Issue with Proximity Sensor during calls

Interesting. I have a 1 minute lock too. Off to test some more!

yes I agree 100%. The antenna issue has a temporary fix of buying a case, this issue has no temporary fix. =-(

I tested the auto-lock time issue that you had and didn't seem to have the issue. Granted, I ran this by keeping my thumb over the proximity sensor and waiting for the time to elapse in a call, so I don't know how this would work in a real call (phone on ear) situation. It will be interesting to see if others have a similar issue.

Edward Ferrell wrote:
just noticed something else besides the range and speed on the ip4 sensor....

noticed that if you are on a call and the phone auto-lock time elapses it will light and initiate the call screen. not really sure if this has anything to do with the screen sporadically coming out of mute and activating even though you are on a call but just wanted to add it ... maybe if Apple is watching this forum they can add this to the possible reasons for whatever is going wrong.

I had my auto-lock timeout set to 1 minute. not sure if that auto-lock engaging has anything to do with the screen randomly becoming active.. hmmm... if anybody else has any further info regarding this, please post...

I should also add I seem to be able to reproduce the problem most often after I've switched ears during a conversation. If the proximity sensor 'fires' and turns the screen on, subsequent use of the proximity sensor seems to diminish (I also noticed this when doing the auto-lock test - it worked fine with a finger over the sensor, both in the vertical or horizontal position, but putting the phone up to my ear during the same test seemed to reproduce the screen coming on and the proximity sensor not working as well). Not sure if this is specific to my case though...

Naw. I turned off auto-lock and that didn't help. My face selected Face Time and then somehow started an email to that contact. All in under three minutes.

I just read the BBC article on Apple's response regarding the signal strength issue. While that issue is probably not practically related to the proximity sensor issue, I found this quote to be rather telling:

"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 two more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display four bars when we should be displaying as few as two bars."

</snip>

I can only wonder what other "formulas" they got wrong with the iPhone 4. I can see the next release now -- coming just after the 30 day return period passes for most of us who pre-ordered:

"We were stunned to find out that the formula we used to calculate how the proximity sensor recognizes the side of a human face was totally wrong. As it turns out, we've now learned that anything smaller than an elephant head doesn't reliably allow the proximity sensor to function properly during phone calls. Our engineers are working on this issue and we hope to be selling giant elephant head masks at Apple and AT&T stores within the next 30 days. We will not -- under any circumstances -- be giving masks away for free so don't bother calling us to ask."

avanpelt wrote:
"We were stunned to find out that the formula we used to calculate how the proximity sensor recognizes the side of a human face was totally wrong. As it turns out, we've now learned that anything smaller than an elephant head doesn't reliably allow the proximity sensor to function properly during phone calls. Our engineers are working on this issue and we hope to be selling giant elephant head masks at Apple and AT&T stores within the next 30 days. We will not -- under any circumstances -- be giving masks away for free so don't bother calling us to ask."

LOL! And here I thought I have a big head...apparently not big enough for the proximity sensor!!!

Apples comment on the issue is the I must be using the phone wrong. I talked to the rep for 65 min and his solution was to go to the Apple store and exchange the phone for a 5th one and have the Genius check it out, what a joke.

My guess is the people that are having this issue have a little larger ear canal than the ones that don't. That would explain it if the sensor sees down your ear and thinks your canal is open air (I have been accused of being an air head before but didn't need my phone confirming the fact).

The other thing that gets me about this issue -- I saw one post recently from someone who said that all of us that are having this problem need to return our handsets ASAP so that Apple can begin testing and find out what the common denominator is that's causing this problem.

While I understand that perspective and agree with the logic, I would think it would be fairly easy for the engineers to randomly pull a few hundred handsets from various places around the world and find this problem. This certainly seems to be more widespread than the OP on this topic could've ever imagined when they started this thread last Wednesday. With reports of people now on their fourth and fifth iPhone 4 that have all exhibited this issue, it sure seems to me that Apple should be able to find the problem fairly soon.

I've had my phone for 4days now. I thought I was crazy and dumb because of this issue.
I'm experiencing these problems all the time. I love my phone, but it has started to be an embarrassment.
My customers are cracking jokes about it etc.
Like others, I can only hope it can be corrected by software.

-joe

I agree. That's why I'm reluctant to make the effort to exchange my phone. As I said, right now, I have one that does NOT have the reception problems (thank the lord, lol).

But they wanted me to exchange it so "the techs could use my phone to diagnose the problem". And I agree, they probably could just chose some phones at random and try it out. Seeing how wide-spread this is.

Also, it's kind of funny how long it took this to come up... I bet there was a good week of it actually happening, but people not realizing WHY exactly.

Well, not funny, exactly. But you know what I mean :P

Agreed, Ed. The first time it happened that I noticed was this past Saturday. I got the phone last Thursday. So, for a few days, I didn't notice any problems. Then, on Saturday, I kept putting people on speakerphone, mute, ending the call, etc.

At first, I thought that I was doing something wrong (even though I was holding the phone no different than I did my 3G.) I soon realized, though, that the screen was going on and off and sometimes just staying on while the phone was up against my face.

I'm also having this problem.

I've had several long conversations on my iPhone today, I have managed to "mute" twice, look up "contacts" (not quite sure how) and put on to "speaker" approx 5 times.

It's really starting to annoy me.

Some forums have recommended a fresh install of iOS4, but I don't really want to go through all my settings, as they say I should set up as a brand new phone instead of a restore!

Only posting so that when Apple gets the 2000th page on this topic that they will do something. Obviously, I have the same, extremely irritating problem with my proximity sensor. I have had every generation of iPhone, and never had this problem before. Certainly a design flaw.

I have the proximity problem for a couple days. Made an appt at apple store to get it looked at. They replace the phone with no questions asked. Only diagnostic was plugin to PC and get hardware info off phone. I immediately made a phone call with the new phone and guess what same thing. I am constantly hanging on people or three way calling. I wish apple would acknowledge a problem and find a resolution. Next stop will be Verizon store to pick up a droid. I am recommending this phone to my organization as a viable enterprise device and it is making me looking as if I am unreliable just like their phones.