Issue with Proximity Sensor during calls

I held my phone a finger's width from my head..and the display was still active.

Well, resetting settings did NOT work! I was pretty upbeat, but it turned out to fail. I have a Genius appt. tomorrow at 1 PM. Does anyone have any suggestions as to plead my appeal and get an exchange?

I think I may have found a temporary solution to our problem while we wait for a real fix from Apple.

Once you start a call, hit the home button and pull something else up on the screen like a photo so that if the screen comes back on it doesn't have options like END CALL or FACE TIME on the screen to accidentally hit. The calculator may be another good choice as the only way to get it off the screen is to hit the home button.

I'm having the same problem. Was talking while at the store and tried to hold my phone between my face and ear. The phone kept beeping in my ear. I've also hung up calls. Please fix this FAST!!!!!!

I've had my new iPhone for 2 days and it is also having issues with the Proximity Sensor. I was just on a call where the speaker phone came on twice and the mute button was hit once as I was talking. I've never had this problem with my iPhone 3G. I'm not sure how often this is happening as I've only made a few calls so far but I hope this can be fixed with a software update.

I am having the same issue as well. Unless I keep the phone mashed against my ear the proximity sensor stops detecting me and turns the screen back on. I keep muting people who then hang up on me or my face ends the call. Got my fingers crossed that a software update can boost the range on the proximity sensor.

I don't know if they can fix this via software and if they do fix it via software what is going to be the impact on battery if any Well i hope this all is fixed before my 30 day return period or I am going to have to return this Iphone 4

Well, I was just on the phone with a colleague and they got put on speakerphone by my face twice within 30 seconds. I was holding the phone up to my face the way I always would with my iPhone 3G. I'm ready to throw this phone out the window. It's beyond frustrating!

I'm calling AppleCare now to roll the dice and see what response I get from them about the issue this time. I'll report back.

Dude Utah... I'm in Orem as well having the same issue. ll I can say is wow. I am having issues with my 3G data so I call apple and I tell the lady If she can hold on 10 seconds... I come back and she hung up. I'm a pretty patient guy so I call back and talk to another agent about the huge problem I'm having with iPhone 4's data connection issues and that I have done everything she is telling me to do and while she is explaining that the only option would be to replace the phone. So I start talking how I don't feel confident that would solve the problem since everyone is saying that replacing the phone doesn't solve anything and in the middle of me talking she starts saying "hello? Hello?" so I say hi. Then she hangs up. The proximity sensor had an ultimate fail and muted me during my whole shpeel. She hangs up. Doesn't call me back. So to sum it up... Data on iPhone 4? Fail. Proximity sensor? Fail. Service? Fail.

Just got off a 30 minute phone call with AppleCare. Spent about 10 minutes with a first level tech who realized when I wasn't using a screen protector or a case for the iPhone 3G(s) with the iPhone 4 that the issue was over his head.

He transferred me to a "senior" advisor who told me that she could overnight another phone to me but that she couldn't guarantee that the new phone would not have the same problem.

I told her that it's not acceptable that Apple has not released any statement on this problem and that there are hundreds of people reporting the issue on their own website. She said that the engineers are still trying to determine if it's a hardware or software problem and that even the senior advisors haven't heard anything from the engineers at this point.

She said in her opinion the best thing for me to do is go to my local Apple Store (45 minutes away) and have them do a phone swap because "they won't let you walk out of there with a phone unless it's working correctly." I'm not sure I believe that based on the myriad of posts I've seen here about "geniuses" telling them that the phone is fine and that they're holding the phone incorrectly.

Next, I called AT&T and the lady had to put me on hold for several minutes to check when my cutoff for being able to return the phone is since their system shows that my contract was extended on 6/16/2010 but I obviously didn't have the phone at that point. She came back and said that I have 30 days from the day the phone was shipped to return it and she noted that on my account. Mine was shipped on 6/22/2010 so I have until 7/22/2010 to return it without my contract being extended.

Well, at least I know I've got about three weeks to see what Apple does about this issue. I'm really not leaning toward going into the Apple Store because that'll take about 2 hours of my day and I have yet to read of one person that went into a store with a bad proximity sensor and came out with a phone that did not have the same problem. What do you guys think? Should I go to the Apple Store or just wait it out and see what Apple says or does about this issue in the coming weeks?

For those that have followed the thread, I'm in a similar position. My replacement phone, which Apple said I would have today, isn't scheduled to deliver until sometime tomorrow...

One of the reasons the engineers haven't announced a fix yet is that they haven't gotten their hands on the defective phones. I was told by the Level 2 tech person that my old phone, once received, would be sent to the labs so the engineers could try to diagnose the problem and find a solution. From what I have read, very few of us have actually sent a phone back to Apple for this issue so far, so the longer we wait to send them in, the longer we're likely to have to wait for a solution.

This is a real problem which I am frankly surprised Apple will not admit. This has never happened with any of my previous iPhones; however, with mine and 4 of my other friends who have the iPhone4, this problem exists.

I have muted the phone and hung up on people numerous times as well as sent emails, texts and dialed people in my phone book. This phone seems to be a curse as I am on my soon to be third phone now. The first had the camera not functioning problem and this replacement has the reception problem. Both phones have had the proximity sensor error.

I have toyed around with taping over the sensor, but that doesn't solve the problem. It wouldn't be such a big deal if you could somehow lock the screen during a call, but Apple removed the lock function and now when I press the lock button during a call, it ends the call. I am currently looking for a programmer who can write an app to lock the screen during a call.

If Apple doesn't fix this issue, they will unfortunately be losing a loyal and long time supporter of this phone and company. At the very least... Apple, please allow an option to program the lock button to lock the screen during a call.

When I recieve incoming calls and I hit the home button the screen will lock, but when I call out and I hit the home button it doesn't work. Definitely a software issue. Guess I'll tell everyone to call me so I don't mute or hang up on them with my face while I'm talking to them.

That's exactly what happened to me. They made me an appointment at the Apple Store to exchange my phone...

Look. I've been following all this "how many inches" the sensor is away, etc, etc. And while that may be the issue for some... I don't think it's the main issue.

My proximity sensor works. I've put it through all sorts of tests (and for the record, it's probably and inch-to-an-inch-and-a-half)... the screen TURNS OFF, just as it should.

The PROBLEM is, while the screen is off, the BUTTONS ARE STILL "PUSHABLE".

That's the problem.

Again, I'm not an engineer... but the fact that the buttons are "still pushable" when the Proximity Sensor is engaged seems like a SOFTWARE ISSUE.

I think it's kindof stupid that I have to get a new phone because of that. Because I'm one of the lucky ones that hasn't experienced the "antenna reception loss thing". And I'm kind of scared If I get a new phone, it'll have that problem.

Jeesh, etc.

But many of you are right. The fact that Apple hasn't publicly acknowledged this is really frustrating, and quite stupid business / brand -wise.

While I agree that that's a possible remedy, it's absurd that we have create such elaborate workarounds! Again, though: what should I say to the Genius to swap my phone out? (On LI, fwiw)