[Sprint HTC One (M7)] apalapala:
I visited a Sprint store (#827) Monday, June 3, 2013 to explain a problem I had over the weekend with my HTC One -- overheating and very, very hot to the touch. I left the store with these strange instructions: to never download *any* apps from Google Play Marketplace, do not stream *any* music with the phone, and do *not* store 22 GB of data on a phone advertised to hold 32Gb.

I started my Sprint Store visit in Tampa by explaining that Saturday in Orlando near Disney, my phone started heating up. The metal housing was very hot to the touch, and the "Battery Widget Reborn" full app I had listed the temp greater than 115-degrees Fahrenheit (usually never higher than 95, 85 coming out of sleep). I told them the temperature readout declined and the phone felt cooler after I turned it off for a while, or put the phone into airplane mode, and also later when I drove away from the Disney area toward downtown Orlando. The problem was not resolved by a reboot alone. When I took the phone out of airplane mode or turned it on, the phone started getting hotter... about 5 degrees per minute.

I requested that they check the phone and make sure that I wasn't dealing with a safety problem and not just a one-day fluke.

The first tech I dealt with said she had to go to lunch, described her new diet for me, and told me that she wasn't sure where the power button is on the HTC One because they change the location of the power button so much on these phones. But, she was very friendly and listened to my problem. She said it would take about an hour to review and I could come back.

I came back an hour later, the second tech came to me, and told me that the problem is that I was using 22Gb out of the internal 32Gb for apps. I told him that most of it was actually music files, and he disagreed with me and told me that I'm wrong! More on that later. Then, he had me talk to a man who's name tag read "Assistant Store Manager." That man told me that because they could not replicate the problem, there's nothing he can do for me.

I explained my only intent was for the phone to be looked at to make sure there is not a chronic safety concern... I don't want the phone to explode in my ear, or something. He said that's not possible, and not to worry. Here were their suggested courses of action:

1. Do not use 22Gb out of 32Gb.

The second tech showed me that I am using 22Gb out of 32Gb, and that's why the phone overheated. He said it's just like a computer, I can't fill it with that many apps. The manager also reiterated this point -- you cannot fill the phone's internal storage with 22Gb of information. I explained to the tech that most of it is music files. He said that's impossible, this phone streams music. I explained that I had used a USB cable to transfer the music mp3 files to the phone. He said that I am mistaken. I showed him that the list of thousands of songs was listed under "On Device Only", but he again said that I was incorrect. He showed me under "downloaded apps" that in the bar that says "Phone Storage" that the phone contained 22 Gb of apps. I tried to explain to him that indicates the phone's current total storage, not only referring to only apps. He said I was wrong. I invited him to plug the phone into a computer, and look at the storage's total file system, and see for himself that much of that is music. He refused.

2. Battery Widget Reborn probably caused it too

The manager said that because Battery Widget Reborn is an app that didn't come with the phone, it cannot be trusted. He then advised me to *never* download *any* apps from the Google play marketplace, because they might not correctly work with my phone causing the problems I described. I told him that I didn't install any new apps this weekend, and that I'd been using Battery Widget Reborn for mostly the entire time I'd had the phone, and that it's very highly rated on the Play store, and that I've never had a problem. The tech said apps like Battery Widget Reborn and FlickFolio probably caused battery problems, because he'd never heard of FlickFolio. That leads me to the next piece of advice...

3. Don't fill the device's storage:

The tech and manager both pointed out the device is like a computer, that I cannot fill it with 22 Gb of apps, or I would have these problems. I again tried to explain that some of that storage is music (without any files, first turned on, the storage shows about 6Gb full). Regardless, I pointed out that there was no disclaimer when I purchased the phone that said I was not allowed to fill 22 Gb out of 32 or the phone wouldn't function. They said that doesn't matter, just don't do it. Also, they recommended that I shouldn't use any non-preinstalled HTC apps. Even apps by Google can cause problems. Which leads me to the next advice...

4. Don't use Google Music.

The tech said that Google Music is only capable of streaming, not playing music files locally. I explained that I actually had MP3 files saved on the phone. He said that's not possible. The only way that Google Play Music function is to stream music from the cloud, and that's probably why I had overheating problems. I invited him to plug my phone into a computer to see that, in fact, I had music saved on the device. He refused. He instructed me to never install Google Play Music. I checked later, and found out that this software comes pre-installed on my phone.

5. All HTC Phones have battery problems.

I told the manager that the tech had just told me all HTC phones have battery problems, and said if that it's a known issue that all HTC phones have problems, why would they even sell it in the first place. I asked if he would exchange it for another manufacturer's phone if it's well known by the repair tech that HTC phones have battery problems like this. The manager would not disagree with but would not confirm that all HTC phones have battery problems, but he said that all phones could be expected to overheat. He said that since I had the phone for a month and a half, no exchanges or refunds would be given.

I told the manager that I think it's suspicious to be instructed to never download apps from the Google play marketplace, to never store music, and to never store anything on the internal storage bedsides what came on the phone. What's the point of having a phone, I incredulously questioned.

He explained that the device isn't just a phone, that it's a little computer and it's doing a lot more than just being a telephone. At that time, I felt engaging in such semantics was a little pompous jab at me, but maybe I misunderstood. I explained that I said "phone" idiomatically -- that I know that the device is a computing-capable device that includes a method of making calls referred to as a telephone, not that I believed the device was "only a phone" because I said "phone".

He tried to explain that I shouldn't keep multiple apps open in Android. I told him that I know that already, and I always close apps. The assistant manager, after giving me this advice, didn't know how to display current apps on the HTC One. I had to show him. He advised me to do a thing he didn't know how to do himself, and I had to show him how.

The assistant manager offered the following:

1. I've had the phone for more than a month and a half, I cannot switch phones under contract

2. I can have a refurbished model provided under insurance at my deductible's expense under Total Equipment Protection if I want to.

3. They can document my problem for later if it happens again

4. They can wipe the phone back to stock

I opted to have the phone wiped back to stock on the spot. I told the manager that my problem is that I don't want any monetary resolution, I wanted the phone to be looked at from a safety standpoint. He said he would notate my account as such.

I think it's interesting that upon having a wiped phone, I perceived no discernable speed difference between my phone with 22 Gb space used and the factory-fresh 6 Gb space used. I really don't think that using 22 Gb of internal space has any real impact on the phone's function, and since I'd been using that amount of space for a month and a half, I don't believe it caused my phone to become suddenly and acutely hot to the touch.

The only difference to predicate the sudden and acute onset of extreme case heat was where I was using the phone -- around a lot of other people. My theory is that the phone couldn't get a signal being around all those other sprint customers, and its radios just banged away until the phone's metal exterior radiated that heat from the equipment to my pants pocket and skin.

And I told them that. I told them I didn't think it was right how incredibly hot the device got, to where I would touch others and have them wince and say "Ow!", and I was worried that no one had ever taken an HTC One into a large event with many people trying to use their phone like that before.

All they could do was blame me for downloading any apps from the Google Play Store, and telling me that it's impossible to load mp3 files onto the phone. And for that, I fault them and their customer service today. I'm very concerned that the "official" Sprint store employee advice is that I cannot add songs to my phone, or stream music, or install any applications that didn't pre-installed on the phone from HTC, and to definately not use Google Play Music that actually comes pre-installed on the phone. Also, the Sprint repair employee verbalized that all HTCs have battery problems so don't worry. Really?

I wondered, does HTC endorse all of this advice? I've contacted HTC to find out if they endorse Sprint employees advising never to fill 22Gb out of 32Gb, and they've already messaged me back and told me this is incorrect advice. So, does Sprint truly endorse this advice?

I have crossposted this on the Sprint forums, also emailed the store's manager and district manager directly.