AppleCare Training Document on iPhone 4 Signal Issues Revealed

darthvapor said:

This is a hardware issue, not software. They should have just put the seam at the top of the unit.

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Isn't apple and other smart phone manufacturers stymied by Federal Government reglaltions regarding RF signals needing to be as far away from the head as possible? That is why the antenna is on the bottom or lower right or lower left... and not at the top as you suggested.

I think that's it... the reason why... your government cares!

I wish the people that are complaining would have known about this issue. They wouldn't have hogged up the long lines for the others that couldn't get the phone.

firewood said:

The FCC allows it. Think about the rabbit ears on old TV sets.

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Well, I know that My point was that FCC did not require Apple to place the antennas on the outside. It was purely Apple's choice dictated by Steve's notorious love for flashy designs to the detriment of the device functionality (remember those sharp edges on MacBoc Pros?)

So if the exact same thing happens with the 3GS and the 3G:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywloTorTF8g

And on other phones, like the Nexus One:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1SKm9NWDGE

And some Nokia phones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zsuxbd0L0g

Why is there so much bad press (and public panic) about the iPhone 4? Would most people even realize there was such a problem if they hadn't read about it and tried holding the phone as demonstrated to replicate the problem? Probably not.

Is there an uproar because Apple customers have exceedingly high standards? Is there an uproar because the tech blogs can generate loads of page hits by posting about Apple flaws (vs. flaws in other products)? Are competitors' PR departments helping fan the flames of FUD?

Inquiring minds want to know.

shadowbox said:

I think the issue is that the graphic display showing the signal strength is not accurate. There are times when it shows 4 or 5 bars when actually it should show minimal strength. At these times holding the phone with the left hand covering the lower left corner degrades the signal enough to drop the signal altogether.

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I think you are absolutely correct - the exact same happens to me - the iPhone 4 signal seems to fluctuate quite dramatically on screen - I did a test the other evening put my 3GS and 4G together rang both phones. Before I rang both phones had only one bar during the call the 4G went to full strength whilst the 3GS stayed at one bar - as soon as i picked up the phone the 4G suddenly started loosing bars. Steve Jobs has already admitted there is an issue with the software representation of the bars - i'm willing to give him the opportunity to release a fix to see if it solves the issue - if it doesn't then i'm gonna get real mad!

lilo777 said:

That's a lie. Google fixed the problem by software update.

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Your article is dated in February. Many people said the software update did nothing at all to help. That prompted this:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/22/google-no-longer-investigating-fix-for-nexus-one-3g-issues-ad/

Looking back through our archives, you'll find plenty of user dissatisfaction with the 3G reception on Google's Nexus One. Blamed alternately on T-Mobile's inferior 3G coverage and on software bugs, the problem was expected to be banished with an over-the-air update in early February. The update came, but the trouble also stayed. It might now be time to finally lay those last lingering hopes for rectification to rest, as Google has directly responded to calls for a bigger and better OTA patch by explaining that it's no longer working on "further engineering improvements." That's a pretty conclusive sign that the problem is in the hardware, particularly when you peruse the support thread in question and the reception comparisons users have been doing with other handsets. Well, at least you know for sure now.

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Hey guys,

I've seen some recent speculation on this thread about an OTA to improve 3G connectivity and I want to give you an update on the situation.

While we are continuing to monitor user feedback regarding the 3G performance on the Nexus One, we are no longer investigating further engineering improvements at this time.

If you are still experiencing 3G issues, we recommend that you try changing your location or even the orientation of your phone, as this may help in areas with weaker coverage.

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They suggested changing the orientation of the phone. Heretics!

Fine. I'm going to give it a few more days to at least HEAR something positive from Apple before I join the class auction suit.

I'm certainly no expert but it sure seems to me that the below video (and audio) displays that just barely touching that spot on the phone actually shorts the antennae out and prevents it from receiving 3g data. It's easily reproduced, so attorneys should have a field day when they get an actual communications engineer to observe this..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzn8QhrYIvI

spiritlevel said:

Sorry cobby but that's cobblers. I've had at least 8 phones before this iPhone 4 and none of them have ever dropped calls because of how I held them.

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That is an absurd statement to make and likely 100% untrue.

For this to be true, you would likely have to have NEVER had a single dropped call on any phone you ever owned.

The more I read these threads the more I think people don't fudamentally know how cell phones work.

Clearly most of the people doing the most complaining must be very young, because back in the early days of cellphones you often had to stand on a chair balancing on one leg with an arm out the window while holding a tennis racket to complete a cell phone call.

For people to not fundamentally understand that minor changes in position, even moving the phone a few inches can potentially have a massive impact on the signal received is very ignorant.

Wondering if this has anything to do with the lack of details for the international launch. Usually it sucks getting everything months later in Australia, but I guess this case is different.

For those who can replicate the problem, is it direct contact with skin? I'm curious to know if the signal drop occurs only when you directly press on that area or if you indirectly touch it (ie keeping the phone in your pocket, contact with skin through thin fabric etc.)

Mactagonist said:

when will this retarded "FAIL" meme go away?

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+1

I would argue that using "FAIL" is about the biggest failure at an attempt to say anything intelligent. It is only surpassed by using the word "epic" in front of the word "fail".

I had to sign up for this forum to post my reply. I am an apple fan. We have 3 computers, 2 iphone 4's ipads, etc.

I bought my iphone 4 on launch day. I also purchased the bumper. I don't know about other people, but I am seeing this issue even with the bumper on. Maybe it doesn't drop off as quick, or as bad with the bumper. Even with the bumper, I've seen it drop from 5 bars to no bars. It never drops to no service, but the data performance goes from 2Mbps downstream to almost nothing.

I am seriously considering returning this phone. I've already sold my 3G. If I return this phone, I will be purchasing a phone from one of Apple's competitors. This upsets me because I have spent a lot of money on iphone apps. I however can not deal with a phone that does not work properly.

vant said:

I just made my 3GS drop signal based on the 'lower-right corner' issue. It definitely exists.

I think the phenomenon with the iPhone 4 is the fact that the antenna is on the outside and people think that it is more subjected to the 'death grip' when in reality it is on all phones.

If you have a 3GS, try covering the bottom right corner. I went from 5 bars to 2 bars (T-Mobile).

I'll make a video if anyone doesn't believe me or cannot replicate it.

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5 bars to 2 is nothing like 5 bars to NO SIGNAL.

2 bars is usable, no signal is instantly worthless.

If my iPhone 4 dropped to 2 bars, I would have no complaints whatsoever.

marksman said:

Nice job committing a crime. It is illegal to record a phone call when talking to someone in California without their permission.

What is wrong with some of you chuckleheads?

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ur the chucklehead. wtf do u think they're doing when u hear "this call may be monitored for" message?

My Take

They are probably not offering free bumpers and going with the wait and see approach because they ARE working on a software fix... It could Very Well be fixed by software. If they offered the free bumpers then everyone and their brother/mother/father/sister/step.... would go to get one and they probably can't keep them in stock as it is. FW fix will come. They probably sold the bumpers because as is the issue with me... it feels better in the hand to the average person. If you are like me then going from the 3Gs to 4 didn't feel too comfortable. I like it with the bumper. It also lets you see the beautiful back. Call me gullible but that I believe this to be the case... no pun intended. Guess we will see. I also believe that apple is waiting for the Jailbreak community to release pwnagetool for iPHone 4 and unlock so they can break it... pretty good strategy.

marksman said:

That is an absurd statement to make and likely 100% untrue.

For this to be true, you would likely have to have NEVER had a single dropped call on any phone you ever owned.

The more I read these threads the more I think people don't fudamentally know how cell phones work.

Clearly most of the people doing the most complaining must be very young, because back in the early days of cellphones you often had to stand on a chair balancing on one leg with an arm out the window while holding a tennis racket to complete a cell phone call.

For people to not fundamentally understand that minor changes in position, even moving the phone a few inches can potentially have a massive impact on the signal received is very ignorant.

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Are you brain dead? He said he's never had a dropped call based on how he HELD the phone. That is in no way like saying he has never had a dropped call.. This is not an issue of dropped calls because of AT&T.. we're talking about a very obvious design flaw.

woodchuck said:

I had to sign up for this forum to post my reply. I am an apple fan. We have 3 computers, 2 iphone 4's ipads, etc.

I bought my iphone 4 on launch day. I also purchased the bumper. I don't know about other people, but I am seeing this issue even with the bumper on. Maybe it doesn't drop off as quick, or as bad with the bumper. Even with the bumper, I've seen it drop from 5 bars to no bars. It never drops to no service, but the data performance goes from 2Mbps downstream to almost nothing.

I am seriously considering returning this phone. I've already sold my 3G. If I return this phone, I will be purchasing a phone from one of Apple's competitors. This upsets me because I have spent a lot of money on iphone apps. I however can not deal with a phone that does not work properly.

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i'm sure some folks on this forum (including myself) would gladly trade your our used iPhone 3Gs units for your shiny new iPhone 4's. they are faster than your old 3G and won't suffer from any reception issue.

BornAgainMac said:

I wish the people that are complaining would have known about this issue. They wouldn't have hogged up the long lines for the others that couldn't get the phone.

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Amen. What's worse is that people will return the phone based on their overreaction and then come back here to complain about not having it anymore and having to pay to upgrade to it.

timish said:

It's obvious Apple knew about this prior to release.

Look at the problem the phone is having and the issues being reported. Look at the part of the phone that is causing the issue.

Now, look at the design of the "bumper". Too coincidental for me.

They KNEW about the issue and this bumper crap is the "fix" based on another product we need to buy.

Utterly ridiculous.

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Well said, there's no doubt about it.

random person said:

But why not say there is a software fix? What's wrong with saying they are aware of the problem and intend to fix it with a software update? That's already what they told Walt Mossberg of the WSJ.

I will be extremely disappointed if there is not a fix in the works. Extremely.
A phone that is used for data as well as phone calls should be able to be held in the left hand.

I'm living with it, as we all are, but this is really unfortunate.

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I don't think it's just a left hand issue. I was on the phone today and the conversation went terrible. I actually don't talk on the phone much so i'm a poor example, but comparing to my 3G, todays experience was painful. Other person kept cutting out. They thought i was still there and just kept talking. They were on a land line. Then eventually the call would drop. That fading in and out like that has actually never happened to me before. I should make more calls on this to test it out more. I'd be pretty upset if i needed this for business.

EDIT: I have NO DESIRE to return this phone and i don't b***h about it, i'm just saying i can understand why some people are pretty upset. I love this phone otherwise. I also have confidence that Apple will come around eventually with this. Look how long they were quiet about the white iPhone? He's just playing it down and it's working against him. Sometimes better off not saying anything and just fixing it. He did say "stay tuned". wonder what that means

ReflexReact said:

Fact of the matter is, no one has shown a video of two iphone4s, one next to each other. both on the same network. one exhibiting the issue, the other not.

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You clearly don't know what a scientific proof is. Because no one has done this doesn't prove anything. You're the one making the accusation therefore you need to prove your point, others don't have to prove you wrong.

ricgregory said:

I think you are absolutely correct - the exact same happens to me - the iPhone 4 signal seems to fluctuate quite dramatically on screen - I did a test the other evening put my 3GS and 4G together rang both phones. Before I rang both phones had only one bar during the call the 4G went to full strength whilst the 3GS stayed at one bar - as soon as i picked up the phone the 4G suddenly started loosing bars. Steve Jobs has already admitted there is an issue with the software representation of the bars - i'm willing to give him the opportunity to release a fix to see if it solves the issue - if it doesn't then i'm gonna get real mad!

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You probably have not seen all those clips on YouTube showing the phone dropping the calls and drastically reducing download speeds. When the bars go down - there are consequences.

zerocustom1989 said:

All phones dont have their antenas exposed.

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Bzzt. Incorrect. See any number of YouTube videos demonstrating the exact same behavior on other phones (both from Apple and from others).

zerocustom1989 said:

Even on the 3GS the antena is covered by plastic. That's not the same issue.

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Um, doesn't the exact same result make it the same issue?

zerocustom1989 said:

Hold it differently? What? You want me to hold a super fragile phone in a way that compromises its safety in my hands?

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I bet 90% of iPhone users would never have held the phone (while talking) in the way demonstrated to cause the problem until they read about it. Seriously, who buries the corner of the phone in the palm when the phone is up to your ear? I don't. It makes a weird angle.

I agree that Apple needs to look into a fix, if possible, but I also think this issue is being blown way out of proportion.

LagunaSol said:

So if the exact same thing happens with the 3GS and the 3G:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywloTorTF8g

And on other phones, like the Nexus One:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1SKm9NWDGE

And some Nokia phones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zsuxbd0L0g

Why is there so much bad press (and public panic) about the iPhone 4?

Click to expand...

Because Apple was smart enough to mark the spot where not to hold the phone with a nice visible black gap in a great looking metal band. All those other phones had this important info hidden in the manual before a user could find out how to best hold the device.

Dear Steve Jobs--

Please send me a FREE bumper. Surely Apple can afford to give away a dollar's worth of rubberized plastic with a $600 smartphone.

You've got my address.

In fact, send every iPhone 4 owner a FREE bumper. (You've got their addresses, too.)

Thanks.

~Gators Fan

marksman said:

This is evidence that some people having reception problems hold the phone in a very unusual and abnormal manner. Just read the description above it makes no sense. The only way to get your thumb in "the meat" is to be holding the phone all whack jobish.

Hold the phone like a normal person. If you want to see how a normal person holds a phone, well I don't know where to tell you to go, because it might be hard to find normal people.

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Is Steve Jobs a normal person? Because he's holding it wrong...



As are these people in Apple's own marketing materials...