Anyone else having issues with calls connecting?

[derk]

I'm also in AT&T. Two places I frequent one I get no service now. Other it's sporadic searching, no service or one bar. Where as with the 4 I would always have low signal there but it still worked. Now i'm missing calls. This is just unacceptable. So now my options are sell my 64gb 4S and dump AT&T and try Sprint as I have an account there also. I just don't know if this is a software issue as my 4 was still on 4.3.3 and it's the battery hog 5.0. Or if it's the redesigned antenna which I'm wondering since resembles the CDMA version of the iPhone 4 antenna design that maybe the GSM side isn't as effective as the GSM 4 version was.

Do you know anyone in your area with an iphone 4/4S? It would be interesting to see their experiences with their iphones in your area. If someone has an iphone 4 and doesnt get a signal in your same area, then perhaps its a specific tower issue.
The only reason why I knew the antenna "seemed" better in the 4S than 4/3GS was that I was in a parent teacher meeting with my wife (she has a 3GS). I was getting texts from work and she wasn't. I was used to not having a signal the school building with my iphone 4 that I don't bother putting my phone in airplane mode or silence mode in a meeting.


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[ame]

So I spent about two hours last night running tests with two trace engineers and will probably work with another today who works with the switch. My husband had had enough of my frustration with this and got involved. He gave me all the contact information for every person he thought I should be involved with and called them to have them call me. lol So I might get about 100 calls today.

Half of my calls never hit the switch at all. We then did number-specific testing. Where I picked a number and they watched me call it specifically. 50-50. One of last night's engineers reset a TON of stuff, and then we ran more testing. All the sudden every call would connect.

I mentioned to apple that it seems like I have better luck using the phone on Speaker than regularly but it doesn't seem to have a discernable pattern. I am hoping that it really is still just on the ATT end, and is not starting to throw hardware in there too. I had pretty much a 99% guarantee it was ATT, so I put a new Zagg on it last week lol. So I probably just jinxed myself and will end up with another new phone anyway just as a precautionary measure.

 

[krs7272#AC]

Do you know anyone in your area with an iphone 4/4S? It would be interesting to see their experiences with their iphones in your area. If someone has an iphone 4 and doesnt get a signal in your same area, then perhaps its a specific tower issue.
The only reason why I knew the antenna "seemed" better in the 4S than 4/3GS was that I was in a parent teacher meeting with my wife (she has a 3GS). I was getting texts from work and she wasn't. I was used to not having a signal the school building with my iphone 4 that I don't bother putting my phone in airplane mode or silence mode in a meeting.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

I know it's the 4S and or OS 5. I have gone out with my sister and my brother both have 4 and same results 4 has low signal 4S has none or much higher -db reading where the 4S signal fluctuates much more than the 4 does. But like I mentioned before they both are running 4.3.3 for the jailbreak so I still can't say based on these experiences wether its an OS version causing this. But since I only see people complaint of bad battery after upgrading to 5.0 on 4 not worse signal I still feel the 4S on AT&T is just worse at holding low signals then the 4 is.

 

[derk]

Half of my calls never hit the switch at all. We then did number-specific testing. Where I picked a number and they watched me call it specifically. 50-50. One of last night's engineers reset a TON of stuff, and then we ran more testing. All the sudden every call would connect.

How was your iphone 4S originally activated? Was it at the Apple store/ATT store/home/another retail store?

I wonder if there is a software activation bug in ATT's system based on where the 4S is activated. Mine was activated at the Apple store and it was with a new microsim card (that came with 4S) not the old microsim that was active in the iphone 4 that I sold.

 

[derk]

I know it's the 4S and or OS 5. I have gone out with my sister and my brother both have 4 and same results 4 has low signal 4S has none or much higher -db reading where the 4S signal fluctuates much more than the 4 does. But like I mentioned before they both are running 4.3.3 for the jailbreak so I still can't say based on these experiences wether its an OS version causing this. But since I only see people complaint of bad battery after upgrading to 5.0 on 4 not worse signal I still feel the 4S on AT&T is just worse at holding low signals then the 4 is.

I am in the Cleveland area (east side) and I know that HSPA+ hasn't hit my area. I still get 3G speeds.
I do know HSPA+ is in another part of Cleveland area (west side) if I just drive 20-30 miles west bound, I would be getting HSPA+.

Is your area HSPA+ already?

 

[ame]

How was your iphone 4S originally activated? Was it at the Apple store/ATT store/home/another retail store?

I wonder if there is a software activation bug in ATT's system based on where the 4S is activated. Mine was activated at the Apple store and it was with a new microsim card (that came with 4S) not the old microsim that was active in the iphone 4 that I sold.

The 4S got activated at the ATT store AFTER me trying for 10 hours myself at work. I spent an hour there with several others in the same situation. But that was replaced several times now.

 

[ame]

I got excited that it might be solved. It is back to not connecting again. *head desk*

 

[krs7272#AC]

I am in the Cleveland area (east side) and I know that HSPA+ hasn't hit my area. I still get 3G speeds.
I do know HSPA+ is in another part of Cleveland area (west side) if I just drive 20-30 miles west bound, I would be getting HSPA+.

Is your area HSPA+ already?

According to the ATT site no HSPA+ in Detroit but off the antenna by my work I consistently get 8-10mb down everyday!?

 

[derk]

According to the ATT site no HSPA+ in Detroit but off the antenna by my work I consistently get 8-10mb down everyday!?

It was just a hunch I was curious if your 4S was in a low signal HSPA+ area. So basically while you are with your siblings who have an iphone 4 and they are in 3G and connection while you are on your 4S trying to connect at HSPA+.


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[derk]

I got excited that it might be solved. It is back to not connecting again. *head desk*

That's just crazy they can't solve it. ATT should totally compensate you heavily for your trouble. Something like 6 months free service or something or free tethering for a year.


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[krs7272#AC]

It was just a hunch I was curious if your 4S was in a low signal HSPA+ area. So basically while you are with your siblings who have an iphone 4 and they are in 3G and connection while you are on your 4S trying to connect at HSPA+.


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That could be a possibility. But not having HSPA+ doubt it. Though aren't the 8-10mb downloads I'm seeing at work more HSPA+ speeds? Though I only see those off of one tower i'm aware of.

Either way my real world exepiance is that the 4 antenna is better in low signal areas than the 4S. I'd like to think maybe HSPA+ will fix that for the 4S but by the time HSPA+ is implemented a new iphone will be out anyway.

 

[ame]

Oh they better be. I don't tether so that does nothing for me. But reimbursement for me paying my bill this whole time and not being able to fully use my phone.

The engineer can see the failures on her end though so she brought it to the switch engineer. I don't know what else it can be. So...I told her I really expect this done within a week. Im not waiting on them beyond that.

 

[krs7272#AC]

Oh they better be. I don't tether so that does nothing for me. But reimbursement for me paying my bill this whole time and not being able to fully use my phone.

The engineer can see the failures on her end though so she brought it to the switch engineer. I don't know what else it can be. So...I told her I really expect this done within a week. Im not waiting on them beyond that.

Is this all still happening with the newly set up number? And is it under the same account or a brand new for testing one?

 

[ame]

They haven't set up a new number or account yet. Despite repeated requests, they want to explore other options first. Apple and I both are at the same spot with this. We're at their mercy. They'd rather waste time going up the rung.

 

[krs7272#AC]

They haven't set up a new number or account yet. Despite repeated requests, they want to explore other options first. Apple and I both are at the same spot with this. We're at their mercy. They'd rather waste time going up the rung.

I know the feeling. When Verizon came out with PTT years ago I had the same engineer BS games with them finally I just told them where to put it and went to Nextel.


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[ame]

Well I just left Sprint in Feb, and I have zero intention of going back. I had no issues til I had my 4 stolen while I was on vacation and bought a replacement on my friend's line to save $400 on vacation, then sent her the phone.

We have asked repeatedly to try to port this number to a new account. Just as a test. But they keep wasting time.

 

[derk]

That could be a possibility. But not having HSPA+ doubt it. Though aren't the 8-10mb downloads I'm seeing at work more HSPA+ speeds? Though I only see those off of one tower i'm aware of.

Either way my real world exepiance is that the 4 antenna is better in low signal areas than the 4S. I'd like to think maybe HSPA+ will fix that for the 4S but by the time HSPA+ is implemented a new iphone will be out anyway.

I wonder how my wife on her 3GS in the same area I was in didn't get a signal but I did on my 4S. Previously, on my iphone 4, in the same area, I had no signal either.

 

[derk]

Well I just left Sprint in Feb, and I have zero intention of going back. I had no issues til I had my 4 stolen while I was on vacation and bought a replacement on my friend's line to save $400 on vacation, then sent her the phone.

We have asked repeatedly to try to port this number to a new account. Just as a test. But they keep wasting time.

I have only own an iphone (3G) since December 2008. I remember reading threads of new ATT customers who were porting their numbers (having massive problems) from another carrier when the original Iphone came out. Some ATT software issue anomaly must have cropped up with a port (from Sprint), new replacement iphone after the old one was stolen and then a newly activated 4S.

 

[ame]

My iPhone 4 was on ATT already, my port happened way back in Feb and was smooth as butta. So...that's still a possibility. My husband wants to set up a new account and port my number to that, but we're gonna try something with SIM's tonight. I just spent a half hour on the phone with the initial trace tech, a trace engineer, a switch engineer, an RF engineer, a field engineer, and someone else I forgot the title of, it's either hardware (sim or phone) or the line itself. Apple has said LINE from the start, as has my husband who works with/for ATT. If the SIM thing tonight doesn't correct it, then we're going with Apple's plan.

My iPhone4 was fine til the theft. So was the replacement actually. It's all be related to what I did with the 4 I sent to my friend, and the 4s phones. My other two lines are fine, so I don't really want to screw with accounts.

 

[krs7272#AC]

Im betting this has something to do with all these emei's that could be registering with the network somehow being tied to your account. Kinda like how people are still getting iMessage messages after buying someone's phone. I think your right with porting to a new accout.


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