Cannot slide to answer phone calls

I saw this when having the problem on ios 4.0-4.2 and want to share my thoughts. I dont have this problem that you and i had atleast back then.

If you have this problem don't use backup restore as a new phone and go trough the syncing setting you had before!

I didn't do this to get trough the problem but i had to restore when upgrading to ios 5.0. BUT I had gotten over this problem with 4.2.1! What I did notice when I had this problem that unloading apps from ram did help and after that booting the phone. But you had to watch that you don't get 40 apps that you dont use (but occasionally) into memory. When I did this with iOS 4.2 I didn't have this problem anymore! And i have not had this with iOS 5 but I don't know if it has to do with changing my behavior with exiting apps twice a week of those I don't use. I believe it is a low memory issue anyways. The problem may be bigger with 4.2 than with ios 5 because there hasn't been much activity in this thead for some time (untill now).

But as I said I believe this problem is user solvable but you need to do one or both of these things!

It is not a warmth issue as I had this in cold weather and warm weather

As for the power adapter thing I believe you have broken phone or battery/battery circuitry if pluging in helps!

Thanks, timmmb! Last time, I was checking in iTunes...

I just did the "Erase all contents and settings" and I don't have the problem anymore for now!

Will update when it comes back...

There's a good chance that you made my day ! ;-)

habi: I like the theory you suggest that it has to do with other apps running -- that would make sense to me. Perhaps there are certain apps running in the background that are commanding too much CPU from the phone so that it can't correctly process the "unlock to answer" swipe in real time.

Like a lot of people, I rarely turn off my iPhone. I simply put it on vibrate from time to time. It would make sense that it's garbage collecting a bunch of running apps, OR, one of the apps causes this behavior and it feels like sporatic behavior.

I think I'll make a habit of doing a full power down at the end of each day to unload all of the apps.

I thought about that too.

During a month, I erased all my apps but 4 from my iPhone.

Still, I had the problem.

So, I don't think it has anything to do with amount of apps running.

But, the "Erase all contents and settings" still did it for me: I did not have the problem anymore since yesterday.

This means it must be some "%^$# configuration issue; some setting somewhere in the phone software.

If one does an "erase all contents and settlings" how do you then get all your apps, music, etc. back on without doing a "restore" (which I guess defeats the purpose).

I don't, for the moment.

For me, it is a higher priority to have a working phone...

I will check going forward if there is a good way to put them back at least semi-automatically.

This would also allow me to find out what made it break.

Any help/tips on how to restore in groups of apps/contacts/... would be very welcome!

Update:

I have put back my contacts, apps and calendar back on my iPhone, all separately with iTunes (I defined it as a new iPhone) and the problem is still gone!

Wow, finally, after about 3 years, I have a phone that works!!! Thanks for the help! Let's hope it stays like this...

Actually If you reboot your phone it will open the applications that you had before the reboot open and load them into physical memory! So rebooting won't sort any drastic memory starvation problems. Only exiting them will!

Wow! You have a very high point for frustration! I would have called apple support after a week or two! That would probably have been the first thing they'd suggest you try!

Same for Mac os x: you can install from a backup but if it doesn't work then install from the install media and migrate your settings and files from the backup. This is pretty much the same on iOS install as a new phone and there is just a prestine installation on the phone. Then you install your settings and data from iTunes.

iTunes stores all your data from the phone if you synced so if you restore it as a new phone you will just have to check what you want o sync from iTunes again. Then again you do have a backup o the phone on your machine if you do run into trouble! So you can restore from backup or whatever.

There are some software to dig around the backup on your computer.

I did and no, they didn't.

It's always easy, looking backwards.

But I have spent a _lot_ of time on this one.

I called Apple support and went there many many times.

We tried _many_ things: connect the charger, reboot, call from fixed line, exit all apps, delete all apps, reset & restore the phone from iTunes, have it warmer, have it colder, replace the phone ⚠, buy a new phone ⚠, check this thread, ... _Nothing_ helped.

Until last week... Crazy...

I hope some other people can enjoy this solution...

UPDATE:

Apparantly, it was too good to be true:

After 1.5 weeks, it started happening again.

Then, now, I have the problem again for about 75% of the calls.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Well, at least, we maybe have some direction to follow.

Although, I have no clue what it would be then...

Could it be a virus that is slowly creeping in again after you do a full erase?

Anybody else extra experience with full erase?

Hey, dear Apple,

I'm sure you are very eager to test and solve this problem.

On my device, it happens for 75% of the calls, So, this is ideal to do some good testing and solving the problem.

So, I am willing to give you my special iPhone for only 2 times the normal shop price...

Thanks.

I have problems swiping to unlock and answer calls. I usually give the screen a firm tap and that usually allows me to swipe. Probably works about 80-90% of the time.

I 'v also met this problem as well, Here's a suitable solve this problem :

press mute and then press unmute...> then can slide to answer.. thanks.

Here is another solution that I have not tried, but I am going to try the next time it happens to me. I too have an iphone 4 which occasionally refuses to answer calls by me swiping. Here's the trick: when the phone rings, rather than swiping left to right, put your finger on the little phone icon on the lower right. swipe up until the answer button shows up and click. It's possible this will work, but I don't know.

Update:

It seems to have improved with iOS 6.1.2. I now only have the problem in 40% of the cases.

Jim, I tried your trick with the little phone icon, but that doesn't help: same problem.