diff --git a/core/java/android/hardware/SensorManager.java b/core/java/android/hardware/SensorManager.java
index 76ce2f8d651de..a2710757fb03a 100644
--- a/core/java/android/hardware/SensorManager.java
+++ b/core/java/android/hardware/SensorManager.java
@@ -447,12 +447,12 @@ public class SensorManager
                     int accuracy = status[0];
                     synchronized (sListeners) {
                         if (sensor == -1 || sListeners.isEmpty()) {
-                            if (sensor == -1) {
-                                // we lost the connection to the event stream. this happens
-                                // when the last listener is removed.
-                                Log.d(TAG, "_sensors_data_poll() failed, we bail out.");
+                            // we lost the connection to the event stream. this happens
+                            // when the last listener is removed or if there is an error
+                            if (sensor == -1 && !sListeners.isEmpty()) {
+                                // log a warning in case of abnormal termination
+                                Log.e(TAG, "_sensors_data_poll() failed, we bail out: sensors=" + sensor);
                             }
-
                             // we have no more listeners or polling failed, terminate the thread
                             sensors_destroy_queue(sQueue);
                             sQueue = 0;
@@ -1101,6 +1101,7 @@ public class SensorManager
         if (listener == null || sensor == null) {
             return;
         }
+
         synchronized (sListeners) {
             final int size = sListeners.size();
             for (int i=0 ; i<size ; i++) {
@@ -1122,6 +1123,7 @@ public class SensorManager
         if (listener == null) {
             return;
         }
+
         synchronized (sListeners) {
             final int size = sListeners.size();
             for (int i=0 ; i<size ; i++) {
diff --git a/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp b/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
index c3a9f2246d52e..b0d0f12c6b16d 100644
--- a/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
@@ -70,9 +70,13 @@ ssize_t SensorEventQueue::write(ASensorEvent const* events, size_t numEvents)
 ssize_t SensorEventQueue::read(ASensorEvent* events, size_t numEvents)
 {
     ssize_t size = mSensorChannel->read(events, numEvents*sizeof(events[0]));
+    LOGE_IF(size<0 && size!=-EAGAIN,
+            "SensorChannel::read error (%s)", strerror(-size));
     if (size >= 0) {
         if (size % sizeof(events[0])) {
             // partial read!!! should never happen.
+            LOGE("SensorEventQueue partial read (event-size=%u, read=%d)",
+                    sizeof(events[0]), int(size));
             return -EINVAL;
         }
         // returns number of events read
@@ -95,8 +99,18 @@ status_t SensorEventQueue::waitForEvent() const
 {
     const int fd = getFd();
     sp<Looper> looper(getLooper());
-    int32_t result = looper->pollOnce(-1);
-    return (result == fd) ? status_t(NO_ERROR) : status_t(-1);
+
+    int32_t result;
+    do {
+        result = looper->pollOnce(-1);
+        if (result == ALOOPER_EVENT_ERROR) {
+            LOGE("SensorChannel::waitForEvent error (errno=%d)", errno);
+            result = -EPIPE; // unknown error, so we make up one
+            break;
+        }
+    } while (result != fd);
+
+    return result;
 }
 
 status_t SensorEventQueue::wake() const