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iPhone 4: Dropping calls when antennas are touched together

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aphex said:
ive been testing mine out since i got home and I can't replicate the problem on mine. I have no doubt that some are experiencing the issue, but for some reason (a good one i suppose), mine doesn't do it.
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but look at the envious hate parade of posts above, clearly you don't know what you are doing😉

this issue is seriously a problem for anyone that doesn't own an iphone apparently
 
I'm not an Apple fanboy, or an Apple hater. I like many of their products, but at the same time some things leave a bad taste in my mouth. I have an iPhone 3Gs running OS 4.0. The new OS is cool, and I enjoy the new features, however I don't think I am going to run right out and buy a new iPhone 4. This decision isn't based solely on the issues talked about here, mostly it's because the 3Gs works just fine with the new OS, so it might be a hair slower than the new hardware, but so what? Though I dont understand the "Multitasking", all my apps still behave exactly the same way weather i close them and open them again, or if i go to the bar and open them that way. After a day of using the phone i wind up "closing" a bunch of apps in the multitask tray. I dont know, maybe i'm not using it right.

I will be letting this play out a bit more to see what really happens with this reception issue. If it really is a design flaw, I think Apple should take steps to correct it, weather its a patch in the OS, or a physical problem that needs corrected by having something done at an Apple store on the service side, or a full out recall. You can't have a product out there that does this in any capacity, regardless of how it's held, it just doesn't matter, there is no way to "hold it wrong", it's a phone HANDSET, it's meant to be held in your hand. Period. But again, it's too early to tell. We'll see what time says.
 
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0roo0roo said:
but look at the envious hate parade of posts above, clearly you don't know what you are doing😉

this issue is seriously a problem for anyone that doesn't own an iphone apparently
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I suggest you read my update on pg2
 
Paperlantern said:
I'm not an Apple fanboy, or an Apple hater. I like many of their products, but at the same time some things leave a bad taste in my mouth. I have an iPhone 3Gs running OS 4.0. The new OS is cool, and I enjoy the new features, however I don't think I am going to run right out and buy a new iPhone 4. This decision isn't based solely on the issues talked about here, mostly it's because the 3Gs works just fine with the new OS, so it might be a hair slower than the new hardware, but so what? Though I dont understand the "Multitasking", all my apps still behave exactly the same way weather i close them and open them again, or if i go to the bar and open them that way. After a day of using the phone i wind up "closing" a bunch of apps in the multitask tray. I dont know, maybe i'm not using it right.
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You're using it correctly, but the apps have to be updated for them to work correctly. And only a handful actually have.

Here's a great article about multitasking: http://db.tidbits.com/article/11378
 
Use an earpiece? 😛

Thin tape won't work because you are still capacitively coupled. Your fingers need to be a few mm from the antennas! 😱
 
Capt Caveman said:
iOS4 4.0.1 Update Rumored Coming Soon to Fix iPhone 4 Reception
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Snippet from the article that made me laugh a little. Hey, it's early and I'm at work so looking for some comedy. 😉

I have an iPhone 4. Pre-ordered it before the onslaught of pre-orders crippled the system. Ordered it early enough that I was one of the lucky few who received it on Wednesday--a day before the official launch.

I took it out of the box, and activated it. I synced it up with my iTunes to get all of my apps and music installed. All the while, it had a full five bars of 3G signal. It was a beautiful thing.

Then, a call came in. I picked up the phone and said "hello"....then nothing. Apparently, I missed the memo that if you hold the iPhone 4 the way you would hold any other smartphone--including the iPhone 3GS I just deactivated--it actually becomes an iPod Touch. Maybe that's a feature rather than a bug from Apple's perspective, but they should at least include a little memo when you open the box explaining the precise manner you must hold the iPhone 4 in order for it to function as a phone.
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NFS4 said:
WTF do you mean it's not an issue in real life situation? I hold the phone in my hand (with the left bottom corner resting in my palm) when I'm browsing the web.

And on my new iPhone 4, the indicator goes from 3G to EDGE, then it finally goes to "No Service"

I'm sorry, that is bullshit and you know it! I can't believe all of the apologists coming out on this one.
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Maybe you can replicate it that way, I can't. The only time I can do it is when I am holding it in a vice like grip away from my head. And even then, as I said - I never dropped a call when I tested it.

When I am actually using it I'm not holding it in the exact way that you have to in order to get the problem, nor am I holding it with the same vice like grip.

Any way, if people are having the problem a lot worse as you describe then sure. I'm just glad that I don't have any of the problems anyone else is having and have no complaints
 
I love my iTouch, and I was considering getting the iPhone 4, but reading this thread has made me change my mind.

I cannot believe that Apple did not know of this problem before launch day. I refuse to support a "Let's sell it now! We'll fix it later" corporate mentality.

It's like buying a car, and then finding out that if your hands aren't at exactly the right spot on the steering wheel, the accelerator quits working.

If I had been an early adopter, I'd be banging on Apple's/AT&T's door, demanding a refund.
 
tk149 said:
I love my iTouch, and I was considering getting the iPhone 4, but reading this thread has made me change my mind.

I cannot believe that Apple did not know of this problem before launch day. I refuse to support a "Let's sell it now! We'll fix it later" corporate mentality.

It's like buying a car, and then finding out that if your hands aren't at exactly the right spot on the steering wheel, the accelerator quits working.

If I had been an early adopter, I'd be banging on Apple's/AT&T's door, demanding a refund.
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Funny that you seem to miss most of the facts:

A) Most people in this thread, whom actually own the phone, don't see the problem
B) Most people whom actually own the phone don't see the problem as being as bad as what is being perceived. And that even when the phone has zero bars calls are not being dropped. There are numerous articles stating that the issue is being overblown and existed on previous iPhones as well and didn't really affect actual real world performance. Not only do the 5 people I know who have new iPhones not have this issue or any other, but people that they know also don't see it when actually using the phone, its only when you are purposely trying to recreate it that you can see it happen.
C) Apple has said they will be able to fix it with software. Which, if I'm honest, will probably be more of a visual fix then a real fix, but being that the issue is so overblown nobody will ever know the difference. If you aren't watching the bars drop you wouldn't even know that its happening.
 
tk149 said:
I love my iTouch, and I was considering getting the iPhone 4, but reading this thread has made me change my mind.

I cannot believe that Apple did not know of this problem before launch day. I refuse to support a "Let's sell it now! We'll fix it later" corporate mentality.

It's like buying a car, and then finding out that if your hands aren't at exactly the right spot on the steering wheel, the accelerator quits working.

If I had been an early adopter, I'd be banging on Apple's/AT&T's door, demanding a refund.
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Hell, google sold a phone without having tech support other than google search.
 
I had a really strange issue at work today. I usually get 2-3 bars at my desk, but after picking up the phone and showing someone the death grip issue, the phone would not return to normal after laying it back down. In fact, I actually had to reboot the phone before I started getting service again.

Combined with a dropped call on my way home from work and a wonderful static filled conversation after I called them back, I am not a happy camper right now.
 
AMDZen said:
Funny that you seem to miss most of the facts:

A) Most people in this thread, whom actually own the phone, don't see the problem
B) Most people whom actually own the phone don't see the problem as being as bad as what is being perceived. And that even when the phone has zero bars calls are not being dropped. There are numerous articles stating that the issue is being overblown and existed on previous iPhones as well and didn't really affect actual real world performance. Not only do the 5 people I know who have new iPhones not have this issue or any other, but people that they know also don't see it when actually using the phone, its only when you are purposely trying to recreate it that you can see it happen.
C) Apple has said they will be able to fix it with software. Which, if I'm honest, will probably be more of a visual fix then a real fix, but being that the issue is so overblown nobody will ever know the difference. If you aren't watching the bars drop you wouldn't even know that its happening.
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If you look around on the web it seems quite a few folks have been affected by this problem sadly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/technology/25apple.html

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=947585

http://gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-loses-reception-when-you-hold-it-by-the-antenna-band

In fact it was even predicted to happen before the official release of the new phone.

http://translate.google.dk/translat...d-antenne-problemer-1.362104.html&sl=da&tl=en
 
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accguy9009 said:
If you look around on the web it seems quite a few folks have been affected by this problem sadly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/technology/25apple.html

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=947585

http://gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-loses-reception-when-you-hold-it-by-the-antenna-band

In fact it was even predicted to happen before the official release of the new phone.

http://translate.google.dk/translat...d-antenne-problemer-1.362104.html&sl=da&tl=en
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Notice the NYT article referencing the Gizmodo article including nearly every other article out there referencing gizmodo. Gizmodo has plenty of reason to hate on Apple

Engadget has come out and said it didn't affect their iPhones and users all over have validated it didn't affect theirs. I'm not trying to play this off like it isn't an issue at all, only that its being blown completely out of proportion simply because its an iphone, and it really doesn't affect real world use like people would have you believe.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...eception-When-You-Hold-It-By-The-Antenna-Band

All but a few people on the first page haven't seen it, and those that show some sort of degradation say it doesn't affect the call at all. And if you go through all the pages the majority of people haven't seen the issue or are not affected by it. Almost all the videos I've seen are done without a call being made, if you try it while you're making a call you see that the call doesn't drop so there isn't any real issue. Plus you don't see in the video how hard and precise you have to hold it to get the issue and how hard it is to replicate when you have it up to your ear. Maybe its just me and the others that don't have the issue but I don't death grip my phone, I hold it fairly loose to my head
 
AMDZen said:
Notice the NYT article referencing the Gizmodo article including nearly every other article out there referencing gizmodo. Gizmodo has plenty of reason to hate on Apple

Engadget has come out and said it didn't affect their iPhones and users all over have validated it didn't affect theirs. I'm not trying to play this off like it isn't an issue at all, only that its being blown completely out of proportion simply because its an iphone, and it really doesn't affect real world use like people would have you believe.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...eception-When-You-Hold-It-By-The-Antenna-Band

All but a few people on the first page haven't seen it, and those that show some sort of degradation say it doesn't affect the call at all. And if you go through all the pages the majority of people haven't seen the issue or are not affected by it. Almost all the videos I've seen are done without a call being made, if you try it while you're making a call you see that the call doesn't drop so there isn't any real issue. Plus you don't see in the video how hard and precise you have to hold it to get the issue and how hard it is to replicate when you have it up to your ear. Maybe its just me and the others that don't have the issue but I don't death grip my phone, I hold it fairly loose to my head
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Yea, while there is no denying that blocking the antenna does degrade the signal, the actual size and scope of the problem does seem to be blown out of proportion. Of myself and my 3-4 friends who have bought the new phone, every single one of us has noticed significantly fewer dropped calls (I haven't had a single one yet) and improved voice quality...
 
This happens on my iPhone 4 too. But it goes away if I hold it above the two black lines on the lower half. Kind of retarded and I am pissed that Apple overlooked this.
 
Just got my 16GB version on the most recent FedEx drop-off at my local at&t store this afternoon, and I cannot replicate this issue whatsoever. I've tried every way I've read about and seen, and it won't lose any bars. I wasn't really concerned about it in the first place, so I'm not really trying to find issue with it, I was just curious if I could recreate the problem. It's a no go for me.
 
I'm confident that this will be resolved with a software patch. I am not worried at all since, like this article says: I have tested this myself and can only recreate it when I am clutching it a specific way and even on speaker phone had no reception issues

Even more interesting is the fact that despite displaying a weak signal — and in some cases no signal at all — many users report that the iPhone 4 is still able to make calls as if nothing were wrong.
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http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...is-looking-more-and-more-like-a-software-bug/

If it were a design flaw then why would this be affecting 3G and 3GS iphones with iOS4?
 
AMDZen said:
I'm confident that this will be resolved with a software patch. I am not worried at all since, like this article says: I have tested this myself and can only recreate it when I am clutching it a specific way and even on speaker phone had no reception issues



http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...is-looking-more-and-more-like-a-software-bug/

If it were a design flaw then why would this be affecting 3G and 3GS iphones with iOS4?
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I hope the issue can be corrected with some form of update. The new iPhone appears to be a great product otherwise. The NYT article did reference the macrumours.com forums though too right? Also didn't this guy predict this problem before the new iphone was released and say the issue was not new?

http://translate.google.dk/translat...d-antenne-problemer-1.362104.html&sl=da&tl=en

It could be a design flaw. Maybe all people need is just to get the bumper. Maybe Apple will subsidize the bumper. But this has affected more than a handful of users by all accounts. Its not just Gizmodo slamming Apple, its quite a bit more than that now isn't it?
 
peritusONE said:
Just got my 16GB version on the most recent FedEx drop-off at my local at&t store this afternoon, and I cannot replicate this issue whatsoever. I've tried every way I've read about and seen, and it won't lose any bars. I wasn't really concerned about it in the first place, so I'm not really trying to find issue with it, I was just curious if I could recreate the problem. It's a no go for me.
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Just figured I'd update now that I'm home from work. I originally tested this today at work (larger city), and absolutely could not reproduce the problem. I'm now home, in another city (smaller city and I live about 5 miles away from the actual city, but still get full 3G signal), and I can reproduce it very easily just by using a thumb to bridge the antennae.

Count me on the "software problem" side of things.
 
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