Verizon Iphone - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

[aajeev]

As for the GPS, while I've only had the phone for 36 hours, the few times I've played with the Maps app and other GPS-enabled apps (like Bing maps, which I find to be more up-to-date - Bing has an arial view of my house while Google Maps arial views are from before the entire neighborhood existed) seem just as accurate as the AT&T version of the iPhone 4.

But I will put it through its paces tomorrow with Navigon to see how it does since the OP brought up his concern.

Finally, thank you. Of the last 20 something posts, all I see are bunch of speculations and most of them probably don't even have a Verizon iPhone just yet? This is GPS problem, YES the "ATT vs. Verizon data speed issue" MIGHT have something to do with it but the OP stated that the GPS actually loses signals, that has nothing to do with data speed.

But instead of shut up and just test the GPS yourself or wait for other people to test the GPS for us, most of you just can't help but to point the finger at the data speed issue? Come on people, we all know there is some sort of data speed issue, but let's be reasonable here.

 

[digitard]

OP,
In response to your BAD & Ugly.

First off let me say I'm not disputing your claims at all. We all can acknowledge that just about anything outside the phones "non-network/location dependent" services is going to be different area by area. So while I may or may not have X issue in my area you may or may not in yours.

My location is in the Phoenix Metro area in AZ.

Speeds: I'm getting a pretty constant 1.5+mb down, and about 600-800 up. Pretty standard EVDO RevA stuff. I have had it drop down, but those are in locations that are known to be signal kill area's (in my work which is a huge corprorate/IT building for example). So as far as "my usual" I'm pretty much on par w/ my Droid, etc.

Visual Voicemail: I don't know to be honest. I use Google Voice for my voicemail so it always travels w/ me and notifies me through their app so it's been working since the moment I switched phones. No comment.

GPS: I've used GPS 4x and it's locked on in a few seconds all 4 times. Twice using the Navigon GPS app, and 2x using Google Maps. Longest was about 15-20 seconds.

So could be issues that are more area dependent (maybe it needs a bit more solid of a signal than a previous phone to get the same performance, I dont know) but I can say from my PERSONAL use I haven't seen the issues.

 

[JustLeft]

I've kept my old ip4 with AT&T - do you have any idea how long the 'grace' period is to return to AT&T? I expect to make a decision this week. I have a second Verizon ip4 unopened, which will also go back.

DATA Speeds will not be fixed. They are not spending their money in old technology anymore. LTE is where it's at and the iphone 4 does not support it. That is why I am waiting for Verizon to release next year the LTE version.

You should just come back now get your old iphone and stay put. AT&T will let you back in your old plan no contract within a certain timeframe of leaving.

I've been with AT&T for 3 years, since the original iphone came out. I have had my ups and downs with AT&T regarding download speeds, so I agree with your comments.

The GPS is the deal killer for me at the moment. The data speed is an annoyance.

Finally, thank you. Of the last 20 something posts, all I see are bunch of speculations and most of them probably don't even have a Verizon iPhone just yet? This is GPS problem, YES the "ATT vs. Verizon data speed issue" MIGHT have something to do with it but the OP stated that the GPS actually loses signals, that has nothing to do with data speed.

But instead of shut up and just test the GPS yourself or wait for other people to test the GPS for us, most of you just can't help but to point the finger at the data speed issue? Come on people, we all know there is some sort of data speed issue, but let's be reasonable here.

 

[mpossoff]

At my office I would drop an average of 25% of my calls. I get a strong signal at my office with repeaters throughout the building. Signal strength is not the issue. There are a large number of AT&T iphone users in the immediate vicinity.

Over a 3 month period I carried a Verizon Droid X. During that time I dropped 1 call. Hence the reason for moving to Verizon.

I know others who have AT&T iphones and don't suffer the dropped calls that I do. Most of their calls are short duration. I tend to live on conference calls which can last an hour or more.

25% dropped calls is unacceptable to me. I also do alot conference calling and occasionally drop a call.

You have alot of data hungry iPhone users in your vicinity. According to AT&T they are expanding and improving their network projected to be complete by March 31st. This might affect you.

I believe AT&T wasn't prepared for all the bandwidth. I'm thinking Verizon is throttling their network cause they don't want to get in the same situation as AT&T. Tomorrow and the weeks to come will be the real test because of AT&T defectors. We'll see if Verizon can handle the load or not. They may just keep data where it's at and on the other side of the coin campaign for better voice inferior data. Their slogan is 'can you hear me now?' maybe they aren't concerned about data as they are concerned about voice. Heck AT&T campaign is data.

I understand you need a fix now. However it sounds to me you would sacrifice dropped calls for better data if Verizon doesn't fix the current situation.

The grass isn't always greener. It maybe greener for a while.

 

[einmusiker]

Finally, thank you. Of the last 20 something posts, all I see are bunch of speculations and most of them probably don't even have a Verizon iPhone just yet? This is GPS problem, YES the "ATT vs. Verizon data speed issue" MIGHT have something to do with it but the OP stated that the GPS actually loses signals, that has nothing to do with data speed.

But instead of shut up and just test the GPS yourself or wait for other people to test the GPS for us, most of you just can't help but to point the finger at the data speed issue? Come on people, we all know there is some sort of data speed issue, but let's be reasonable here.

I drive 180 miles a day. I had been using iP4 on att for two months using the gps and now have been using iP4 on verizon and it absolutely is a weaker gps signal.

 

[mpossoff]

DATA Speeds will not be fixed. They are not spending their money in old technology anymore. LTE is where it's at and the iphone 4 does not support it. That is why I am waiting for Verizon to release next year the LTE version.

You should just come back now get your old iphone and stay put. AT&T will let you back in your old plan no contract within a certain timeframe of leaving.

And AT&T LTE will be in my market.

 

[mturi]

I preordered mine and received it on the 7th. I ported my number from AT&T whereupon the fun began.

The Good
- I get excellent coverage with the ip4 and the voice quality is flawless. Definitely better than my AT&T ip4.
- No dropped calls in the last 2 days.

The Bad
- Data speeds have been horrible. From < 90 kbs (down) to a high of 540 kbs. I have made a number of calls to Verizon over the last two days trying to get this resolved. No one has been able to resolve the issue. On my last call they generated a ticket. During the last two days my download speed during the business day was 0. Using Nice Trace (great app!) and pointing to http://www.verizonwireless.com I see delays at each hop with substantial packet loss, up to and exceeding 100%. All IPs that are experiencing packet loss are verizon servers.
- It took a day to get visual voicemail set up on my account. Two of the individuals I spoke with took my number and promised to call me back. They never did.

The Ugly
- GPS - it is much slower to acquire a lock than my AT&T iphone. Once it gets a lock it loses it easily. For example, on my way home tonight I launched Navigon, set the iphone on the dash as far forward as it could go, selected 'take me home' and had a clear view to the sky. While driving it warned me on 3 different occasions that it was losing its' lock and was accurate to 90 meters. A four mile drive and losing the location lock 3 times. When I came to a stop light the location would jump around, not knowing which direction I was heading. This never happened on my AT&T ip4. I also tested the GPS with Runkeeper. I used this program frequently with my AT&T ip4, without issue. On the Verizon iphone it was 1/3 of a mile off, with a GPS lock.

I am torn as to keeping this phone. The data issues could be resolved, but the GPS issues could mean my phone is defective. I know this GPS is now on an integrated chip and it's performance may not be as good as the dedicated GPS chip.

Just curious to know how Verizon fixed your visual voice mail. I have the same problem. So far it took over two hours of phone support just to get my mailbox recognized on their system again and I already had a Verizon account but still no visual vm. They said it may take another 24 to 36 hours to fix that. Is that a joke or what? Also could not transfer contacts from "backup assistant" using the vztransfer app and neither could Verizon until someone finally reset something on my account 12 hours later. The two reps I spoke with so far have basically no knowledge of the iPhone. They are grasping at straws and asking each other for help while I was on the phone with them. Verizon did a poor job preparing them for this. Other than that the phone seems to be okay.

 

[mpossoff]

I drive 180 miles a day. I had been using iP4 on att for two months using the gps and now have been using iP4 on verizon and it absolutely is a weaker gps signal.

Cause it's a weaker 3G signal. What about maps? If you don't have a good signal you can't access maps.

 

[MedicSteve09]

I have to say that I'm very impressed with the verizon iPhone. I am coming from the Droid.

I haven't done any extensive testing with the GPS but what little I did play around with it, it was vastly superior to the droid's. The Droid could take 10-15seconds to acquire signal. My iPhone locked in at less than 5 seconds. Not only did it accurately display my location, zooming in, I noticed it showed me in the appropriate section of my house. The Droid would've showed me in a neighbors yard.

The battery life is what I'd expect from a device such as this. Yesterday was day 2 of me owning it. I got up at 8:30 with a full charge. Spent an approx 4 hours of total talk time. Played a few games, approx an hours worth. Listened to music for an hour (stored music, not streamed). Spent about half an hour reading rss feeds. I plugged it back in when I went to bed around 11pm. It had 15% remaining. Now, I keep wifi turned on and Bluetooth on. I'm satisfied with my results.

I cant really remark on the data speeds because I always use wifi (Either in my house or any of the ambulance stations I work).

I love my iPhone. The *only* complaint I have is the damn thing feels like it wants to slip right out of my hand. I'm waiting to see if otter box is going to offer a reflex case for the vzw iPhone (in this sense, it is different than AT&T). I like how it allows the bottom to be removed for dock access.

Even after two days of my iPhone, I just can't stand touching the wife's Droid. It feels so....sluggish

 

[mo25]

I haven't had any problems with GPS.

 

[JustLeft]

The rep would not tell me what she fixed. Just that it was a setting. One thing she had me do differently than the others was to go into settings, general, and select reset all settings. All the other reps had me only reset network settings.

I agree with you on the Verizon reps being poorly prepared. One rep even read me instructions for an android phone instead of the iphone.

Just curious to know how Verizon fixed your visual voice mail. I have the same problem. So far it took over two hours of phone support just to get my mailbox recognized on their system again and I already had a Verizon account but still no visual vm. They said it may take another 24 to 36 hours to fix that. Is that a joke or what? Also could not transfer contacts from "backup assistant" using the vztransfer app and neither could Verizon until someone finally reset something on my account 12 hours later. The two reps I spoke with so far have basically no knowledge of the iPhone. They are grasping at straws and asking each other for help while I was on the phone with them. Verizon did a poor job preparing them for this. Other than that the phone seems to be okay.

What are you using for GPS? I wonder if there is an issue with Navigon and Runkeeper. Perhaps this chipset may require changes to programming for some applications. Pulling at straws, I wasn't using Google Maps though.

One other question - did you have a bumper or a case on the phone?

I haven't had any problems with GPS.

 

[Mark Booth]

Over a 3 month period I carried a Verizon Droid X. During that time I dropped 1 call. Hence the reason for moving to Verizon.

Wait until Verizon has 10 million iPhones out there and then see how many calls you drop on Verizon!

And, BTW, just a couple of weeks ago, Verizon changed the trial period to 14 days! So, you've got just 2 weeks go make up your mind.

Mark

 

[JustLeft]

One difference with Verizon is that they separate data from voice traffic.

You are spot on about the 14 days. Believe me I am watching that closely. Going to give this a few more days then decide.

Wait until Verizon has 10 million iPhones out there and then see how many calls you drop on Verizon!

And, BTW, just a couple of weeks ago, Verizon changed the trial period to 14 days! So, you've got just 2 weeks go make up your mind.

Mark

 

[BriChi]

yes, the GPS app that comes in the iPhone is a joke, you really should get another one like people mentioned like Navigon, TomTom, etc..... One that works "offline" so if you are on a call, the map is still live

 

[shadrap]

I have used Navigon several times and it has worked flawlessly.

Speed i am averaging 1.5, this is compared to mostly Edge when I had the AT&T iPhone 4, so Verizon is fast. Even when I was in Greensboro or Charlotte, I usually only averaged 1.5 - 2.5 with AT&T.

 

[mightygitis]

I'm concerned for the GPS in your phone, OP. Because the GPS as others have said has nothing to do with Verizon vs AT&T. The GPS in my Verizon iPhone isn't having nearly the trouble. In fact, I'm not seeing the data speed issue that everyone is complaining about either. Perhaps because I've always been Verizon so I'm used to the speed it's at?

 

[rlav]

I have been thrilled with my verizon iPhone. Just outside of DC I am getting between 1-2 Mbps when I have full bars. 3-4 bars is giving me around 750 kb/s - 1mb/s. More than what I need on a mobile device. Did a speed test against an AT&T iPhone also with 5 bars and my Verizon phone was quite a bit faster.

 

[nizmoz]

I've kept my old ip4 with AT&T - do you have any idea how long the 'grace' period is to return to AT&T? I expect to make a decision this week. I have a second Verizon ip4 unopened, which will also go back.

I don't recall but it wasn't that long. Maybe 2 weeks at the most....might want to call.

And AT&T LTE will be in my market.

By then probably so. Which I also will consider.

 

[seenew]

this is why you wait for the iP5

 

[MarlboroLite]

Well Verizon is not perfect. Many of us on Verizon who refused to switch to ATT did not do so out of love for Verizon or fanboyism. I mean come on...a telecom company is hard to love. I did not switch to ATT for the iPhone simply because in MY area (NYC metro) ATT is about as bad as it gets. Verizon delivers reliable service here and getting the best phone in the world on a network that doesn't work in this area is dumb, and money down the drain.

I've been getting an average of 1.5-1.8 down and 500-800 up. It's what I usually got on the Droid, so no difference. Interestingly I did get 2.2 down yesterday at one point when I measured it, I had never seen anything in the 2 range on Verizon with the Droid. Signal-wise, I simply don't go below 2 bars in this area. Can't speak to the GPS because I haven't tried it. I am quite happy and satisfied, I am very glad I decided to stay with Verizon and wait for the iPhone to come....a phone is only as good as the service you get from your provider. If ATT was great around here I would have had no qualms about switching.

 

[mpossoff]

By then probably so. Which I also will consider.

Yeah the rep at the store said March when the atrix comes out.

 

[Creibold]

Just wanted to chime in here.

I have also had my Verizon iPhone 4 for a couple days now and have have great GPS signal, it only takes about a second or 2 to lock on completely. MotionX has been working great.

I have noticed that the data is slow in general, but I will hit spots every now and then where I get blazing data speeds. However, coming from a Motorola Droid, I'm use to the data speed.

 

[whiteyanderson]

My GPS is working just fine as well. Used it for the first time today all day and had no issues whatsoever. My data speeds are normal for what I've come to expect with VZW- about 1.5 or so down and about 500-600 up.

 

[Chris Welch]

Wait until Verizon has 10 million iPhones out there and then see how many calls you drop on Verizon!

And, BTW, just a couple of weeks ago, Verizon changed the trial period to 14 days! So, you've got just 2 weeks go make up your mind.

Mark

Which is why it makes more sense to buy it at the Apple Store or Best Buy, both of which have a 30-day return policy that supersedes the 14-day Verizon period.

 

[richpjr]

I was already on Verizon, so the data speeds were not a surprise to me. I get around 1 Mbps at work and slightly less than that at my home. But at both places I use wifi so speed has never been an issue. Out and about I see variations all over the place, but generally don't see it as an issue, but I'm not a huge data user while out and about.