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While I agree that the iPhone 4 reception problem is very real and very serious, I am wondering if some of the "dropped calls" are actually caused by accidentally pressing "end call" with your cheek. I have noticed a problem with the sensitivity of the proximity sensor and have ended up hanging on people several times. When I read articles of people claiming they dropped 14 calls in two hours, I'm apt to think this may be part of the problem.

Just a thought. You'll know if this is the case if you hear no "beep beep beep" when the call ends -- indicating that you ended the call and did NOT drop it.

Anyone?

Then you have broken proximity sensor on your phone. But good job of thinking of something nobody else thought of. (I also think there is a software check for the SIZE of the screen press).
 
So disappointed in apple. I have always jumped to their items without second thought because customer service was always there. I will now know to wait before buying something. The beginning to an end?
 
People shouldn't have to change their habits and cater to the phone

Phones didn't even exist 150 years ago. People had to learn how to dial to use them. Cell phones were huge car size or brick size things just a couple decades ago, and you didn't have to learn how to recharge your car size cell phone. A few years ago they had stubby aerial antennas that almost could poke out your eye. It's all learned usage.

The only question is whether you are a throwback who needs a desk phone with a mechanical dial, or are still young enough to learn how to use this newer technology.
 
hmm

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet, that might lend some mild credence to this issue possibly being software related (or fixable, or maskable) versus strictly a hardware issue is this:

Suppose the iPhone is programmed in a way that it stops trying to make a call and push data through its antennae when it "thinks" it doesn't have enough signal to push that data through... and furthermore it "thinks" it doesn't have enough signal because of the way the OS is programmed to report the signal measures from the antennae to the iPhone brain.

I could be way off, and i have no inside scoop or info to know if this is even something that is plausible, but it might provide some type of reasoning as to why its happening for some and not for others. Clearly at this point everyone is using the same iPhone 4 (or so we think) with the same iOS4.0 but perhaps some peoples' oilier/wetter hands do a better job at shorting out the signal (When its not already at or near 100%) and thus brings it down into weak range, which the OS hyperbolizes as "nonexistent range" and the iphone gives up hope that its got enough of a signal to do anything useful and in an effort to conserve and optimize battery, it just drops your call or halts your data throughput. The alternate would be to try even harder (read: use more battery) to push that data through, but knowing Apple and their battery preservation methods, the former seems more likely to be something they would implement.

If this is something along the lines of whats going on here, then they can just fix this by telling the phone not to report such low signal levels, aka, fixing a hardware design flaw with a software patch. Yeah its kinda masking the issue, but if it gets calls to not drop and data to keep working, I say DO IT! That's, of course, assuming that the iphone really does "give up hope" when it's told the signal is low, versus when it's actually too low to function.

This could explain why steve thinks it's a non issue. This could also explain why people who have an iPhone 3GS are now experiencing problems that they weren't before. This could explain Apple's relative silence on the issue - knowing that they are internally working on a patch that will fix this and some other stuff. This could explain why some iPhone 4 users experience the issue and others don't... AND it could explain why some users experience the issue sometimes but not all the time.
 
Or he will learn how to hold his i4 properly and never see any symptoms even in weak signal areas (potentially even weaker than would allow a successful call on a 3G/3GS).
Right ... for example, here is S. Jobs demonstrating how to properly hold an iPhone:

steve_jobs_iphone.jpg


Oops.

(Note - I know this isn't an iPhone 4. But if this was OK before, why is it suddenly not OK anymore?)
 
While I agree that the iPhone 4 reception problem is very real and very serious, I am wondering if some of the "dropped calls" are actually caused by accidentally pressing "end call" with your cheek. I have noticed a problem with the sensitivity of the proximity sensor and have ended up hanging on people several times. When I read articles of people claiming they dropped 14 calls in two hours, I'm apt to think this may be part of the problem.

Just a thought. You'll know if this is the case if you hear no "beep beep beep" when the call ends -- indicating that you ended the call and did NOT drop it.

Anyone?

That might be part of the problem. Just dropped three calls during the same phone call - all when I had the phone between my cheek and shoulder.
 
I am a gangster rapper and I could make a hideous song about apple and how they dissed me with their bs. I have chosen the criminal investigator to be my back up singer. Werdles!
 
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet, that might lend some mild credence to this issue possibly being software related (or fixable, or maskable) versus strictly a hardware issue is this:

Suppose the iPhone is programmed in a way that it stops trying to make a call and push data through its antennae when it "thinks" it doesn't have enough signal to push that data through... and furthermore it "thinks" it doesn't have enough signal because of the way the OS is programmed to report the signal measures from the antennae to the iPhone brain.

I could be way off, and i have no inside scoop or info to know if this is even something that is plausible, but it might provide some type of reasoning as to why its happening for some and not for others. Clearly at this point everyone is using the same iPhone 4 (or so we think) with the same iOS4.0 but perhaps some peoples' oilier/wetter hands do a better job at shorting out the signal (When its not already at or near 100%) and thus brings it down into weak range, which the OS hyperbolizes as "nonexistent range" and the iphone gives up hope that its got enough of a signal to do anything useful and in an effort to conserve and optimize battery, it just drops your call or halts your data throughput. The alternate would be to try even harder (read: use more battery) to push that data through, but knowing Apple and their battery preservation methods, the former seems more likely to be something they would implement.

If this is something along the lines of whats going on here, then they can just fix this by telling the phone not to report such low signal levels, aka, fixing a hardware design flaw with a software patch. Yeah its kinda masking the issue, but if it gets calls to not drop and data to keep working, I say DO IT! That's, of course, assuming that the iphone really does "give up hope" when it's told the signal is low, versus when it's actually too low to function.

This could explain why steve thinks it's a non issue. This could also explain why people who have an iPhone 3GS are now experiencing problems that they weren't before. This could explain Apple's relative silence on the issue - knowing that they are internally working on a patch that will fix this and some other stuff. This could explain why some iPhone 4 users experience the issue and others don't... AND it could explain why some users experience the issue sometimes but not all the time.

Yep, it's just a matter of "hardware glitch causing the phone's software to 'give up hope' so to speak", versus "hardware glitch causing the phone to actually have no chance at the hardware level".
 
Ummm...I was responding to the person who suggested moving the 3G antenna to a different part of the rim (putting the 3G antenna break on the top of the phone). Apple can't do that because of the FCC regulations.

What FCC regulation is that???

Seriously.

The choice of where to put the seam was an aesthetic reason, probably from Steve himself. And paid no attention on the effect normal right handed people hold the phone while using any of the apps. And a certain percentage of right handers will also have a problem making calls.

It is a bad functional hardware design. Not all phones have this problem. As a matter of fact, I am sure that phones have been tested to MINIMIZE this problem for normal operations.

Whereas the phone was designed for aesthetics and increased reception without regard to human use interaction, as opposed to human visual interaction.
 
And Apple can't fight the way people naturally hold phones.

Cell phones? Natural? We evolved with cell phones in the African Savannah 100's of thousands of years ago?

The things have bloody been around for less than one generation.

Holding something up to your ear to talk with somebody far away was a completely weird experience that the Bell company had to teach the pubic. Similar to a magic show for some people. The huge telegraph companies thought this phone thing was a useless fad.

It's all unnatural and taught.

Unlike the unchangeable laws of physics.
 
Then you have broken proximity sensor on your phone. But good job of thinking of something nobody else thought of. (I also think there is a software check for the SIZE of the screen press).

I've talked to a couple people with this same issue (including my roommate) and seen threads on it as well. It's not that the sensor doesn't work at all, it is just WAY to quick to think that you took the phone away from your face (i.e., a tiny bit of light creeps in and it turned the screen back on).

I think this is a relatively widespread issue, really -- but probably just a problem with calibration/sensitivity. I'm truly wondering if some of the "dropped calls" are accidental hang ups.

I talked to an apple care rep about this (I had called about the reception issues and accidentally face dialed numbers a couple of times while i was on the phone with him). His suggestion? Use the sleep/wake button while I was talking on it. :rolleyes:
 
Anybody know if the 3g antenna is the same as the edge antenna? or if it at least uses the same outside edge?

Someone on another forum noted that if you turn off 3g and do the same thing it works. If i have 3g on, it goes to no service but if i have 3g off, the edge service stays the same......maybe it is software.
 
That might be part of the problem. Just dropped three calls during the same phone call - all when I had the phone between my cheek and shoulder.

Absolutely, that's when it's most likely to happen to me! Does it beep at you like you dropped a call, or do you just notice that you're at some random screen after 30 seconds of silence?
 
What FCC regulation is that???

Seriously.

The choice of where to put the seam was an aesthetic reason, probably from Steve himself. And paid no attention on the effect normal right handed people hold the phone while using any of the apps. And a certain percentage of right handers will also have a problem making calls.

It is a bad functional hardware design. Not all phones have this problem. As a matter of fact, I am sure that phones have been tested to MINIMIZE this problem for normal operations.

Whereas the phone was designed for aesthetics and increased reception without regard to human use interaction, as opposed to human visual interaction.

You arent aloud to have the antenna on the top of the phone because thats the closest part to your head and would cause your head to be subject to more radiation.
 
I have attempted to cause the reception problem with my iPhone 4, but have yet to have it happen. I do think that this is likely a probably with iOS 4, mainly because I saw degraded reception throughout the Beta and GM seed with my 3G.

I recall the 3G having similar reception problems (maybe not the "death grip") when it was released. I also remember everyone saying that it was hardware and would not be fixed by a software update. As it turned out it wasn't a hardware problem and it was fixed by a software update. How soon we forget.
 
Not to troll..... But when will people on these forums learn the difference between "lose" as in "losing signal", and "loose" as in "a loose knot"
:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Sorry to be the grammar nazi.

Heh, about the same time they learn the difference between affect and effect and the difference between there, their, and they're ;)

Don't hold your breath.
 
Wifi issues as well?

I mentioned in another thread and may be late to this party, but does anyone else also have wifi reception issues while holding the phone in landscape and obscuring the top of the phone by the headphone jack?

On my phone the signal degradation is even more severe with wifi in landscape than with 3g in the right corner.
 
Absolutely, that's when it's most likely to happen to me! Does it beep at you like you dropped a call, or do you just notice that you're at some random screen after 30 seconds of silence?

I just notice I'm back at the phone screen - no call failed screen or beep like a normal dropped call.
 
Phones didn't even exist 150 years ago. People had to learn how to dial to use them. Cell phones were huge car size or brick size things just a couple decades ago, and you didn't have to learn how to recharge your car size cell phone. A few years ago they had stubby aerial antennas that almost could poke out your eye. It's all learned usage.

The only question is whether you are a throwback who needs a desk phone with a mechanical dial, or are still young enough to learn how to use this newer technology.

Please don't make this mistake -- we learned to use the phone because dialing was more convenient than other forms of communication. If we have to cater to the iPhone4 now that it is less convenient than the 3GS where we didn't have to, then it is a step backwards.

I will be happy to learn more skills to use future gadgets, but only if it improves our welfare. It would be a senseless and useless skill otherwise such as holding the phone in an awkward fashion.
 
I just notice I'm back at the phone screen - no call failed screen or beep like a normal dropped call.

Aha. That's very telling, I think. I'd be willing to bet you were accidentally hanging up on them.

I'm seriously starting to think a good portion of these "dropped calls" are face hang-ups. Again -- not that there isn't a reception issue.
 
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