iPhone 4 Signal Strength Indicator Issue Alleviated by Use of Bumper or Case

[mrelwood]

I have a '08 iPhone 3G. Depending on how I "cup" it, I can drop out from Wi-Fi completely or decrease cellular reception from 5 to 3 bars. That said, I hadn't noticed that during 2 years of active usage.

Woah, there... press hard? If it is a simple conductivity issue, you shouldn't have to press hard to make it happen. Electricity doesn't care how hard you press.

Yes it does. Try measuring resistance with a multimeter by pressing the probes hard then soft. I just did, resulting 40Kohm and 7000Kohm. Different people get different results mainly because of moisture. InvisibleShield and sorts don't cover the very edges, so they wouldn't prevent an electrical connection of some sort, but should definately decrease capacitance and others.

Has nobody checked this with a multimeter?
...
If the resistance drops to zero, you've shorted them.

Doesn't work if the phone is on. Measuring resistance from the palm of my hand at a distance of 0.2cm, I got results varying from dry 3000Kohm to moist 100Kohm. A light bulb is about 1Kohm. So this is pretty far from "shorting" or "rendering the seam useless". If a person could actually electrically short by touching, a 9V battery would be lethal.

Something like 95% of all iPhone's are used with a case.

Don't think so. Only one out of about a dozen iPhones that I know of are used with a case. Still, no company would ever release a phone that would rely on a case.

If the phone is fooled into thinking it has no signal, it could be forcing an end to the call when there is no need to.

Exactly. Let's hold our fail-judging horses until we know what the issue is about. I'm sure most if not all "judges" who say that it can't be fixed with software know nothing about how mobile phones work. I don't either, so I can't make that judgement. But I am very interested in knowing what the reason actually is.

"leegordon79" has good points, and a theory I find plausible. Didn't Apple confess that they had problems meeting production numbers? This issue would be a good reason for that.

But I wouldn't hold off buying because of this. If it's software, it'll be fixed. If it's hardware, it will be replaced. If Apple doesn't fix it at all, atleast in Finland any item can be returned if it doesn't serve as expected. It's the law. But don't go painting the device with anything! That will propably void warranty and the possibility of replace OR return.

300 DOLLAR iPhone 4

I can never get over this. Do americans concider groceries free if paid with a credit card? iPhone is not a $300 phone to any customer in any country.

On Foxconn, isn't the suicide ratio lower in Foxconn than it is in the US? Anyone know the overall ratio in China? Makes me think if actual objective "news" exist anymore. What worries me though is if someone will raise the ratio when this iPhone 4 issue gets sorted.

Steve Jobs responding "avoid holding it in that way" is clearly a message that they don't quite know what side to take on this yet. They will.

My girlfriend and I have done some testings on ours and can't seem to produce the problem no matter how much and where we put our hands and fingers around

The problems you talk about are not produced by hand. Ask mom.

 

[ardent73]

Engineering....

Can someone actually prove they're an engineer and use a multimeter on the iPhone4 to check for impendence and/or short circuit issues?

I'm going to strap mine on before I go to the Apple Store....

 

[nsayer]

Band related?

In my experimentation, I believe I've determined that the attenuation that people have reported may be band-related. That is, I can pretty easily duplicate the condition when using my Microcell, which I've previously figured out works on the 1.9 GHz band. But out and about, I've not noticed this happening, and I believe in our part of the world AT&T uses 800 MHz for macrocells.

Unfortunately, they got rid of the *3001#12345#* field test mode, so all we have to go on are the stupid bars.

 

[mdickerson]

Can someone actually prove they're an engineer and use a multimeter on the iPhone4 to check for impendence and/or short circuit issues?

I'm going to strap mine on before I go to the Apple Store....

What exactly do you want to check? The characteristic impedance of all the antennae used in the phone is 50 ohms (by standard). Your body has a very high resistance which does not result in a short. If you take that 50 ohm characteristic impedance in parallel with your body, you still get a 50 ohm load at the receiver. it is not static causing the problem. The added capacitance of your body will affect how much energy is reflected back and is likely a part of the issue.

 

[nsayer]

The characteristic impedance of all the antennae used in the phone is 50 ohms (by standard).

Not so much.

The characteristic impedance of a traditional transceiver is indeed 50 ohms, but in this case, the antenna is not of a traditional design. In fact, I'd say it has more in common with random wire antennas than with something like a dipole. What is more likely than not is that the engineers determined what the characteristic impedance of the case just happens to be in the average case and designed in an appropriate impedance matching network.

 

[mdickerson]

Not so much.

The characteristic impedance of a traditional transceiver is indeed 50 ohms, but in this case, the antenna is not of a traditional design. In fact, I'd say it has more in common with random wire antennas than with something like a dipole. What is more likely than not is that the engineers determined what the characteristic impedance of the case just happens to be in the average case and designed in an appropriate impedance matching network.

Yes, so much... The output stage of the Skyworks device is impedance matched to 50 ohms. Regardless of what you consider the antenna to physically look like, it still needs to be impedance matched for best power transfer and lowest VSWR.

 

[michaelsaxon]

If I hold this iPhone the way I've held all of my other iPhones I lose all cell phone connectivity. I go from 5 to 0 bars.

 

[rcandre2]

Thanks for reporting this issue, we might never have known about it had you not chosen to repeat what others have already stated. If your schoolyard friends continue to mock you I suggest bringing the matter to the attention of your teacher. In the meantime, Apple is working on a fix for your phone.

Thanks son. I think someone needs a spanking from daddy.

 

[Bro Mane]

If I hold this iPhone the way I've held all of my other iPhones I lose all cell phone connectivity. I go from 5 to 0 bars.

You're not the only one.

 

[rcandre2]

You're not the only one.

Exactly! Even though this user may have re-stated the issue that is already known it is GOOD that he has made his experience known to us. There is strength in numbers.

 

[gri]

I bet some reviewers are kicking themselves that they missed this one.

And the field testers are getting an earful from their boss as well.

Apple should've handed out naked prototypes to some of the people around here... instead of pro-Apple reviewers and case-using company field testers. Then they would've found out about it long ago.

They tried but than they lost it in a bar...

 

[scoobydoo99]

i'm sure there is some issue here, but this video isn't very convincing at all. he certainly seems to have to go to a lot of trouble using both hands and gripping tightly in an unnatural way to produce the results. i'd like to see the phenomenon reproduced with just a thumb in the center of the left side and 2 fingers on the right side, the way i hold my iPhone.

 

[scorpion911]

I wish I had known

It would have been nice to know this was an issue, I really thought that they would have thought outside the box a bit more. Apple has their stuff together lets face it. I will have to look into getting a bumper until I can get the new Otterbox. I had absolutely no signal today when my wife had full bars with my old 3GS in an Otterbox case.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

It would have been nice to know this was an issue, I really thought that they would have thought outside the box a bit more. Apple has their stuff together lets face it. I will have to look into getting a bumper until I can get the new Otterbox. I had absolutely no signal today when my wife had full bars with my old 3GS in an Otterbox case.

if Apple don't find any solution to this problem I think to go back to the 3GS, my son saw the iphone 4 today played with it for 5 minutes and toled me to order the 3GS he don't like the iphone 4 too smal and the lose of the signal.that realy pist me off. now Apple will tell me also how to hold the phone?

 

[knewsom]

I had to do a full restore on my new phone, to fix another bug I inherited when restoring from a backup of my prev. phone, and after the restore, I have not experienced signal loss due to antenna contact.

 

[Eric S.]

Wow. I thought Jobs couldn't have gotten any more arrogant, but once again he surprises me! I wonder how many people other than myself have ran away from the iphone "eco-system" into the transparent (at least) evil of Google/Android.

My decision last month to go with the Droid Incredible has never looked better than it does right now.

 

[n8236]

LOL!!! I love how this case has to be from Apple....u'd would almost think Apple reduced the reception so they can sell u these bumpers LOL, jking

 

[cwwilson]

"This changes everything. Again."

Err well, yeah this DOES change things. Changes the way you have to hold the phone to get signal.

 

[mrxmoonlight]

if Apple don't find any solution to this problem I think to go back to the 3GS, my son saw the iphone 4 today played with it for 5 minutes and toled me to order the 3GS he don't like the iphone 4 too smal and the lose of the signal.that realy pist me off. now Apple will tell me also how to hold the phone?

too small?? Whats wrong with your kid?
My iPhone4 is not experiencing this problem btw!!

 

[Digimp]

My experience

My first ever post on her so please forgive me if this goes wrong.....

I'm in the UK on O2, queued like everyone else yesterday to get iPhone 4.

I had the orange blobs in the corner, and noticed that if you rubbed the screen in the area, pressing quite hard they would diminish which seems to back up the "theory of the glue". Turned phone on this morning and they have gone.

As for the signal strength, I can use the grip of death to make the signal bars reduce but I do not completely lose signal. But I have noticed the very original 'bug' that the phone seems to be very sensitive and too quick to switch between 3g and edge, which I think may be highlighting the problem of falling bars more. That is, in my opinion, an IOS4 problem. The problem also seems to be more noticeable in poor signal areas.

Apart from that it is superbly fast, screen is awesome and in general I am getting far better wifi signals than my previous 3g.

Just my thoughts after 1 days use.

 

[mac ath]

i don't know if anyone mentioned this before but could this issue played a PART at the loading problems during Steve's announcement of iPhone 4? Apple said it was WiFi issues due to all those other WiFi and MiFi's in the room BUT the 3GS managed to upload the page even if it did it slow. iPhone 4 never made it. Could it be that Steve was holding the "dead zone"?

 

[y2graham]

For me personally i dont understand the idea of queueing for hours to get the new phone only to find there are teething problems with it. I mean, what do you expect, its a new device which probably hasn't been tested fully so issues like the screen and reception havent bee ironed out. Why dont you wait a few months until all the issues have been sorted then there will be less chance of any problems with the phone......

 

[2499723]

The author of this MacRumors article (Eric) used the word, 'issue', WAY too much within his post.

 

[Ubuntu]

LOL!!! I love how this case has to be from Apple....u'd would almost think Apple reduced the reception so they can sell u these bumpers LOL, jking

Wouldn't put it past them. Apple is handling this really poorly. Between my family, my girlfriend and myself we have about 10 phones (2 aren't really being used) including a recent blackberry, a nokia n900 and an iPhone 3G.

None of them appear to have reception issues this bad when held. Maybe one or two bars, but not a complete loss.

And Apple's solution? "Don't hold it that way" or "buy a bumper"? Oh dear.

 

[Digimp]

For me personally i dont understand the idea of queueing for hours to get the new phone only to find there are teething problems with it. I mean, what do you expect, its a new device which probably hasn't been tested fully so issues like the screen and reception havent bee ironed out. Why dont you wait a few months until all the issues have been sorted then there will be less chance of any problems with the phone......

I know my place in life - my wife told me to queue.

In fact between the 2 of us we have both had 3g's that:
Stopped texting - both handsets replaced
Cracked Screen due to defect - handset replaced
Cracked back due to defect - handset replaced
Faulty wifi chip - handset replaced
Microphone failure - handset replaced
Proximity sensor failure - handset replaced

Issues get sorted but component batches vary and problems still persist well after launch, so you may as well jump in at the deep end - if your wife tells you to!!