Q: Mysterious random total shut downs following 3.1 update

I'm having this problem as well. I've tried the suggestions here (other than downgrade, which I don't want to do).

I hope Apple releases a fix soon.

Apple "Genius" was very professional and gave me a new 3G on 5 Oct. Unfortunately, it has 3.1 loaded on it and on the second day the coma and dead battery symptoms reappeared. This thread is over 140 pages with the same problem, when is Apple going to exhibit some corporate integrity and announce that they have a problem. Please post 3.01 on iTunes and allow us to go back to an OS that actually works. Wake up Apple. Blackberry looks better and better with each coma and missed call.

So I called apple iphone support and the first guy was like uh haven't heard of it before. I said have you looked at the Apple discussion forums with over 140 pages of people with this issue, and he goes I don't read the forums. He keeps saying his computer is acting up and to hold on. Then he says I'm trying to find an article from a while ago that mentions this but his computer is frozen. I thought Macs weren't supposed to freeze...I mean I am assuming that is what their CSR's are using??? Well I tell him that this isn't from a while ago it's because of the 3.1 update and he mumbles something, says one second, then my call is disconnected. I call right back and get this nice woman on the phone who doesn't acknowledge when I asked if she has heard of this before, kind of avoids my question, but schedules me to come into the Apple store by me and they will switch my phone out...then right at the end she says wait a second would I mind answering a few questions about do I recall what I was doing when this would happen or if random and also does it happen when on a call or when I'm plugged into power source or not. I really hope that the phone they give me is at 3.0

I hate to be skeptical but I think you may be right.

Random shutdowns is a major problem but Apple says nothing.

I know of no other phone ive had that does this.

Do you know what´s the probability that i came to buy another product of apple? Zero percent...Never more. And it´s not because by equipment failure, but it´s because the lack of respect with your customers. It´s policy of after-sales simply does not exist. It´s clear from this episode that Apple treat your customers with indifference and disrespect. Congratulations Apple for our first month...

Having similar issues: random shut-downs, mysterious battery indicator that says 100% full even though it's obviously not. Contacted Customer Support: told me to reset the phone (did) restore from back up (did) and even restore as new (did) and nothing helped.

The first person I spoke to was decent. The second person just said, "hullo?" when they answered and proceeded to interrupt me and not listen. I wasn't sure she took down all my info, so I called back and got a very nice woman who indeed confirmed the previous woman did absolutely nothing and did not notate that I done all the resetting and restoring as instructed. *She made a notation in my case number that I had done everything possible and said I needed a replacement phone.*

The first available appointment at my local apple store isn't until Friday morning so I'm just going to look like an idiot in front of people while my phone is shutting down and restarting. Yipee.

If you're having this problem, and your phone is under warranty, you shouldn't have a problem getting a replacement. However, the 'Geniuses' at the Apple Store probably won't be of much help. I brought mine in to the closest store and while I was signing in for my appointment with the girl at the desk, my phone happened to die right then and there, so I made a point of showing her and the 2 guys standing there with her exactly what was going on and why I was there. All 3 of them definitely saw and heard me explain what was going on with the phone, and told me they'd help me as soon as my appointment was up in 20 minutes or so. So I waited. In that 20 minutes, the phone had to be rebooted another 2 times. I finally make it up to the Genius Bar only to have one of the guys I'd already spoken to tell me that there is nothing he could do for me, it was a known issue, and I'd have to wait it out. Why he didn't tell me that when I first got there I'll never know, but needless to say I was pretty ******, even more so when my phone went comatose one more time as I was leaving the store.

However, one phonecall to tech support (1-800-275-2273) and 5 minutes later, I had a new 3G in the mail through Apple's Advance Replacement Service, which didn't cost me a thing thanks to having AppleCare. As long as your phone is under warranty they should do the same for you too, however if you're not an AppleCare member you might have to pay extra for the Advance Replacement. Also, they're going to need to place a $500 hold on your credit card until you send them your comatose iPhone.


Anyway, I've checked this thread a few times hoping for some kind of solution but I haven't come close to reading all 145 pages, and I was wondering if anyone had made any kind of effort to compare the model numbers or anything like that of iPhones that are having this problem. I'm assuming not every single iPhone 3G is having this problem, so maybe there's a good chance that some hardware used in certain revisions of the 3G is causing the problem. I haven't upgraded my replacement 3G to 3.1 because I figure I'm more than likely to end up with the same problem all over again.

Just got off the phone with Apple Support. They are saying that, "There is not software issue with 3.1 and they have no internal documentation of any issues with the 3.1 software" The tech advised me that my backup file is corrupt. They suggested that backup data into ical, and address book then restore my phone as a new device, then sync the phone and restore the contact data. I'll try it and see how it goes. I'm pretty sure it won't work.

Well, the regular hard resetting up to several times a day has become a way of life now (I have a rock-steady reliable samsung phone for work-related calls, so don't use my iphone as much during the day as some others might, and luckily don't seem to have lock-ups as often... I've even made it through two or three afternoons without a single coma episode! But most of the time, I have at least a couple of them)

However, a couple new and interesting variants on the theme have popped up recently:
- A couple times the phone got scorchingly hot in my pocket when it was locked up. It had previously occasionally been noticeably warm, but never this hot! Once I was giving a presentation in a meeting and was trying to ignore it, but finally had to stop and take it out of my pocket and try to do something to get it from burning up. This can't be good for the hardware in the long term, I imagine.
- It seems to be getting harder to get it to do hard resets -- often takes a few tries to get it to "take". Maybe it's just something about how I'm pushign the buttons (or maybe they're wearing out from having to reset so much), but I'm definitely having to go to some effort now on some occasions to get it to reset.

The lack of a graceful exit plan on this is getting really irritating. Since I do use another phone much of the time, I get a constant reminder of how a phone really can "just work"... Too bad it's not the iphone.

And there' still no 3.1 option in the pulldown menu on this forum.

Just letting everyone know that since I downgraded from 3.1 to 3.0.1 I have had no problems...I have not had to reset at all...again here is the link for people to try...you need a mac however...I have 5 friends who have 3.1 and did this, and they too have been extremely successful...

http://www.benm.at/tutorials/howto-iphone-3g-firmware-3-1-downgrade-os-x/

At one point today the phone locked up in the middle of the mail program which I found new and disturbing ... it adds a twist to the already special comas.

itunes just alerted me to a "carrier update" for my iphone. Took a few seconds to update. Anyone know if this could be part of a solution?

Firmware?

criprez wrote:
itunes just alerted me to a "carrier update" for my iphone. Took a few seconds to update. Anyone know if this could be part of a solution?

Firmware?

never mind

figured it out....sept 25th mms update


I am just getting sick of the iphone.....coma-phone is more like it

The so-called 3Gs conspiracy is likely not at all factual, but you can upgrade. Of course, it's very expensive, but there is a "early upgrade" path very clearly defined on the Apple website. It checks your AT&T number and determines when you can upgrade for the normal upgrade path. If it's too early for your standard upgrade, then they offer the "early upgrade." I wonder if this "feature" has been around for awhile, or is it something recent?

I am having the same problem. I am afraid I cannot contribute much to the discussion, but I wanted to put my name on the list.

(Did you guys noticed iPhone OS 3.1 is not one of the options in the drop-down list when you're replying here?)

Thanks
Marcel