Apple iOS Update to Fix iPhone 4 Antenna Problem?

Topics: In The News

Apple says that the way you hold the iPhone 4 affects the reception.

(Credit: Apple)

When early adopter iPhone 4 users started complaining about a signal strength and reception problem, Apple CEO Steve Jobs advised customers to just avoid holding it in a way that covered up the antenna located at the bottom of the phone.

The solution may turn out to involve more than users altering their iPhone grip.

According to a report by Daniel Eran Dilger of AppleInsider, an iOS 4.0.1 software fix addressing the issue could be available for download early next week.

The information was found in comments on Apple's tech support forums, but was subsequently taken down, he said. The software fix is supposedly designed to fix a calibration problem that occurs when radio frequencies are switched.

Read the full AppleInsider article

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by thesevenveils June 28, 2010 12:11 AM EDT: Software is not going to fix a hardware problem. The worm in this apple is the iTenna. That's what happens when you make them too small, they don't work.; Reply to this comment


by ralphing June 27, 2010 6:27 PM EDT: If you hold your fingers against the iPhone in a certain way, you're playing with it.; Reply to this comment


by voxpopulus June 27, 2010 6:06 PM EDT: The software fix electrocutes you if you are holding it ""wrong".; Reply to this comment

by SusanJ47 June 26, 2010 11:02 PM EDT

User error? Design flaw? Neither.

So many people are totally unaware of a thing called "manufacturing error".
(Apple does not manufacture *ANY* iPhone. Never has. Never will.)

The simple reason why 1000s of phones have this problem... and 100000s do NOT:

The company that builds the phone (not Apple) let a small number of phones slip through quality-control inspections.

*ALL* iPhone4s should have an insulating coating on the antenna.... but a small percent of them were accidentally shipped without it.

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by voxpopulus June 27, 2010 1:10 AM EDT: Not according to Steve Jobs himself.

by storm14k June 26, 2010 9:50 PM EDT

This problem won't be fixed by software. The blogoshere however will just up and swear its fixed once the update is released. The iFools will continue to drop calls but because Apple and the blogoshpere say they don't then they'll believe they don't.

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by voxpopulus June 27, 2010 1:12 AM EDT: No. They'll just mess up the indicator bars so it looks like it's fixed. But it's funny to see Apple acknowledge an issue and the true believers CONTINUE to deny it is an issue.


by DTyda June 26, 2010 9:46 PM EDT: Maybe there wouldn't be antenna problems if more people had just eaten the Apple crepes that were served outside the Phoenix store! Hahaha... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXxmzGiUROE; Reply to this comment

by voxpopulus June 26, 2010 9:32 PM EDT

From the original article: "It appears that iOS 4, more so than previous iPhone software, presents a less accurate signal meter, showing less signal at times than an iPhone 3GS while still being able to achieve the same or better call quality" No. People are not complaining about the bars going down. They are complaining about the reception dropping out. It's looking like Apple's "fix" could well be giving you lots of bars when you can't hear anyone. The iPhone does NOT have good reception in general compared with others. I hate having people around me getting calls when I can't. And I've used this phone outside of the US so it is NOT the service provider.

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by mgshnmgshn June 28, 2010 12:09 PM EDT: You hold the phone in your right hand and you get five bars. Move it to your left and wait a few seconds it drops to zero bars. This has NOTHING to do with the service provider.

FWIW, if you avoid holding the phone "wrong" it does get better reception than previous iPhones. Unfortunately, "wrong" is exactly the way most people would hold it and also the way Apple shows it being held in about 30 of their commercials.

by TheEponymousBob June 26, 2010 12:58 PM EDT

This theory is based on reports that the same signal degredation occurs on older models running iOS 4. Reading this, I attempted to recreate it on my 3G, which had not yet been updated. Result was clear: pre-update, no problem; post-update, loss of signal consistently when held in the manner being reported.

Based on this I no longer have any qualms about buying the new phone?when (and if) they fix the problem.

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