Q: Mysterious random total shut downs following 3.1 update

I'm having the same problem. The iPhone is running noticeably slower, and it randomly shuts down to a black screen at least twice a day. I have to perform a hard reset to turn it back on.

Add me to the list of users who are experiencing this issue. I've never had a major problem upgrading to latest iPhone firmware until now. My phone has been randomnly shutting down since I upgraded to the 3.1 firmware the day it was released. The same day I upgraded the phone it started shutting down! (How this got past QA is a good question.) And like everyone else, I have to press both the home screen and sleep button to reboot the phone.

This is very frustrating, I don't realize my phone has shutdown until I need to use it, so I miss calls and text messages.

Has anyone noticed if this is related to text messages? Of the times I can think of when I know the phone shutdown, I was either on the text messages screen or had just received/sent one.

Same problem for me as well. Just never wakes from sleep and need to do the reboot thing. At least a few times a day since I upgraded to 3.1. This is so windows like. Pretty sad. Please get a fix quickly. Hope I am not missing any emergency phone calls as this is the only phone I have. Already have missed some texts.

I contacted Apple today. They said they knew of the 3.1 issues and were working on a fix but had no timetable for an update. The techs know what you are talking about but I think they have been instructed to play dumb. Great way to treat a customer. Customer service my ***!

Ok I have solved my random shut downs....earlier i posted that i thought it was related to an app, and i think it is. here is what I did hope some of you try it and let me know. the solution is very easy, you are just going to have to install your apps one at a time.

1. Restore your phone to the default factory settings using I-tunes, restore as a new phone DO NOT restore from a back up. When you are done, the phone will be like it came new from apple.

2.Sync your contacts, music, pictures, DO NOT sync the apps. Arrange your phone just like you had it ring tones, e-mail, clock/alarms, weather etc etc...

3. try it like that for a few days (2) , again do not install your apps. download one app at a time and trying it for a few days. if your phone starts to shut down than you will know which applications is causing it.

these are the apps i am running on my phone with no problems. pandora,slacker,yahoo messenger,emergency,shazam,chase,wells fargo and att my wireless.

these are the apps i took off. facebook,to do,crash bandicoot,need for speed, packman,cheap gas,aaa, urban spoon,remote and all recipes. I small price to pay but i have not had any random shutdowns for 4 days.

let me know if it works for you.

Message was edited by: hothydrant

Same problem here. I am going back to 3.01, completely ridiculous. Shame on apple for such a piece of crap and no testing.

I loved my iPhone 3G and was planning on staying loyal, but this has been so bad I have been looking at some android products.

You can add me to the list of 3G owners experiencing iPhone narcolepsy.

No idea what causes it, but I've had it occur within seconds (locked the phone, then a few seconds later tried to unlock and it was in the coma).

(I've also had issues with battery life, and auto-brightness level acting all wonky, but I'll leave that for other threads).

Here's hoping Apple engineers are working on fixes for 3.1.1!

same problem here. since i update my iphone 3g to 3.1 it frequently gets in coma and got more problems with internet connections. i agree with some users that it is probably a conflict with some apps but this is simply a joke! i've bought these apps and i've bought the iphone for all the package that it is, not to be force to unninstall the apps to see wich one is causing the crashes!!!!
this is an official forum, right??? so why the apple simply don't give us a sollution??????

iPhone 3G... same problem. Random freezes after window-lock... seems to occur while mail is checking/updating. Weird.

2 times today, 3 times yesterday... this is getting old fast.

Okay, so it has been 2 full since I removed iTunes and re-installed it and then restoring my iPhone 3G from backup. Now it went to a "coma" two times, right after connecting the earphones. That's the only time it goes to "coma"... when I connect the earphones... before the removal of iTunes, it was having "comas" EVERY DAY, at least 10 times a day.

The only thing I can say is, please try it and maybe stop complaining.

Good luck. Let us know if it works for you

BTW, I still think that Apple owes us a needed update, and also needs to respect us a bit more, cause we are the ones writing their pay checks

try my suggestion restore your phone "as new phone" not from back up. and run it with no apps for a day or two, let me know if this fixes the problem. I also agree with all the users apple needs to find out what is going on. I am sure they are scrambling trying to find a fix in the meanwhile we have to do what we have to do to keep our phones going.

I tried restoring as a new phone, right after restoring from backup didn't work. Restoring as new with no apps didn't work either. There's no silver bullet here, other than (a) getting a replacement phone and hoping that it comes with 3.0.1 or (b) downgrading on your own. I chose b.

I tried reinstalling latest itunes, no help.

update: I called the Apple 800 number today and got a hours worth of troubleshooting attempts on the phone, plus talked to an escalation person but no fix. That being said, I was nice to the person on the phone so they worked with me, documenting the steps and results. Apple Technical Support does KNOW of the problem and have engineers beating their heads on their monitors trying to fix it. It ***, we all know that, including them. They haven't found the common denominator. We purchased two iphones, same day, and his is working fine, mine has the coma. Oddly enuf, my serial number showed up as inactive aka recycled or somesuch. Interesting.

I'm sure they're trying to fix it. I'd trade those hard-working tech guys for testing OS upgrades using a system other than a small cabal of developers locked down with NDAs, however.