After hearing from the experts about iPhone 4’s widely publicized reception issues, we had hoped that Apple will be able to magically fix it with a software update.
Apple has just released a public statement to confirm that they’re incorrectly displaying the signal strength, which will be fixed with a software update that will provide users a much better indication of the reception that they are getting in a given area.
Apple has just released the following open letter to iPhone 4 users who are complaining about the reception issues:
Dear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.
To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.
At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.
We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.
We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.
As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Apple
So to summarize Apple's statement on the issue, if you’ve observed the reception issue then it doesn’t mean Apple will fix the reception issues as Apple can’t fix it as it depends on the your carriers network. The iPhone Software update will ensure that the signal is being reported correctly to give a much better indication of the reception that you’re getting (so that you can blame the carrier for the poor reception instead of Apple).
Apple is planning to release the fix in a few weeks so if you’ve jailbroken and unlocked iOS 4 then please remember to avoid upgrading to it as it is possible that Apple will patch the vulnerabilities that allowed the Dev team to hack iOS 4. So it would be prudent to wait for the iPhone Dev team to clarify if it was safe to upgrade to the new version of iOS 4 (most probably iOS 4.0.1).
As always, we’ll let you know as soon as the iPhone software update is available and if it is safe to upgrade. So stay tuned here at iPhone Hacks or follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed.
We would also love to hear your thoughts on Apple’s open letter on the iPhone 4 reception problem.
[via Apple]
I bet this did this on purpose, so they can find the way the iPhone Dev team hacked it and close it up.
Hahahahha.. iPhone Dev team is smart enough.. they didnt release JB or anything (for some models) to get caught..
This morning I stopped by an AT & T store to see the iPhone 4 and look into the problem myself… The phones in display all had 5 bars of signal… when I held the phones from the bottom left corner, all of them completely lost signal …
I currently have a 3gs, it had 4 bars as well at the same spot… when I held it from the same spot, it did not loose signal…
Which basically means that that spot had a strong signal. Based on that, Apple is not making sense to me.. how do they explain the loss of signal on the iPhone 4 and not the 3gs, both running iOS 4?
My other question is, if it's a software issue, why will it take "few weeks" to fix?
I believe Apple is trying to convince people to hold onto their phones beyond the 30 days return policy…then they're stuck with it and nothing could be done..
Lol, really.. you think they would have jepodised there launch for stop JBs?
Typo, 3gs had 5 bars
very interesting if its true, hopefully AT&T network isnt that crappy lol dont have the new iPhone yet, but my friends who do have one havent complained of any problem
No I don't, it was ment to be a joke. Sorry if you missed that
Incorrectly displaying the signal strength my ass! This has nothing to do with how many bars I am seeing. Bottom line, we know for a fact that connected the two antennas together at the black line causes the issue. If this update is only a cosmetic fix I will be pissed. My phone showing 3 bars instead of 5 will not help when making a connection at the black line causes me to lose my signal completely.
unfortunately, they would lie through the new signal bar formulation..
That's exactly what I was thinking. Why a few weeks to fix a "faulty formula." This is now beyond ridiculous. They are basically implying that AT&T are worse than people originally thought. I would love to hear AT&Ts comments on Apples findings. I still find it suspicious that after three generations they finally decide to release their own "case" that only covers the antenna. I really find it hard to believe it's just a coincidence.
Yeah, I feel that too.
All though, I have a case on mine, and it's been pretty good since then.
"Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should…"
Its hard to imagine this got through their hard-core QA un-noticed. Looks like this was done on purpose but later back-fired.
I get better service with my iPhone 4 than I did with my 3g & my coworkers 3gs. I agree with the better signal… as long as I don't touch the bottom of my phone. Fixing how the phone reports signal strength will not fix the problem. Interesting that they admitted they "fluff" the signal reception though, even though it was done "erroneously". The signal issue isn't enough for me to return it to apple, just enough for me to buy a case, I would have done that anyway. I fully believe that apple is waiting a few weeks for the software update so people will be stuck with the phone after realizing they will still lose complete signal if they connect the antennas. The funny thing is, Apple has done a lot of transparent dirty maneuvers to keep consumers buying their product, and keeping it. And I can't blame them, the company is still far easier to deal with than any other, by FAR.
has anyone tried to short the two antennas with a piece of wire rather then the 'death grip' to test if the 'death grip' is simply blocking the RF rather then shorting?
If putting the bumper case on stops the issue then it must be that they are shorting, surely?
I can't test as I only have a 3GS..
I think Apple are talking a bit of bull there, I mean they may have found an issue but it doesnt explain everything. Why would a case help so many people if its the underlying algorithm that wrong??? hmmmmmm.
sorry Apple, i still love ya :p
agreed
But doesn't the iPhone 4 drop when covering the lower left? I find my 3GS drops when covering the lower right. It doesn't cause any problems though.
Wow, what a LAME excuse & a complete denial of iphone 4's major and glaring flaw.
Trying to shift focus from the iphone 4 to make people think it's a software/carrier issue is pretty sad.
That's a lot of BS Apple, you're not fooling anyone. Especially when the # of videos of side by side comparisons of iphone 4 with previous gens proves it's an iphone 4 problem.
That's full of sh***. I dont believe those Genius Apple Engineers (as people call) have made wrong calculation about signal strength indication. What they did was they were to0 smart to integrate the antenna into the metal housing which causes the issues:)I think Apple found the issues, they just dont want to admit it. I was talking on the phone with my cousin who has just received his iphone 4 yesterday. i have 3 dropped calls during a 10m chat. WTF.
Apple is playing game about incorrect signal bar formula…smart move!
Truthfully I've yet to see a problem with my iPhone4. I've personally held the phone exactly where everyone has been holding it(Bottom left black strip) and the web pages load up perfectly fine. I've tried covering the ENTIRE antenna strip with my hand and having a buddy load up the same exact page and in some instances the webpage actually loaded FASTER then without holding the phone. Truthfully I believe that a good portion of the iPhone 4's that were released were produced poorly while others are fine. This would explain why only a certain amount of people are having this issue while others are not.
The only issue so far that I've personally had is that it won't connect to itunes and wont connect to certain webpages just randomly even though it was just fine. This to me is more of a software issue as I've not had a problem sending a text or making a call immediately after seeing this error message.
What about that article a few days that tested the iphone 4's reception by hacking it and testing the amount of db the signal strength is. The iphone 4 did terrible and you cannot fuck up a formula for decibels its just pure data.
The only thing with the iphone 4 was that it performs better with a lower signal strength. Apple probably now realizes that they can get away with lower signals and is just going to make a cosmetic update to make it look like everything is better when in fact the data says otherwise.
So if I'm on Vodaphone in the uk I'm going to get AT&T bar readings cos that's what my phone will be calibrated for then??
Honestly I have had incredible service with the new phone. I mean I could not use my 3G in my house AT ALL! Now I get calls everywhere. Im just being honest have no reason to lie at all and believe me if my shit didn't work after all the hard earned money I shell out to them you would be hearing it from me big time!
I don't buy there product for any other reason than I believe they are the best. No tricks no muss no fuss and I think consumers are much smarter than being tricked into buying something. All companies have issues with technology especially when its new. One word VISTA! I do agree My I phone 4 has been AWESOME reception wise and the camera is friggin unbelievable quality and the video is some of the clearest crispest I have ever seen.
So does this mean that they are going to fix the display to always show 5 bars no matter what?? "Wow, this phone is great! I am underwater and I still get 5 bars!"
Just one thing to say… BS….big BS…lame..excuse…
Still doesn't explain dropped calls and why when you connect to two metal bands with another piece of metal the signal drops like a rock…….. all the way to no service… this isn't software!
I don't see a difference between my jailbroken 3GS and iPhone 4 with or without a bumper
AT&T sucks equally as much on either phone, along with the Nexus one which I tested out as well. All 3 phones drop calls cause AT&T has a crap network. Hope the verizon rumors are true this time!
out of no where my iphone 4 said NO SIM card, thats crazy! cuz i turned it off and on, and it went back to the network, but miunutes later it said NO SIM INSERTED or somthing like that
wat could it be?
bullshit is bullshit It just goes by many names..
I did this test the other day using speaker wire. It is definitely not the "deathgrip" causing this specific issue. What I mean is it isn't the squeezing or our hand being there. The wire connecting the 2 antennas caused the same problem for me. This response from Apple has me pretty pissed at them. They know it's an issue and they won't admit it. They superficially increased the bars a while back to make it look as though the iPhone has awesome reception. Now they are putting it back so they can point the finger at AT&T.
wow diz is sum serious BS…so u tellin me dat wen it says no service on my phone it really means dat i still have service? yet i cant make a call…explain to me dat or mayb nxt time dey will b lyk da display on ur fone is incorrect even though it shows call failed it really means makin call lol wtf just admit u made a faulty device n give us all a free upgrade wen iphone 4GS comes out haha
it could be – – - one of many faults.
yeah man, if you go on sunday should be fine, get a pint of milk on the way back in time for tea.
That made as much sense to you as what you said meant to me..
So does this software issue cause problems with the 3g updated to iOS4? No it doesn't ( my wife has 3g updated) which means apple are using this to hide the fact that the iPhone 4 has a real hardware problem. By giving users less bars than normal, they would be hoping for less problems directed at them.
So, basically the reception sucks (I have compared the 3G and 3GS to other phones, iphone's reception is worse). But all along they've been falsely indicating they've been getting better reception than it has (ie: lying).
The formula they used for "lying" works in such a way that when the signal becomes even lower, through attenuation due to certain local environmental conditions (ie: gripping the phone a certain way), it drops the indicator down closer to what the reception actually is (eg: they are using a simple "fudge factor")
So when they deploy the patch, all the iphones are going to indicate their actual reception. And people will blame the network provider rather than the device's sensitivity.
Apple is really embarrassing their engineering department. I mean, for sake, how can a flawed signal meter in a radio device make it through QA for years? The primary purpose of the device is as a radio receiver and transmitter.
I think they've known for a while and got caught out. And I'll bet they used a formula that made AT&T's network look better than it is (for purposes of the iphone).
I work as an RN in a local ICU and have a lot of downtime some nights. I took my new i4 to work for the first time last night and got the "dead zone" nurses station. This particular station is in a spot that just gets terrible signal. With my old 3GS I would have to plug my phone in another station and start up mywi just to get decent data use on my iPad. With my i4 however, I was sitting there last night with the same crappy 1 BAR, holding my i4 in my hand, and was having great network speed. I didn't speedtest it but I could definitely tell that the pages were moving along much better than with my old phone. In my opinion this goes right along with the study AnandTech did…..the improved design of the antenna band allows for better CELL RECEPTION with lower signal.
The bottom line is Apple screwed up bad and they do not want to admit it and then have to replace the 1.7 million faulty iPhones already sold. They would rather come up with this bogus software fix that will do nothing to fix the actual problem. Apple is the only company that will get away with doing this. If any other company tried this BS they would be finished. Unfortunately, Apple fans will buy anything Apple releases whether faulty or not. Pretty sad!
at the end of the day are you happy with ur iphone. coz i kno i am. it gets a better signal than my 3gs but yes it does drop bars wen you hold it in a certain way. would not swap it for any other phone!
What theyre trying to do is just put 3 bars all across the board whether you have a signal or not! just so nobody will complain!
Exactly!
I has tried using the case on my iphone 4, but still reception issue is remain same in my home.
But, I tried checking in my office(sitting in 2nd floor)…I do see 5 bars all the time whether I use case to the iphone 4 or not/…strange..!!
I am in dilemma whether to return or keep it…because, I like iphone 4.
Apple might not care when our bars are dropping but when the bars on their stock chart start dropping maybe they will. Their stock fell $2.94, or 1.2 percent, to $245.54 this afternoon.
If you don't have any issues then lucky you but the big problem is Apple's response. First you are holding it wrong and then the phone is showing more bars than it should. That is just ridiculous. It's actually pathetic. And why the need to take a hit at other manufactures. That's just shameful. Even if you don't have any problems you have to admit the way they have handled the situation is just sad.
And to other people who posted on earlier articles that people are just making up stories, are haters, jealous, etc., you really need to open your eyes. If it wasn't an issue, not affecting many users, why would Apple feel the need to issue two statement about it. I have the iPhone 4 with not to great of a signal problem and am all around happy with my purchase but even I have to admit this is just outrageous
But that's the point with those who paid that much with their hard many and are facing these issues. Wouldn't you be outraged by both their statements. First they claim you are holding it the wrong way and now they claim its a problem with the formula they have used to show the signal bars on your phone. You mean to tell me Apple or AT&T didn't catch this for the past 2-3yrs? And this just states that AT&T has worse service then people first thought. To treat thousands of customers who paid big money to have their latest product as a flock of sheep is just outrageous.
I'm surprised this article doesn't have more comments. I haven't really seen much people or maybe nobody defending Apple's statement. I'm hoping people have finally opened their eyes. I really find the iPhone to be a good phone but this whole ordeal is just too much for me. I can't help but be irritated by their statement.
That's very productive…… working on ur iphone while working at a hospital, GJ
ppl complained about signal issues with 3gs so apple fixed it and lied and gave the ppl 5bars didnt solve the issue because ppl still would get dropped calls. Now they're gonna take that back so ppl will be like oh it dropped from 3 to 0 bars rather than 5 to 0 bars.
Has anyone notices when your are using 3G ex; eBay application searching for something. The bottom right (not left) part of iPhone 4 gets quite hot? Or do I have a faulty phone? What about the proximity sensor? Not much talk about that. I do mute people often. 3 out of 10 calls for say. And holding the phone. Reception goes down. Photos on eBay don't load anymore. Not gripping phone…. Reception goes up. eBay images load real snappy fast. How can someone explain this is a display factor. WTF!!! anyone same shoes as me?
Is there a mailing list I can sign up too when you guys release your update?