Warning! S23ultra users - the last September security update messed up the LTE modem

Ipse · ‎23-09-2023

Long story short, after the September security update, my phone started to drain overnight 8x faster than before...I was losing 2-3% overnight, now it went to 20%.

I wiped cache partition, went to great lengths factory resetting the phone, put it in safe mode to rule out a rogue app...NOTHING.

In a moment of desperation, I set the bands to WCDMA/GSM only and the drain is gone!!

Note that I have 5 LTE bars at home (band 12, RSSI > -95dBm) so signal strength has NEVER been a problem in the 5 years since I joined Videotron. I'm not on a Partner network at home.

The only rational conclusions that either Videotron made changes to the modem code, or Samsung did and it affected Videotron bands.

Either way, no one tested this seriously before blasting it to unsuspecting customers.

@Kira can we please ensure that next time around, this issue gets addressed and tested? I spent a ton of time troubleshooting, so I'd rather not do it again.

It would be a lot easier to just change carriers.

I'm available with a ton of notes and information if someone technical wants to get in details.

BTW, I work for a telecom equipment manufacturer.

Kira · ‎23-09-2023

Unsure why you tagged me but i have an 23Ultra as well with said septembre patch and have not noticed this behavior.

Outside of that, asking that this gets addressed and tested is not something i can do. I'm just a forum user at this point.

Ipse · ‎24-09-2023

Duh, I misinterpreted "Super utilizateur" thinking you're a Videotron mod. I'll tag @CharlesR, maybe he can help.

No harm done, spread the word of you can 🙂

PS. The issue is probably related to the specific band in use in my area (Ottawa West). It does seem that the phone keeps reconnecting all night to the tower.

I could try to force it on a Partner network and see if that changes anything. Band 12 is the strongest in my area, I saw it trying 4 and 66 but at 20dBm weaker signal.

BerengerL · ‎24-09-2023

Hello Ipse, sorry about this situation. There is no need to tag moderators, we review all the forum posts.
As Kira confirmed they are not facing this issue on their device of the same brand and similar model, it looks like a specific problem on your cellphone. I have shared your feedback with the relevant team and it will be investigated. In the meantime, please feel free to contact Samsung so they can also look into it.

Have a nice rest of your day.
Edit: could you please send us a PM with your phone number so we can contact you?

Kira · ‎24-09-2023

@Ipse wrote:
Duh, I misinterpreted "Super utilizateur" thinking you're a Videotron mod. I'll tag @CharlesR, maybe he can help.
No harm done, spread the word of you can 🙂

No worries, I was just confused a little bit as I used to work there.

BerengerL · ‎26-09-2023

Hello @Ipse we are not able to reproduce this issue, however here is an interesting article about this:

https://www.sammobile.com/news/has-the-september-update-fixed-galaxy-s23-battery-issues-for-you/

Looks like there is a rollback, we'd recommend to contact Samsung directly in this case.

Have a nice day!

Ipse · ‎26-09-2023

Thanks, unfortunately that article claims that September patch fixes an August patch issue...I was fine after the August patch.
I'd rather not do another factory reset (which a rollback via SmartSwitch is..) until I get some root cause identified.
I have a nasty habit of personalizing my phone and it took me many hours after the last factory reset to set it back..plus all the banking apps that need to b re-activated, etc.

We're too reliant on our phones and assume nothing can go wrong...until it does 🤣

Ipse · ‎29-09-2023

Well, between Scamsung and Videotron I'm left on my own to try to solve the problem. Expected.