Heads Up: iPhone 4 Reception Issues

That's awesome!
Great fix for the "non-issue!"*


*Steve Jobs

 

I watched my co-worker this morning demonstrate the reception issue on his new iPhone 4.
Then I held his iPhone and was able to duplicate the problem. Not good, and very embarrassing for Apple.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

Here's my pairing experience:

For my 3GS, I had previously changed the phone bluetooth password to be the same as the audio bluetooth password, paired "car multimedia" as a bluetooth audio device, then re-paired the phone. I thought I had re-paired the phone using "hands free", but maybe not, based on my experience with the iphone 4.

To pair the iphone 4, I deleted the 3GS as a music player and deleted it again as a phone. I then paired the new phone as a bluetooth music player, using "car multimedia", and paired again as a phone, using "car multimedia". I did not have to re-enter the password when pairing the phone. In pairing the phone, the phone saw "hands free", but the car would only display "car multimedia" and choosing "hands free" on the phone got me nothing. However, everything seems to be working, and the car can switch back and forth between the music use and phone use.

 

Here's a good (brief) technical explanation of the antennae issue:

Apple iPhone 4

I've seen other stories mentioning other phones, like the nexus 1, that have had similar issues. I can see how some left-handers might be annoyed, but seems like a bit of a non-issue to me. I was going to get a bumper or case just so I could easily tell my phone from my wife's! I'm more annoyed the white version wasn't available at launch!

 

and while I'm on the subject, here's some cases I've been exploring (in addition to the apple bumper):

super rugged:

Ballistic

ultra-thin hard shell:

Griffin Technology: Reveal for iPhone 4 - Ultra-thin hard-shell case

bamboo with laser etching and suede liner:

Just in Time for the iPhone 4G Release, A Bamboo iPhone Case | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

hard shell with inner gel liner:

iPhone 4 Hard Tough Cases by Case-mate

51 case roundup from pcmag:

51 Cool Apple iPhone 4 Cases | PCMag.com

 

This is not an Apple Problem. Touching the antenna of any phone will degrade reception. I have seen according remarks in the documentation of my old Nokia cellphone...

 

Yeah, if you guys want a tough-as-nail phone with exceptional reception signal, then you guys need to get a phone like mine (on Sprint):
But, unfortunately, it is a basic phone with no camera and is not internet-friendly. Otherwise, be happy with the Iphone 4.

 

While all cell phones suffer from this issue, in this case Apple chose to put the antenna in an awkward place. Most earlier cell phones put the antenna up top, where you weren't likely to grab it.

To me, this issue is a case where Apple put style ahead of function. You can easily work around it if you are aware of the problem, but it was stupid to expect the user to hold the phone in a special way.

Tom

 

The article I posted above explains that most mfgs are now putting them at the bottom, for reasons related to FCC required SAR testing. Does seem odd to not anticipate this problem with their design.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

FYI, I just paired my iP4 and went to use BT streaming and it wouldn't connect (connection failed). I never had a problem with my 3G. I deleted the phone and started over and had the same problem. I then paired the BT Audio first (the phone and audio have different pairing screens and pass codes). This solved the problem. If you're still having problems I'll post a YouTube video.

 

AppleInsider | Death Grip hysteria may end Monday with iOS 4.01

Readers report that Apple's tech support forums originally confirmed that a iOS 4.0.1 software fix addressing the issue would ship early next week (as early as Monday), before the comments were subsequently taken down along with all the other related discussion about the matter.

The fix is expected to address a issue in iOS 4 related to radio frequency calibration of the baseband. Readers who saw the original forum discussions say that the issue is believed to occur when switching frequencies; because the lag is allegedly not calibrated correctly, it results in the device reporting "no service" rather than switching to the frequency with the best signal to noise ratio.

iOS 4 introduced some enhancements to how the baseband selects which frequencies to use, so it makes sense that the error may have crept into those changes. Additionally, this explains why iOS 4 has also caused similar problems for iPhone 3GS users.

Additional readers have shared other related experiences that also corroborate the idea that the issue is related to iOS 4's software control of the baseband, including the fact that the issue seems easily reproducible when connecting to a WWAN 3G network but does not appear when connecting to a Microcell 3G. If the problem were simply hardware related issues of the antenna design, it should only affect iPhone 4 units with that new design and should occur at all times, regardless of the tower type. That is not being observed.

 

While I do agree that IOS 4 may make 3gs phones worse I think the tower type issue is not a factor.

Microcell coverage is almost always strong. I think the people seeing the issue are in weak signal areas. I do not see the problem when I am in a strong area, even if I take my protector off the phone and grip it tight. If I do that in a weak area like Washington DC (even with 4 bars) the signal drops.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

Thank you! You just ended 4 days of extreme frustration with my iphone 4. A2DP now works.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

It wouldn't hurt to post the YouTube video anyway. Do you have USB?
I have heard people struggling with the iPhone 4 both using as a USB iPod and music over bluetooth streaming.
If everything (especially USB iPod mode and handsfree mode) works perfectly between the the iPhone 4 and the 2010 Prius, then I am likely to get an iPhone 4. If not, I will wait for a fix or buy a different phone.
One annoyance that probably won't be fixed anytime soon is the fact that the iPhone doesn't support skipping tracks over bluetooth. All you can do is play and pause at best. Might as well just use the AUX jack and get better sound quality and less battery drain.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

I strongly prefer bluetooth over the AUX jack.
- I just hop in the car, start it up and my media begins playing.
- If I have to plug the phone in for charging, its really awkward having another cable out of the other end of the phone.
- Most of my listening is to podcasts that are at least an hour long, so track skipping isn't important to me.

 

I have the iPhone4. I love it. I can recreate the signal issue on command, but it doesn't bother me much. When I am in my car I just use BT streaming, when I talk on it, I just don't cover the antennae. I have a case on order but this is far from a deal breaker.

Also, to all those posting about getting a REAL phone, if I wanted huge block of plastic to only make phone calls with I would not have bought the iphone in the first place. It's so much more than a phone, and its works so well on all other aspects that I could not go back now. I use on a regular basis - internet surfing, music streaming, camera, video camera, gps nav, ipod, video player, and of course the thousands of games and apps that make it all the more useful. If you don't understand that aspect of it, I think you are missing out on the big picture.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

Everything works perfectly betwwen the iphone 4 and the 2010 prius.

 

My iphone Gen 3 has never had reception issues, call clarity issues, dropped calls etc. I had the Black berry Bold for a short time and it was slow as dirt compared to the iphone for data so not sure what you're issues were. My family plan through Tmobile includes, Razors, Google G1's, Samsung Behold and Samsung Gravity....none of which seem to have anything on my phone. What real phone do you suggest as I was going to upgrade but not to an iphone that has obvious issues. The only thing that is untouchable to me with the iphone is the music (ease and accessibility) ....other than that most phones can do it all these days. The Droid didn't impress me much as a friend showed me his. HTC?

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

ditto. My personal experience is that the bluetooth audio streaming is still working great and the phone volume problem has gone away with my iphone 4. It sounds clearer and louder on my end and on the caller's end. The added noise cancellation seems to be working. Still a bit of a pause when answering a call, though maybe not as much as before. Haven't had enough calls in the car to tell for sure.

 

Re: Other than that, how does it work?

I have the iPhone 4 and the pairing and the address book transfer went smoothly. Even the bluetooth repairing works well. I will have to try the other functionalities this weekend.

As for the antenna problems, i too purchased a protection case because i do not want my phone to be damaged by dropping it accidentally. I think that solved the signal drop issue.