MacRumors Poll: iPhone 4 Signal Loss by Region
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ChrisTX
macrumors 68030
Not sure what you mean, regardless it seems like this issue isn't affecting everyone, but enough users to draw attention from Apple. Let's hope Jobs is right, and that there is no issue.
AttilaTheHun
macrumors 65816
londonmystery
macrumors 6502
Definitely have a signal problem with ours. Bumper seems to alleviate the problem most of the time. 
For what it's worth, in 12 years of owning cell phones (9 years Verizon, 3 AT&T), regardless of the phone, sometimes you see a good signal, try to make a call, and you got nothin'. Sure, a signal indicator is nice, but the only thing that really matters: will my call go through and not disconnect?
A signal indicator, in my 12 years of experience, has never been able to reliably answer that question. Yeah, it's gonna affect the liklihood, but sometimes cell service just don't work, and the indicator, regardless of what it shows, won't change that.
So, I would think the better question is: does holding iPhone 4 in a certain way reliably prevent calls from connecting or cause them to drop?
alexknibb
macrumors newbie
Hehe, "loving room", makes me think about Quagmire
Giggity.
wrkactjob
macrumors 65816
Its on now, I love Family Guy.
anyway, at work today London Lloyds TSB, the fat girl in black with the 'I've just been laid all sleepy voice' who has an IP4 but doesn't know how to adjust the volume...well I picked her phone up with my left hand and sure enough the bars started dropping!...my 3g in the same position, rock solid 5 bars, like its on viagra...
"giggitygig!"
RinoaHeartily
macrumors newbie
Ok how many of you here actually have had your iphone4 signal degraded till "NO SERVICE" when held in that "way"?
And how many of you came to ur own conclusion after viewing the video from gizmodo...
the truth is, you probably lose 1 or 2 bars that's ALL. and it will return back to normal after a few seconds.. it's very normal.
The video you guys seen has been put up by some guys with their own selfish agenda... u guys heard of a device that distort signal? use frequently at theaters and cinemas to prevent phones from getting signals.
trust me... it's a NON ISSUE.
And how many of you came to ur own conclusion after viewing the video from gizmodo...
the truth is, you probably lose 1 or 2 bars that's ALL. and it will return back to normal after a few seconds.. it's very normal.
The video you guys seen has been put up by some guys with their own selfish agenda... u guys heard of a device that distort signal? use frequently at theaters and cinemas to prevent phones from getting signals.
trust me... it's a NON ISSUE.
BobVB
macrumors 6502a
I've never seen the Gizmodo video, and I noticed it because it would and will drop any call I was on if I picked up the phone at home, something no previous iPhone has done before. The dropping bars are there, yes, but they are a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.
RinoaHeartily
macrumors newbie
ok bob.. i am making a wild guess here.. you are probably the unlucky one.. i think u got a lemon... and it has nothing to do with the way u hold ur iphone or the exposed antenna design thingie.
BobVB
macrumors 6502a
No it very much is the exposed antenna - cover it with electrical tape and the problem goes away.
robotmonkey
macrumors 6502
Just got an reply email from steve jobs about it.... he said "You don't need a case. The iPhone 4 works just fine." I have tried submitting it but I have never done it before.... Mar or may not have done it right.
BobVB
macrumors 6502a
Well if you are serious than we're screwed - if Jobs won't admit the problem its not going to get fixed.
robotmonkey
macrumors 6502
Here is the screenshot of the email
Attachments
Anyplace where I get 3 bars or less of cellular signal with the cell phone untouched. Subtract more than 3 bars in a barely sweaty "grip of death" and I get the no service message.
There are several places near me where I get less than 3 bars. Heck, there are (or used to be?) places near Apple's Infinite Loop HQ where I only got 3 bars of 3G last year. They could have tested by taking some short walks in nice sunny CA weather.
And 5 bars could mean anywhere from barely 5 bars to getting a signal more than 10,000 times stronger than needed for 5 bars (40 dBm higher signal power), so it's real hard to tell (even if the signal drops out even by a factor of 1000X) in strong signal areas when your cell phone is showing 5 bars.
AttilaTheHun
macrumors 65816
nop you are wrong I love my iphone and hop that it will work good I realy want to keep it.
but when I open the phone it start with 3 to 4 bars as I put it in my hand it start to loos the bars until no service.
sorry I wish it was not the case.
oh one more think this is happning in my home, and bythe way my blackberry bold 9000 has full 5 bars at the same rome no mater haw I am holding it.
macintoshi
macrumors 6502
strange
Strange i don't have the issue with iOS4 on my 3GS, Swisscom Provider, but i must say, while my iPhone 3GS is almost 1 year old,i do see a boost in battery power over iOS3, i mean my battery lasts longer on iOS4...
BobVB
macrumors 6502a
I agree
yes, remember when you had to remember to exit certain programs before turning off the screen or when you'd come back the battery would be significantly drained? Now with iOS 4 that doesn't happened. Left my GPS program as the forward program when I left the car yesterday - went to use the iPhone 30 minutes later and the battery was still saying 100% with the GPS sitting there still open.
yes, remember when you had to remember to exit certain programs before turning off the screen or when you'd come back the battery would be significantly drained? Now with iOS 4 that doesn't happened. Left my GPS program as the forward program when I left the car yesterday - went to use the iPhone 30 minutes later and the battery was still saying 100% with the GPS sitting there still open.
litedesign
macrumors member
When I hold the phone comfortably in my left hand, I experience signal loss when I am at home in Queens, but no problems when I am at work in Manhattan.
My thoughts exactly. I highly doubt that the issue is related to location, inconsistencies in the hardware, or even variations in static electricity from person to person like some have suggested. I think Kuro is exactly right (sorry if this has already been discussed somewhere else). I'm a biomedical/electrical engineer and I deal with this type of electrical interface all the time. There are HUGE variations in skin conductivity from person to person. For example, if a person has dry, calloused skin, their skin is likely to be a far worse conductor than someone with soft, moist skin and should cause less of a problem. There are many, many variables that would have an effect on the conductivity, so it's not at all surprising that the problem seems intermittent.
In addition, the human body is an excellent conductor of any kind of electrical noise. I'm no antenna expert, but to have such a direct electrical connection between the phone antenna and such a noisy source seems silly.
I'm curious to see if the problem caused by bridging the two antennae is lessened by turning off all other radios (wifi, bluetooth, GPS). I would think that would at least help to eliminate some interference.
It seems like more of a hardware problem to me, but it will be interesting to see if Apple can work some magic and come up with a quick software fix. I hope they do, because I'm holding off on getting mine until this is resolved...