iPhone 4 Reception Issue: Does it effect you?

Do you have the reception issue?


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Dec 21, 2008
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I have had my iphone 4 since launch day June 24th and I have not had any reception issues. Prior to getting an iphone 4 I had an Iphone 3G for a year and a half and even then I never had any droped calls on AT&T. I live in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and the At&t signal is very strong I quess lol.
 

gern blanston

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Jun 14, 2010
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I live in the fort worth/Dallas area (AT&T headquarters), and I have the reception issue. It doesn't effect me on calls since I almost always use my right hand, but it does effect me when using Safari, downloading podcasts or apps, etc since I hold the phone in my left hand and tap with my right: I frequently notice that my download has stopped, a webpage won't load, and then I see that the bars have dropped to zero, so I move my hand up a little, get the bars back, and everything woeks again. I love this iPhone 4, but this is a little annoying because I have to hold the phone a little less securely. Switching hands for me is too awkward. Still, I'm keeping it. :)
 

jhamilton3

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Feb 20, 2009
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According to AT&T's map I'm in the best coverage area available.

However my phone is unreliable a lot of times. Sometimes I get full bars in my apartment, other times I'm at 3 or even 0.

Data has been up and down for me too. Some days its as fast as its ever been and the next its crawling so slow I'm thinking "what in the world is going on"..

But the bottom line the i4 is still the best phone I've ever used and thats why it is worth putting up with.
 

deeddawg

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Jun 26, 2010
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I wonder how much of this is a real problem in normal usage? Sort of like a scab you can't help but pick at but would be fine if you just left it alone. Everyone with a 3GS seems to have a case; seems like that would be pretty normal for ip4 users as well once a decent selection is out.

I'm not trying to belittle those who are experiencing real problems, but I know I would tend to "pick at it" if I had an ip4 and experienced the problem.
 

benjimen

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Aug 2, 2009
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I had the signal problem with my first i4, swapped it out with a 2nd one, same thing. I returned it, will wait for the iPhone 4.5 ;)

I did notice that while I could easily reproduce the problem in the Apple Store, their display models didn't have the problem. So... it's not a problem with all of the iPhone 4's, but it definitely is for some. Just imagine, all the ones that are having the problem and being returned will eventually wind up as refurbs used as replacements -- ohoh...
 

JustinHorn

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Aug 3, 2008
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I wonder how much of this is a real problem in normal usage?

For me I don't have problems with phone calls. I don't use it as a phone that much, so that doesn't really help my case. My issue is that my internet speeds get cut in half sometimes.

If I have a strong signal the data speeds drop about 30% when in hand vs not, but when I start at like a 1.5 Mbps download speed, it will drop to almost nothing in hand, much great than the 30% drop at higher signal.
 

taylorh

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May 24, 2004
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I had the signal problem with my first i4, swapped it out with a 2nd one, same thing. I returned it, will wait for the iPhone 4.5 ;)

I did notice that while I could easily reproduce the problem in the Apple Store, their display models didn't have the problem. So... it's not a problem with all of the iPhone 4's, but it definitely is for some. Just imagine, all the ones that are having the problem and being returned will eventually wind up as refurbs used as replacements -- ohoh...
Did you try YOUR "defective" iPhone 4 in the same place in the Apple store? You know all Apple stores have a mini cell site in the back (affectionately referred to as the cancer boxes) so the signal is going to be super strong. Maybe you don't see the problem for this reason.
I know I can not get the signal to drop by shorting the lower left corner antenna insulator when I'm close to an AT&T microcell. But I can if I'm far enough away or far enough from a real AT&T cell tower. I have a case on it now so I never see any problems. Only when I would touch the metal antennas with my bare hands.
 
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lungho

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Jun 20, 2009
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Ok, I've been holding off posting to this thread until I was somewhere with a week signal.

Well today me and the wife were out shopping in a location which I wouldn't exactly call metropolitan. In fact, I'd call it rural. I happened to look at my iPhone 4 /w bumper installed and I saw that I had no service. My wife has a Motorola L7 that is also on AT&T, so I asked to see her phone. I looked at her phone and it showed two bars.

At this point in time, I'm a little miffed that a 4 year old $50 Motorola dumb phone gets a better signal than my brand new $199 iPhone 4. I would return my phone and jump to Android but Sprint sucks in my area and I hate Verizon's pricing. Plus I personally think Android is clunky and could use more polish. And their marketplace doesn't even compare to Apple's AppStore.

In saying all that, Apple had better get their chit together in the coming months or I will jump ship, even if it does mean I have to go to Verizon and Android.
 

gern blanston

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Jun 14, 2010
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When I hold the ip4 in my left hand while running one of the speed test apps, the test will stop when the bars drop to none. The app starts up again when I take my hand off the bottom left corner and the bars reappear.
 

jakej914

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Dec 16, 2009
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Luckily, AT&T provides decent coverage in my area. After using the phone since launch day, I do think there is a problem with attenuation/detuning when that little black gap is bridged. Does it make me mad? Does it upset me? Am I going to write Apple hate mail? No. I have learned to hold the phone differently just as I have learned to keep the proximity sensor in contact with my ear. IMO, the iPhone's pros outweigh its cons.
 

Mella

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Apr 22, 2010
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This issue regarding the signal being blocked hasn't effected me. I have held it in the way which is supposed to drop the signal several times and only notice the signal drop once. But my friends said they have reception issues sometimes, now Apple gived some explain, I hope this problem can be fixed early.
Besides, I have to admit the iphone 4 is fantastic, everything works perfectly. personally multitasking works for me, I don't use spotify because I have always been able to listen to the music stored on the phone while I do other things such as e-mails or using some apps. And as the iPhone 4 high-definition video clips, watch video on IPhone 4 must be cool and amazing! I have download the iPhone 4 Video Converter at iFunia iPhone 4 Video Converter for Mac - Convert Video to iPhone 4 on Mac and ready for enjoying on the go!
 

RyzeHD

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Jun 20, 2009
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It's funny, the day I got my iPhone 4 (Launch Day @ Apple) my first 2 phone calls were dropped during the conversation. I haven't gotten a dropped call since.

The strange thing I'm noticing though is when I'm on safari, I would sometimes experience a 4-5 second period where the app just freezes. Could that be due to this reception issue? I've checked off a couple possible factors like multiple apps open, or no 3G/Wi-fi signal, but to no avail...
 

crovax85

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Jun 1, 2010
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I have the reception issue to a lesser degree but it still shows when i do the 'grip of death' .....

But i've bought a case and it seems to be ok for now.
 

gern blanston

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Jun 14, 2010
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It's funny, the day I got my iPhone 4 (Launch Day @ Apple) my first 2 phone calls were dropped during the conversation. I haven't gotten a dropped call since.

The strange thing I'm noticing though is when I'm on safari, I would sometimes experience a 4-5 second period where the app just freezes. Could that be due to this reception issue? I've checked off a couple possible factors like multiple apps open, or no 3G/Wi-fi signal, but to no avail...

Yes, the reception issue could be the culprit: it causes data transfer to stop. My podcasts stop streaming, email stops downloading/sending, can't access the iTunes or App store, etc, when my hand is on the "death spot". The data starts transferring again when I move my hand off of the antenna.
 

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