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Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming

It just doesn't seem like this is a software problem. Always seemed like a hardware one. But I absolutely know sod all haha so I'm sure Apple know how to deal with the issue.
 
zub3qin said:
I'm OK with this response from Apple.
At least they issued a statement.

The reality is that I don't have problems with the antenna that others are reporting. Maybe it is true that there is attenuation of the signal while you are covering up the antenna, but actual real-world usage has not been a problem for me.

What I really wish for is Apple to fix the proximity sensor issue.
Click to expand...

Very few people are having the proximity sensor problem. Simply return the phone and get a replacement if you are. Sheesh, how hard is that? Take it to the Apple store and if you can replicate the problem there they will replace it for you.

Eric2 said:
Interesting that Apple are agreeing to a full refund. After having a dreadful experience with the signal issue on my iPhone 4 I have been trying to return the phone back to Orange. However I was told Apple have asked stores not to accept returns relating to the signal problem and if necessary ask them to purchase a bumper case from Apple. Orange did say they would refund the case if you bring back the receipt.

Thankfully I have been promised a refund on my phone but only because the manager had already agreed a refund prior to the notice from Apple.

I’m sure this is not unique to Orange and another example of Apple trying to cover up this major design flaw.
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You have always been able to return the phone for any reason for the first 30 days. And it's not a "major design flaw". I really wish people would stop spouting this nonsense.
 
I can't believe either that Apple thinks that its sophisticated buyers will fall for this kind of smoke and mirrors. Shame on you Apple. 🙄
 
Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming



Apple today released a public statement regarding user complaints of reception issues on iPhone 4, noting that the issue is simply a software one relating to how the number of bars of signal strength displayed is calculated. The apparent significant drop in signal while touching the lower left corner is actually a result of the phone reporting too many bars while not being held.
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
Click to expand...
To address the issue, Apple will be issuing a software update "within a few weeks" that will adjust how signal strength bars are calculated and displayed. The change will adopt a recently recommended formula from AT&T that will more accurately display actual signal strength at any given time. The update will also increase the size of the smaller bars (1, 2, and 3) to make them easier to see.

The update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and 3G, which are also affected by the miscalculated signal strength indicators.
We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same - the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.
Click to expand...
Finally, the company notes that it is allowing customers still unsatisfied with iPhone to return their device for a full refund within 30 days of purchase, provided that the phone is undamaged.

Article Link: Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming
 
This is *******, what about all of us who tweaked our SIM cards and it made drastic improvements? It isn't placebo effect, it really did make a difference. The "shock" of the bad formula, and a "few weeks" to send an update tell me they are buying time to find the real problem and place the blame. I guess when Steve was out sick, he let a bunch of idiots run the joint...

I love the iPhone 4, it is the best, and I have no issues after adjusting my SIM. I am keeping the phone, and will remain a fan. Just curious to see what my bars look like after the update 😕
 
There is still a design flaw!

OK...if I touch and bridge the antennas, dropped call. If I use a bumber, call is not dropped.

To me, this is still a design flaw. There is no excuse for that.
 
Ok, for starters I've seen the signal bars drop on my iPhone 4 when holding it, although it hasn't dropped a call yet. So really, I'm happy with my phone. I recently put a bumper on it, but that was for protection and to make it less slick in my hand-- not to fix any reception problem.

But still. This press release makes me facepalm. "We've fixed it! Not only did we make it so you get less bars in more places, but we're making the bars bigger! So you'll get one bar but it'll be a BIG bar!"
 
Re-posting from another thread:

The big story here is that Apple is basically admitting to gaming the whole "bar system" for the past few years and yet they're playing it off as some kind of mistake instead of something they did on purpose.

They cheated and now it's coming back to bite them in the behind.

Despite it sounding like a dumb apology now, I'm kind of thinking that Apple is finally telling the truth and that this is the main problem! (Not the only problem, but the main part of it.) All the review-site testing I've read seems to show that the iPhone 4 holds onto calls longer than the 3GS, even when its signal drops lower.

THAT'S the result that actually matters. I don't care what the signal says. I care about if the call drops.

That being said, people CAN get the phone to drop calls so that's clearly not the whole story. I will be disappointed if this is the only change they make. But I suspect it's not. The change is coming "in a couple of weeks?" It doesn't take that long to make the pixels on the bars higher. No...they'll be making other changes they don't want to admit right now. Perhaps they'll speed up the rate at which the phone adjusts frequencies...something they allegedly reduced so the iPhone 4 would place less demand on the network. Or maybe they'll sacrafice some battery and send more power to the radio system. There are many things a software update could change.

So no...if this is taking weeks it's not JUST the bar change. They'll be doing other things...things they don't want to talk about in public. I'm betting that 3rd party reviews will find the updated iPhone 4 will perform better even when NOT looking at the bars.
 
Interesting to see whether this will actually 'fix' anything, it does make some sense though, I have found on occasion my 3Gs at 2 or 3 bars to be a bit garbled, I always figured it was the lack of 3G (or occasionally EDGE) in my area.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A293 Safari/6531.22.7)

Someone please explain then, all the videos of calls dropping when holding it that way, but not when on a table?
 
OlgaJ said:
IMHO folks already know if they have reception problems. That will not change. If they are unhappy with dropped calls now, the issue will not improve. Network performance isn't going to change. It's only a cosmetic change to the number of bars shown on the phone.
Click to expand...

I agree, if people are experiencing severe problems then they shouldn't hold out, but if you know that the signal was weak to begin with, due to poor network coverage in that particular area, then you won't get as upset when your call drops, as opposed to when you have a fake full bars and then it all just dramatically drops to No Service.
I can kinda see how if expectations based on signal bars were corrected some of the outcry would be less.

We shouldn't forget though, that Apple is basically refusing any responsibilty on this issue and shifting blame on the networks so it'll be fun to see how they respond.

According to Apple my true signal at home is No Service on O2 although my other Nokia 12pound phone shows 4 bars at the same location and works great.
 
Who gives a flying ***** about the representation of signal via bars on a phone. What we care about is dropped calls and inability to browse internet while holding in left (and sometimes right hand). THAT is the issue here Apple, not some visual representation crap!
 
So the problem is that AT&T's service is worse than the phone is reporting? Who would have guessed that????

😛
 
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