Paperwhite freezes

haertig · 12-05-2017, 07:01 PM

My 2 month old PW3 has an annoying habit of freezing up once the battery gets down to about 20%. Locks up tighter than a drum until you charge it. Simply plugging it in doesn't work, you have to charge for at least an hour. Prior to freeze there is no low battery indication.

Is this normal for the PW3?

IFixKindles · 12-05-2017, 07:32 PM

Try a reboot. That is first thing to try with misbehaving kindle.
With at least a 50% charge, unplug it. Press and hold the power button a full 30 to 40 seconds. Ignore any changes to the power light or the screen. Release power and let it restart.
Plug it in for a full overnight charge. Just because the light turns green does not always mean you have a full charge.

I wouldn't ordinarily let it get down to 20%. You don't need to drain it before recharging. If you are not going to be using it a while, plug it in to charge. You won't decrease battery life by charging it early, or by leaving it on charge too long. Just not a good to try to use it while plugged in. That can damage the USB charge port.

k9reeder · 12-06-2017, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IFixKindles

...Just not a good to try to use it while plugged in. That can damage the USB charge port.

Just to be clear, you mean because of the possibility of putting physical strain on the wired connectors while holding the ereader?

IFixKindles · 12-06-2017, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k9reeder

Just to be clear, you mean because of the possibility of putting physical strain on the wired connectors while holding the ereader?

Yes, using it while plugged in can strain the connectors and cause the connection to fail.

patrickt · 12-06-2017, 07:23 AM

My Paperwhites don't show a percentage left. If the Paperwhite freezing before the message saying it needs to be charged or after.

I would probably contact Customer Service and get their opinion. If you bought the Paperwhite two months ago from Amazon then it's still under warranty.

haertig · 12-06-2017, 11:22 AM

There is no message saying it needs to be charged before it freezes. And there is no gauge telling me it's down to 20%. I am just estimating that 20% by looking at the battery icon (very imprecise).

Yesterday I charged it for 3 hours after the freeze, but it didn't come back like the previous time. But it responded to a restart (hold power button down for a long time).

GlenBarrington · 12-06-2017, 02:32 PM

That's starting to sound like a bad battery to me. I assume it is still under warranty?

haertig · 12-06-2017, 05:10 PM

Thanks for the replies. I found I was running 5.8.11. I see that 5.9.2 is available now. Will update, then see what happens the NEXT time it gets down to 20% in a few weeks...

haertig · 12-06-2017, 11:07 PM

Didn't take long to lockup again with new firmware. Locked up on first use, 100% battery.

IFixKindles · 12-07-2017, 03:48 AM

Last thing to try before seeing if it can be replaced under warranty would be to do a factory reset. You wouldn't be any further behind than getting a new kindle if you do reset it.

HarryT · 12-07-2017, 04:19 AM

Agreed - the freezing could well be due to some bad content.

12-05-2017, 07:01 PM	#1
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,738 Karma: 26006874 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	Paperwhite freezes My 2 month old PW3 has an annoying habit of freezing up once the battery gets down to about 20%. Locks up tighter than a drum until you charge it. Simply plugging it in doesn't work, you have to charge for at least an hour. Prior to freeze there is no low battery indication. Is this normal for the PW3?

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12-05-2017, 07:32 PM	#2
IFixKindles Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 491288 Join Date: Jan 2016 Device: PW1 - repair many Kindle models	Try a reboot. That is first thing to try with misbehaving kindle. With at least a 50% charge, unplug it. Press and hold the power button a full 30 to 40 seconds. Ignore any changes to the power light or the screen. Release power and let it restart. Plug it in for a full overnight charge. Just because the light turns green does not always mean you have a full charge. I wouldn't ordinarily let it get down to 20%. You don't need to drain it before recharging. If you are not going to be using it a while, plug it in to charge. You won't decrease battery life by charging it early, or by leaving it on charge too long. Just not a good to try to use it while plugged in. That can damage the USB charge port.

12-06-2017, 07:23 AM	#5
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	My Paperwhites don't show a percentage left. If the Paperwhite freezing before the message saying it needs to be charged or after. I would probably contact Customer Service and get their opinion. If you bought the Paperwhite two months ago from Amazon then it's still under warranty.

12-06-2017, 11:22 AM	#6
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,738 Karma: 26006874 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	There is no message saying it needs to be charged before it freezes. And there is no gauge telling me it's down to 20%. I am just estimating that 20% by looking at the battery icon (very imprecise). Yesterday I charged it for 3 hours after the freeze, but it didn't come back like the previous time. But it responded to a restart (hold power button down for a long time).

12-06-2017, 02:32 PM	#7
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	That's starting to sound like a bad battery to me. I assume it is still under warranty?

12-06-2017, 05:10 PM	#8
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,738 Karma: 26006874 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	Thanks for the replies. I found I was running 5.8.11. I see that 5.9.2 is available now. Will update, then see what happens the NEXT time it gets down to 20% in a few weeks...

12-06-2017, 11:07 PM	#9
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,738 Karma: 26006874 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	Didn't take long to lockup again with new firmware. Locked up on first use, 100% battery.

12-07-2017, 03:48 AM	#10
IFixKindles Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 491288 Join Date: Jan 2016 Device: PW1 - repair many Kindle models	Last thing to try before seeing if it can be replaced under warranty would be to do a factory reset. You wouldn't be any further behind than getting a new kindle if you do reset it.

12-07-2017, 04:19 AM	#11
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Agreed - the freezing could well be due to some bad content.