WELP! just got my new iPhone 4S & there is already a problem!!

[VideoNewbie]

Just got my new iPhone 4S...was super excited that is until i realized that theres an issue with the speaker. No i am not talking about the same "only one speaker works" fiasco..i understand the left 'speaker' is actually the mic....

i called my friend put him on speaker...and even though the volume was maxed out i noticed that i had to strain to hear what he was saying. ive had many conversations with my friend before on my 3gs & never had to do this so i know the problem was on my end.

after the phone call i decided to compare the speaker volume of my old 3gs with the speaker volume on my new 4s...i did this by comparing the 'clicking' noise that the phone makes when you press the "on/off" button on the top of the phone....

the results? well lo and behold i was right. the speaker on my new 4s sounds low & muffled in comparison to the speaker on my old 3gs. specifically the "on/off" clicking noise was much louder and more crisp sounding on my old 3gs in comparison to my new 4s...i dont understand???

did i get a defective iphone 4s? why is the speaker on my 3gs louder & more crisp than my 4s? is this a legit reason for apple to replace my phone?

can those of you with a 4s and an old 3gs do the same "on/off" clicking noise test & report back if your 3gs is louder & more crisp sounding?

 

[ahjay]

My friend played some music on his iPhone 4S and it was SO loud. My 3G is very quiet. Maybe you should take it to Apple store and see what they say.

 

[neenja]

yep, ive seen this happen. take it into apple and get it replaced.

also.. you did remember to take off the plastic sticker/wrap that ships with the phone right? ive had countless amounts of customers come in with this problem and its because they were too anal to take off that wrapper.

not trying to say youre dumb or anything, but excitement and cautiousness can sometimes impair people

 

[VideoNewbie]

yep, ive seen this happen. take it into apple and get it replaced.

also.. you did remember to take off the plastic sticker/wrap that ships with the phone right? ive had countless amounts of customers come in with this problem and its because they were too anal to take off that wrapper.

not trying to say youre dumb or anything, but excitement and cautiousness can sometimes impair people

wait uve seen this happen? so its a common issue that the speakers on the iphone 4s are defective ?

about the sticker/wrap...i purposely left the sticker/wrap on because im waiting for my new case to arrive in the mail but what difference would that make?

the sticker/wrap doesnt cover or even touch the speaker ..it only covers up the ear microphone on the very top of the phone ..that shouldnt have an effect on the speaker volume right?

 

[neenja]

ahhh apologies, i just realized you said you put your friend on speaker.

and yes, ive also seen that issue

 

[VideoNewbie]

ahhh apologies, i just realized you said you put your friend on speaker.

and yes, ive also seen that issue

when u say uve 'seen that issue' im guessing u work at the apple store and have had ppl come in and complain about it?

whats apples protocol for something like this?

most of the apple stores around me are sold out of the iphone 4s...so even if i brought it in and they agreed to replace it...they would have nothin to replace it with..how would they handle a situation like mine?

Does apple have a pretty liberal policy in swapping out phones? what if they tell me "oh sorry it sounds fine to me" if i insist will they still replace it?

 

[ZipZap]

I just dont understand why we need posts like the OP's.

If you suspect its not working, go into the store and compare. If its low, get a replacement.

 

[thesiren]

I just dont understand why we need posts like the OP's.

If you suspect its not working, go into the store and compare. If its low, get a replacement.

agreed.

 

[RafaelT]

If it is not working as well or better then your old iPhone then obviously something is wrong. Just go get it replaced. Simple as that. Apple generally improves products as they mature, they don't start throwing crappy parts in to make the product worse.

I just dont understand why we need posts like the OP's.

If you suspect its not working, go into the store and compare. If its low, get a replacement.

+1

 

[VideoNewbie]

If it is not working as well or better then your old iPhone then obviously something is wrong. Just go get it replaced. Simple as that. Apple generally improves products as they mature, they don't start throwing crappy parts in to make the product worse.



+1

"just go get it replaced"...well i guess thats what i will do. except how can i do that if most of their stock is sold out? the purpose of this thread was to see if others were having the same problem. other than the guy who said he's seen this problem before, looks like im the only one on here.

 

[reaborg]

"just go get it replaced"...well i guess thats what i will do. except how can i do that if most of their stock is sold out? the purpose of this thread was to see if others were having the same problem. other than the guy who said he's seen this problem before, looks like im the only one on here.

They have a separate inventory for replacement phones. They are packaged in a black plastic box.

 

[thelatinist]

The 4S' speaker should be significantly louder than the 3GS'. If it is not, you should simply take it to the Genius Bar and get it replaced. They usually have a separate stock of replacement phones for just this purpose.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

Sounds defective, I'm sure they will replace it. If they disagree with you, then just make yourself very adamant you want a replacement. The last thing Apple Store employees are going to want is a scene, especially in a busy store.

 

[RafaelT]

"just go get it replaced"...well i guess thats what i will do. except how can i do that if most of their stock is sold out?

They have a separate inventory for replacement phones. They are packaged in a black plastic box.

And that is your answer. As reaborg said they have a separate stock of replacement phones. These phones are generally refurbished, however since it is still so close to launch if you hurry you will still get a brand new one out of that stock.

 

[VideoNewbie]

The 4S' speaker should be significantly louder than the 3GS'. If it is not, you should simply take it to the Genius Bar and get it replaced. They usually have a separate stock of replacement phones for just this purpose.

are the replacement iphones in the 'black plastic box' refurbished phones or ? how come they r packaged in black plastic ...i mean are these phones that have been more closely examined for faults? why dont they just use the regular stock phones for replacements?

(yes im inquisitive)

 

[Dangerous Theory]

are the replacement iphones in the 'black plastic box' refurbished phones or ? how come they r packaged in black plastic ...i mean are these phones that have been more closely examined for faults? why dont they just use the regular stock phones for replacements?

(yes im inquisitive)

Save package production & accessory costs.

 

[VideoNewbie]

And that is your answer. As reaborg said they have a separate stock of replacement phones. These phones are generally refurbished, however since it is still so close to launch if you hurry you will still get a brand new one out of that stock.

thanks for that tip! even if its a new one...will it still be packaged in a black plastic box?

ive read stories from other people on here that have said apple swapped out a 'brand new phone' for them...how do they know its 'brand new' if all replacements come in a black plastic box? or do some people get lucky and get a brand new one inside of a regular box?

 

[French]

"just go get it replaced"...well i guess thats what i will do. except how can i do that if most of their stock is sold out? the purpose of this thread was to see if others were having the same problem. other than the guy who said he's seen this problem before, looks like im the only one on here.

Why don't you go try to get it replaced and let us know? Every store will have a different level of replacement stock. Additionally, plenty of others have posted on this forum about their experiences with exchanging a defective (or suspected defective) phone. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out from those posts that the Genius bar will take a look at your phone and see if they agree there is an issue. If there is they will replace your phone and if they can't, they will advise you on next steps.

Good luck with the replacement.

 

[wpotere]

thanks for that tip! even if its a new one...will it still be packaged in a black plastic box?

ive read stories from other people on here that have said apple swapped out a 'brand new phone' for them...how do they know its 'brand new' if all replacements come in a black plastic box? or do some people get lucky and get a brand new one inside of a regular box?

You won't be able to tell the difference between new and refurb and they carry the same warranty. Adding to that, the 4S just came out so it is likely there are no refurbs yet. Just take it in and get it replaced....

 

[Interstella5555]

wait uve seen this happen? so its a common issue that the speakers on the iphone 4s are defective ?

about the sticker/wrap...i purposely left the sticker/wrap on because im waiting for my new case to arrive in the mail but what difference would that make?

the sticker/wrap doesnt cover or even touch the speaker ..it only covers up the ear microphone on the very top of the phone ..that shouldnt have an effect on the speaker volume right?

"I've seen it happen" ≠ Common occurrence

I ran into Jeff Goldblum on the street once, doesn't mean it happens all the time.

 

[RafaelT]

thanks for that tip! even if its a new one...will it still be packaged in a black plastic box?

ive read stories from other people on here that have said apple swapped out a 'brand new phone' for them...how do they know its 'brand new' if all replacements come in a black plastic box? or do some people get lucky and get a brand new one inside of a regular box?

1. Yes, it will still be packaged in the black plastic case.

2. Sometimes you can make a good guess based on serial number if it is new or not but it is not a sure thing.

3. They all come from black plastic cases.

4. Apple refurbs if you did happen to get one, are as good if not better then the new phones. The outside is totally new and the internals go through a bunch of testing.

 

[j4bles]

also.. you did remember to take off the plastic sticker/wrap that ships with the phone right? ive had countless amounts of customers come in with this problem and its because they were too anal to take off that wrapper.

not trying to say youre dumb or anything, but excitement and cautiousness can sometimes impair people

O'RLY? Mine is still on, and it doesn't block the speaker, mic or connector. You're alluding that you work for Apple or a cellular carrier, I'm calling you on your BS.

 

[ijohnbro]

Just got my new iPhone 4S...was super excited that is until i realized that theres an issue with the speaker. No i am not talking about the same "only one speaker works" fiasco..i understand the left 'speaker' is actually the mic....

i called my friend put him on speaker...and even though the volume was maxed out i noticed that i had to strain to hear what he was saying. ive had many conversations with my friend before on my 3gs & never had to do this so i know the problem was on my end.

after the phone call i decided to compare the speaker volume of my old 3gs with the speaker volume on my new 4s...i did this by comparing the 'clicking' noise that the phone makes when you press the "on/off" button on the top of the phone....

the results? well lo and behold i was right. the speaker on my new 4s sounds low & muffled in comparison to the speaker on my old 3gs. specifically the "on/off" clicking noise was much louder and more crisp sounding on my old 3gs in comparison to my new 4s...i dont understand???

did i get a defective iphone 4s? why is the speaker on my 3gs louder & more crisp than my 4s? is this a legit reason for apple to replace my phone?

can those of you with a 4s and an old 3gs do the same "on/off" clicking noise test & report back if your 3gs is louder & more crisp sounding?

I have an HTC Thunderbolt, but I think everybody does the on/off clicking noise test. My phone doesn't seem to have a clicking sound, I have regular sound on my speakers. Sounds like the clicking sound is an extra feature. So you want your on/off clicking noise to be louder and crisp? Hey be thankful you even have the clicking my phone didn't come with it. Greedy aint ya?

Click Click Click

 

[neenja]

they are refurbished yes, but work fine. i work at att.

first day i got my iphone4, at my store, the lcd screen was damaged (was showing rainbow colors). i ended up having to go to the apple store to get it replaced because I didnt wanna dig into our inventory.

the refurbished one came in a black box and has been working 100% great til this day

----------

O'RLY? Mine is still on, and it doesn't block the speaker, mic or connector. You're alluding that you work for Apple or a cellular carrier, I'm calling you on your BS.

if you read a couple lines after that original post, i thought the OP meant the actual phone speaker on the top next to the light sensor. the original plastic wrap covers that part. the "newbie" iphone users leave that wrap on in paranoia to protect their screen, not realizing it covers the speaker (not the loud speaker at the bottom of the phone). the most common one ive seen are a mix of either the speaker (loud or the regular one) or mic does not work at all, right out of the box.

and yes I manage an at&t retail location

 

[Stealthipad]

thanks for that tip! even if its a new one...will it still be packaged in a black plastic box?

ive read stories from other people on here that have said apple swapped out a 'brand new phone' for them...how do they know its 'brand new' if all replacements come in a black plastic box? or do some people get lucky and get a brand new one inside of a regular box?

I doubt it will be new. My local store already has refurbs. It does not matter if it is new or not as you will suspect it to be used.