contact. While warping the bezel, tighten the screw. Then, repeat the same process with the next screw until all 4 screws are tight to a medium torque (don't over tighten them). Before you place back the cover, verify that the bezel has proper contact with the screen without weird spaces.
After all screws are tighten, place at a 45 degrees angle the cover to fit perfect on the worked side making sure everything aligns properly. Then continue pressing down the cover counterclockwise from the worked area to snap it into place, ending with the bottom area so the speaker adhesive band glues back properly. In this way you will also avoid snapping the central plastic tab.
Before (screen lift visible on the rear):
After:
The lift is completely gone. However, you can see a very tiny lift at the bottom of the screen near the unlock icon. That is because I did not warped enough the bezel in that area. When I will open next time the case I will fix it in 2 seconds, for now I'm very satisfied with the results.
September 19th, 2012 Update:
I got my replacement tablet today. Is a C8O and has the usual minor lift as well some bezel spacing:
I was able to fix everything easy, using the same warping technique. The screen is impeccable, no more flushed colors.

Looks good, but just a warning to anyone trying this:
To the right of where your finger is in the third photo, where the black ribbon cable is, there's a tiny slot for a tiny plastic tab on the back cover. You can see the slot very clearly in the second photo. This plastic tab takes a lot of stress because of the area it's in; there's the screen on one side trying to separate from the rim, and the screws on the other pulling the frame in the opposite direction. When you close the back cover, this little tab takes all the strain of this whole push-pull action going on (which wouldn't be happening if the design was better) and is very prone to snapping. When it does snap, all that happens is the back cover won't sit right- there will be a millimeter or less gap between the back cover and frame in that area- but in any case it looks kinda bad and allows the ingress of dust and dirt. I have snapped this little tab on one unit, and the slot the tab sits in on another unit just from taking the back cover off a few times VERY carefully. The plastic tab is part of the whole screen lift problem, there's a whole bunch of stresses on the left hand side of the device due to poor design. Twisting your bezel and tightening the screws is likely to overstress this plastic tab and lead to failure. Fine if you can live with that, but I can't. Some people have broken this tab accidentally and noticed that their screen recesses nicely back into the frame, so it looks like the back cover is pulling the frame away from the screen with all that stress on the tiny plastic tab. Baaaaad design.....
I would imagine that any 'fix' that involves forcefully pulling the screen and frame together, i.e. spacers, glue etc.... will result in overstressing the plastic tab causing it to fail eventually. This tablet is designed badly, that's the bottom line. If your fix works permanently then kudos to you though!
Just be mindful of that stupid tiny plastic tab....
Edit: Having examined your second photo, it looks like your slot is snapped already. See the diagonal break on the left?

You are absolutely correct.
Switchbitch said:
Edit: Having examined your second photo, it looks like your slot is snapped already. See the diagonal break on the left?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's from my previous tablet, I was too lazy to take another set of pictures.
It snapped when I first had the spacers inserted in between the frame, instead of placing them at the top. The cover would not sit properly on the worked side as the space was too great.

Have you left yourself with a tiny gap between frame and back cover now, where the slot has snapped?
There's no winning with this thing.
Edit: Different tablet, cool!

Switchbitch said:
Have you left yourself with a tiny gap between frame and back cover now, where the slot has snapped?
There's no winning with this thing.
Edit: Different tablet, cool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated the second picture, showing the 4 screws to be worked with... in the same time you can see the tab not being broken.
I also warped a little more the missed area, so now the tablet bezel is perfectly aligned everywhere.

Interesting.... so effectively what you are doing by rotating the bezel is moving the screen-side bezel closer to the screen, and the component-side bezel further from the components, then firmly screwing it down in that position?
Picturing this in my head, I can see exactly why it would work. May try this on my next N7 if it also has screen lift, which it almost certainly will given that they all suffer from the same bad design.

Ya, is as simple as that: "rotating the bezel is moving the screen-side bezel closer to the screen, and the component-side bezel further from the components".
Don't go crazy on tightening hard the screws. I applied a medium torque, even if I could've tighten them further. The spacers will do the job to retain in place the bezel, as they have a larger contact surface than the actual screw.
It is interesting that the first tablet did not have the adhesive speaker band like the second one. Both tablets were batch C8O, just be careful when you open yours in case you get the new model with sticky speakers. The adhesive band is very thin and surrounds the speaker contour.
As you said very well in your post, to avoid the tab snapping all you have to do is place back the cover at angle starting with the worked area. In a way, is good that I "ruined" my first tablet. At least I learned all the quirks in order to eliminate 100% the lifting. The first tablet had some dead pixels, so I experienced on it knowing that I will exchange it anyways.

What size was the screws, I'm thinking of trying out this fix.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

No idea, I brought one screw to the shop and he got 2 extra, as well the spacers. If you bring them the screw, they will know for sure. Is a common size used on phones and tablets. He even had 2 colors, the black and the stainless one.
The spacers are VERY important, they hold in place better the screws with the bezel warped and also reduce the screw length. Make sure you get the good ones, I took a close-up so you get a better idea:

TECK said:
Before (screen lift visible on the rear):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BTW, congratulations on the FIRST picture I've actually seen where you can see the screen lift.

Not to sound pessimistic, but what I'm most curious about is whether or not this fix would effectively lessen any stress the screen may see, and perhaps make it less susceptible to easy cracking...?

Lol yeah permanent fix until the issue returns. Not trying to ruffle your feathers so don't take it that way but everything short of gluing the screen to the frame has been nothing but a temporary fix. I hope your screen stays flush but its plenty of threads claiming to fix the issue but none of them have proven to be successful besides gluing the screen. My screen is actually pretty flush so I never had to do any of these fixes but its seems to me that the adhesive just doesn't hold the screen down very well.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I agree, the screen is raised primarily because the adhesive has failed. Fiddling with the screws and bezel is all well and good but the adhesive still isn't holding the screen down. Reducing the stress causing the screen to separate is a step in the right direction though.

SPreston2001 said:
Lol yeah permanent fix until the issue returns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, what I meant by "permanent" was my alternative to keep on exchanging the tablet until I find a so called "flawless" one.
From reading more on the subject, it looks like there are many tablets on C7O batch that were perfectly flush. Then, on the C8O batch, they suddenly decided to remove the 2 screws.
I personally believe that the new screen adhesive they use now is better than previous models. Is a matter of managing to make the plastic bezel flush with the screen which might be technically not possible with the current prototype. If Google would've chosen Samsung as manufacturer, we would probably pay a higher price but the tablet would be perfect. I believe the Apple lawsuit scared Google from contracting Samsung, like they did with the phone. Either ways, I'm personally done with chasing the perfect tablet.

@ Teck
Is your Display still okay ?
Dear Stefan
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

It was still perfect until yesterday, when I refunded the tablet.
Let's see what the C9O build makes for the bad lucks I had so far... I'm definitely not giving up on Nexus 7.

TECK said:
It was still perfect until yesterday, when I refunded the tablet.
Let's see what the C9O build makes for the bad lucks I had so far... I'm definitely not giving up on Nexus 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you give up on it if you made it perfect?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
---------- Post added at 11:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 PM ----------
shook187 said:
Why did you give up on it if you made it perfect?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind I just read the thread.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I found the best fix by taking the pos back and not buying another. This is after I went through 4 with design flaws. You consumers are plain blind and ignorant sheep to accept these flaws. A brand new device and you are messing with it to fix their flaws? Morons.

FattiesGoneWild said:
I found the best fix by taking the pos back and not buying another. This is after I went through 4 with design flaws. You consumers are plain blind and ignorant sheep to accept these flaws. A brand new device and you are messing with it to fix their flaws? Morons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope you don't talk like that daily. I can't imagine

He's kind of right though.
Enviado desde mi Galaxy Nexus

Final fix for Nexus 7 screen lift/seperation derived from other fix

Hi,
First of all my sincere apologies if this is dupe (Please delete this thread mods if dupe). I guess I found the 101% fix for screen separation, so I decided to share it with others
1. Empty your phone battery to 1-2 % , switch it off, once done go to the next step
2. Follow this thread (NEW FIX for screen separation issue) and do what @dilldoe said. (Note: This alone might fix but some guyz reporting screen lift comes back, same as in mine case, screen lift came back at first )
3. Now wrap your nexus 7 in some cloth (not very thick), apply clips where the screen lift is , then put it in charging. Leave it for 12-14 hours.
Now you can check your screen lift problem is gone I'd say . Above method fixed mine also and it's been more than 3 days it didn't come back.

Beamon said:
Hi,
First of all my sincere apologies if this is dupe (Please delete this thread mods if dupe). I guess I found the 101% fix for screen separation, so I decided to share it with others
1. Empty your phone battery to 1-2 % , switch it off, once done go to the next step
2. Follow this thread (NEW FIX for screen separation issue) and do what @dilldoe said. (Note: This alone might fix but some guyz reporting screen lift comes back, same as in mine case, screen lift came back at first )
3. Now wrap your nexus 7 in some cloth (not very thick), apply clips where the screen lift is , then put it in charging. Leave it for 12-14 hours.
Now you can check your screen lift problem is gone I'd say . Above method fixed mine also and it's been more than 3 days it didn't come back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to ask if it ever came back.. please get back to me. All what specific "tools" did you use?

Another Fix for the Nexus 7 screen lift issue
I've found a new fix for the screen lift issue that worked for me; I never post on these things, but this has been bugging me so much that I though I should share this with others who have had to contend with this issue. Please do not hold me responsible if you take these somewhat "drastic" measures and they don't work for you in the same way they did for me. Also note that this procedure will certainly void your warranty, so proceed at your own risk.
I am on my third N7, so I simply examined the device myself and went through with what I thought was necessary to fix it. My first two N7s had the screen flicker issue and all of them had the screen lift. This third device didn't have the flicker issue, but the screen lift was the worst on this one than my previous two; it was the only one that not only had a perceptible lift above the bezel, but was also very squishy and made a clicking or shifting sound when I pressed it. This became particularly annoying every time I tapped the home button in portrait.
I have also tried a lot of the common fixes online: tightened all the screws, loosened the ones on the left side a bit, made the washers as suggested on this thread, etc. What I found when I took the back off, however, was that I could easily run my guitar pick (which I used to pry off the back) along the groove on the *right* side, but could not do the same on the left problem side. Aside from the four-pin connector and a part in the middle, each screw appears to have a three ridged "grate" as part of the inside mould which doesn't allow a deep groove along the entire left side like it does on the right side. Also, the back cover has a number of ridges sticking out (likely to block out dust, etc.) in addition to the clips that hold the back cover in place. In my thinking, then, I thought that perhaps those ridges on the back cover were pushing down on the elevated portions inside the N7, thereby pushing out the screen on the left side along with it. It would make sense, since there is such a deep groove on the right side to accommodate the right-side ridges on the back cover, which isn't the case for the left side. It seemed, therefore, that there was a flaw in the design of the shape of the mould for the back cover.
So, since this was my third device, and I simply didn't care what the results would be out of frustration, I ever-so-carefully trimmed or scraped off any ridge that wasn't a clip along the left side with a jack knife. Then, (and I don't know if this was necessary), I watched a video to heat up the N7 and placed a stack of books on it over night (ensuring that the bottom book was aligned with the screen inside the bezel).
Now, I have tried many adjustments, and after each of the probably 50-ish times I've carried out these various methods, the screen popped back up after only about 15 minutes of use. It's now been about a week of fairly heavy use, and the screen is still below the bezel where it belongs.
There are three additional points: first, this methods was implemented in conjunction with the aforementioned book-stacking and the washer method. I don't know how much the book-stacking played a part, but the washers by themselves did nothing for me (I just haven't removed them b/c I didn't want to risk messing with a good thing). Second, because I removed all those ridges on the back cover, there is a barely perceptible gap between the silver bezel and back cover. In my opinion, it is not enough to let dust in, and it is certainly much, much, MUCH more preferable to the screen lift. Third, this method isn't perfect; there is still the slightest of slightest lift in one place (more near the bottom, in portrait), but it is enormously better than it was before.
I've included a few images that show the "grates" by the screws and elevated portions that the ridges on the back cover were pushing down on, the trimmed or scraped-off sections on the back cover where the ridges used to be and used to push down on these elevated portions inside the N7, the end results that show the screen below the bezel from two perspectives, and the size of the "gap" between the silver bezel and back cover after the procedure.
I truly hope this helps everyone relieve some frustration.
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Inside "grates" by screws aren't deep enough to accommodate ridges on the back cover.
another elevated portion
groove isn't deep enough
Trimmed-off ridges on the back cover
results
results from the other side -- silver is visible
picture of the widest portion of the resulting nearly imperceptible gap between the bezel and back cover

your pictures arent working but i believe you are right. when i have the back cover off there is no screen lift whatsoever...you might have solved it yo
i want to see your pictures before i do it to my nexus though.

So I've been considering the N7 for a few months now because of the awesome price point it's at and I was wondering how common an issue this is. Is screen lift present in most of these devices or is it just the luck of the draw? Also, do the devices start that way or after some use does the issue rear its ugly head? Any advice before my purchase would be helpful! Thanks

It's present on every nexus 7 I've seen....so about 5 of them including my local Sam's club display model. That doesn't mean it's common but that is my experience.

I'm on my 8th N7 and its has a small amount of lift (0.5mm), its a C90. It used to be worse (1.5-2.5mm) until I slackened all the screws quarter turn on the raised side.
I just live with it now. If you don't look at it it's not there! Its going on eBay soon ready for the 32GB model.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I don't think my device has any screen lift, I did the squeeze test and didnt notice any movement or squeeking.
How can I tell if I have screen lift?

If you have it, it is hard to miss, the glass goes above the silver bezel on the left side. Mine was okay in he first few weeks, then the lift appeared. Nothing but glue worked for me and glue worked very well.
Sent from my DynaTAC 8000X using magic powers

siddesu said:
If you have it, it is hard to miss, the glass goes above the silver bezel on the left side. Mine was okay in he first few weeks, then the lift appeared. Nothing but glue worked for me and glue worked very well.
Sent from my DynaTAC 8000X using magic powers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you do it? I thought about the same but I'm not sure if it will work or how it will look like in case the glue might be visible under the glass. Thanks

So the back on my Nexus 4 just shattered spontaneously...

I didn't drop it, didn't bang it against anything, nope-- it was just in my front pant pocket not being pressed on at all, covered by the official bumper case meant to protect it. Funny how it shattered perfectly around that speaker grill though, if there was a weak point in the glass that could cause a shatter, that would sure be the spot. Makes me wonder if anyone else has had a crack start in the same area, especially spontaneously?
Got a piece of tape on in it here in the picture, wanted to hold in the glass shards. I'd love to get it repaired, but I contacted Nexus and LG support and it sounds like their warranty process is a hole I don't want to dig myself into, probably would end up with a too large bill due to "physical damage" and a phone no more intact than it is now. Not to mention being out a phone for weeks, how can anyone tolerate that? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take off my nice bumper case and cover up that now uglified back with a more full coverage TPU case.
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Update: Well I'm sure many would say I'm wrong and an impact caused it, but I'm reasonably certain I know when it happened. I work on robotic equipment and was doing a calibration procedure tonight when I heard an odd crack. At first I thought it was the machine, but the sound signature was wrong and repeating the procedure didn't cause it to reoccur. I was standing straight up not leaning on anything or having any pressure against that pocket when I heard the sound. It was only later when I was heading home I noticed the odd feel of the back of the phone and discovered the crack. I figure that crack sound must have been it. Shocked me, I've never had a phone crack before, I'm very careful how I handle them. Oh, and I don't wear skinny jeans - I'm build like a defensive lineman, so relaxed fit all the way.
Some people have suggested sending the phone to LG, but they don't have any advance replacement program, and I can't afford to go without my phone for 2 weeks just to get a repair estimate. Got my Diztronic TPU case on order, frankly this is the first phone in years I haven't used one of their cases on, my mistake for thinking the phone would be well built enough that the official case would do the job. I will have to look and see if my credit card has any extended warranty program thing though.
Update 2- So it looks like the damage might be covered under my credit card purchase assurance plan, I have to get an itemized repair estimate to complete the claim though. Hopefully a local place can give me that, like heck if I'm going to send the phone to LG for 2 weeks just for that. Frankly the cost of being without a good phone for that period is worth more to me than the cost of the repair, I'd rather just wait till the part becomes available and pay for it myself. It sounds like they also do replacements if repair isn't feasible due to parts not available, etc. Although the phone isn't currently available either, so we'll see how that goes.
On another note I spoke to one of my friends last night who works for a cell carrier that has many Nexus 4s on their network. She said that 3 employees at the location she works also had cracks on their Nexus 4's in almost the exact same spot. She didn't say they were spontaneous, but clearly it is a weak area on the back of the phone. At least one of them was using a full coverage case when it broke, apparently a TPU case. Alas as regretful the thought of covering such a nice looking back panel is, those who don't have broken backs yet may want to invest in high-impact cases, simple TPU or the bumper doesn't look to be cutting it. Since mine is already broken, TPU should be good enough I suppose, mainly just want to cover up the damage.

wot that really sucks. and yah.. the speaker and the camera are the soft spots. the really bad thing is the back has a lot to it. i dont see them as being cheap. some guy managed to get a couple from lg.

wow, amazing, that looks JUST like what I would expect from impact...

CrazyPeter said:
wow, amazing, that looks JUST like what I would expect from impact...
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Click to collapse
This happened to a guy who went to the movie theater a few weeks back. Same exact place on the phone.

Wow ...
If you search the forums there was one guy with the exact some thing... claimed he treated the phone very well and then for no reason all the glass smashed around the speaker like that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1999345&highlight=cracked+glass
OgremustCrush said:
I didn't drop it, didn't bang it against anything, nope-- it was just in my front pant pocket not being pressed on at all, covered by the official bumper case meant to protect it. Funny how it shattered perfectly around that speaker grill though, if there was a weak point in the glass that could cause a shatter, that would sure be the spot. Makes me wonder if anyone else has had a crack start in the same area, especially spontaneously?
Got a piece of tape on in it here in the picture, wanted to hold in the glass shards. I'd love to get it repaired, but I contacted Nexus and LG support and it sounds like their warranty process is a hole I don't want to dig myself into, probably would end up with a too large bill due to "physical damage" and a phone no more intact than it is now. Not to mention being out a phone for weeks, how can anyone tolerate that? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take off my nice bumper case and cover up that now uglified back with a more full coverage TPU case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Obviously impact. Nice try though. Next.
I voided my warranty.

Looks like the crack propagated from the picture's top right "corner" of the speaker opening. Assuming that it is not the result of an impact as you say, the radius of the cut out could be too tight to account for flexing of the phone.

OgremustCrush said:
I didn't drop it, didn't bang it against anything, nope-- it was just in my front pant pocket not being pressed on at all, covered by the official bumper case meant to protect it. Funny how it shattered perfectly around that speaker grill though, if there was a weak point in the glass that could cause a shatter, that would sure be the spot. Makes me wonder if anyone else has had a crack start in the same area, especially spontaneously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, pretty sure official bumpers aren't meant to protect that. it's meant to make the phone land on its bumper edges. Not protect the phone's back or front. Only protection for that would be having your device to never touch the surface.

Not sure people should be so quick to assume it's always the result of mistreatment. The phone has problems with the glue, the glass is thin, if it separates even marginally from the back of the phone, that's enough to open the door up for cracking your glass with ease.

happened to a friend of mine as well..not as bad as this but it is happening to a lot of people

Well I'm sure many would say I'm wrong and an impact caused it, but I'm reasonably certain I know when it happened. I work on robotic equipment and was doing a calibration procedure tonight when I heard an odd crack. At first I thought it was the machine, but the sound signature was wrong and repeating the procedure didn't cause it to reoccur. I was standing straight up not leaning on anything or having any pressure against that pocket when I heard the sound. It was only later when I was heading home I noticed the odd feel of the back of the phone and discovered the crack. I figure that crack sound must have been it. Shocked me, I've never had a phone crack before, I'm very careful how I handle them.

Man that sucks. Also recall another user that had the same shattering. Assume you ate going to give Google a call? Did the other guy get a replacement for his phone?

OgremustCrush said:
I didn't drop it, didn't bang it against anything, nope-- it was just in my front pant pocket not being pressed on at all, covered by the official bumper case meant to protect it. Funny how it shattered perfectly around that speaker grill though, if there was a weak point in the glass that could cause a shatter, that would sure be the spot. Makes me wonder if anyone else has had a crack start in the same area, especially spontaneously?
Got a piece of tape on in it here in the picture, wanted to hold in the glass shards. I'd love to get it repaired, but I contacted Nexus and LG support and it sounds like their warranty process is a hole I don't want to dig myself into, probably would end up with a too large bill due to "physical damage" and a phone no more intact than it is now. Not to mention being out a phone for weeks, how can anyone tolerate that? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take off my nice bumper case and cover up that now uglified back with a more full coverage TPU case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guy has an OEM back covers, you can replace it if you want, shouldn't be too expensive.

zephiK said:
Uh, pretty sure official bumpers aren't meant to protect that. it's meant to make the phone land on its bumper edges. Not protect the phone's back or front. Only protection for that would be having your device to never touch the surface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well somewhat, a bumper still protects the back by distributing an impact along the edges of the phone as long as it is from a source wide enough it does not point through that perimeter. Drop a phone with a bumper 4 feet onto a flat surface vs one without, odds are the bumper will save the first phone. As I was not whacking my pocket against sharp edges, I don't see how having a bumper vs a full case would make a difference here.

This is reminding me of a time when the back window on a what was a virtually brand new Fiat Cinquecento shattered whilst parked in my drive. Fiat replaced it under warranty as these things happen from time to time. It was a hot day, and the glass ran out of room to expand (and the seal was not fitted properly), and it just shattered, I'm wondering if the glass expands at a different rate to the rest of the phone back, when it gets warm. If this is the case, then this problem will become very common.

Point of impact.
Case closed.
Too bad it happened buddy.

Maybe a jean snap put pressure on it in a specific spot? Really unfortunate :crying:

richteralan said:
Point of impact.
Case closed.
Too bad it happened buddy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It that's a point of impact, it's exceedingly small, like tip of pen small.

Glass back meeeeeeeeh :silly:

Another guy wearing skinny jeans messing up his phone? j/k
I would be fairly pissed off if this happened to me, that and I'm sure 99% would just think I'm full of it.

Transform nexus 7 into white tablet. Looks very nice!

Hi guys, I bought a decal skin sticker for my nexus 7 a few days ago from Stickerboy, and installed it. At first, it looked kind of weird but I think it's because I was so used to the black nexus 7. Now after a few days, it looks really nice. It feels like the tablet actually came in white.
You should also get the extreme version because that one will cover the back entirely, so it looks nice. I didn't get the centre screen protector. Not only it costs much more after that, I didn't know how it would work, like if it's a separate centre protector or if it's connected to the white front as one piece. If it's the latter, I think it will be better though as the sticker is actually thicker than I thought, so you can definitely feel it when you glide your finger from the sticker to the screen.
Anyway, I still like it a lot.
Ask me if you guys have any question!
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Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk now Free

very nice

sw6lee said:
Hi guys, I bought a decal skin sticker for my nexus 7 a few days ago from Stickerboy, and installed it. At first, it looked kind of weird but I think it's because I was so used to the black nexus 7. Now after a few days, it looks really nice. It feels like the tablet actually came in white.
You should also get the extreme version because that one will cover the back entirely, so it looks nice. I didn't get the centre screen protector. Not only it costs much more after that, I didn't know how it would work, like if it's a separate centre protector or if it's connected to the white front as one piece. If it's the latter, I think it will be better though as the sticker is actually thicker than I thought, so you can definitely feel it when you glide your finger from the sticker to the screen.
Anyway, I still like it a lot.
Ask me if you guys have any question!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk now Free
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link please
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

vikramdhani said:
Link please
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Hey,
http://www.stickerboy.net/pages/nexus-7-1st-gen-skin-series this is the link for all the types of skin for nexus 7 1st gen.
What I have is this. http://www.stickerboy.net/collectio...lth-matte-antibacterial-nexus-7-1st-gen-skins
This is the super smooth finish version, but there is also the antibacterial one with grainy textured version for white as you'll find. I'm not sure how that one would look though. There is also this. http://www.stickerboy.net/collectio.../products/white-leather-nexus-7-1st-gen-skins Leather white. I personally think it would look a little bit weird with the texture, but not 100% sure.
I like the one I got for the most part. It's very smooth and feels nice, but when the tablet is warm, and your hands are also sticky, fingerprints stick to the back, and it kind of gets sticky from your hand, but after a short time, it just comes back to normal, smooth. and not really noticeable fingerprint. Just when the tablet is warm and you hand is sweaty.
Hope it helps!

antonio.talamo said:
very nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

nice :victory:

Nice!

On the white one that you have, what's it like when it comes to general dirt? Does it wipe well, or does it easily retain dark marks and become dirty-looking quickly?
As for the link to the other skins, some actually look pretty darn cool!

Does it scratch easy? How about the corners? did it require using a hair dryer to soften it up? Im always worried that the corners will start peeling

DrPathetic said:
On the white one that you have, what's it like when it comes to general dirt? Does it wipe well, or does it easily retain dark marks and become dirty-looking quickly?
As for the link to the other skins, some actually look pretty darn cool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I'm very sorry for late reply! I was expecting a notification from Tapatalk or something but there was nothing.
This one I have is very very smooth feel. Wipes super easily. Anything that gets on it, dirt, grease, they gets wiped very easily. But because of that, maybe it's not as grippy. But I don't mind personally.
Hope it helps!

Amtek said:
Does it scratch easy? How about the corners? did it require using a hair dryer to soften it up? Im always worried that the corners will start peeling
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As with my previous comment a few seconds ago, sorry for late reply! I haven't had any scratches yet. It seems pretty durable. Yea, I had to use hair dryer to soften it up the corners, then apply the corners. It's actually pretty simple. Just like you, I was worried because of the fact that I need to use hair dryer, so I first didn't buy this, but I was so temped, and decided to try. And there is a very helpful tutorial video on youtube, specifically for nexus 7 2012 version. It shows you regular fit and extreme fit, and for extreme fit, it will show you how to use hair dryer to get the corners. I followed that and it was pretty easy. Also, the video said, if you got it wrong, you should intentionally damage the skin and straighten it to reapply the corner. But I didn't do this as I was worried, I just peeled off the mistaken corner, and blow dried it and it softened up, and I just re applied and it worked fine.
One important tip, was that when you apply the corner as it was shown in video, you do the center of the corner first, then do the sides of the corner (you'll get it when you watch the video). You have to KEEP applying the blow dryer until you finish applying the corner. What I mean is..you should NOT stop the blow dryer after it seemed softened up. Keep applying the blow dryer until it softened up AND you have finished applying that one corner. Because when you stop the dryer, and apply with your finger, it will harden very quickly, and it will have wrinkles after you apply. I had this problem, and I peeled off again in the corner, and tried again, and it worked perfectly.
Hope if helps!

I had a skin on one of my older phones before. There is one thing people should think about. It didn't cross my mind until after I got the skin. Screen Protectors. The screen protector would have to go first, but you won't be able to take off the skin since the screen protector would come with it. LoL!!
This looks nice, but I replace my screen protector a bit often since it scratches. Guess I won't be getting this. =.[