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Proximity Sensor - Genius Non Issue

M

MKang25

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 12, 2010
120
17
So I went to the Apple store for my proximity sensor they told me it was a non issue and since they couldn't replicate the issue on the spot they would not replace it for me...

I almost flipped a **it there.
Anyone else told the same thing?
 
Return the phone and buy a new one.


You can do this as many times as you want and there is NO restocking fee for iPhone4

If their customer service is bad at your apple store, abuse apple policy. You should also post what apple store you are going to so others can avoid it. I was given 7 replacement phones before I finally got one that does not have pixel problems, dust under the screen, or proximity sensor issues. Even though I think iP4 has more flaws than BP's oil capping plans I will remain a loyal customer of apple's iDevices because their customer service has been the best in the industry; at least in my personal experiences. The iP4 has been hit or miss for me, but apple has made sure that I am satisfied with my purchase.
 
grapes911 said:
What did you expect? If you can't prove you have a defective phone, they why should they "waste" (notice the quotes, I use the word liberally) a replacement phone on you? Good business practice if you ask me.
Click to expand...

The proximity sensor issue is more frequent on longer 2+ minutes calls. All they did was a 30 second call test. Which does not even replicate what a normal person does during a phone call.
 
grapes911 said:
What did you expect? If you can't prove you have a defective phone, they why should they "waste" (notice the quotes, I use the word liberally) a replacement phone on you? Good business practice if you ask me.
Click to expand...

That's obviously complete nonsense.

Some problems don't or can't happen when you are in the Apple Store.

If your iPhone reboots every night at 11PM when the Apple Store is closed, is that not still a fault?
 
MKang25 said:
The proximity sensor issue is more frequent on longer 2+ minutes calls. All they did was a 30 second call test. Which does not even replicate what a normal person does during a phone call.
Click to expand...

+1
Phone calls intentionally created to test the proximity sensor should be at least 5 minutes in length. 15+ is always a better test period. To test my latest phone, I made a couple 30 minute calls to friend I haven't talked to in a long time. No proximity issues!
 
MKang25 said:
The proximity sensor issue is more frequent on longer 2+ minutes calls. All they did was a 30 second call test. Which does not even replicate what a normal person does during a phone call.
Click to expand...

Then tell them that. I left an older iPhone there for 6 hours once for them to test the battery.
 
I did they told me that if there was an issue with the proximity sensor time shouldn't be an issue. I gave up after about 3 minutes because the "genius" i was talking to was literally like talking to a brick wall.
 
Daveoc64 said:
That's obviously complete nonsense.

Some problems don't or can't happen when you are in the Apple Store.

If your iPhone reboots every night at 11PM when the Apple Store is closed, is that not still a fault?
Click to expand...

I am sorry but he is right, if you want them to "replace" it for an Manufacture issue, you need to be able to prove it. You have the option (as mentioned before) to return the device and buy a new one.
 
Daveoc64 said:
That's obviously complete nonsense.

Some problems don't or can't happen when you are in the Apple Store.

If your iPhone reboots every night at 11PM when the Apple Store is closed, is that not still a fault?
Click to expand...

He didn't take it in for rebooting at 11:00pm. He took it in for not recognizing his face. It is reasonable for the Genius to ask for the problem to be reproduced.
 
maturola said:
I am sorry but he is right, if you want them to "replace" it for an Manufacture issue, you need to be able to prove it. You have the option (as mentioned before) to return the device and buy a new one.
Click to expand...

All things being equal, apple is selling iPhones with problems.....and appearantly to the untrained eye they are now doing/accepting there is a problem. This for itself its a problem, not acepting there is something wrong. I am a loyal apple groupie that loves all their products. I just read somewhere that apple is actually erasing comments on their forum, this is a disgrace! People should not have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that your phone is not working 100% correctly; peolple don't go to the store just because.... if you asked me last year, perhaps I can agree to their policy, but today I have to assure you that this iPhone 4 chaos is taking atoll on apples rep and customer service high marks.
 
I called the 1-800 number and was told to do a full restore on the phone last week. this didn't help the proximity issue at all.

Went into the Apple Store last night and they Genius tested the sensor with his thumb (don't ask me what he was doing) and he told me that he would replace it out.

Hopefully this new phone will not have the same problems.


I'm curious did you come into the store and acted as if this was the problem or did you play it up dumb and explain the problem that you were having with the phone? This could be huge on the type of response you get from someone.
 
I have noticed that the type of lighting around you has a great impact on how to reproduce this. If you're using overhead lighting I have found that it seemed to be a lot harder to produce. At home where there are multiple light sources and the overall ambient lighting is lower seems to trigger it the most. Things like the TV, lamp on a little table, etc all seem to trigger it, at least has for me. The overhead lights at work and it was harder to reproduce.
 
Having your iPhone 4 replaced due to the Proximity Sensor issue is a gigantic waste of time. EVERY iPhone 4 has the potential to show the problem. It's just that not everyone has experienced it yet due to other variables, such as how they hold the phone, the size and shape of their ear, etc..etc.

I have two friends that were confident their iPhone 4s didn't have a problem. That is, until I made a call with their iPhone 4 and held it up to my face, carefully moved it around to find just the "wrong" spot, and BINGO... their iPhone 4 showed the same behavior. They could see the display coming back on and/or flicker on/off.

Ya'll are wasting your time getting your iPhone 4 replaced. The hardware is all the same. Apple will have to address this with a software/firmware fix.

Mark
 
MKang25 said:
So I went to the Apple store for my proximity sensor they told me it was a non issue and since they couldn't replicate the issue on the spot they would not replace it for me...

I almost flipped a **it there.
Anyone else told the same thing?
Click to expand...

You got mad because you told them there was a problem, you tried to show them it was a problem, you couldn't recreate the problem.

Is that right??

Then you flipped out??? Right????

Then your droid phone fell out of your back pocket along with your Zune??? Is that right????
 
Mark Booth said:
Having your iPhone 4 replaced due to the Proximity Sensor issue is a gigantic waste of time. EVERY iPhone 4 has the potential to show the problem. It's just that not everyone has experienced it yet due to other variables, such as how they hold the phone, the size and shape of their ear, etc..etc.

I have two friends that were confident their iPhone 4s didn't have a problem. That is, until I made a call with their iPhone 4 and held it up to my face, carefully moved it around to find just the "wrong" spot, and BINGO... their iPhone 4 showed the same behavior. They could see the display coming back on and/or flicker on/off.

Ya'll are wasting your time getting your iPhone 4 replaced. The hardware is all the same. Apple will have to address this with a software/firmware fix.

Mark
Click to expand...


I usually try to spend most of my time in the "right spot" not looking for the "wrong spot"

and my hardware is not the issue buddy.
 
supercaliber said:
You got mad because you told them there was a problem, you tried to show them it was a problem, you couldn't recreate the problem.

Is that right??

Then you flipped out??? Right????

Then your droid phone fell out of your back pocket along with your Zune??? Is that right????
Click to expand...

Right because the Genius is going to follow me around for half a hour while i try to recreate the problem?
All problems can be recreated on the spot....
There is NO Problem with the proximity sensor its just me trying to get my phone replaced for the hell of it
I must be making this up.

Daddy beat you a lot? Mommy never hug you? Go troll somewhere else.
 
Mark Booth said:
Having your iPhone 4 replaced due to the Proximity Sensor issue is a gigantic waste of time. EVERY iPhone 4 has the potential to show the problem. It's just that not everyone has experienced it yet due to other variables, such as how they hold the phone, the size and shape of their ear, etc..etc.

I have two friends that were confident their iPhone 4s didn't have a problem. That is, until I made a call with their iPhone 4 and held it up to my face, carefully moved it around to find just the "wrong" spot, and BINGO... their iPhone 4 showed the same behavior. They could see the display coming back on and/or flicker on/off.

Ya'll are wasting your time getting your iPhone 4 replaced. The hardware is all the same. Apple will have to address this with a software/firmware fix.

Mark
Click to expand...


I totally agree with you Mark on your observations!

I am too having this issue but I am going to wait and see whether Apple releases any OS fix before my 30 days get over.

If they don't release any OS update, I am going to return it and wait for the confirmation that the issue has been fixed!
 
Just point to the green blob in the camera pictures and they will replace it for you. I think everyone got the green blob under certain light.
 
MKang25 said:
So I went to the Apple store for my proximity sensor they told me it was a non issue and since they couldn't replicate the issue on the spot they would not replace it for me...

I almost flipped a **it there.
Anyone else told the same thing?
Click to expand...

He did you a favor and saved you the time it would have taken you to set up another phone. A new phone would not have fixed the problem, they all have the same problem.
 
On my first attempt to get my phone replaced for the proximity sensor malfunction, I was told that it's a known issue and that they all do it and replacing it would not help, so they wouldn't replace it.

I wasn't convinced, so I made a second appointment and told them about what happened before and said that I wanted it replaced for my own peace of mind and that it was within warranty so they had to replace it.

They replaced it no problem...but sure enough, the 2nd phone is exactly like the 1st.
 
Learjetz said:
If their customer service is bad at your apple store, abuse apple policy.
Click to expand...
This, x1000! I had my 3G replaced eight times due largely to cosmetic issues (although the 'official' reason for replacement was always more substantial, if not contrived) largely because I felt that Apple owed me for wasting my precious time dealing with that steaming POS that was iOS2.0. I spent a good 40-50 hours in the first month restoring and re-installing apps due to the "Apple Logo of Death" bug that they didn't correct until 2.0.1 or whatever, more than a month and a half after the phone was released. So, **** 'em. They wasted my time, I wasted theirs - and got eight shiny new phones out of it. Sounds about right to me.

For the OP, I would suggest two things: one, make a video of the screen turning on/off during a phone call while being held to your ear. Sync the video through iTunes and show the clown at the Apple Store. Second, figure out exactly how to make the proximity sensor fail. I know exactly how to hold my phone so that it's touching my ear (barely) but a shift of 1mm or so will make the screen turn on/off. The movement is literally imperceptible, especially if you do it while you're talking to the "Genius" but it's very effective in showing the problem. I plan on using it again to get a replacement phone as soon as the one I have now gets scratched or has some other, minor cosmetic damage.
 
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