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

[gnasher729]

I seem to have lost the "signal problem" My bars won't decrease no matter how I hold the iPhone.

Not quite sure what I did though...

It is psychology. First, you want your phone to work, right? Second, it only doesn't work if you hold the phone in a certain way (I think it is fingers across the gap between the two antenna halves, and sweaty fingers likely make it worse). So you may have had the problem when you got the phone first. Then you held it slightly different and the problem went away. Your brain remembers this; once your subconscious mind has figured it out, you will start _always_ holding the phone in a way that doesn't cause problems.

On the other hand, someone who hates Apple and borrowed an iPhone and wants to badmouth it, that person will instinctively end up holding it so that reception goes worse.

 

[samcraig]

Might I suggest that it would be better for everybody to keep their mouths shut until after the fix has been issued and thus avoid looking like an arse if it actually does resolve the issue?

If (and I say IF) the fix is simply visual - as in appropriately showing signal strength - then there's no fix and no resolution. If for some reason those bars and the formula have an affect on whether or not the phone hold the call despite the bars then perhaps. But that scenario wouldn't make sense logistically. If, for example the phone cuts the radio (no calls) when hitting 0 bars - changing the formula isn't going to change that. So I hope you can see why many, including myself, don't see this as a fix to the ISSUE. It's a solution to a different and minor problem.

 

[JamesKay32]

Were you doing all these tests in the same area? Sounds like an oversubscribed tower to me ( not that I defend apple in this.. I think they're one step shy of deceptive on this issue )

If your situation were an antenna problem you wouldn't have been able to run the speed test with any satisfactory results.

Retry your calls at around 9pm-10pm in the same spot. I bet you don't get any drops.

I get drops no matter when, my other 2 phones work perfectly, sorry not likely.

 

[DocStone]

and you sound like a blathering idiot. when a product is FLAWED and designed improperly, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to fix it, not for the consumer to just say "oh well.. i guess i'll deal with it".

i assure you this issue is not going to go away, and will lead to an influx of returned phones, and bad PR for apple. i dont care what you have to say, but i hope apple is paying attention to how many base customers it just pissed off.

Dude, dealing with it is only one option. You can also return your phone and get your money back. Get another phone or return to an ip4 when it all gets worked out.

The only correct thing you said was that it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to fix it. Correct, but until then, if you don't want to wait, return it!

 

[StupidNice]

This is complete bull**** I have 3 iPhone 4 and two of them suffer problems and the otherone dosent so it can't be signal issues. Is hardware issues. Wtf

YOU SHOULD POST VIDEOS OF THIS, SOUNDS LIKE YOU NAILED IT

 

[chris975d]

Another thing I've thought about since reading this press release from Apple is...does anyone else see how they could be using this "software fix" to shift the blame from themselves more to AT&T? Now, instead of showing trumped up signal readings (the inaccurate more bars they admit to using before now), they will show a "truer" signal, i.e. lower bars in more areas. So now they may be able to come back against criticism and say "well, if the the service were better (and you showed more bars), then you wouldn't drop to No Service when holding the phone." And since this new scale they are going to use to show "bars" is directly from AT&T, AT&T will have no rebuttal against that statement.

 

[pic620]

Or you can stick to your Steve Jobs felching fantasy threads and stop complaining about people looking for a fix to a legitimate concern. Clearly, they love the phone. If they didn't, they wouldn't put up with this flaw.

elegantly put.

 

[Chimpware]

No, return it. And, quit crying like a little girl. You sound like rushy boy.

No, fix it and keep your retarded and ignorant replies to yourself.

 

[thatguysmells]

Dude, dealing with it is only one option. You can also return your phone and get your money back. Get another phone or return to an ip4 when it all gets worked out.

The only correct thing you said was that it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to fix it. Correct, but until then, if you don't want to wait, return it!

+1.

 

[Lord Vader]

Originally Posted by citrate
I love how the apple fanboys have gone from, "there isn't a problem", to "you're holding it wrong", to "buy a case" and now we're at "just return it for a refund". Never wrong are they?

Apple haters do the same thing It's always Apple's fault no matter what.

 

[JamesKay32]

How will this resolve a dropped call when touching that area? Id REALLY like to hear your explanation for this one.

Lol, Jobs can alter physics with a firmware update.

 

[falconeight]

Return it

 

[wovel]

Yes but all these Apple defenders are telling me thats what I need to do.....its not a big deal so just return it........except i shouldnt have to pay the restocking fee.

So you tried to return your phone to AT&T and even after you calmly explained the problems you have experienced, they still wanted to charge you a restocking fee?

or

(More likely)

You have not actually talked to AT&T

 

[egret]

It is hilarious to me that it is SO hard for people to make a slight adjustment to the way they hold their phone!

it is also shocking to realize how many posters here must not have had a strong father figure at home because of the ridiculous bratty and childish whining that has been going on! I can only guess that these hysterical, panic filled, suicidal "men" are in fact 12-17 year olds sitting at a computer in a room plastered with Star Wars posters. Do grown men in the US really behave like crying schoolgirls that have littered this board?

I am embarrassed for my countrymen.

 

[citrate]

YOU SHOULD POST VIDEOS OF THIS, SOUNDS LIKE YOU NAILED IT

I've already PM'ed him and asked him to put them on YouTube for us. I think every phone is flawwed but would loved to be proved wrong. Apple would then have to act.

 

[HLdan]

I dont want to return it, I want apple to get their head out of their ass and fix it so I can have a nice , WORKING iPhone 4. thanks.

Then you have to stop with the anger and give them a chance. Now that they have addressed that there is a problem with the iPhone 4 (as everybody here has asked them to do) customers owe it to Apple to fix the issue. If you don't like what they said in terms of what the problem was then how are you going to trust that they actually "fixed" anything once they issue the software update?
Seems like no matter what they do (even if it's working perfectly) you'll be here bitching again out of some type distrust. Just understand something, the fix they publicly stated doesn't have to be all they are working on. They have to keep it simple for everyone to understand. They don't have to tell you anything technical that they are doing other than acknowledging the issue and fixing it so either sit back and wait and spare us of the bitching or return the phone. Apple even offered that in their statement, I say you should take them up on their offer.

 

[uberamd]

So you tried to return your phone to AT&T and even after you calmly explained the problems you have experienced, they still wanted to charge you a restocking fee?

or

(More likely)

You have not actually talked to AT&T

I called AT&T... they DO want to charge a restocking fee. I just talked to them 20 minutes ago. Quit trying to be smug.

 

[p-rice]

I love how the apple fanboys have gone from, "there isn't a problem", to "you're holding it wrong", to "buy a case" and now we're at "just return it for a refund". Never wrong are they?

it's funny how fanboys don't like to see people complain about apple products.

indeed, the blind fanboys will follow and defend any move apple makes, and when left with no real argument they've nothing to say but "return it".

These blind fanboys are pathetic really. It's just as bad as the fanboys defending the 360 RROD fiasco.

 

[Chimpware]

Simple question:

If all that needs to be done to fix this issue is "adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display", why does this take " a few weeks"?

Seems like a few days (really hours) should be enough if that is all it is.

 

[ReflexReact]

Return it

Returned

 

[stevejobbers]

Apple is not telling the whole story. I'm normally getting 600k down/800k up in speedtest.net. If I slightly touch the bottom left corner with the tip of my finger, there's no reception, the speed goes down to 0/0. As soon as I release my finger, it goes all the way back up. It has nothing to do with the display of the bars guys. And there ain't such thing as death grip, it's just the tip of a finger at the right place.

+1

This is clearly NOT a software display issue. The only way that would be possible was if the display of bars was driving some other piece of code, but that would be ridiculous to have core functionality depend upon some piece of UI code. Apple would be out of business if they designed software this way, which can only mean it is a hardware issue.

 

[wovel]

So the network outage last Friday had no effect on you whatsoever on 3G? Amazing! BTW, I am not talking "antenna issue" I am talking 3G DATA. Don't tell me you are getting perfect 3G data all day without outage without testing it.

Turn off your wifi for a day, and report back after some speed testing.

Kthx

Perhaps he was not testing during the outage. RIF

 

[citrate]

Apple haters do the same thing It's always Apple's fault no matter what.

Always? I doubt it. This time, most definitely!

 

[tivoboy]

same

Apple is not telling the whole story. I'm normally getting 600k down/800k up in speedtest.net. If I slightly touch the bottom left corner with the tip of my finger, there's no reception, the speed goes down to 0/0. As soon as I release my finger, it goes all the way back up. It has nothing to do with the display of the bars guys. And there ain't such thing as death grip, it's just the tip of a finger at the right place.

Same thing with mine, I'm about to post my video compilation of just thing.

If one does a test, you can actually completely THROTTLE the throughput with just a touch of the finger - let alone any death grip. What is ODD is that on upload it COMPLETELY STOPS THE UPLOAD, release and it resumes, touch and it stops completely.

 

[Lord Vader]

Always? I doubt it. This time, most definitely!

Of course only what you say is pure truth.