Guys... I have the answer.
It's meant for your right hand. Your'e right hand fingers won't bond the two pieces of metal together. But your left hand palm will... creating the issue!
So make sure you're not left-handed.
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iPhone 4 Reception Issue? [Video]
- Thread starter FFArchitect
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So make sure you're not left-handed.
Ok, so in my apartment with my microcell, no problems at all with bars, I have 5 bars all the time no matter how I hold the phone. Outside, however, I was able to duplicate the results and had a loss of signal.
Obviously you can use a bluetooth headset, or the headset provided with the phone to make and receive calls, but it'll be the texting and web surfing off wifi that will be a problem. One of the original iPhones big features was a full web browser over the cellular network. To have that feature rendered useless because of the new design is pretty terrible.
I do plan on getting a case, which would probably solve the problem, but I think I used my 3GS without it's case more than I did with one.
I guess we'll see what apple says as they are confronted with all this stuff.
Obviously you can use a bluetooth headset, or the headset provided with the phone to make and receive calls, but it'll be the texting and web surfing off wifi that will be a problem. One of the original iPhones big features was a full web browser over the cellular network. To have that feature rendered useless because of the new design is pretty terrible.
I do plan on getting a case, which would probably solve the problem, but I think I used my 3GS without it's case more than I did with one.
I guess we'll see what apple says as they are confronted with all this stuff.
Get a Life
Ya, so I decided to check your recent posts to see if you were someone forming an opinion based on this singular issue at hand, but its obvious that your a dedicated, no life having troll. Seriously how boring of a life do you need to have to come on a apple based website just to bash their products?
Ya, so I decided to check your recent posts to see if you were someone forming an opinion based on this singular issue at hand, but its obvious that your a dedicated, no life having troll. Seriously how boring of a life do you need to have to come on a apple based website just to bash their products?
lol if it requires a bumper to resolve the issue, then apple will probably start handing them out for free. remember what happened with the wall chargers a while back?
That's pretty embarrassing... The guys didn't even notice the issue. It's SO OBVIOUS.
Tried for an hour to replicate the issue... finally got it to drop one bar, but it took holding my hand on it in about the most unnatural and uncomfortable manner possible to get it to drop that one bar.
Free Bumpers For Everyone!!!!!!!!!!
If the only way these phones will work is with a case, they better supply us with said cases!!!!
If the only way these phones will work is with a case, they better supply us with said cases!!!!
That's interesting. The simple fact that 3g and 3gs users are reporting this issue out of the blue on both the 3 and 4 series software version on the night before the launch is too much for it to be either a software or hardware issue alone. It has to do something with AT&T. I'm sure the timetable of their network adjustments did not anticipate anyone having the Iphone 2 days early.
Also, some people got their phones yesterday and they didn't report anything that I'm aware of. Can anyone confirm or deny this?
Apple evil genius
Ok if this is a hardware issue... sucks, and it is a big big big design failure. One of the biggest design failures in history...
If this is a software issue... then this is a little present to the iPhone dev team... Right now it is possible to unlock all the basebands with ultrasn0w. The iPhone Dev Team and the "infamous" geohot were working on it for a long time , waiting for the release of the iOS 4.0. The unlock was released as soon as the iOS 4 came out.
So now Apple knows the exploit used by the iPhone Dev Team... now Apple will patch the exploit with a new baseband update and everybody will have to update because of this reception problem...
Ok if this is a hardware issue... sucks, and it is a big big big design failure. One of the biggest design failures in history...
If this is a software issue... then this is a little present to the iPhone dev team... Right now it is possible to unlock all the basebands with ultrasn0w. The iPhone Dev Team and the "infamous" geohot were working on it for a long time , waiting for the release of the iOS 4.0. The unlock was released as soon as the iOS 4 came out.
So now Apple knows the exploit used by the iPhone Dev Team... now Apple will patch the exploit with a new baseband update and everybody will have to update because of this reception problem...
So I have been trying to replicate this in every way possible. No luck so far. I can get it to drop a bar at times if I cup my hand around the top of the phone.
Did anyone notice that this started off with a video from FameFoundry, a marketing company that does viral videos? just saying...
Did anyone notice that this started off with a video from FameFoundry, a marketing company that does viral videos? just saying...
Well, I'm left-handed. I'm suing Apple for discriminating against my dextriousness! Class action'd!#$!Guys... I have the answer.
It's meant for your right hand. Your'e right hand fingers won't bond the two pieces of metal together. But your left hand palm will... creating the issue!
I have a theory, so bear with me, please.
The front and back of the i4 are glass, right? RF waves dont go through glass easily, so apple put the antennas on the outside of the phone. Hold the phone normally, and the signal has to go through your hand. Lowering bars. We never noticed it on our 3g's 3gs' because the plastic didn't hinder the reception of the antenna in the back of the device. Hold your phone normally, is your hand flush with the back of your phone? No, there is space between the back of the device and your phone. (if it is, you have some weird hands) In my opinion Apple had a good idea, but it isn't very practical. You typically hold on to your phone on the sides, so placing the antennas on the sides of the phone is a bad idea.
Someone correct me if i'm wrong, I just want a reason to still buy an iPhone tomorrow. :\
btw, those photos are direct uploads from my eyes
edit:
nevermind, I was completely wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gb3aQ5XoQw
*****.
The front and back of the i4 are glass, right? RF waves dont go through glass easily, so apple put the antennas on the outside of the phone. Hold the phone normally, and the signal has to go through your hand. Lowering bars. We never noticed it on our 3g's 3gs' because the plastic didn't hinder the reception of the antenna in the back of the device. Hold your phone normally, is your hand flush with the back of your phone? No, there is space between the back of the device and your phone. (if it is, you have some weird hands) In my opinion Apple had a good idea, but it isn't very practical. You typically hold on to your phone on the sides, so placing the antennas on the sides of the phone is a bad idea.
Someone correct me if i'm wrong, I just want a reason to still buy an iPhone tomorrow. :\
btw, those photos are direct uploads from my eyes
edit:
nevermind, I was completely wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gb3aQ5XoQw
*****.
So what? I noticed this problem right after I unboxed and activated this morning. I just didn't put the pieces together as to why it was happening. I started a thread about it and so did someone else. HOURS before this thread popped up.
I bet some of the people on here who have already received their iPhone 4 got it yesterday.
By the way, if the only solution is to use a bumper, Apple will supply us with bumpers. They're 50 cent pieces of crap marked up 4,000 percent. Don't kid yourselves.
odd, the 4x ive tried this, my signal has gone up ) its at 3 bars when its on the floor, i pick it up and about 15 seconds later i i have full strength )
) its at 3 bars when its on the floor, i pick it up and about 15 seconds later i i have full strength )Just because the iPhone drops to one or no bars when you hold does not mean it isn't a software problem.
Further more, just because when the phone drops to one or zero bars you drop a call, does not mean its not a software problem.
All of this can be explain with software.
Software interrupts the connection coming into the phone and trys to figure out the connection strength. If the software has a bug, the phone could get a good signal and still drop a call if the SOFTWARE thinks its a bad connection.
Just remember one thing. SOFTWARE controls HARDWARE..... not the other way around.
As for why it drops when you hold it.... that can't only be explained by a expert in that field... but clearly something is happening when you touch the phone. All of this can still be explained by a SOFTWARE bug.
The one thing I don't like about all these results... are the mixed results about whether it works with a shield/bumper/cloth or not. Every other person claims something different with using bumpers. Does or does it not help?
Further more, just because when the phone drops to one or zero bars you drop a call, does not mean its not a software problem.
All of this can be explain with software.
Software interrupts the connection coming into the phone and trys to figure out the connection strength. If the software has a bug, the phone could get a good signal and still drop a call if the SOFTWARE thinks its a bad connection.
Just remember one thing. SOFTWARE controls HARDWARE..... not the other way around.
As for why it drops when you hold it.... that can't only be explained by a expert in that field... but clearly something is happening when you touch the phone. All of this can still be explained by a SOFTWARE bug.
The one thing I don't like about all these results... are the mixed results about whether it works with a shield/bumper/cloth or not. Every other person claims something different with using bumpers. Does or does it not help?
To CheeseO and anyone else concerned about the "Bars" issue. Buy the phone put it in a case or bumpers. Problem solved, don't worry be happy.
All right. One thing is clear from all this -- there is a design problem with the iP4 antenna. When people hold the iP4 with a cloth, they can prevent signal strength from degrading. Nobody has reported that result on a 2G, 3G, or 3GS phone that experiences signal loss when held. So whatever is to blame for those models' problems (signal being blocked by a hand, change in reception quality when shifted, etc.), only the iP4 is experiencing surface conductivity problems from grounding out the external antenna (although perhaps in addition to the other models' problems).
And apparently the result is signal attenuation, not necessarily total loss, since people near a cell tower lose signal strength, but not completely. But of course others with less reception to start with are not so lucky.
A software update could only partially solve this. There's no way around it -- there is a real loss of signal strength happening. You can fudge with software to make the iPhone stay on even when signal strength is extremely low, but that doesn't mean your call quality will be good, or that the won't still fail.
And as for the whole cell tower switching theory in iOS4 -- a software update could partially help with that, too, by giving more weight to cell tower proximity than cell tower load. So that will ensure you are connected to the closest tower, not the tower with the lightest load. But the fundamental problem will still remain-- there is less signal strength when the external antenna is being grounded out. So if the closest tower is still too far for your weakened signal, you will still be screwed.
And apparently the result is signal attenuation, not necessarily total loss, since people near a cell tower lose signal strength, but not completely. But of course others with less reception to start with are not so lucky.
A software update could only partially solve this. There's no way around it -- there is a real loss of signal strength happening. You can fudge with software to make the iPhone stay on even when signal strength is extremely low, but that doesn't mean your call quality will be good, or that the won't still fail.
And as for the whole cell tower switching theory in iOS4 -- a software update could partially help with that, too, by giving more weight to cell tower proximity than cell tower load. So that will ensure you are connected to the closest tower, not the tower with the lightest load. But the fundamental problem will still remain-- there is less signal strength when the external antenna is being grounded out. So if the closest tower is still too far for your weakened signal, you will still be screwed.
Test it RIGHT -- and use LOGIC!
WHY is it SO HARD for you thick-skulled people to get it? Stop trying to "cup" it and do the exact test that causes the problem: BRIDGE THE ANTENNAS WITH YOUR FINGER/HAND ON THE LEFT SIDE! See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gb3aQ5XoQw
That video shows PLAIN AND SIMPLE that this is a design flaw which is unfixable by software update. Apple screwed up huge, and they probably didn't notice it because they were too busy wrapping them in 3GS garb (thereby covering the problem) so they wouldn't be noticed in public during testing.
LOGIC, people, LOGIC!
WHY is it SO HARD for you thick-skulled people to get it? Stop trying to "cup" it and do the exact test that causes the problem: BRIDGE THE ANTENNAS WITH YOUR FINGER/HAND ON THE LEFT SIDE! See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gb3aQ5XoQw
That video shows PLAIN AND SIMPLE that this is a design flaw which is unfixable by software update. Apple screwed up huge, and they probably didn't notice it because they were too busy wrapping them in 3GS garb (thereby covering the problem) so they wouldn't be noticed in public during testing.
LOGIC, people, LOGIC!