4s loses data connection; requires restart

[trouble747]

I'm sure there's a thread about this problem around here somewhere, but I haven't been able to locate it; however, I have found several mentions of it on apple's discussion site (which unfortunately I find quite difficult to search on).

Here's an example: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3437795?start=0&tstart=0


I've been experiencing this problem about once a day, sometimes more. My phone will show bars and the 3G symbol but simply will not connect. Switching to airplane mode and back doesn't seem to work either; the only solution is to turn the phone off and then back on. Of course, I then get a flood of notifications, missed emails, etc.

It's not the only place that it happens, but I often notice this issue at a particular time of day and particular location (the afternoon, either during my gym workout or shortly thereafter). I have no idea why that might matter, though. It definitely happens at other times, as well.

Anyone else experiencing this issue?

 

[GraphicsGeek]

I'm sure there's a thread about this problem around here somewhere, but I haven't been able to locate it; however, I have found several mentions of it on apple's discussion site (which unfortunately I find quite difficult to search on).

Here's an example: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3437795?start=0&tstart=0


I've been experiencing this problem about once a day, sometimes more. My phone will show bars and the 3G symbol but simply will not connect. Switching to airplane mode and back doesn't seem to work either; the only solution is to turn the phone off and then back on. Of course, I then get a flood of notifications, missed emails, etc.

It's not the only place that it happens, but I often notice this issue at a particular time of day and particular location (the afternoon, either during my gym workout or shortly thereafter). I have no idea why that might matter, though. It definitely happens at other times, as well.

Anyone else experiencing this issue?

I've had this happen a few times. It actually happened this morning. But it has more to do with the AT&T towers, not the iPhone. A restart didn't work for me. Once I went to a different location on a different tower, it worked fine.

 

[Kyotoma]

I've had this happen a few times. It actually happened this morning. But it has more to do with the AT&T towers, not the iPhone. A restart didn't work for me. Once I went to a different location on a different tower, it worked fine.

Most likely this. AT&T is probably 'hard at work'(if they are capable of this) building out their network in their area, or just experiencing some other problem for that particular tower or array of towers.

 

[trouble747]

I'm not certain that it isn't an issue with AT&T, but a restart appears to fix the issue every time (at least in my case).

 

[mms13]

Yeah weird, this happened to me the other night.

 

[tigress666]

Honestly, this has happened occasionally with both my iphone 3G and my iPhone 4. Not all that much apparently, but enough to realize to try restarting it when it seems to have connection issues but is claiming it is connected.

But, it doesn't happen as often as OP is claiming or I'd be seriously annoyed. I've always thought it was just something that caused the phone to crash but not in an obvious way (until you try to use data). Maybe something on OP's phone is triggering the crash more often.

 

[scaredpoet]

I'm not certain that it isn't an issue with AT&T, but a restart appears to fix the issue every time (at least in my case).

While this won't solve the root problem, you might want to try putting your phone in Airplane mode, waiting a few seconds, then turning Airplane mode back off. This might reset your connection well enough that a full restart won't be required (thus making you wait all that time).

 

[trouble747]

While this won't solve the root problem, you might want to try putting your phone in Airplane mode, waiting a few seconds, then turning Airplane mode back off. This might reset your connection well enough that a full restart won't be required (thus making you wait all that time).

It seems like this should work (and I usually try it before turning my phone off, anyway), but I haven't been successful with it thus far.

 

[Kyotoma]

You could try a Reset of your Network settings.

 

[famoussasjohn]

I had this issue with the first 3GS that I had, I returned it and got another, that one worked perfectly and never had an issue with data with that one. If it's new, just take it back and get a new one.

 

[py712]

I thought this was only happening to me. I searched around and couldn't find anything about this issue.

I have a black 4s 64G. Usually shows 3 or 4 bars 3g but I can't access the internet (web pages, mail, FB app) for maybe half an hour or 45 minutes. Calls work fine, just data connection seems messed up. On/off, hard reset, airplane mode, tried them all and no fix for me. Also tried restoring as new phone and still no fix. And at the same time, my wife's 3gs works fine.

I took it to apple and they couldn't find anything wrong and at first they refused to do anything since my phone wasn't malfunctioning in the store so I couldn't prove it. Finally they agreed to give me a new phone and I still have the same problem, but a little worse, now safari crashes once in a while. This is totally frustrating! One good thing about the new phone is that it seems a lot faster when I do have data connection. My first 4s had consistent 1.xx to 2.xx mbps while my new 4s is getting 4.xx mbps. Can't figure that one out.

I wonder if it has something to do with the 2 antennas that the 4s is using. Isn't one for data and one for cell? Not sure if I remember that correctly.

I'm going to read through the op's link to apple's discussion to see what I can find.

 

[tigress666]

I thought this was only happening to me. I searched around and couldn't find anything about this issue.

I have a black 4s 64G. Usually shows 3 or 4 bars 3g but I can't access the internet (web pages, mail, FB app) for maybe half an hour or 45 minutes. Calls work fine, just data connection seems messed up. On/off, hard reset, airplane mode, tried them all and no fix for me. Also tried restoring as new phone and still no fix. And at the same time, my wife's 3gs works fine.

I took it to apple and they couldn't find anything wrong and at first they refused to do anything since my phone wasn't malfunctioning in the store so I couldn't prove it. Finally they agreed to give me a new phone and I still have the same problem, but a little worse, now safari crashes once in a while. This is totally frustrating! One good thing about the new phone is that it seems a lot faster when I do have data connection. My first 4s had consistent 1.xx to 2.xx mbps while my new 4s is getting 4.xx mbps. Can't figure that one out.

I wonder if it has something to do with the 2 antennas that the 4s is using. Isn't one for data and one for cell? Not sure if I remember that correctly.

I'm going to read through the op's link to apple's discussion to see what I can find.

Um, I'd say maybe in your case you got some sort of connection issue with AT&T than with your phone.

You can't even really point to OP to say he's having the same experience, restarts get his to work again. And you are having the same problem with your next phone. Simplist explanation is usually the best and hte simpler explanation isn't that you got two iphones with the same weird problem, but that the problem lies with your connection.

 

[py712]

Um, I'd say maybe in your case you got some sort of connection issue with AT&T than with your phone.

That's what I was kind of wondering too, but my wife's 3gs and my friends 4 works fine at the exact same time and place my phone is having problems.

After reading the op's link to apple's discussion thread, it seems to be a problem with quite a few phones. If the response that one of the poster's got back from apple is real, they are acknowledging it quietly and hopefully there will be some sort of fix coming.

 

[mrsir2009]

Thats happened to me once. I was in an office that usually has very low reception (1 bar usually). I was trying to text, and it was failing due to no reception, even though there was one bar of reception... So I went outside where there was even better reception, and the text still didn't send. I went back inside, restarted my iPhone and it sent. Weird, aye?

[EDIT: I have a 4S]

 

[jackassroomie]

this happens to my iphone 4 all the time as well. my wife just got her 4s replaced after she couldn't take it anymore. we initially were told to go home and restore as new, not from a backup. it worked for about a week and then started doing the same thing again. we went back to the apple store and the genius told us that he doesn't think it's a hardware issue and that it could be one of the apps causing this drop in signal. he still gave us a new phone and it's been fine since. this was this past weekend so im still not sure if it's going to work. my iphone 4 is doing the same thing during the day at my office. i attributed it to being in a highly congested area and ATT having very crappy service. I'm not sure i can blame ATT anymore and might have to start blaming the iOS now. who knows. either way, apple needs to acknowledge this if it's happening to a big number of people. not sure if others are having the same problems tho.

 

[trouble747]

I thought I'd update this thread with what I'm experiencing this morning, so see if it means anything to anyone:

I just took my phone out of my pocket for the first time this morning, and notice that I'm experiencing the issue being discussed in this thread (no data connection, despite three bars and 3G symbol).

I noticed something else, as well: Despite no usage of my phone this morning at all, my battery level has dropped 8%. I check my usage stats and, sure enough, my usage time is already at 1 hour 12 minutes, just slightly behind my standby at 1 hour 50 minutes.

This is not a normal occurance, so I wonder if the two are related.

Further, checking Netstat I see zero cellular data connections, just a single entry for a "LISTENING" on a "Local" IP address...