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iPhone 3G Reception Problems? You're Not Alone - Continued

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PM G5, iMac, iPods, Mac OS X (10.5), Mac OS 9.2.2

Posted on Jul 26, 2008 10:50 AM

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786 replies

Aug 12, 2008 12:02 PM in response to Nubz N.

It's so bad I don't even use 3G. Everytime I switch 3G on, when I have full bars on edge, first it goes to "No Service" then very few bars.

If I am on 3G and go out of 3G area, it goes to "No Service" then back to edge.

Not very seamless.

Example: Driving from Chicago to Champaign IL, somewhere outside of chicago, the phone went to NO SERVICE, then after some period (30seconds-1minute) popped back to full bars on Edge.

Like I said, It's (AT&T 3G) so useless I just use edge or wifi

Aug 12, 2008 12:02 PM in response to Nubz N.

I would have to say my experience has been mixed. I have become familiar with the dead zones for 3G and learned to avoid important calls when I anticipate entering them. I am a little disappointed that there seems to be no "handshake" into or out of 3G when on a call. It seems it shouldn't have been such a big deal to switch to Edge during a call, but I'm no cellular engineer. 🙂

Aug 12, 2008 12:03 PM in response to didio

Must say, our iPhone 3Gs are pretty impressive - really easy to use, even for my wife, on her own, even with all its capabilities ... but it's still a disappointment - our expectations were very high, but the 'phone sound quality is not so good (to ear & on loudspeaker), and the 3G waxes & wanes so very much ... mind-you, it does seem to be getting better, so we are still clutching at our straws !

My wife took hers back to O2 today - not because of 3G, but because the silence switch was very stiff & the metal cover came-adrift after not many flicks ... they took it from her & said they would send it to Apple for inspection & repair or replacement, at undefined cost ... lending her a new courtesy Nokia 2760 for the duration ... she's not a gadget geek, but has already got withdrawal symptoms, and the iPod Touch (our prospective remote) has gone missing - ie: she's taken possession of it, for the duration ...

Whatever the problems with the iPhone 3G, ours included, we'd not like to go back to our previous devices (Nokia E61 & Samsung SGH560) - even after a few days away, they are pretty awful / complicated / distracting / annoying - apart from the 'phone sound-quality !

Aug 12, 2008 12:04 PM in response to Nubz N.

I think and in fear or echoing numerous other postings, like most of Apple hardware/software of late. We , the customers are beta testing the phone and the coverage. In Manhattan at my office 28/5 I only get Edge and Where I spend most time - 100 miles east, the phone is little more than a nice rolodex,although all ATT coverage maps say I am fully covered for Cel and 3G. Oh well, we keep buying it and it seems to not get better. By the way at my home - 100 miles east, friends subscribed to T Mobile or Verizon have zero connectivity issues.

Aug 12, 2008 12:04 PM in response to klopus

I work in Rockefeller Center in NYC on the 19th floor and also live in NYC but no matter where I go, my iPhone 3G constantly switches between 3G and EDGE. It can't make up its mind and it's very annoying. AT&T's 3G network is horrible. It also wants to switch to Wi-Fi every chance it gets even though I turned "Ask to Join Networks" OFF. It's very frustrating. While walking down a street in NYC it tries to pick up EVERY Wi-Fi network it sees. This is ridiculous.

Aug 12, 2008 12:06 PM in response to Nubz N.

Add me to this list. My first iPhone got perfect reception in my home office. The 3G has been awful, with callers complaining they can't understand me or total outright drops. I called AT&T and they said there's nothing wrong and it's Apple software. I was traveling last week and stopped at the Apple Store in the Mall of America. The fellow there was nice and popped out my SIM and put it back. That helped a bit. My reception went from either no service/1 bar and completely unusable, to 2-3 bars usually with an occasional drop at 1. I can hold a conversation now, but it's filled with problems.
I regret buying this phone big-time.

Aug 12, 2008 12:07 PM in response to Nubz N.

I am in Santa Cruz, CA where there is no 3G, just Edge. If I have 3G turned on in settings my cell reception drops to 0-1 bars. If I turn off 3G in settings it immediately jumps to a full 5 bars. So I am paying for 3G, I have no access to it and it is screwing with my cell reception. Nice! 😉

I think this has only been happening since the last firmware update.

Charles Willson

Aug 12, 2008 12:11 PM in response to marc.fogel

OMG - I stayed away from Windows Mobile because it frequently locked up. Matthew Miller's article "Congratulations Apple, you made the iPhone less stable than Windows Mobile" is right on.

I have to reboot several times a day just to kick the email into receiving.

Forget 3G, forget GPS, forget WiFi - with those turned on my phone can't make it past noon without a recharge.

So - the 3G is less stable than iPhone 1.0. Wow.

Aug 12, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Charles Willson

Hey, I live in the Santa Cruz mountains as well. I notice the same, I usually go to No Service then get very few bars. When I go to Los Gatos (the apple store has 3g) I get the same. I basically turned off 3G unless I need to browse on 3G, the active sync/email works fine on edge.


THis happened to me since the first day of the new phone. I noticed it more becuase I turned off 3G to save the battery life

iPhone 3G Reception Problems? You're Not Alone - Continued

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