iPhone 4 Drops Calls when Left Corner is Touched

iammike1 said:
Has anyone tried restoring through iTunes? What if this is all because the earlier phones had a revision of 4.0 before some tweak was made?

How about restoring from iTunes and NOT restoring your backup? What if it's some fluke with some code that is brought over from the 3GS?

It's an extremely unlikely fix action but really, it's worth trying for sure.

When I had the 4.0GM on my 3GS and had restored from backup, I had weird signal issues, when I updated to the released 4.0 (with the same exact build number) and did not restore from backup, my signal is rock solid from the testing I just did.

If I had gotten my iPhone 4 today I'd test this out myself...but I'm number 22 in line. lol
Click to expand...

*Sigh

It is proven 100% to be caused by bridging the two antennas.

All we need to do us wait for Apple to change the antennas outer material to something that cannot be bridged.

Those who have the iPhone 4, get a Bumper or plastic case or which ever you want, just cover the antennas.

:)
 
So if it's true that the issue goes away when WiFi is on, and I think that i've read somewhere that there are new Wifi settings where the Wifi is generally always on, is this an Attempt by apple to minimize a known design flaw?
 
Yes my iPhone looses signal strength - all the way to 1 bar - when I hold the phone in my left hand, covering only the left corner.

What a bitch.
 
iMattvfs said:
*Sigh

It is proven 100% to be caused by bridging the two antennas.

All we need to do us wait for Apple to change the antennas outer material to something that cannot be bridged.

Those who have the iPhone 4, get a Bumper or plastic case or which ever you want, just cover the antennas.

:)
Click to expand...

Yet some people have said that did NOT reproduce the problem for them...even when using a coin.

No reason to "*Sigh" just because someone recommended to TRY something that, yes, probably would not make a difference but would eliminate another possibility.

Welcome to troubleshooting, it's all about eliminating possibilities.
 
People who are saying "just learn to hold it in a non-interfering way," the point of the matter is that for this case, this is just such a common way to hold a phone that it's unacceptable.

I forsee a factory redesign, starting within the next week.

That antenna gap causing the issue, namely the two separate pieces, are going to be rotated to be either on the top, near the headphone jack, or near the bottom to one side of the dock connector.

I completely concur that there's always going to be some sort of way to interfere with the powerful RF a device like this requires, but when something as simple as a seam shift fixes it, it just seems quite lazy on Apple's part.

And after being an Apple technician for the University of Wisconsin for 3 years and dealing with the nightmare of white macbook palmrest discolorations and cracking, macbook pro CPU whine, and 15" powerbook RAM slots...I know all about the laziness of their quality control. :rolleyes:
 
Nope

DakotaGuy said:
Was this posting really necessary? Bashing people who are too poor to buy an iPhone... Seriously? You do realize that the cost of ownership between an iPhone and an Android phone is pretty much the same right? People who are poor are worried about bigger things in their life like keep their families clothed and fed. They could care less about who has the best and coolest looking smartphone.

I am not sure what the point of your post was other then to get people upset.
Click to expand...

Nope, actually Sir, I agree with you 1000%. My post was based on actual comments made on this and other message boards around the net. GO READ THE COMMENTS: ie. Every product without an Apple Log is "Crappy" and "Clunky". It's a conspiracy and sour grapes by Gizmodo or AT&Ts fault. Anyone without an iPhone is "Too Poor" to buy one. Android phones are only for "porn"...

I love my Apple products as much as the next guy but I refuse to sit back and be a mindless drone who offers an apology for Apple's screw ups. These people live in another dimension. Apple makes a fine phone, but not every other phone is "junky, crappy, or clunky" (as an Android user, you probably know that)...

Let's face reality there. There is a problem - and Apple has to address it and fix it.
 
Great demonstration. Just out of curiosity, I picked up my iPhone 3GS (still waiting for my iPhone 4 to be delivered) to see how I hold it, and I don't rest my palm anywhere on the phone (I'm also left-handed, BTW). I grip the sides of the phone with my thumb and middle finger and rest my index finger on the top of the phone. I'm not sure how I developed this grip, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the slimness of the iPhone and how my arm is always angled away from my body when I hold the phone. I'm hoping that this means the iPhone 4 won't be much of a problem for me when making calls, but I realize everyone does things differently, and we shouldn't be expected to change habits like how we hold a phone. This is a design flaw and I'd be surprised if Apple didn't do a recall.
 
iMattvfs said:
*Sigh

It is proven 100% to be caused by bridging the two antennas.

All we need to do us wait for Apple to change the antennas outer material to something that cannot be bridged.

Those who have the iPhone 4, get a Bumper or plastic case or which ever you want, just cover the antennas.

:)
Click to expand...

bridging them in a close, continuous bridge (as in putting your palm or finger over the seam directly. if your fingers straddle the seam, you are still making a connection between the antennae, however it doesn't degrade the signal since the distance for the connection is longer, less conductive?!?
 
I live in Valley Village California. I'm running ios4 on a 3GS. There is nothing I can do to make my 5 bar 3GS signal reduce (not that I mind). I have cupped both of my hands around it and peeked through a small slit in my fingers and found no depletion what so ever. I have others that live in the same apt building that use other phones on AT&T, they say there signal is terrible. As the antenna for the 3GS is in the back of the unit (correct me if I'm wrong) I do not understand the reports of a failing signal depending on a right or left hand position for 3GS. I would place my vote on a iPhone 4 hardware issue that may be able to be alleviated with a software update.
 
Cannot replicate this but...

I got my iPhone 4 yesterday. I cannot replicate this issue at all. I have tried a few times to do it, but my bars stay the same, browsing experience stays the same, and I do not drop the call.

I did have what seemed to be a weaker reception in some parts of my home, but I'll give it a little longer before making a firm evaluation.
 
Isn't this just the same as the 'Hot Corners' feature of OSX? If I put my hand over the top right corner then I can hear God talking to me.
 
iMattvfs said:
Its not a software issue, its not a hardware issue.

People whos town hasnt got that much coverage will notice a large drop compared to those who have good coverage.

Its caused by bridging each antenna together with your flesh.

I have been saying this ever since I heard about the outer rim being antennas, I know this would happen, so did Apple.

Why do you think the Bumpers were marketed?

THATS RIGHT, APPLE KNEW IT, THEY FIXED IT.

It isnt exactly them trying to gain money, because they know once this problem is widely known, people will start holding their phones in such a way that they dont bridge the two antennas to drop signals.

If you dont want the two antennas to bridge, simply find a way to not connect the two, simple as that.

Again, it isnt a hardware issue, it isnt a software issue,

Jesus save me.
Click to expand...

No offense, but are you retarded?
 
MD5Hash said:
People who are saying "just learn to hold it in a non-interfering way," the point of the matter is that for this case, this is just such a common way to hold a phone that it's unacceptable.

I forsee a factory redesign, starting within the next week.

That antenna gap causing the issue, namely the two separate pieces, are going to be rotated to be either on the top, near the headphone jack, or near the bottom to one side of the dock connector.

I completely concur that there's always going to be some sort of way to interfere with the powerful RF a device like this requires, but when something as simple as a seam shift fixes it, it just seems quite lazy on Apple's part.

And after being an Apple technician for the University of Wisconsin for 3 years and dealing with the nightmare of white macbook palmrest discolorations and cracking, macbook pro CPU whine, and 15" powerbook RAM slots...I know all about the laziness of their quality control. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Do you think that those earlier adopters like us who are having the big signal issue will be able to swap our current "defective" ones for new "fixed" ones?
 
happens on mine as well, I'm not left handed, and it doesn't make it difficult for me to use, but I'm not too happy about it happening:mad:
 
iPhone 4 Owners, test the following:

1. Enable WiFi + Bluetooth and hold up the phone in your left hand, but do not touch any part of the antennas
2. Do the same but have a firm grip on the antennas (specifically the lower left corner)
3. Do the steps above, but with your right hand

Let us know exactly what happens, so we can have an accurate confirmation
 
sorry but I cannot duplicate your issue with my phone. I have been trying since I saw the reports about this issue. I just tried again this morning, holding it the same way, and my bars actually increased!
 
DakotaGuy said:
Was this posting really necessary? Bashing people who are too poor to buy an iPhone... Seriously? You do realize that the cost of ownership between an iPhone and an Android phone is pretty much the same right? People who are poor are worried about bigger things in their life like keep their families clothed and fed. They could care less about who has the best and coolest looking smartphone.

I am not sure what the point of your post was other then to get people upset.
Click to expand...

Actually, poor people are often poor because they've bought the latest and greatest iPhone / iPad / iWhatever when they can't afford it.

(This is an opinion based on real life experiences witnessing dumb poor f**ks do exactly this)
 
SeanGolf said:
I got my iPhone 4 yesterday. I cannot replicate this issue at all. I have tried a few times to do it, but my bars stay the same, browsing experience stays the same, and I do not drop the call.

I did have what seemed to be a weaker reception in some parts of my home, but I'll give it a little longer before making a firm evaluation.
Click to expand...

Did you try putting your finger or a penny or nickel over the gap in the bottom left?
 
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