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Heads Up: iPhone 4 Reception Issues

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by stream, Jun 25, 2010.

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  1. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    If you weren't considering getting a new iPhone 4, this is off topic, so don't bother reading.

    I picked up an iPhone 4 yesterday...and returned it this morning. The much-touted stainless steel trim ring, which doubles as the phone's antennas--and was hyped as the answer to the poor call quality and dropped calls of previous iPhone gens--apparently has some inherent design problems. Too bad--it's beautiful to look at and hold in your hand, and the non-phone functions work well (except internet connection if you aren't holding it just right).

    If you hold the phone in a way where your skin touches a certain part of the trim/antenna, the signal strength plummets (see links below). I noticed this immediately. Leave the phone on a desk--max signal strength. Hold it in your hand, and in 10 - 20 seconds the bars drop to 0, and call quality or internet speed deteriorates significantly, and dropped calls follow.

    Apple has acknowledged the issue, as quoted in the WSJ:

    users should avoid gripping the iPhone 4 "in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band."

    Their response reminded me of the old joke, where a guy goes into a doctor's office and says: doc, my arm hurts when I move it like this. The doctor says: then don't move it like that...

    Apple also said a solution is to buy the "bumper" case, to which I told the sales guy, that was like putting an ugly dress on a beautiful woman.

    So I'm back to my trusty 3.5 year old RAZR V3XX, which has the best call quality of any phone I've owned.

    I told the Apple store manager I wanted the 10% restocking fee waived, and she obliged. Great Apple customer service. Now I just want a great iPhone...

    More info here:

    On iPhone 4, a Mystery of Dropped Calls - NYTimes.com

    Google Oversæt

    iPhone 4 Loses Reception When You Hold It By The Antenna Band?

    Apple iPhone 4 Antenna Problems Confirmed via Tests | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
     
    #1 stream, Jun 25, 2010
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  2. HI MPG

    HI MPG Active Member

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    Thanks Stream. I had upgraded my iPhone 3 to the 4, receiving it yesterday. I was playing around with it earlier this morning and was quite shocked at how slow it was taking to load pages. I inititally thought the slowness was due to At&t's overloaded 3G network. However, after reading your post, I now know the culprit. I tested the performance of the phone once again - holding in the "death grip" and then in the "proper grip." Wow... who would've known?!?! I would think that Apple would've worked this out before releasing their product... unless all their product engineers hold their phone in that dainty fashion???
    I'm still keeping the phone though...
     
    #2 HI MPG, Jun 25, 2010
  3. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I primarily use my phone for voice conversations, and my RAZR is heads and shoulders above the iPhone 4. And even web connectivity was very disappointing--unless you held it by your finger tips.

    As I wrote that, I laughed by remembering the only user manual included in the iPhone 4 box was entitled..."Finger Tips." :p
     
    #3 stream, Jun 25, 2010
  4. eaglesight333

    eaglesight333 Senior Member

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    Yea. I been reading a lot about this issue. Some articles say that this problem actually can happen in many different cell phones, not just the iphone. And for what it is worth, the iphone 4 has gotten a lot of good reviews, and done well in comparison tests. The way I am playing it, is I am getting the Iphone 4 this time to replace my RAZR which is starting to have issues, then in 2 yrs, most likely switch to a verison phone. (probably HTC and not an Iphone, which Verison will have by then)
     
    #4 eaglesight333, Jun 25, 2010
  5. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    Other than that, how does it work?

    If I were to get an iPhone 4, I would get the Apple bumper case or a third party case to protect the phone from falls and that would also solve the reception issues caused by touching the antenna with your bare hands in a certain way. So, that problem would not be an issue for me. I have no intention of walking around with the bare glass naked phone ready to crack the first time it falls on concrete without a case.

    So, other than that problem, did everything else work when you paired the new iPhone 4 to your 2010 Prius?
    Bluetooth calls, bluetooth music, address book transfer, music over USB, browsing music through the nav screem, reliable bluetooth repairing every time you get back in the car?
     
    #5 web1b, Jun 25, 2010
  6. eaglesight333

    eaglesight333 Senior Member

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    #6 eaglesight333, Jun 25, 2010
  7. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    #7 web1b, Jun 25, 2010
  8. eaglesight333

    eaglesight333 Senior Member

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    ah. ok. Saw it and thought it was worth a shot to share
     
    #8 eaglesight333, Jun 25, 2010
  9. HI MPG

    HI MPG Active Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    Bluetooth phone pairing with the car was seemless, exactly the same as my iPhone 3, and address book transfer had no issue. I was never able to get BT music streaming, maybe I'll try again with this phone. Don't have a USB connector as my car was from the initial order batch which only has the AUX jack.
     
    #9 HI MPG, Jun 25, 2010
  10. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    I'm not into the bumpers or "skin" cases, and when you see this beautiful phone in person, you might agree. As I said, like putting an ugly dress on a beautiful woman. I've never dropped a phone in my life.

    Once the reception issues (voice and data) became apparent, I didn't bother testing the car connectivity.

    For me,the most important thing for a phone to do is high quality calls--everything else is meaningless if that doesn't work well.
     
    #10 stream, Jun 25, 2010
  11. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    Regardless of how many times you have not dropped your past phones, it only takes one time to ruin this slippery, fragile phone. It's kind of like saying you have never had a car accident in the past, therefore you never will.
    Not using a case on it is reckless and using a case takes care of both the reception and protection.

    [​IMG]

    It looks nice, but won't look very nice covered in scratches, dust and fingerprints on both sides of its glass casing. A case will also protect and enhance the resale value keeping it looking new when you are ready to move on to the next phone.
     
    #11 web1b, Jun 25, 2010
  12. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Well just proves that there are better phones out there. Hopefully this will make the masses start believing it. And it is not AT&T's network slowing your phone down, it is your damn phone. My HTC phones have always had better reception, better call quality, no dropped calls, and faster data than any iphone I have ever been next to or seen or heard about.

    Man up and buy a real phone.
     
    #12 2k1Toaster, Jun 25, 2010
  13. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    Everybody has their own way of doing things.

    Reckless? A tad bit extreme, no? ;)

    Taking good care of a car, so you're proud of how it looks, and to enhance its resale value--got it. For a phone? Not a priority for me.

    If I drop my cell phone tomorrow and ruin it, that will be 1 cell phone ruined, amortized over 21 years of multiple cell phone ownership, and it's a couple hundred dollars to replace if it does happen.

    To use another analogy, putting these silicone cases on a phone reminds me of the family down the block from us growing up, who had plastic slip covers on their sofas. Did it keep them cleaner? Sure. Was it worth it? No. ;) But that's just me.
     
    #13 stream, Jun 25, 2010
  14. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    Replacing a new damaged iPhone is more like $700. You can only get it for $200 when you a new customer signing up for a new 2 year contract or an existing customer during the period you are eligible for upgrade pricing.
    There are very nice stylish cases made out of luxurious leather. You don't have to get a green or pink neon silicone case.
     
    #14 web1b, Jun 25, 2010
  15. hampdenwireless

    hampdenwireless Active Member

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    I have a rubber case on my Iphone 4 and have no trouble. I did a test with the speedtest.net app and found that my 3g speeds when down dramatically without the rubber case and me holding the phone. Holding the phone tightly at just the right spots killed data reception altogether in the overloaded Washington DC area.

    With the rubber casing on my Iphone 4 the 3G data speed is slightly higher then my Iphone 3gs.
     
    #15 hampdenwireless, Jun 25, 2010
  16. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Re: Other than that, how does it work?

    I paid $300 for the 32GB model, and yes, it would be more than that to replace within the contract period, but...amortized over 21 years... :D ;)

    Kidding aside, I want a product to work the way I want it to, or I'm not taking money out of my wallet. I loved the form factor of the iPhone 4--naked, not covered up. Even a leather case sort of detracts from the idea of it being the thinnest smart phone. There were a bunch of people in line yesterday with iPads, in nice leather cases, which combined weight and size were equivalent to notebook PCs--only less functional and more expensive.

    This is a great country--everybody gets to do what makes them feel comfortable.
     
    #16 stream, Jun 25, 2010
  17. gematt

    gematt Junior Member

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    BT music streaming anybody?

    Pairing BT with the iPhone 4 was straightforward and calls sounded as good as with the 3GS. Unfortunately, I could not get BT music streaming working. The error message said that the portable music device was not paired -- despite the fact that the phone was paired and BT calls were possible. The Aux cable connection works. If you know of any solution the BT music streaming, please share.

     
    #17 gematt, Jun 26, 2010
  18. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    Re: BT music streaming anybody?

    You can try paring the music separately as a portable device. That's on a different screen from Phone in the navigation setup menus.
    BT music streaming isn't that great on iPhones though because you can't skip tracks forward or backwards.
    I would only use USB for music with the iPhone until Apple increases the functionality. With so little control, you might as well just use the headphone jack and save the battery drain and reduced sound quality of wireless streaming.
     
    #18 web1b, Jun 26, 2010
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  19. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    NBC Nightly News has reported on this tonight.

    [ame=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#37934419]NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: News and videos from the evening broadcast NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: News and videos from the evening broadcast- msnbc.com[/ame]
     
    #19 web1b, Jun 26, 2010
  20. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    AT&T May sell you a $9.99 case if you call 611 and complain.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy-s3NtUb-0"]YouTube - IPhone Bumper[/ame]
     
    #20 web1b, Jun 26, 2010
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