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Worst timing for iPhone to break.

L

Lunchbox700

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2008
185
0
MN
I have a Verizon 4s, and have an unlimited plan and am no longer in my 2 year agreement. Because I'm unlimited is why I haven't upgraded yet well I've been having wifi problems the last few days and then last night I rebooted and now I can't turn wifi on at all. My wife's 2 years is up at the end of the year and we were waiting until then to possible leave verizon and go to t-mobile for better plans (she's not unlimited) I can't afford an unsubsidized purchase right now because we are paying down debt plus it seems kind of pointless to buy a new one now if might leave soon anyways. I might just suffer with 3G data or pay the deductible for a replacement (1 year is up)which also seems like a waste of money.

My question is how long would you go without wifi to avoid paying for a replacement, and what would be the worst time in upgrade cycle for you to still have to get a new phone instead of waiting it out for the next version.
 
Yea that's what I keep thinking its far enough where you are like well I can't go that long without a phone, but close enough where it's a waste. Also the battery seems to be going to crap over overnight.

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siurpeeman said:
have you tried restoring the software?
Click to expand...

Yea and resetting the network settings to like I've found on a lot of troubleshooting sites.
 
You could buy a new WiFi antenna and see if that's the problem.
Looks fairly easy to replace:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iPhone+4+Wi-Fi+Antenna/6846/1

http://youtu.be/NvVjJCZXXF0
 
That's my thought to,but it doesn't mean I'm not crunching the numbers and trying to find ways.
 
I would see if I could last out...i'm scared of my iphone 3gs failing me now as I would have to get the iphone 5, which is no hardship but would like to last out to see what the next model brings
 
I hardly ever use WiFi. Most of the time I am at school or work, where I'm barely using my phone, but even at home, hardly on WiFi. I average about 3-4GB a month on AT&T unlimited and never been throttled, so I don't feel the need to constantly switch my phone on to WiFi.

If I were you, I would just stick it out.
 
My only issue is its a 4s so only 3G and 3G is spotty at my work and sometimes at home. I think if it was a 5 it'd be easier. The battery thing is getting annoying because it seems to have happened all of a sudden it was down 20% after only 40 minutes of usage. Thanks for the support guys it's nice to talk to people that understand.
 
I would just pay the $199 for Apple to repair it. It's reduced price, doesn't affect your contract status, and you get a practically new phone that's working.
 
Lunchbox700 said:
My question is how long would you go without wifi to avoid paying for a replacement.
Click to expand...

My situation is different than yours. I don't have reception issues. In fact, this month I decided to go without wifi so that I could see how much data I actually use, in general. So, in short, without wifi, I wouldn't be bothered all that much. It would make controlling XBMC a bit more annoying, but that's about it.

It's also tough to judge what to do with another person's dollar. In my mind, if you are looking at buying an upgrade, you are going to drop $200 at some point anyway. I would just as soon drop the $200 now on the replacement from Apple, and then sell the phone prior to going for an upgrade.
 
Try this before you call me crazy.

Turn the phone off, wrap it in a towel, and stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Pull it out, power it on.. and then try turning wifi back on. You may be pleasantly surprised.
 
If you're paying down debt why do you have a $699 phone? :confused:

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LS417 said:
Try this before you call me crazy.

Turn the phone off, wrap it in a towel, and stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Pull it out, power it on.. and then try turning wifi back on. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...

Don't do this. Heating up the phone by using it can cause condensation to form inside the phone, killing it.
 
XboxMySocks said:
If you're paying down debt why do you have a $699 phone? :confused:

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Don't do this. Heating up the phone by using it can cause condensation to form inside the phone, killing it.
Click to expand...

Let it sit at room temperature for a little while before turning it on.. should have no issues with condensation.

I didn't make this stuff up.. you can google "iphone freezer wifi trick" .. there is plenty of feedback. It's not exactly a guaranteed permanent solution, but its worked for me in the past.
 
We are paying down debt mainly because we don't want debt anymore. We were never over our limits not missed a payment we just were spending to much and wanted to take a step back before it really got out of hand.

I think the repair option might be the more sensible route then selling when we are both off contract. Another thing is the wife offered her phone and shed go back to a regular phone but I don't think she realizes how much she uses her phone.
 
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