iPhone 4 - UPDATE: Signal Issues

[jontucker]

Er, I haven't because I've been running Macs for 15 years and have everything syncing through my home and work Macs and nothing works better than an iPhone for my work and personal emails/calendars. So why would I change it for an HTC or something else? Both my previous iPhones never had this problem, unfortunately I sold my last one to finance the new one. I went back to Apple but they haven't had any stock to change it, and regardless of that have told me they wouldn't change it anyway.

It makes me laugh that those of us that dare speak out are supposed to be 'Apple haters'. Grow up, there's an obvious fault and having given Apple a hell of a lot of my money over the past fifteen years, I've a right to be ****ed off with them over this. For some though, Apple could brand a turd and it would still be amazing to some.

My point is that no one is holding a gun to your head, or anyone else's head for that matter. If the phone isn't meeting your expectations then simply take it back. I think THAT would be the grown up thing to do.

What did you expect them to do anyway, flick a big red switch back at Apple HQ and make the problem disappear? It was always going to take time to resolve, the thing has only been out 3 weeks.

I still don't understand why you would complain so bitterly but not do anything about it when it's well within your power to do so. If, "nothing works better than an iPhone" then quit complaining and just don't hold your phone in your left hand. You have options, choose one of them.

 

[cannockwolf]

i have had one from day one and there is no difference from my 3gs, i usually end up getting stung with things like this so i feel quite lucky to be uneffected

 

[Dman]

My point is that no one is holding a gun to your head, or anyone else's head for that matter. If the phone isn't meeting your expectations then simply take it back. I think THAT would be the grown up thing to do.

What did you expect them to do anyway, flick a big red switch back at Apple HQ and make the problem disappear? It was always going to take time to resolve, the thing has only been out 3 weeks.

I still don't understand why you would complain so bitterly but not do anything about it when it's well within your power to do so. If, "nothing works better than an iPhone" then quit complaining and just don't hold your phone in your left hand. You have options, choose one of them.

Excellent, don't hold it in my left hand. So I need to think about what I'm doing every time I pick it up and/or learn to do something I've never done and use the phone with my right hand?

You say 'I still don't understand why you would complain so bitterly but not do anything about it when it's well within your power to do so.' I'll try to help you understand.

Apple have already said they won't take it back. Orange do not take handsets back once you've taken out a contract, unless it's faulty. As there's still this huge denial over something that blatantly is a problem, I don't have any choice whatsoever as they won't take it back either. If I had the chance to cancel the contract and go back to the 3G/3GS until they sort this mess out, I would. As it is, I committed to a new 24 month contract with Orange for an iPhone 4, not anything else, so why should I have to have another phone for those 24 months that I never wanted to begin with? Hopefully Apple will finally hold their hands up, admit they've ******ed up on this one and do a recall to people, like me, who are affected.

It isn't set in stone that if you like Apple products, you have to defend everything they do. They've produced a phone that, for thousands of users, has a fault. They should rectify this and I fully expect them to do so tomorrow.

 

[jontucker]

Excellent, don't hold it in my left hand. So I need to think about what I'm doing every time I pick it up and/or learn to do something I've never done and use the phone with my right hand?

You say 'I still don't understand why you would complain so bitterly but not do anything about it when it's well within your power to do so.' I'll try to help you understand.

Apple have already said they won't take it back. Orange do not take handsets back once you've taken out a contract, unless it's faulty. As there's still this huge denial over something that blatantly is a problem, I don't have any choice whatsoever as they won't take it back either. If I had the chance to cancel the contract and go back to the 3G/3GS until they sort this mess out, I would. Hopefully Apple will finally hold their hands up, admit they've ******ed up on this one and do a recall to people, like me, who are affected.

It isn't set in stone that if you like Apple products, you have to defend everything they do. They've produced a phone that, for thousands of users, has a fault. They should rectify this and I fully expect them to do so tomorrow.

You took it back to the Apple store where you bought for a refund and they wouldn't give you one?

EDIT: HERE you go. The third to last paragraph is the relevant part.

 

[Dman]

You took it back to the Apple store where you bought for a refund and they wouldn't give you one?

EDIT: HERE you go. The third to last paragraph is the relevant part.

No, I bought it from an Orange store, hence Apple wouldn't do anything as I never bought it from them.

 

[jontucker]

No, I bought it from an Orange store, hence Apple wouldn't do anything as I never bought it from them.

If you really have that big a problem with the phone then the Sale of Goods Act applies (with Orange that is, not Apple, since you didn't buy it from them).

 

[ding76uk]

I have had no problems in use, but i am right handed, but it is a great phone, and a massive step up from my 3G. I have said many times on record that Apple will find a fix to this and it will then be the best phone out there.

Time will tell tomorrow, but it must be something big to do a press conference about a upgrade. Time will tell whether my faith in Apple was proven right, I cannot see them making a mess with this, as they have gotten so much bad press over it and share price has dropped. This time tomorrow we will all know. I hope they don't just offer a free bumper, as that is an insult.

 

[Dman]

If you really have that big a problem with the phone then the Sale of Goods Act applies (with Orange that is, not Apple, since you didn't buy it from them).

And if Apple don't sort it tomorrow, then I'll be kicking off. That link you provided stated that the problem was down to the bars in the display, that it would be sorted with a software update. Well, I waited for this fix, we've had the update and it's still not sorted. Funnily enough, I have no reason to want to 'bash' Apple as I've used and loved their products for years without problem.

However, I'm not blinkered enough to try and defend them when they make a complete mess of something. Hopefully this will all be irrelevant in 24 hours.

 

[Kaouthia]

See, the reason the iPhone 4 is having so many signal issues and dropped calls is just to bring it in line with what the USA have had since Day 1 with the very first iPhone. They're all forced to use AT&T, which have these problems on a regular basis.

 

[Spiritflier]

I haven't update the OS on my iPhone 4 but I'll probably do it in the morning... I'm not an Apple fanboy but I've been using an iPod Touch for the past couple of years and really like it. On that basis, I decided to go for something I was familiar with and combine a couple of different devices which is why I went for the iPhone 4. It certainly isn't perfect (name one mobile device that is) but it serves my needs well enough.

I haven't experienced the signal problems that many others have reported either... Maybe I'm just holding mine 'wrong'.

Si

 

[jontucker]

And if Apple don't sort it tomorrow, then I'll be kicking off. That link you provided stated that the problem was down to the bars in the display, that it would be sorted with a software update. Well, I waited for this fix, we've had the update and it's still not sorted. Funnily enough, I have no reason to want to 'bash' Apple as I've used and loved their products for years without problem.

However, I'm not blinkered enough to try and defend them when they make a complete mess of something. Hopefully this will all be irrelevant in 24 hours.

No but you are being whipped in to a frenzy along with all the other folk getting their petticoats in a bunch.

I think it's a tad premature though, especially since we don't actually know what the cause of the fault (if it is one) is.

For the record, I still think it's a software problem, might be wrong though.

 

[Brooksy]

Updated mine this morning, did not make any difference on the bars.
Where my iMac is, I had one bar, left the phone in the same place, updated it, I have one bar

In all fairness, even with poor bars, I never get dropped calls.

 

[Dman]

No but you are being whipped in to a frenzy along with all the other folk getting their petticoats in a bunch.

I think it's a tad premature though, especially since we don't actually know what the cause of the fault (if it is one) is.

For the record, I still think it's a software problem, might be wrong though.

If you paid good money for a tv that kept losing signal, would you be happy with that? I doubt it. Oh, but this is Apple, they can do NO wrong.

My phone keeps losing all signal, funnily enough the one thing a phone needs to function properly is signal, so it's hardly a 'frenzy'. How this could possibly be a software issue is beyond me, it obviously isn't though as the update yesterday was supposed to sort it out, but it hasn't. And before you say it wasn't supposed to sort it out, it was. They said the issue was down to the bars being displayed incorrectly, the update was rolled out to sort that issue, thereby rectifying the problem.

Whatever they do tonight, they've already lost a LOT of credibility for this issue, especially as Jobs was warned by an antenna expert a whole year ago that this could be an issue.

 

[Brooksy]

4.0.1 was supposed to fix the issue. It is Beta 4.1 that has nothing to do with it.

People are getting confused to which update was for what.

 

[Impspeed]

Well I updated to iOS4 as soon as it came out - all was good (or so I thought). A coupe of days after I updated it started to turn itself off during telephone calls - has continued to do that for the last two weeks now (5-6 times a week) which is very annoying.

Booked in to the Genius Bar who did a diag on it and found no errors (didn't even show that the phone had shut down) but said that the 'phone app' had crashed a few times. They did a full factory reset on it and said I was not allowed to restore from back up (makes sense, I suppose). So after doing that a couple of days ago it's still having problems.

Last night I went for iOS4.0.1 hoping that may fix it and guess what, no... I now only get 1-2 bars of signal showing, even on Broad Street in Birmingham where I work and where has always had 5 bars.

Last attempt... Plug it in to my computer and thought I'd restore to an earlier back-up (i.e 3.1.3) but no, it seems I can't go back to the earlier OS.

On the verge of giving up. I am just thanking my lucky stars I didn't go out and buy the iPhone4!!!


DB

 

[ding76uk]

4.0.1 was supposed to fix the issue. It is Beta 4.1 that has nothing to do with it.

People are getting confused to which update was for what.

No it wasn't, the only purpose of 4.01 was to update the algorithms which showed the amount of signal, nothing more.

Today will address the issue and provide solid answers. There is so much flame fanning going on that things are all over the place with it.

 

[Dman]

No it wasn't, the only purpose of 4.01 was to update the algorithms which showed the amount of signal, nothing more.

But according to Apple, that was what was causing the signal issues, therefore it WAS a fix for the problem.

 

[jontucker]

But according to Apple, that was what was causing the signal issues, therefore it WAS a fix for the problem.

No, they never said that. However, they have now acknowledge there is a fault with some phones and are allowing returns. Either that or they'll give you a free case. So i guess you'll be taking yours back?

 

[smooth]

Looks like free bumpers for all.

Linky and will refund if you have already purchased one.

 

[Dman]

No, they never said that. However, they have now acknowledge there is a fault with some phones and are allowing returns. Either that or they'll give you a free case. So i guess you'll be taking yours back?

Too right I will be, providing either Apple or Orange are going to stick by this and I can cancel my contract, and I'll then get a new one. Now that Apple themselves have acknowledged it, will you? Or are you still in denial that any Apple product could ever be faulty?

 

[jontucker]

Too right I will be, providing either Apple or Orange are going to stick by this and I can cancel my contract, and I'll then get a new one. Now that Apple themselves have acknowledged it, will you? Or are you still in denial that any Apple product could ever be faulty?

Are you talking about my iPhone or yours?

 

[Dman]

I'm talking about the fact that there's a general issue with the iPhone 4.

I just spoke to Orange, what a surprise, the 30 day refund only applies to pay as you go customers, so those of us with a contract are stuck with it.

What a monumental f*** up.

 

[jontucker]

I'm talking about the fact that there's a general issue with the iPhone 4.

I just spoke to Orange, what a surprise, the 30 day refund only applies to pay as you go customers, so those of us with a contract are stuck with it.

What a monumental f*** up.

The numbers would suggest that it isn't a general issue but one affecting a minority of users. As usual people don't go on to forums to say how well things are going so it always skews reality. The press haven't helped either. Bit of a bitch that Orange won't refund. You could always flog it on eBay and then buy a 3GS.

 

[Spiritflier]

I'm amazed at the number of people who are bitching about this signal issue! Maybe Apple should have given the moaners a free dummy to spit out when they're using their phone!

My girlfriend and I were discussing this press conference this morning and we did a little test on her brand new Samsung Galaxy S... You'll never guess what happens if you hold it in the wrong place - the signal goes down!

What a surprise... NOT!

Those of you who are teddy-chucking about the iPhone, just use the bloody thing... It's like just about all of the top-end mobiles currently on offer - about 90% perfect!

If Steve Jobs wants to give me a free case to protect it, that's fine by me... I'll stick the damned thing on and then carry on using the iPhone in the same way I have since I got it!

Si

 

[Dman]

The numbers would suggest that it isn't a general issue but one affecting a minority of users. As usual people don't go on to forums to say how well things are going so it always skews reality. The press haven't helped either. Bit of a bitch that Orange won't refund. You could always flog it on eBay and then buy a 3GS.

That's possibly my next step, but certainly not without a fight. I just sold a 3G to buy this and was paying £20 a month on a rolling contract. Now I could be tied in for 2 years for a 3GS at £35 a month, so I'd be much worse off than I was. Apple and Orange have had no bumpers in since the launch date, so it will be interesting to see how quickly they'll be handed out, or whether I'll be exempt from that as well. If a bumper fixes it then great, however it's not something I was prepared to go to personal expense to get, as I think that would have really taken the p***.

One thing I will make clear - Take away the signal issue and this is by far the best mobile device I've ever owned, it leaves the 3G/S for dead. That's what makes it all the more frustrating, it could be near enough perfect but for this one major flaw. Unfortunately that one flaw stops me from doing what I need the phone to do most, which is to talk with.

 

[Dman]

I'm amazed at the number of people who are bitching about this signal issue! Maybe Apple should have given the moaners a free dummy to spit out when they're using their phone!

I know, spending over £900 over the course of two years, I guess I should expect to have problems.

Those of you who are teddy-chucking about the iPhone, just use the bloody thing...

Wow! Great idea! Oh, hold on, I will once I get some signal back.

 

[Spiritflier]

I know, spending over £900 over the course of two years, I guess I should expect to have problems.

You're not just paying for the phone though are you? You're also paying to use the network!

I'm in the same boat as you are but I guess I'm probably a little more realistic than you... As I said before, it's a device that isn't 100% perfect but then again, none of them are!

Wow! Great idea! Oh, hold on, I will once I get some signal back.

Good lad... Mr Jobs has told you how to hold it and he's going to give you a free case so you'll be up and chatting away in no time!

According to that press conference, the complaints were made by approximately 0.55% of the current crop of iPhone 4 users... According to my dodgy maths, that means that 99.45% are either happy or aren't making a big song and dance over the issues! How many emails have you fired off to Apple to complain?

Si

 

[freefall]

Good lad... Mr Jobs has told you how to hold it and he's going to give you a free case so you'll be up and chatting away in no time!

So you buy a phone, have to be told how to hold it for it to work properly.

Then, you pick up your really attractive phone, marvel at it's super sleek design that is the envy of your mates, you caress the flush buttons and hold it like it is the world cup. But then to use the phone you cover it up in a blue / green / pink rubber jonny in order for you to be able to use it for it's primary function?

 

[smooth]

Dude! The black bumpers are sleeeeeeek! You hardly notice they are on it as they only go round the outline; not the back or front glass.

 

[Dman]

You're not just paying for the phone though are you? You're also paying to use the network!

Yes, a network that my phone keeps losing.

According to that press conference, the complaints were made by approximately 0.55% of the current crop of iPhone 4 users... According to my dodgy maths, that means that 99.45% are either happy or aren't making a big song and dance over the issues! How many emails have you fired off to Apple to complain?

Si

None, I don't need to as the issues are widely reported. We all know that there's a lot more than 0.55% with the issue though but Apple are doing what they need to do to ensure it looks like a minor issue.

As I said, in terms of what it can do, it's the best phone I've ever owned. It's just a shame I find it hard to use it to its capabilities.

A free bumper would be great, I doubt I'll be seeing one within the next few weeks though.

 

[wcavanagh]

I will be getting my i-Johnny

 

[Spiritflier]

So you buy a phone, have to be told how to hold it for it to work properly.

Then, you pick up your really attractive phone, marvel at it's super sleek design that is the envy of your mates, you caress the flush buttons and hold it like it is the world cup. But then to use the phone you cover it up in a blue / green / pink rubber jonny in order for you to be able to use it for it's primary function?

Hehe... Some people will no doubt fit that profile!

I got mine out of the box, plugged it into iTunes, transferred everything to it from my iPod Touch and then started making calls once it had charged... Job done!

As I've said previously, Aberystwyth isn't noted for having the world's best O2 signal but I've not had any issues... It works when I want it to and so far, I've had better signal quality than either my old Samsung Jet or my girlfriend's Samsung Galaxy S.

(I never even thought of using a blue/green/pink rubber jonny... Do you think I should get a ribbed one for the extra grip?)

Si

 

[freefall]

Right, I am soooo going into business making the " iJohnny " complete in UV colours ribbed and I may even coat it in some apple sauce for you all haha!

hmmm.... iJonny / iJohnny / i-Jonny / i-Johnny / or how about i-jonni for all da kids in da hood?

 

[Dman]

I'll get the Performa one for increased battery life

 

[smooth]

I quite fancy the ultra sensitive - it will listen to my worries and sympathise.

 

[Spiritflier]

I'll get the Performa one for increased battery life

I reckon they should call it the 'iCon (dom)'...

Maybe a condom isn't such a good idea though, I think the antenna may be too sensitive as it is!

 

[smooth]

Good point simon. It might send off a text prematurely

 

[Oli R C]

Steve Jobs can have an extra thick one so he can stick it up his @*$e

 

[alexkidd]

the point is that a phone that is as "well designed" and expensive as an iphone shouldn't have any problems

 

[joescrivens]

I have had no problems in use, but i am right handed, but it is a great phone, and a massive step up from my 3G. I have said many times on record that Apple will find a fix to this and it will then be the best phone out there.

Time will tell tomorrow, but it must be something big to do a press conference about a upgrade. Time will tell whether my faith in Apple was proven right, I cannot see them making a mess with this, as they have gotten so much bad press over it and share price has dropped. This time tomorrow we will all know. I hope they don't just offer a free bumper, as that is an insult.

looks like i'll be getting your pen and paper and a pie to eat, any request on the flavour?

you just bring some humbleness.