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iPhone 4 Signal Issue Can Be Fixed With a Software Update?

starstreak said:
.I'm NOT an expert, but I can't see how a software fix will cure this without either using more power to compensate the signal loss or something.

I must be old as I remember how touching a tv attenna would cause the signal to change.
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Obversely, each time I touched and held the 'rabbit ears' TV antennae, the signal would invariably improve, dramatically.

Hopefully, through the software fix, they'll be able to reproduce this very same 'reversed attenuation' phenomenon.

"Want to boost your reception? Simply hold it in your left hand, and grip away."
 
I have lurked for years and never posted.

But, this really got me out of the shadows...software that can fix an antenna design...amazing. If Apple claims that tomorrow, I will know for sure that I am not part of their target audience.

If there are 2 antennas in the iPhone 4, I guess they could change the software not to use the one that uses the casing. But, then, reception would suffer for other reasons.

If there is only 1 antenna in the device, they need to fix it and software won't do it.

Amazing.
 
So, it sounds like they are saying the AT&T network might be fine, just every iPhone ever made is flawed.
 
This problem could be easily corrected by giving all iPhone 4 owners a free pair of special metal gloves that would actually increase the signal level. "Hey honey! Your new shiny metallic iGloves really turn me on!", that's what all the hot babes would say.
 
Any possibility of there being touch sensor that has been kept secret? Just throwing it out there however impossible/improbable it might be ...
 
Blue Fox said:
Is it just me, or has the 4.0.1 software sort of fixed it? I used to be able to get my iPhone down to "no service" after about a minute of holding it in my left hand......now, it just goes down to 2 bars and stays there. So all in all, I'm fixed!
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No, it's not just you. Go read the Anandtech article. Instead of the phone dropping to "no signal" at -113db, it now goes to -121db before calling it quits.
So previously you would get it to <-113 and the phone would show "no signal" because it was predetermined that was not strong enough to hold a call. For example, you may have gone to -115.
Now anything above -121 is considered usable, so -115 wont go to "no signal" now.
The phone is not necessarily losing the signal, it's just reporting that whatever signal it does have is too weak to do anything with and reporting so.

The iPhone 3G/3GS couldn't work with a signal below -113. But the iPhone 4's antennas being superior in terms of signal to noise ratio, the weaker signal is still usable. Prior to 4.0.1, Apple just wasn't using the advantage weak signal range of the iPhone 4. As of 4.0.1 they are. At least this is the way I understand it. I think they were HOPING this would reduce the occurrences of people getting it to 'no signal' with the death grip.
Clearly this much more sensitive antenna is much more sensitive is also much more sensitive to disruption as we all know (that's the unfortunate part.)

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3821/iphone-4-redux-analyzing-apples-ios-41-signal-fix

"This change actually presented itself in our numeric signal strength reports - there’s more dynamic range in these numbers too. Previously, the absolute lowest value any iPhone would report was -113 dBm. With iOS 4.0.1/4.1, the value is now a shockingly low -121 dBm. In the iPhone 4 review, I talked a lot about how although the phone is prone to dropping signal from being held wrong, it was measurably more sensitive in weak signal areas. I was shocked that calls and data worked seemingly unfazed at -113 dBm. It seems as though this increased 8 dBm of range below -113 dBm was meant to show really how much more sensitive the radio stack is - it undeniably is more sensitive. Both Anand and I were able to hang onto calls all the way down at -121 dBm."
 
Dralt said:
I have lurked for years and never posted.

But, this really got me out of the shadows...software that can fix an antenna design...amazing. If Apple claims that tomorrow, I will know for sure that I am not part of their target audience.

If there are 2 antennas in the iPhone 4, I guess they could change the software not to use the one that uses the casing. But, then, reception would suffer for other reasons.

If there is only 1 antenna in the device, they need to fix it and software won't do it.

Amazing.
Click to expand...

Please regale us with your expertise that brings you to this conclusion. Post your resume so we can see your education and experience in such fields. My guess is that your work history mostly includes catering and barbacking. You don't even know the design for the antenna yet you're sure what can and cannot fix it. "Amazing."

SteveOutOfJobs said:
This problem could be easily corrected by giving all iPhone 4 owners a free pair of special metal gloves that would actually increase the signal level. "Hey honey! Your new shiny metallic iGloves really turn me on!", that's what all the hot babes would say.
Click to expand...

LOL, iGlove!!! However did you come up with something so witty??
 
mavis said:
If this issue can be fixed with a software update, why bother releasing 4.0.1 only to turn around and release 4.0.2 the next day?
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to prove it can be fixed with software,

If the problem is signal loss - it makes sense to make make sure the levels are being accurately displayed before you try and fix the problem - how else could you tell if it has worked?
 
those who read anandtech would understand that it's just software issue.

reason is very simple... -113dBm.. iphone OS prior to iOS401 will disconnect.

so basically unless you able to bring iphone4 down to -121 it will stay connected... and even if you do manage to bring it down to -121, applying the same method to ANY phone will result in similar disconnection.. 3GS included... and any HTC/Android phones
 
This makes no sense. Why, if they knew about the design floor and it was fixable by a software update did they wait until after then phone was released?
 
RinoaHeartily said:
those who read anandtech would understand that it's just software issue.

reason is very simple... -113dBm.. iphone OS prior to iOS401 will disconnect.

so basically unless you able to bring iphone4 down to -121 it will stay connected... and even if you do manage to bring it down to -121, applying the same method to ANY phone will result in similar disconnection.. 3GS included... and any HTC/Android phones
Click to expand...
Well it's not quite that simple.
While the iPhone 4 is able to work with a signal weaker than -113, showing that it is an "improvement" over the 3GS in terms of working with a weaker signal, it does not address the (demonstrated) fact that merely touching the antenna gap causes a 24db drop in signal. 24db is an enormous amount in terms of signal strength. This is a physical design flaw. It shows the phone is too sensitive to this disturbance.

So take the good with the bad. The iPhone 4 is better when it's better, but worse when it's worse.

The only way this can be a software bug is if the radio firmware is not properly adjusting to the interference of bridging the antenna gap by adjusting signal output, switching frequencies, or some other ***** I (or any of us) don't actually understand unless Apple tries to explains it to us.
 
tomccabe said:
LOL, iGlove!!! However did you come up with something so witty??
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Hey you know, it's kinda like taking iMac or iPod and then using that for gloves! So the gloves become iGloves!! Get it? It's pretty funny. It was an iJoke. Kinda like my name! You know Steve Jobs is big important person at Apple, so I used that and made my name SteveOutOfJobs, it's kinda like the same but also implying that I'm unemployed. Just think of all the people on the phone wearing their metal gloves! It's very humorous.
 
tomccabe said:
Please regale us with your expertise that brings you to this conclusion. Post your resume so we can see your education and experience in such fields. My guess is that your work history mostly includes catering and barbacking. You don't even know the design for the antenna yet you're sure what can and cannot fix it. "Amazing."
Click to expand...

Right, like any of that could change your mind. I have better things to do.

So, be my guest, dream on. If you focus hard enough, software will fix the antenna.
 
ajnicho said:
This makes no sense. Why, if they knew about the design floor and it was fixable by a software update did they wait until after then phone was released?
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Oversight perhaps? Apple is has a big engineering team but is not impervious to stupid mistakes.
Remember the were "stunned" to learn they were calculating the bars incorrectly. If that was a shocker, I'm believe learning that they weren't taking advantage of the lower signal sensitivity was a revelation.
The code shares common programing between iPhone (1), 3G, 3GS, and 4. So perhaps they failed to implement the exception with the 4.

That is a good question. But I believe whatever the reason was, it comes down to a mistake. Either that or they were being conservative by not implementing the low signal use because it was unproven.

2 Years ago when the iPhone 3G came out, people complained that they got 'less bars' than their previous phone in the same location. 2.1 was released in which they adjusted the formula for calculating the bars to favor 4 and 5 bars. No one seems to remember this. With the iPhone 4 they should have proactively dialed that back like they did with today's 4.0.1 AND extended '1 bar' down to -121db. They didn't do that. Could be any number of reasons. It's all speculation.
 
SteveOutOfJobs said:
implying that I'm unemployed.
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I'm sure that didn't require much imagination (just like the recycled joke that was stupid to begin with).

Dralt said:
Right, like any of that could change your mind.
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It might if you actually had any experience in the field. But we both know you haven't the slightest clue as to what you're talking about.

I have better things to do.
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Yes, I understand table 4 is running low on breadsticks.
 
I have a hard time believing this. The very existence of "bumpers" from the beginning says to me that Apple knew of this issue. And I absolutely don't believe that neither Apple nor AT&T encountered the issue when testing undisguised phones in their labs.
 
Some have an issue, some don't

What kind of gets me at the end of the day is this.
Some people say they get the (cover the antenna insulator) problem and get a sever drop in signal. Others say they can't reproduce the problem.
So "they" say "well, it depends on where you are if you have the problem. If you're in an area with good signal, you won't see the problem. If you had a bad signal to begin with, you'll see the issue."
...to which the imply 'if the problem doesn't happen to you, then you have a good signal and don't worry about it.'

Well, the fact of the matter is we're all going to travel with these phones. They are MOBILE phones after all. Eventually you WILL be in an area with low signal strength.....
Then what?
The **** won't work when you hold it "that way."
 
Fast Shadow said:
I have a hard time believing this. The very existence of "bumpers" from the beginning says to me that Apple knew of this issue.
Click to expand...

It says to me that Apple wanted to capitalize on an extremely lucrative part of the market. In fact case makers for the first time weren't given specs to manufacture cases by release because Apple wanted to have virtually the only case on the market during initial sales (some companies did push out cases without having the product in hand but most, like my Griffin Reveal, are pretty shoddy because of it).

And I absolutely don't believe that neither Apple nor AT&T encountered the issue when testing undisguised phones in their labs.
Click to expand...

Why? I also live in California and can't get a call to drop no matter what I do. You think Apple and AT&T (AT&T even moreso) don't have campuses that are in the shadow of extremely strong towers?
 
tomccabe said:
I'm sure that didn't require much imagination (just like the recycled joke that was stupid to begin with).
Click to expand...


Hey I get it! It didn't require much imagination because you're saying I'm unemployed!!! Very good! I feel like I've lost the verbal battle. I shouldn't pick a fight with a guy called Tom Mac Gabe on an Apple site. You know Mac Gabe it's kinda like an Macintosh computer, get it? That's pretty funny, you're like a computer, to operate your Tom Mac Gabe remember to wear your special metal gloves to avoid infection, you know because you have have contagious diseases.
 
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