iPhone 4 Reception Issue? [Video]

[FFArchitect]

I don't know if this is a case of reception bars not being displayed correctly or a genuine issue with the antenna.

The following video can describe the issue better. Holding the iPhone 4 in your hands with your fingers touching the antenna seems to immediately and consistently send the bars plummeting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ixIHyEPO5g

[RonHC]

Yea it is strange

I usually had 2-3 bars in my room
Now on my iPhone 4, i have 1 bar

[mugwump]

At the very end of that video, the hand is blocking the lower notch, which is the antenna. Is that the problem here? On a normal conversation, that notch is not really covered.

[jimithing1]

In Mossbergs review he reported that this was a known issue and a fix is coming soon.

[Apollo 13]

hmm...maybe that's what my GF is experiencing, but don't see how a software update can fix it when it's a hardware problem.

[magpie maniac]

This is exactly what I'm getting. It's a great phone when left on the table, but the moment you pick it up, it's a paperweight. I've had more dropped and failed calls today with the 4 than I ever had with the previous iPhones combined. Seriously.

[Stangs55]

that video is depressing...

[fsck-y dingo]

Originally Posted by jimithing1

In Mossbergs review he reported that this was a known issue and a fix is coming soon.

Hmm. You'd think the iPhone testers would have caught this but then again maybe they were too drunk to notice.

Between the reception, facetime security rumor and the yellow screen issues popping up the wait for the FedEx truck gets less and less exciting.

At least there seems to be a remedy for the reception coming sometime in the future.

[jimithing1]

Well apparently the signal is fine it's just the animation on the bars is what is messed up.

[Stangs55]

Originally Posted by jimithing1

In Mossbergs review he reported that this was a known issue and a fix is coming soon.

From what I remember, he just mentioned that the iP4 reports less bars than the other phones however reception was still at least as good or better...yet in this video, he completely loses reception and goes to 'Searching'...doesn't seem like software fix for that...

[mo0620]

according to ifixit teardown, the iphone 4 chooses a tower with less strain, rather than full signal, it's to improve call reliability

[WhySoSerious]

the "fix" usually isn't to make the reception better........the "fix" usually is to just visually increase the bars that appear as "reception" to fool the user into thinking they are getting full reception, when in reality, you can't fix reception unless you redo the hardware.

so all the iP4 users who used to get 4 bars on their older phone, will see the iP4 show 1 bar. then after the "fix" comes out, the bars will increase visually to 4 again, but in reality the phone is only receiving 1 "bar" of reception still.

it's all just a visual trick to calm the masses.

[bahooki]

Be interested to see what happens with a bumper on it.

[gloss]

That video is incredibly depressing. One wonders how such a thing made it past prototype. This is worse than the EVO's touchscreen response issues.

[FFArchitect]

We've tried placing fingers in different positions to see if there is an exact spot triggering it, but all we seem to find is that, with great consistency, the bars plummet when we hold it and the palm and fingers come in contact with the sides.

[auero]

Originally Posted by jimithing1

Well apparently the signal is fine it's just the animation on the bars is what is messed up.

Yes it would be one thing if the signal dropped to now bars but the phone goes into SEARCHING... which means its completely lost service. That's horrible!

[sdsvtdriver]

here we go again

bars are irrelevant. the video would be far more useful if he was in diag mode showing the -db level.

[bahooki]

The worst part is that it happens when you hold it like a phone. I guess for now I'll need to make all speakerphone calls. This is dreadful.

[slsl0]

Am I the only one this doesn't happen too?

Edit: Gasp, it happened, it degraded when I turned WiFi off and was actively using the signal

[FFArchitect]

One more followup:

What we really want to know is if anyone else is seeing this symptom?

It's not so much of an issue to us about the masking raw reception (we do know about that), it's the sharp decrease when one comes in contact with the antennae.

[bahooki]

Originally Posted by sdsvtdriver

here we go again

bars are irrelevant. the video would be far more useful if he was in diag mode showing the -db level.

It's not irrelevant at all if you can't place a call when it says No Service.

[Shaddow825]

I noticed this a while ago and was messing around seeing if it was all in my head of not. I do not know if it really affects anyhting as I havent had time to just use it real world yet

[amps]

No doubt that looks really bad, but in my case, I am fairly close to a tower and always have a strong signal and I'm not able to duplicate that problem at all. In fact the bars never move from full bars no matter how I hold the phone. It must have something to do with the tower locations or signal strength in the area.

[bahooki]

Can you initiate a call when it says searching or no service?

[coz]

maybe you need the bumper on it so you don't ground out the antenna? that stinks