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iPhone 4 Drops Calls when Left Corner is Touched
- Thread starter dagomike
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As described in my edited post quoted above, I have now been able to replicate this issue. I'm not too worried about it, though. It takes a good deal of work to make the phone start losing bars, and I would find it extremely unlikely that this problem would occur unintentionally during a call.
Every person can/will hold a phone differently. Some will hold by the edges (I do); some will palm it on the back, some will hold a corner in their left or right hand...etc. An RF engineer cannot design out for all possibilities, but they can or should give advice on where not to hold it.
See my post in this thread ( #76) on how Nokia recommends NOT to hold their phones. One of my Nokia's had a recess right on the back that was the perfect place to place a index finger, but it was exactly the place where Nokia stated not to hold the phone...it effected the antenna signal...you would not take an older phone with an external antenna and hold the phone by the antenna would you? So be aware where the iPhone sweet spot may be and avoid it...
And yes most of the 'discoveries' here are RF Engineering 101. Use the phone and see where you drop call in practice, not some unique corner palming method, which seems pretty uncomfortable to me.
I will say it again...every phone will behave differently when on a table in free space to when held in one's hand, and you will always be able to find that 'sweet' spot that effects the phone badly...it is a fact of phone designs for internal antennas.
The good thing to come out of this thread is to teach people how to hold the iPhone (or any phone) properly and be aware of it's effect on signal.
I think it would be hilarious that in their jeal for secrecy, the camouflaging cases on their test units hid a fatal design flaw...only to be revealed when Steve tried to demo it at the product announcement. "Damn...now we need bumpers!"
Good luck to everyone trying to re-replicate this problem, over and over again. Just try not to jump down each others' throats over disagreements as to the cause.
I'll sleep good for now, since I didn't jump on the pre-order train this time around. Don't mean to rub it in, as I eventually would like one too. But I feel a little better after getting depressed over not joining in on the launch day festivities. I can only imagine what the iPhone forums will look like tomorrow, so I'll probably hop back on over to the iPad forums and be thankful. Ciao.
I'll sleep good for now, since I didn't jump on the pre-order train this time around. Don't mean to rub it in, as I eventually would like one too. But I feel a little better after getting depressed over not joining in on the launch day festivities. I can only imagine what the iPhone forums will look like tomorrow, so I'll probably hop back on over to the iPad forums and be thankful. Ciao.
might it have something to do with static electricity, or just shorting the two parts of the outer frame (which is the antenna) by touching the bottom left side?
It depend on how big the signal issues are, the reports seem to indicate a pretty big effect.
Having an external antenna makes it very easy to touch it. Which according to my RF engineering knowledge has a much greater effect than having your body close but not touching the antenna.
Maybe if Gray Powell hadn't lost his iPhone so soon there wouldn't be all these teething problems 
(Sorry if this joke has been made before, I didn't have time to read through 1000+ comments about the iPhone in the last couple of days).
(Sorry if this joke has been made before, I didn't have time to read through 1000+ comments about the iPhone in the last couple of days).
gotta be a serious hardware fault
I don't have an iPhone4 yet (and I'm in less of a hurry now to get one), but this has got to be a hardware fault.
Think about it - the exposed stainless steel casing that you are holding is carrying radio frequency signals. And it's worse than that - the two segments are carrying different signals that were obviously isolated from each other to improve performance - hence the infamous gap in the case - at the bottom left hand corner.
Bridge that gap with a slight sweaty hand and bob's your uncle - severely impaired wireless connectivity. Or dropped call in English.
I agree that the promotion of otherwise pointless "bumpers" must mean Apple knew this was a significant issue. Perhaps soon they will modify the manufacturing process to include a transparent insulating lacquer on the steel? Seems a no-brainer.
I don't have an iPhone4 yet (and I'm in less of a hurry now to get one), but this has got to be a hardware fault.
Think about it - the exposed stainless steel casing that you are holding is carrying radio frequency signals. And it's worse than that - the two segments are carrying different signals that were obviously isolated from each other to improve performance - hence the infamous gap in the case - at the bottom left hand corner.
Bridge that gap with a slight sweaty hand and bob's your uncle - severely impaired wireless connectivity. Or dropped call in English.
I agree that the promotion of otherwise pointless "bumpers" must mean Apple knew this was a significant issue. Perhaps soon they will modify the manufacturing process to include a transparent insulating lacquer on the steel? Seems a no-brainer.
A lot of right-handers (like me) hold the phone in their left hand while using the right hand to operate it.
How to hold the iPhone 4...
2 Bars => You're doing it wrong: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-56198.html
Use a Bumper and you're fine: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-56198-22.html
2 Bars => You're doing it wrong: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-56198.html
Use a Bumper and you're fine: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-56198-22.html
Just tried on my new purchase. 32GB on Orange UK.
On desk it shows 5 bars (3G)
Right hand drops to 3 bars (3G) in about 5 secs
Put in left hand and it dropped to 1 bar (3G) again in about 5 secs and then dropped to 1 bar on GSM (small circle)!!!! not even edge!!!
This is way to much of a change to be simply caused by normal fluctuations!!
On desk it shows 5 bars (3G)
Right hand drops to 3 bars (3G) in about 5 secs
Put in left hand and it dropped to 1 bar (3G) again in about 5 secs and then dropped to 1 bar on GSM (small circle)!!!! not even edge!!!
This is way to much of a change to be simply caused by normal fluctuations!!
possible fix
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Do you have one with an Apple logo though? Then you could charge a large premium!
On another issue... it is not a surprise that not everyone can replicate the problem, the antenna is probably not rendered completely useless, just weakened. So if you have very good phone signal you may not see a real difference. It would be interesting to see how strong the signal needs to be to compensate for the issue.
No one is cooperating in providing the model they are experiencing this with. While many think it is an inherent design flaw, there's also a possibility that it's A) a bad batch or B) a software bug (though now less likely).
From the looks of it, most of the people who have been encountering this have the 32 GB model (I do too). Does anyone with a 16 GB model encounter this? If not, perhaps the 32 GB model was packed in more (Bigger flash?) in such a way that could be causing this?
So go ahead and post your model, just to see if it shows anything.
I am encountering this as well and I am using the 32 GB version with AT&T.
From the looks of it, most of the people who have been encountering this have the 32 GB model (I do too). Does anyone with a 16 GB model encounter this? If not, perhaps the 32 GB model was packed in more (Bigger flash?) in such a way that could be causing this?
So go ahead and post your model, just to see if it shows anything.
I am encountering this as well and I am using the 32 GB version with AT&T.
I have the 16gb. Same issue. Calls will fail if held with left hand. If held right hand I have full bars or 4 bars. (ATT in Hollywood, CA).
I have tried multiple times now, and cannot replicate this issue on my iPhone 4.
I have held it in the left hand just as the video described and demonstrated, I have tried holding it in my right, I have tried bridging the left seam as well as the top seam (even simultaneously) with my fingers, and nothing. I have also tried it with WiFi, 3G, and EDGE, and no drop in any of them. I held it in the aforementioned ways during a phone call as well as during cellular data transmission. I never did have the phone lose any bars, have the call break up, or have my data transmission slow down. In fact, during a speedtest over 3G, I pulled 4Mx1.5M without breaking a sweat! (THANK YOU, Apple, for finally giving us HSUPA in one of your phones!)
Now, granted, I happen to be lucky enough to live in an area with good AT&T coverage in town...I get 5 bars in my house where I was conducting these tests. I did read about other people who started with 5 bars, though, and who lost a significant number of bars when they tried this. I didn't. Just in case it is an issue that can only be observed in conditions with marginal signal, I will try this again while at work tomorrow, where I rarely get more than 3 bars.
(My display on my iPhone 4 is gorgeous, too, with none of the blemishes that have been talked about. Not that I doubt they exist...I have had my share of iPhone hardware problems in the past, having gone through 6 total phones between 3G and 3GS models, with problems covering screen dust, malfunctioning switches and buttons, defective dock connectors, crappy LCDs, and failing sensors. I figure it's about time I got one that works properly.)
-- Nathan
I have held it in the left hand just as the video described and demonstrated, I have tried holding it in my right, I have tried bridging the left seam as well as the top seam (even simultaneously) with my fingers, and nothing. I have also tried it with WiFi, 3G, and EDGE, and no drop in any of them. I held it in the aforementioned ways during a phone call as well as during cellular data transmission. I never did have the phone lose any bars, have the call break up, or have my data transmission slow down. In fact, during a speedtest over 3G, I pulled 4Mx1.5M without breaking a sweat! (THANK YOU, Apple, for finally giving us HSUPA in one of your phones!)
Now, granted, I happen to be lucky enough to live in an area with good AT&T coverage in town...I get 5 bars in my house where I was conducting these tests. I did read about other people who started with 5 bars, though, and who lost a significant number of bars when they tried this. I didn't. Just in case it is an issue that can only be observed in conditions with marginal signal, I will try this again while at work tomorrow, where I rarely get more than 3 bars.
(My display on my iPhone 4 is gorgeous, too, with none of the blemishes that have been talked about. Not that I doubt they exist...I have had my share of iPhone hardware problems in the past, having gone through 6 total phones between 3G and 3GS models, with problems covering screen dust, malfunctioning switches and buttons, defective dock connectors, crappy LCDs, and failing sensors. I figure it's about time I got one that works properly.
)-- Nathan