Some iPhone 4 launch units lose signal when held with left hand - Page 8

You don't know what words mean, do you?

Glad someone's sure.

I was at my local apple store (Brea) to check out the new iphone in person. I tried over 8 phones they had on display and was able to reproduce the problem on each phone.

I am thinking it was a good thing Radio Shack did not have my pre-order.

This has quickly devolved into the douchiest thread EVER! Apple will make it right, until then if you got an iPhone 4 (I did) then hold it with your right hand (I do) get a cheap case (I did, haven't seen any I really like yet) and quit whining! BTW, I do have the antennae issue.

There's an interesting hypothesis out there not that the issue is a design issue, but that Apple knew about it weeks ago and rather than delay the launch they fixed the issue and will flush out the bad ones eventually. It's an interesting take.

I dont think the issue is the iPhone4. It is the AT&T Network that seems to be overloaded.

I can get a perfectly good signal no matter how I hold the phone. What matters is WHERE I am when I am holding the phone.

Depending on my location I can have no bars or full strength bars. Moving around a little bit here and there sometimes helps. I only have this issue in the house. Outside I have all my bars all the time.

If nothing else but to relieve the pressure on AT&T's network, I wish Apple would release a Verizon phone. Then those of us who have to stay with AT&T can get better service.

JDS

So you are saying that the millions of phone manufactured by Apple will have to be fixed or dumped?

If that happens then that will be the buying opportunity of a lifetime to buy apple stock.

But I am not even 0.05% convinced that, that will happen.

JDS

Agree that Apple has hobbled users by locking them into AT&T, but it seems a bit rich to blame AT&T for the problem with select Apple handsets.

There are numerous video examples of iPhone 4 handsets dropping calls entirely when antenna is touched in lower left hand corner, while other iPhones maintain signal strength. The problem appears most egregious when the signal is not that great to begin with, and signal strength obviously may deteriorate behind 4 walls.

I camped out over night to get one of the very few walk-in lot iPhone 4s. I bought a bumper because they seemed cool. So as long as I keep it in the bumper I have a steady signal but as soon as I take it off the iPhone can completely lose signal at any time. When holding the phone you have to make contact with both antennas because they wrap completely around the phone and each essentially occupies a full side. It seems super unlikely that if they needed to add the black lines to the sides to keep the antennas from making contact that they wouldn't realize the whole thing was going to be cradelled in conductive flesh, quite effectively reconnecting both antennas. My guess here is that Foxconn or whoever Apple had produce these, in an apparent crunch for time, failed to properly treat the parts making up the antennas to prevent human contact from directly conducting. But it's also possible we're seeing the most painful Apple design disaster in the company's history. I hope it's a manufacturing problem but either way, so far I certainly have not been given what I paid for, especially what I camped out all night for. I'm expecting a satisfying solution from Apple as soon as possible. It would seem reasonable for everyone else to expect the same.

P.S. And no, only relying on my phone when it's in a $29 case is not what constitutes a satisfying solution here.

No. It wasn't a joke. Everyone is correct about holding it in your left hand so you can type or look things up with your right hand, but I meant actually talking on the phone - which I do with my right hand.

I guess I'm the only one who just talks and doesn't do anything else while talking. Well, except walk slowly in circles like everyone does when they talk on a cell phone.

Like I said in my other post... I tried to replicate this iPhone4 issue on the iPhone 3gs..and it does it on the 3GS too....so it can't all be because of the new antenna design...because the 3gs is shielded is it not..both phones..if u cover the bottom left corner...of the phone with your palm as illustrated, you still get the reduction of bars. I do not know where the antenna in the 3gs is..all I did was tried the same thing i did on the iPhone4 ...on the iPhone 3gs.

PLEASE, SOMEONE ELSE TRY IT AND TELL ME THE RESULT!

The stores in my area are completely sold out of the Apple 'Bumpers'; I had to order mine from AT&T (Frog Skin) and should have it by the end of the day Monday.

Scotch Transparent tape works marginally - looks awful, but works marginally.

However, wrapping the band in electical tape seems to work quite well; at least well enough until my G4 "Bumper" arrives Monday. Going the next 4 days without the use of my phone is not an acceptable solution, in my book.

I'm in a non 3G area on Vodafone in Scotland. The reception has been a lot better than it was on my old 3G iPhone on O2, sufficient to stream radio on edge without any difficulties but dropping out completely frequently, when I pick it up.

I'm encouraged that the tape you used had an effect. Electrical tape is more insulating than most, if not all other tapes, so maybe it'll be enough to hold me over without resorting to a case.

Apple I think will replace, repair or offer a full refund for the phones (how refunds would apply to different contracts with carriers I don't know though). An option Apple will not insist on is simply giving free bumpers to people. Some people might happily want to accept that offer and be done, but for anyone that doesn't, I don't think Apple will want to risk damaging it's reputation, if it's even legal for them not to offer more.

Fingers crossed this is a fixable problem without a major redesign!

Give it a rest, chicken little.

over at macrumors, they have posted an email from SJ about the issue and according to him this is an non-issue, and if you have a problem, buy a case, or hold the phone differently.

So, I would assume that, if the email is real (and there are claims of verification), then no fix will be coming because there is no problem to be fixed.

As someone mentioned before, Apple must have realized that this was a problem in the very late stages of testing and decide to mask it with the "Bumper". They must have been using 3gs cases early on to avoid the phone being seen in public.

Ah you've tried it! I don't have any around and it's 1.30 am here. I'm glad it worked.

Me, but I had this before, with iOS 3.2. However, with iOS 3.2 I had a problem of phone not always dropping to 2G when 3G is too weak, resulting in "No Service" in my office once in a while. So far, iOS 4 didn't go to "No Service" so I'm hoping there might be improvement in that area, regardless of signal indicator.

If the problem can't be fixed, and no phone I have ever had or heard of is this "touch sensitive" with reception, then there will be a lot of furious iPhone 4 purchasers now and in the future. I suspect they'll offer refunds to those who go to the Apple store. The phones way too good for me to want anything else, so a case will be in order, but this will really make Apple look bad to a lot of people for letting this happen despite any beneficial aspects of the design.

EDIT: Telling people to hold it differently and that it's a "non issue" if it's what he really has said, will mean I take this iPhone 4 back and cancel my contract and recommend others do the same. Sorry, but you can't insult the people you sell gear to and expect them to still support you.

I can replicate the problem on my iPhone 4 but only when WiFi is on. With WiFi turned off, the signal strength may not drop or only drop one bar after holding the phone in the prescribed manner. I can't say the dropped bar is because of this issue because it can take quite a while to happen and sometimes it doesn't happen.

Now, if I go into Settings and turn on WiFi then I can replicate the problem quickly and consistently. Eventually all bars disappear and 'Searching...' appears on the screen. Calls placed to my phone while 'Searching...' was displayed never caused my phone to ring and the caller eventually went to voice mail. Obviously, this is not simply a matter of how the bars are displayed since I cannot accept calls.

There's clearly a physical aspect to it as one must simultaneously touch both antennae. There's also a software aspect to it as turning off WiFi resolves the problem. It seems to me that if it were solely a design or manufacturing issue (i.e. grounding, conductivity, etc) then it would happen regardless of the WiFi setting. My guess is the software contains rather complicated logic about which antenna to use in which circumstances, etc. and a software patch will resolve or greatly alleviate the issue.

One thing that's clear is the problem is widespread. It makes one wonder about the field testing that was done. I know the phones were disguised in cases but it's hard to imagine this was thoroughly tested yet showed up immediately as soon as people started getting their phones in significant numbers. You know if a person is going to be touching an antenna there may be interference. It just seems like an area where testing would have been a little more thorough.

Oh well, I think (hope) they resolve it soon with a patch.

Interesting.

I am leftie but I I still pick up phone with my left hand when calling or answering calls. I usually use left thumb to operate while holding phone in left hand, though I will switch it to right hand once in a while - when typing long or multiple txts, which I find easier to do with left index finger (or both hands in landscape).

This. Is. Disgraceful.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/a...re-holding-th/

Lefties generally favor more heavily their left hands as opposed to righties. I am a lefty and it is the same way with me.






If this email is true then Apple and Jobs should be ashamed of themselves. It's an insult to tell someone they're holding it the wrong way especially considering all of those iPhone commercials holding the phone in the exact same way.

It also appears they were aware of this and the bumper case was the solution.

Apple's hasty response to this is straight up Applegeddon. The only thing that can save Apple now is by adding "Until we get you your new phone!"

Ok, after waiting in line at my Apple store for almost four hours, I have my new 4G iPhone...and sure enough, I can reproduce the same issue mentioned. Holding the phone as has been described, I drop bars. Then it moves from 3G down to EDGE and then "Searching". Started a call without holding the phone (4bars), then picked it up in my left hand and within about 20-30 seconds, lost all bars and the call was dropped...this is on the standard 3G network...

Now here is something interesting...I also have an AT&T microcell. Once I got home, my phone connected to it with no problems. Picking up the phone in my left hand, I get no loss in bars or any dropped calls. Tried four different calls and no issues whatsoever.

I need to do some more testing but can someone else who also uses the AT&T microcell confirm the same thing? On 3G, you loose bars and then eventually the signal, on the microcell, no issues at all...

I wonder if this will turn out to be prank. Love him or hate him, SJ is not stupid. With all of the press this is getting I can't imagine him tersely telling someone to hold their phone differently. It reminds me of the old joke where the patient says to the doctor "My arm hurts when I do this..." and the doctor responds "Then don't do it.". If this is true then it's much worse than a bad joke and I'd hope most people would loose some respect for him.

oh duh, everyone's just HOLDING THEIR PHONE WRONG.

yeah that's it. everyone knows how to hold a phone right? how can anyone not know that!

There are going to be a lot of dropped iPhone 4's given you can't rest it on the palm of your hand like any sensible person does, in part to prevent it sliding out of your hand. Bumpers needed indeed.

who else thinks steve is just stressing out and responding too hastily?

I have a feeling his guts have been churning ever since the fiasco with purchases online, and the white iphone having a production issue. Maybe he just needs to get some sleep.

I'm sure someone at Apple had a good night sleep. The email has been confirmed as coming from Apple and the statement sounds like PR speak.

So, I thought I bought an iPhone 4.....but I guess I really bought an iPod Touch 4.

Electrical tape?

You got that right. This could be the biggest screw-up in Apple history when something as fundamental as antenna signal interference caused by normal customer use was not thoroughly thought through...!!! Oh, dear. This is really dumb.

But SJ says this is not an issue, so it is, by definition, not an issue. Remember, the yellow screens on the 27" iMacs were not an issue, and MacPros playing mp3's at 100% CPU useage was not an issue.

Besides, remember, "normal use" is what SJ says it is, not what you are I, or any number of other customers, say it is. End of story. So, hold the phone differently, buy a case, buy a different phone, or talk to your orthopedic surgeon to have your hand reconstructed so it is not an issue.

I know, and they are trying to tell us to hold the fucking things differently. Today I'm ashamed to be an iPhone owner and Mac user. Steve needs to wake up if he thinks he can tell people they are holding their phones wrong. It's like emailing him and saying: "every time I press the return key the computer loses Wifi." And his response is to not press the return key.

I'm disgusted.

It's interesting to see this video that someone posted over at macrumors. I get the same thing happening very frequently but just by gently cupping the phone with my hand- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLMuBMfA7Zw

It doesn't help matters when you hold the phone in a weird way, it makes the nay sayers say nobody holds a phone like that. You could have gently cradled it like you usually do while using the device and you'd still get the issue.

Thinking about Apple's response got me thinking back to a program I heard on the radio a few months ago that said the US government wanted phones to be kept at least half an inch or so away from the body due to the high levels of radiation they give off that causes medical problems. I wonder if Apple are pushing for having cases so that you keep it away from you because of possible new regulations that will enforce that? It's seems sort of daft, I know, but maybe not completely out of the question.

Dude, the guy almost died. Of pancreatic cancer - close to zero survivability rate. And it's cancer, not the flu. It's a long, difficult process, and the chance of recurrence is always present. It would be surprising if he were not medicated almost daily even now.

He says he's all better, but when he first left he said it was nothing serious. Steve says a lot of things, and considers his health a very private matter.

I have no doubt the near-death experience and ongoing fears are driving a lot of the more erratic behaviors that are making new enemies across multiple industries every week...

Sounds like some poo-pooing of (perhaps) poor engineering...