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iPhone 4 not receiving texts for hours?

MVallee

MVallee

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
810
183
Ontario, Canada
So Since I got my iPhone 4 in December, I have noticed that I sometimes seem to have problems with getting a signal. I will look at my phone and notice it says "No Service" and then ask my partner to check his iPhone, which will have 5 bars. After 5-10 minutes it comes back. Also, if I leave a place like the subway or underground parking it takes 10-15 minutes sometimes before I have a signal again. Also a few times I will get a "No Cellular Data" error, when I have full bars and my partners iPhone (which is with the same carrier) is working fine.

These things only happen maybe 3-4 times a month and while it's annoying, the Apple store is a 3 hour drive round trip, so it never seemed that worth it. I did restore my phone and few times and it didn't resolve anything.

This week, it got worse. I text some friends at 6:00pm and at 8:00pm my phone vibrated and I had 5 text messages all at once. The time stamps were all between about 6:15 and 7:30. For the last week this seems to happen every few days. I'll be waiting for someone to return a message and then my phone blows up and I get flooded with all the texts I should have received over the past few hours. Its messed up plans a few times and has made a few friends mad. My Mom even said she called and got a busy signal for hours one night when I was at home with my phone next to me. I kind of don't trust my phone and now if I don't get a response from someone in like 5-10 minutes I start wondering "oh no, is it happening again?". I don't have a home phone so I rely on my iPhone ALOT. I decided it was time to bring it into the Apple Store.

The Apple store was packed but I had an appointment so I got in right away. The "genius" was rude even though I kept being extra polite. He asked what was wrong and I told him about the text messages taking hours to receive and I got a "Ya. So. That's normal". So I continued with how my iPhone get "No Service" alot while my partners iPhone has full bars and he cuts me off with "Two phones can be on top of each other and connected to two totally different networks". I said "Ok" and then said about how coming out of the subway it takes me 10-15 minutes of "No Service" or "Searching" before it come back. He cut me off mid-sentence again with "If you are going on the subway you should be having your phone in airplane mode or if not thats what happens. Thats normal". The subway here is not all underground, it goes above ground and underground and above ground again all over the place. I can't imagine all the iPhone users changing it back and forth from airplane mode for each stop. Plus this doesn't happen to my partners iPhone or any of my friends who I've talked to (many who are also with my carrier). Anyway, he ran a diagnostic which came back saying it was fine and he then scolded me for having about 10 apps open in multi-tasking and then told me to restore the phone and not from a back up. I said "But won't I lose all my data?" he then chuckled and said "Yep, good-luck man".

So here I am. Has anyone had similar issues with their phones? Is what is happening normal? I really doubt its my network. I have been with the same carrier since I was 16 (now 24) and have always had reliable service. I've had an iPhone since December and these are the only network type problems I have had. My Mom, brother, sister, partner, and a good chunk of my friends all are with the same carrier (Virgin Mobile Canada) and they all are fine.

What should I do?
 
If it helps at all, I've gone through several 3Gs (as in multiple 3G iPhones, not the 3GS) and 4s with the following issue:

I'll be in an area with decent coverage (2-4 bars) and I won't receive texts until much later. My phone undergoes what I like to call a "textgasm" and gives me like 3-4 texts that I received during the "dead" period all at once, sometimes a few minutes to a few hours from when they were originally supposed to be received. The time on the texts themselves are the time they're originally sent, though (for example, it'll say 12:30 on the text but I won't get it during a "textgasm" til 1:00).

I've never had a "No Service" issue, though, unless I am in an actual area that does not have service.

One way to reset your "No Service" issue may be to put it into Airplane Mode, leave it there for 10-15 seconds, then bringing it back. That resets the radios and should have it getting service. A lot of times, mine drops down to EDGE and refuses to go back to 3G until I do that.
 
I am on ATT and i seem to have the similar problem with the texts occasionally. I'll wait about 30 minutes and receive a text at 6 but on my phone it'll say 5:30. Also, sometimes i have to send a second text just to receive the other person's one.

If it happens to more than one person that you text.. i am not entirely sure what to do.. but i was told that if you call your carrier and explain the problem, sometimes something gets messed up and they can fix the problem.

So at this point, i would suggest calling your carrier and explaining the problem, as for the service problem, this has only happened to my phone once over the year i've had it, and i lost service for at least two hours, i talked to my brother who has the 3GS model (i have the 4) and he said he was fine. I have a feeling it is a problem with the phone, and in your case, if the phone is still under warranty, your best bet would probably to see if you could get a new phone.
 
I know people who have an ATT iPhone who have experienced these problems from time to time. It doesn't seem to be a big deal thought
 
I had a very similar problem with my old 3GS. I wouldnt receive texts for hours then get dozens all at once. I went back to my carrier and got a new sim card. That fixed it from my AT&T standpoint. Give it a try, let us know. Good Luck.
 
Hmm....

Since the store is so far away, take the above advice first and try a new sim card, then if the problem persists call Apple and talk to a manager there, and continue being nice like you've been. Advise them of the lengthy trip to an Apple store and I'm sure they can send you a replacement iPhone if needed. Best luck to you!
 
Uk Carriers

Dont have this issue, at least I have not had it. I live in a river
Valley, but have no reception issues.

I do find that my phone works better at home when it's on it's stand though.
 
My phone is not jailbroken and I am running the latest software. I am with Virgin Mobile in Canada but they run on the Bell network. I get great reception usually. I live on top of a hill and always get 5 bars in my house.

The missed texts that eventually come in a flood are all from different people. The other day it happened with 3 people from 3 different carriers.

I think I will call my carrier and explain my issues and say that Apple has blamed them and see if there is anything they can check or do on their side. Could a sim card be the culprit? My previous phones with them were CDMA (they support both CDMA and GSM on the same carrier) so the sim card came with the iPhone.
 
This happens to me every now and then. I've always blamed AT&T though I suppose it could be the phone itself. Never really noticed before getting the iPhone, but I didn't really text much back then either
 
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