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

The only way I can see this being a cause for the problem, would be if the data speed and connection are in some way directly connected to this algorithm also. Otherwise I don´t see how a miscalculation in the bars can be responsible for dropped calls and lower data speed.
 
I don't know... seems kind of weak to me. (No pun intended... well, not much...) I've managed to replicate the drop in bars, and to go by what they're saying I should only drop a bar or two at most now, but should only show that I've got three or four to begin with instead of the five I've had previously? Hrmm...
 
Eric-PTEK said:
Wow....its like they have the Obama Press Corp working for Apple.

My phone dropped 27 calls, including THIRTEEN, when I was on the phone with Apple & AT&T.

Those 13 calls I wasn't even holding the phone.

Wife's phone exhibits the same problems, identical. No problems with our 3GS's at all.

As far as signal strength, right after a few of those dropped calls I did a 3G speed test, 3.5mbps down, 1.4mbps up, doesn't seem like a signal problem to me does it?

Apple is making a fool of themselves to anyone with half a brain, unfortunately that leaves legions to support them.
Click to expand...



These dropped calls, very likely have NOTHING to do with the antenna reception issue...so stop clouding things, please. I was experiencing the same thing where I live in Northern VA, I turned off 3G because it was so bad (Edge worked fine and didnt drop a single call). Last night, I drove to PA, and my 3G works amazing here (in an area where I never even had 3G before). So...there is something else going on...probably a mix between some network problem and/or the way iPhone 4 addresses the network.
 
This is not a fix at all! The signal strength will still drop. Sheesh.

And I hate the people who say that they don't have a problem with their phone because they don't see the bars drop. Sorry to bust your bubble, but just because you can't see the bars drop does not mean your signal strength didn't drop.

I live in Dallas where we have 7.2 HSPA and in my home I cannot get the bars to drop at all. But guess what? I used the Speed Test app to test download speeds when holding the phone "wrong" and when not touching the phone. Results: a consistent drop of about 1 to 2 Mbps.

If the bars were dropping without signal strength going down, then it would just be an error in how the "formula" displays the bars. But it's not just a display error... Apple is trying to pull a fast one...
 
This is pathetic.

Without talking about stupid bars...

I can do a speed test on 3G signal and get 2.5mb download speed and then just touch the black line on the left and the test will show 100k. Also if I run the test and then in the middle of it touch the black line, the download INSTANTLY freezes and then as a release my finger it resumes. How can that be cosmetic?

Unbelievable, basically, its a hardware design flaw that apple will not admit to. I mean, how could they? They have sold millions and couldn't possible correct each device. Its clear that many people will be happy with that press release, but I am certainly not. I feel insulted that apple are saying it is a cosmetic issue.
 
Small White Car said:
Re-posting from another thread:

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, 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.
Click to expand...

I thought about that too. They don't want to publicly admit they really screwed up so a quiet update hidden in their "status bar update" might be coming.

Or I could be reaching...
 
So the solution will not only leave the low signal strength when being held that way, it will also remain low in other cases? Hehe, that was unexpected.

Patient: My toots aches every morning, can you do something about it?
Dentist: Sure, now it should ache all the time!
Patient: Err.. thank you?
 
So what exactly does "... a few weeks.." mean? Could this imply after 30 days of purchasing the iPhone 4.

And using AT&T, what about Europeans?
 
Im not convinced by this.

5 bars of signal, bridge the attenas and web page stops loading. How can adjusting bar representation change this? Surely its not saying 5 bars is more or less 1 bar and bridging sent it to no signal?
 
What I learned from that article is that when you bridge the gap you change the length of the antenna, which was optimized at that size. I guess one hardware fix apple could employ, which wouldn't change the fundamental design of the phone, would be to make the bottom part of the frame from a different, non-conductive material. Maybe even from aluminum which was not originally chosen as its bad antenna material.
 
So the bars disappearing is software related -- is the multiple dropped calls imaginary? I'm shocked how Apple is responding to this. They are in denial. They've always responded quickly and honestly to issues. They are dropping the ball on this one.
 
Yeah, this sounds like B.S.

Apple probably changed the calculation in the first place to hide AT&T's weak network, or to make it seem like their fancy new external antennas really made a difference, but now it's biting them in the butt.

The flaw with their current position is that many people with 3G & 3G models claim that in the same location they don't drop calls like the iPhone 4 does.

How does a miscalculated bar strength displayed change that?
 
Probably one of the worst PR statements I've seen from Apple, who are usually good at things like this.

First, they seem to say that the baseline display of the bars is incorrect. Ok, but how does that answer the question that the iPhone 4 bars go down, while none of the other iPhone bars go down, since they are all using the same wrong formula? It doesn't, the iPhone 4 still is losing more signal than the other phones, no matter how its 'displayed'? This has been verified with actual speed tests, having no relation to any bars.

Second, changing the height of the bars??? Are you kidding me, what a stupid thing to do.

Third, this entire article is written badly and I really thought when I was reading it it was a hoax, but apparently its real.

Fourth, Apple, just admit there is a problem and fix it for real, none of this smoke and mirrors!
 
ReflexReact said:
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!
Click to expand...

It's simple. If the phone doesn't work for you, all you have to do is return it. It's not that they won't take them back.
 
MY GUESS:

Apple will "fix" this signal indicator issue AND they'll keep looking for a way to solve the REAL issue. Their press release basically gives them a few weeks to get this resolved.

When the update is released, my guess is that there will be other "fixes" in that release.

Maybe there will also be a recommendation from Apple that says, "To further enhance your already strong iPhone 4 signal, please remove your SIM card and..."
 
So basically Apple is going to push an update out that changes the display of the signal bars on the phone...

Is this the out of sight, out of mind patch?
 
Yeah, this is an absolute lie.

I do feel that their bars are BS, and always have been BS 4 bars goes to -91? Hell no, they're right, that's about a 2 bar signal.

However, in a place that I ALWAYS got 5 bars and never had any problem, if I hold the magic spot, I lose 3G entirely now, so it's certainly not a display issue, they are just going to change the display to make it look like we have a worse signal everywhere so they can blame AT&T when it drops.
 
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