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My iPhone 4 signal issues are gone...
- Thread starter jav6454
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Anyone figure out why gripping it would impact the phone if this SIM card alignment is indeed the issue? Is it just that holding it tightly makes metal and the touch squeeze so they touch? If so, wouldnt it be cause gripping it elsewhere? Why only on the seams?
Not trying to rain on a parade because I would love nothing more than a quick fix. But trying to play devil's advocate to make sure all angles are considered.
Glad it has helped some people so far.
Not trying to rain on a parade because I would love nothing more than a quick fix. But trying to play devil's advocate to make sure all angles are considered.
Glad it has helped some people so far.
My O2 MicroSIM looks a little different to these AT&T ones.
Maybe different SIM variations could cause the issue as well.
Maybe different SIM variations could cause the issue as well.
Just like to suggest that this has nothing to do with the actual location of the SIM card, including whether or not it is touching the tray, but more the relation between re-inserting the SIM card and the frequency switching the phone uses.
I just can't see how the SIM card could cause/fix reception issue
I just can't see how the SIM card could cause/fix reception issue
has anyone else noticed a coating on the sim tray where the sim card lies? Maybe this coating wasn't properly applied?
thread is growing faster than I can keep up with positive results... too bad for those fools you already confirmed it
A Sim Problem
I tried the procedure of removing the SIM and did notice that the SIM's medal part is not aligned to fit exactly in the middle of the SIM tray,so I added scotch tape to the lower portion of the medal part of the SIM that is coming in contact with the SIM tray medal and this seems to have fixed the problems of dropped calls and loss of signal strength,have not experienced loss of signal strength or dropped calls while holding the iphone with my left hand on the lower left side of the unit or anywhere else for that matter.
I tried the procedure of removing the SIM and did notice that the SIM's medal part is not aligned to fit exactly in the middle of the SIM tray,so I added scotch tape to the lower portion of the medal part of the SIM that is coming in contact with the SIM tray medal and this seems to have fixed the problems of dropped calls and loss of signal strength,have not experienced loss of signal strength or dropped calls while holding the iphone with my left hand on the lower left side of the unit or anywhere else for that matter.
For those who have had their issue fixed, please keep track and report back if reception problems return. So far it cannot be ruled out that you have just temporarily boosted your signal. I hope for the best though!
It would be nice if someone could annotate a pic to explain what you guys mean by touching the frame. Also, am I the only one that thinks all these pics look the same?
Im surprised Jav was able to figure this out after he lost his powers and became a mere mortal.
Im surprised Jav was able to figure this out after he lost his powers and became a mere mortal.
I am grinning right now. I wonder what Apple is thinking about this. I emailed Jobs about what I found, I wonder if he will even bother answering.
Here's what I've got so far, bear with me using rmwhite's picture as the demo (thanks for the pic):
What seems to be the evidence so far that this could potentially (that's my disclaimer word, you know) is the issue and the fix is that it seems like many people, when looking at their microSIM cards and the trays they're mounted in, have noted that in some instances the actual contacts of the microSIM itself could be coming into contact with the microSIM tray itself, which is made of metal as well, and causing a short. Here's a picture of what I mean:
![simshort.jpg]()
The circled area, which appears as the vertical grayish-line, is the 'gap' between the side of the microSIM tray and the microSIM contacts - if there's nothing in there and the contacts are touching the microSIM tray or even so close that some electrical bridging is happening, that could be the reason why the problems are happening, and also why when some people "grip" the phone tighter they are literally closing that gap or causing it to decrease in width.
This could be the answer, folks...
ps
Just for the record: the microSIM in my iPhone 4 actually has a decent gap in there, and I placed a tiny sliver of notebook paper (and I do mean tiny) that wrapped around the bottom edge of the microSIM, completely covering the entire side, and barely edged over the top so the contacts were not affected when it's inserted, and still I have issues so...
What seems to be the evidence so far that this could potentially (that's my disclaimer word, you know) is the issue and the fix is that it seems like many people, when looking at their microSIM cards and the trays they're mounted in, have noted that in some instances the actual contacts of the microSIM itself could be coming into contact with the microSIM tray itself, which is made of metal as well, and causing a short. Here's a picture of what I mean:
The circled area, which appears as the vertical grayish-line, is the 'gap' between the side of the microSIM tray and the microSIM contacts - if there's nothing in there and the contacts are touching the microSIM tray or even so close that some electrical bridging is happening, that could be the reason why the problems are happening, and also why when some people "grip" the phone tighter they are literally closing that gap or causing it to decrease in width.
This could be the answer, folks...
ps
Just for the record: the microSIM in my iPhone 4 actually has a decent gap in there, and I placed a tiny sliver of notebook paper (and I do mean tiny) that wrapped around the bottom edge of the microSIM, completely covering the entire side, and barely edged over the top so the contacts were not affected when it's inserted, and still I have issues so...
Due to the antenna design, the SIM card tray is right in the middle of the antenna.
My Guess! If incorrectly inserted, the SIM card tray causes a short INSIDE the phone. When you touch the bottom left of the phone (i.e. the case), this links up with the antenna resulting in interference due to that shorting.
I’m surprised Jav was able to figure this out after he lost his powers and became a mere mortal.
Well, just like in Disney's Hercules, I still have a drop of power left.
Keep trying arn, many people here report it isn't a 1 shot thing anyways.
Most likely because you are bridging two antennas that shouldn't really be bridged, but coupled with the fact the sim is touching this metal you would most likely be shorting something out.
Remember that electric currents etc will always take the quickest route if that is through a sim card then so be it.
wow, this is slightly surprising. I tried about 4 or 5 times and it was just as bad if not worse by just trying to reposition the sim, and eventually I put a tiny sliver of black electrical tape on the edge of my sim card like a previous poster did, and now my phone is only going down 1 bar, and i am sitting in the EXACT same spot in my apartment as when just 5 minutes ago it was dropping to 1 bar in about 25 seconds.
I want to see if I can get it to stay at 5 bar and not drop any by messing with the tape some more, but now i am scared to screw with it again, haha.
I want to see if I can get it to stay at 5 bar and not drop any by messing with the tape some more, but now i am scared to screw with it again, haha.
It would be nice if someone could annotate a pic to explain what you guys mean by touching the frame. Also, am I the only one that thinks all these pics look the same?
Im surprised Jav was able to figure this out after he lost his powers and became a mere mortal.
Because he's not wasting time in Teh ......... ?
Does anyone have a sim from a 3G iPad to compare how it is positioned when laying in the iPhone's sim tray? I am curious if it touches also.
I too was worried about residue and was very strategic with how I places the tape. The tape is on the sim, not the tray.
I truly can't believe this worked!
The first time I tried this I partially ejected the SIM card, turned off the phone, and waited 15 minutes.
I reinserted the SIM after waiting, and then turned on the phone. I was able to make the phone drop down to no bars consistently using the death grip. Full bars to no bars every time I tried ( I did this about 15 times).
I then read the post about having to wait twenty minutes, and thought I would try again without waiting. This time I took the SIM all the way out, turned off the phone, and reposistioned it. After no wait, I reinserted the SIM and turned the phone back on. Now, I cannot get the signal to drop no matter how I hold it!
I keep trying to make them drop with the deathgrip and trying to cover all the seams. Nothing! Full bars and it won't budge. I even placed a call and tried to make it drop or get the bars to drop. Full bars still.
Amazing fix! Thanks OP!
The first time I tried this I partially ejected the SIM card, turned off the phone, and waited 15 minutes.
I reinserted the SIM after waiting, and then turned on the phone. I was able to make the phone drop down to no bars consistently using the death grip. Full bars to no bars every time I tried ( I did this about 15 times).
I then read the post about having to wait twenty minutes, and thought I would try again without waiting. This time I took the SIM all the way out, turned off the phone, and reposistioned it. After no wait, I reinserted the SIM and turned the phone back on. Now, I cannot get the signal to drop no matter how I hold it!
I keep trying to make them drop with the deathgrip and trying to cover all the seams. Nothing! Full bars and it won't budge. I even placed a call and tried to make it drop or get the bars to drop. Full bars still.
Amazing fix! Thanks OP!