Signal issues? You're holding the phone wrong.

Okay, just got off the phone with Apple. They said to me that they know about this and the engineers are working on a fix which should be available in 1-2 days. I can either check Apple website or call back with my case number. I am a right handed person that ALWAYS holds my phone in my left hand...hope they come through:)

This is a physical issue--what are they going to do, make an OS update that just shows 5 bars all the time? I hope my cynicism is unfounded! :P

There are other factors we should consider. Sweat and salt concentrations on the hands vary from person to person. Also if the humidity is high people sweat more. I think this issue is real and the reason why some people see it and other don't are for the above these reasons most likely.

I replaced my iphone today, got the new one, turned it on in the apple store and it had the exact same problem, apple employee could not believe it!!
I asked for a free bumper, she spoke to the manager and was told no, bought one anyway as its basically the only way to avoid the issue!
shocking!!

I just got off the phone with Apple Support and the rep told me to "hold it the right way".

He also said I won't have an answer regarding my request for free bumpers until next Friday, and that any claims of people being sent free bumpers isn't true.

Folks, it does it with the bumpers on too. Even a rubber case I had from my 3G does not prevent the same signal drop. It's not a conductive issue.

(Re: not losing bars): Same here... after reading these posts about "covering" the black band at lower left, I tried covering that black band, covering the other 2, all 3 in various combinations, even wrapping my fingers entirely around the whole steel perimeter... Each position I tried on the phone, I held for 15-20 full seconds or longer. Not once did I lose a single bar of 3G signal strength. (Now, I did lose a bar of wifi signal, which after further examination seemed to be more due to holding the phone horiztonally/parallel to the floor, vs. perpendicular/vertically... though I only lost the bar at the room in my home furthest from the cable modem.)

i am begining to think it could be a software issue as well

I sure hope it's a software issue. I am just afraid that 6 months down the road they start shipping phones that don't have this problem at all cuz they fixed it. Do you think they would let us exchange our phones for fixed ones?

if they do it within a year from now we should be able to replace them free of charge since i think the phones come with a 1 year hardware warranty. atleast if the new ones are iphone 4's that have the problems fixed

I had an iPhone 3G and never had a problem with the way I held my phone. The poor signal strength was one of the first things I noticed about the iPhone 4.

I just read about "how to hold" my iPhone 4. Really?! Honestly, the most natural way to hold the he iPhone (in my left hand for righthand dialing, typing) diminishes the signal. If I keep my thumb on the volume control, the black stripe on the lower left edge is smothered by the meaty part of my palm at the base of the thumb, diminishing the signal. If I hold it delicately between my thumb and middle figure, my signal is strong. This is not good design. Apparently, purchasers will need to sign up at the Genius Bar to learn how to hold their phones. Who know that there was a wrong way to hold a phone.

I have ordered a bumper. Of course, both the AT&T store and Apple Store were sold out of all bumpers ands cases in a matter of hours.

I love Apple. I've owned more than a dozen Macs, eight iPods, two iTouches, two iPhone 3G models and now the iPhone 4. Not ever product iteration has been perfect, but this is a major design flaw. I'm still working on finding a natural feeling way to hold the iPhone 4 without blocking the signal.

The rest of the iPhone 4 is great! This is the only exception ... and it's a big one.

I also just spoke to an Apple rep in regards to purchasing a new iPhone 4. Just for kicks I asked her about the reported issues. First she said "you need to avoid holding it in your palm" then she told me I need to purchase a bumper. Wow.

flag8r77 wrote:
I also just spoke to an Apple rep in regards to purchasing a new iPhone 4. Just for kicks I asked her about the reported issues. First she said "you need to avoid holding it in your palm" then she told me I need to purchase a bumper. Wow.

what did you expect exactly, seeing as though Apple as a company have said practically nothing about it so far?

BigDaveS123.

This issue has made the FRONT PAGE of the New York Times, Good Morning America and BBC-- not to mention THOUSANDS of other high-profile media outlets.

This is a huge problem. Apple has to make it right. Holding the phone correctly is a joke.

Dan Slocum wrote:
BigDaveS123.

This issue has made the FRONT PAGE of the New York Times, Good Morning America and BBC-- not to mention THOUSANDS of other high-profile media outlets.

This is a huge problem. Apple has to make it right. Holding the phone correctly is a joke.

I don't disagree, but what do you expect a poor girl on the end of the phone to say

she probably knows less than the rest and has no authority to say anything even if she did

what she said was a stock answer, no point having a go at them for it