iPhone 4 Reception Issue? [Video]

[ashVID]

Bars may not be relevant but "searching" most certainly is. Could it be some weird grounding issue with the metal? These are the kind of reception issues that I think AT&T has been unfairly accused of causing. This is 100% an issue on Apple's end. There is some variable here that was not tested and hopefully is rare and somehow fixable.



ash =o)

 

[eksplosions]

@OP: could you try to hold it in your hand and then attempt to make a call or browse the web to determine whether service is actually being lost or it's an animation issue as some claim?

while that argument doesn't seem to have any merit-- how does the phone know you're touching its sides, i mean really-- it'd be nice to clear it up.

 

[bmms8]

i can confirm that my phone does this as well.. its pretty amazing how it drops one bar at a time just like the OPs video.

 

[auero]

@OP: could you try to hold it in your hand and then attempt to make a call or browse the web to determine whether service is actually being lost or it's an animation issue as some claim?

while that argument doesn't seem to have any merit-- how does the phone know you're touching its sides, i mean really-- it'd be nice to clear it up.

The sides are literally the antenna...

 

[thetexan]

I'm able to reproduce this on my coworkers iPhone 4:

-Using speakerphone, he can stay on the phone with 2-3 bars and the call stays connected.

-If he picks up the phone and holds it, a few moments later the call will drop and the phone will say no service.

-If he lays down the phone again the phone will pick service back up.


I'm cracking up here. This is the first time in cellphone history did a phone not work if you are holding it. He's pretty upset though.

 

[gloss]

while that argument doesn't seem to have any merit-- how does the phone know you're touching its sides, i mean really-- it'd be nice to clear it up.

If he's touching the antenna then he could be causing a grounding issue.

 

[Back2Bedlam]



 

[ItalianBoston]

I dont notice it doing this at all with my phone. It stays at the same amount of bars whether I am holding it or not.

 

[Stangs55]

If he's touching the antenna then he could be causing a grounding issue.

Would be interesting to see if this happens when you have one of the Apple 'Bumpers' on...

 

[FarNorth]

Not trying to be a wiseass here but don't you folks think that maybe, just maybe, Apple tested this phone?

 

[magpie maniac]

Well apparently the signal is fine it's just the animation on the bars is what is messed up.

You keep saying that, but it's not true. Has your iPhone 4 arrived yet or are you just jabbering?

It's not just about the pretty vertical bars. It's the reception. I've had more dropped and failed calls today than I've ever had with previous iPhones.

 

[Sean4123]

Wow. This is brutal. I don't know how they could fix this through a software update. It seems the problem is the hardware design. By choosing to place the antenna on the outside might have been a bad idea after all. This is going to be big news by tomorrow night.

 

[FFArchitect]

@OP: could you try to hold it in your hand and then attempt to make a call or browse the web to determine whether service is actually being lost or it's an animation issue as some claim?

while that argument doesn't seem to have any merit-- how does the phone know you're touching its sides, i mean really-- it'd be nice to clear it up.

When it goes to "No Service" a call will not connect for us. The moment the hands and fingers come off the sides and it is held with the glass, bars come back and the call then will go through.

 

[definitive]

seems like iphone4 has a worse reception than 3g that i just replaced. i wonder if a case or a bumper would fix this.

 

[misterc0w]

Its a me too post, but I'm experiencing the same problem. When I hold the phone touching both antennas bars drop off, and when I set it down, service returns.

I was planning on getting a bumper case any way, hopefully that will take care of the issue until a fix can be put in place.

 

[scrappydoo93]

This thread just makes me heart broken Apple's up for a recall just like the rest of the world?

 

[FFArchitect]

More background. We are not in the middle of the city -- just outside the city. Our 3GS phones all show full bars on a 3G network.

Also, we can consistently make this happen when touching the antenna.

 

[sybase]

3G vs. Edge

I'd be curious if the same thing happens when shutting off 3G service and using Edge only.

 

[bahooki]

Send your video to engadget. They'll test theirs and if it's an issue, they'll front page it and Apple will be forced to respond.

 

[sdsvtdriver]

It's not irrelevant at all if you can't place a call when it says No Service.

no, it is relevant. There is no way to know if he started at -50 and went down to -130, or if he was at -120 and went to -130. Big difference.

the 2.01 firmware had a relatively useful "bar to signal" display, but everyone complained that they only had "two bars" or "three bars" and their service sucked. Apple released 2.1 which pegged the bars all the way at 5 until one started getting ****** signal (-110 and lower). If the same is with the i4, then this guy had 4 bars before he started and the phone was already straining to maintain service.

 

[germanjulian]

guess why they have a bumper....

I didnt understand how they manage to get rid of the grounding issue with the antenna in the first place... looks like they didnt.

 

[bina12834]

i have the same thing happen to my iphone 4 32Gb....execpt i dont go all the way to seraching...i just get down to 1 bar from full bars

 

[JoEw]

maybe the reason that people are getting less bars is because the iphone chooses the tower that has the least amount of strain not the tower closest to the phone?

Hopefully this isnt a hardware issue... And yellow screens? crap perhaps i should look at the phone before i even leave the apple store tomorrow

 

[ChrisJSNh]

I had posted a breif mention of the signal is crap on another thread. but here are 2 images, one is showing speed test while the phone is just sitting on the armrest of my recliner.
the second is of me just picking it up 1 inch and holding it in my hand
Notice the ping time and the download and upload speed of photo1

Notice the ping time on the second photo, it went wayyyyy up, and then the test paused because of loss of signal. it then went to searching and i couldnt dial a phone number

 

[mgmusicman94]

At the very end of that video, the hand is blocking the lower notch, which is the antenna. Is that the problem here? On a normal conversation, that notch is not really covered.

The antenna is a little more than half of the metal band around the phone, not the notch. The notch separates the bluetooth/wifi antenna from the cell antenna.