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Happy to report that my iPhone does not have this issue. Tried in 2 different locations 45 miles apart and noticed NO drop in signal
 
Holly crap : o

But you didn't even cover bottom part of it...!!!

Hmmmmm...

This increasingly smells of full recall to me :s


This was not made by me but I can perfectly do the same :(.
I don't want a free bumper to fix this in the future.
 
I disagree. I've done some more testing and had consistent results. The signal drops out completely in built up areas, but not in more rural areas. This indicates it is a software issue to do with the cell you are connected to rather than a hardware fault.
I am also having the same issue and live in a rural area. It seems to be a hardware issue and not software. Apple is going to have to answer to all of us having this issue. This is not acceptable. :mad:
 
Can someone please assist me in getting into field test mode. Ive tried the normal thing #3001#12345#* or something like that but when I hit call it doesnt do anything. Is it different for iPhone 4? I want to test and see if my signal strength drops.

As stated by Leafminer above me, it takes anywhere from 10-20 seconds then Ill drop 1 bar, then another bar but then it stops dropping bars.
 
Not sure what to think of this... I got two iPhones this morning (two lines), and I was concerned enough about this issue to pick up two bumpers when checking out. However... neither phone seems to have this issue in the slightest. I've tried both with wifi on, with wifi off. covering it with my entire hand, just with a finger, nothing. Signal stayed constant.

Don't know how prevalent this is... or dare I say, if it's just mass hysteria, but it seems enough people are claiming it's an issue that it must be to some. However, it obviously doesn't affect them all.

Chalk up two more devices in the "working perfectly fine" category. (also as mentioned, picked mine up in store, not shipped. Maybe a run in one factory was bad, and that happened to go to some online preorders? Are in store purchasers seeing this same issue?)
 
I'm no expert and I think someone else in this thread might have mentioned something about this earlier, but if the problem is due to bridging the two antennas, shouldn't the problem exist regardless of bridging them right at the lower-left separator?

Shouldn't touching the middle of the left antenna and the bottom antenna with one hand cause the same problem? It doesn't on mine. Only touching right on the separator at the bottom left causes the signal to drop.
 
I just got off the phone with apple support. I was escalated after my refusal to go buy a bumper. The tech submitted the issue to engineering. She said they are getting a lot of calls describing this issue. She recommended buying a bumper. I told her i wasn't willing to do that and would simply return the phone if that was my only option. She asked me to wait until next Monday to see what the engineering response will be. She said that if the answer is the bumper, she would send me a bumper (I assume she meant at no charge).
 
I live in a rural area. Horse farms for miles and miles! The signal drops for me.

Then you are seeing different results to me. If it is hardware then it has to be limited to certain handsets, as two of my friends can't replicate the issue at all, but they do live out of town.

There is quite obviously an issue for most of us at some point. To be fair though, we are all just speculating on the issue, which isn't fair until Apple has had time to respond.

I'm personally betting this will be fixed in a software update, but I'd be just as happy if Apple issued free Bumpers to all if that does completely fix the issue
 
I just tested this with my new phone bumper on and bumper off, with the bumper on, no issues, but as soon as I removed the bumper and tried it, I was able to reproduce the issue almost instantly.
 
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These guys might have been ahead of their time. Just pop the rubber fingers on the other hand.
 
As a lefty, all I can say is f**k Apple on this issue. I am the biggest Apple fan you will run into, but come on! This is total BS.
 
I can confirm that with my new Incipio Silacrylic case, this doesn't happen anymore. Must be the energy produced by our fingers bridging or shorting something.

I was just going to ask if a case would solve the issue. I guess the answer is yes?

I was planning to buy one anyway. I had to buy one for my original iPhone just to keep it from slipping out of my hands. Nice drop protection, too...because we all know it WILL get dropped at least once. :D
 
I'll take it a step further, it happens to my WiFi signal as well when I hold the phone in landscape mode. It's very sporadic on my phone, as I type this both 3G and WiFi have fluxed a couple bars in both directions.
 
In any case this is stupid.

Your top-of-the-line, REVOLUTIONARY phone will only work properly with a cheap rubber case.

This is ridiculous. I can't believe people think this SOLVES the problem and they are OK with it.
 
I posted yesterday that I did NOT see this, but I had wifi on, out in the road and with wifi off this happens and drops to "no service" every time, I am very skeptical of software fixing this issue and I can't believe they haven't seen this is testing, seems impossible

I will NOT accept a "bumper" to fix this... I keep all my phones nakkie and don't want a friggin case to fix a defect...

This is gonna be a big recall. 600,000 big... There goes the AAPL's :(
 
I was just browsing through the Apple support forums for the iPhone 4 and man, that place is on fire. I tested this issue out on my iPhone 4 and sure enough it happens.

Someone on the Apple support forums mentioned it could be your hand connecting the metal strip on the left side with the metal strip on the bottom, causing some kind of short or connection that is interfering with the signal. Afterall, Apple placed those little black plastic "gaps" there to keep the bands from touching, when you touch it with your hand - one could assume it is almost acting as a connection and causing an issue.

Regardless of what it is, it's really annoying.
 
This sounds silly but has anyone tried pressing the area affected with a piece of metal while isolating your hand from the piece of metal by wearing a glove or something similar? It's been said before but I really wonder if the signal strength sensor is going wacky with the electrical current produced by your hand.
 
This sounds silly but has anyone tried pressing the area affected with a piece of metal while isolating your hand from the piece of metal? It's been said before but I really wonder if the signal strength sensor is going wacky with the electrical current produced by your hand.

Just tried using a key to bridge the gap... no loss of signal at all. Bars have been fluxating when holding in my hand, but nothing detrimental.
 
Seems to me to be a grounding issue from skin contact.
Check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OQNgdogCxg&feature=related
I immediately thought this once I heard the stories. It does it on my phone as well. It seems like connecting the two different antennas with your skin causes the problem.

Try this. Just press your finger down over the black line on the bottom left of the iPhone. (where your finger bridges the two metal bands) …my signal almost immediately drops. If I put my finger above or below the black line (where it's only touching one antenna at a time) I don't see any drop at all.

I also agree with what was mentioned earlier about the iPhone being tested inside the covert plastic shell probably masked this problem.

I either see a recall, or a lot of free bumpers from Apple.
 
UHM.... from southern Germany here on T-Mobile and I have this issue. The support guys told me their Apple case would fix this. WTF! I'm returning this piece of crap and will get out of my contract at any cost.

I waited to upgrade my phone and now this. They also said they can't tell me when they would get replacement units and it could take several weeks....

Thank you Apple! So my only option would be to buy the Apple condom they sell. But partly of why I bought the phone was the design and I do not plan to put it in a rubber sleeve and I do not plan to give Apple more money for shipping a broken product.
 
In any case this is stupid.

Your top-of-the-line, REVOLUTIONARY phone will only work properly with a cheap rubber case.

This is ridiculous. I can't believe people think this SOLVES the problem and they are OK with it.

A: I am shocked Apple testing didn't pick up on this. Maybe the Bay area has too many AT&T towers so Steve J remains happy?

B: A rubber case is NOT a solution...just a band-aid.

C: I'm sticking with my 2G (Yes, three years old) until the dust settles. I agree that a premium price should not purchase such a HUGE flaw in design!
 
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