Anyone NOT having antenna reception issues?

Read the Anandtech article (google: anandtech iphone).

5 bars covers roughly half of the possible signal strength. People with very strong signals will not notice the issue, but it is still happening. They will lose signal strength, but the signal strength they end up with will still be within what is categorized as "5 bars".

4 bars or less covers roughly the other half of the signal strength. If you have 4 bars or less (or even a weak 5 bar signal) holding the phone with your palm covering the lower left gap in the steel band will take your signal down to 1 bars or no service/searching.

I've been to both malls with apple stores in my area, both malls have 5 bars and I cannot make them drop by holding the phone.

At work and at home I have 4 - 5 bars, the same number of bars I had with my 3G, but holding the phone in my hand not only makes the bars drop to 1 or no service/searching, but even if I get 1 bar I cannot send/receive data or make calls. I often hold it this way because I have my computer mouse in my right hand and the phone in my left.

Most likely every single phone has this issue. People with very strong signals will not notice it until they are in a location with a weak "5 bar or less" signal. People with weak "5 bars or less" will always have this problem. I don't think this can be fixed via software, either Apple has to change something about the hardware or AT&T needs to start throwing down cell towers like crazy so we all have strong "5 bar" signals.

Everyone could see the issue if we could choose to display signal strength in numbers (dB) instead of bars, but not only do we not have that option but Apple removed the hidden "Field Test" app that you could use to see signal strength; rather convenient for them.

I love the phone, not having any reception issues with it. However I do have a rubber case on it, but I did take it off and reproduced the death grip but I really find I have to squeeze it hard to make it drop, and it only drops 2 bars max. And by hard I mean I felt like if I squeezed any harder I might crack it. So I'm very happy with mine, no issues with my calls or data use.

Mine varies. The mast is less than a mike from me and every other phone I have including a 3G shows 5 bars. The i4 sometimes has 5 and sometimes 3 or 4. Sometimes I can death grip it with little or no impact, other times like now I grip it and go from 5 bars to no service.

Frankly I find Apple's press release just not credible. They're saying it's because you're in a dodgy reception and the phone is reporting too many bars.

I do hope the engineers aren't believing this rubbish as I live in a great signal area so the phone really is going from strong to nowt. Changing the display to go from 2 bars to nowt isn't going to make me keepthe phone!

I received the iPhone4 on the 23rd.. I live in Media, PA not a big city but I have none of the problems listed here with reception. My antenna does not seem to lose reception no matter how I grip it. Just another good product from Cupertino.

ive had mine in a case for all but the first day. havent had an issue either way.

I received my iP4 on 6/23. I've had the 2G/3G/3GS. No problems, at all, with this phone. I do, however, have an ebay rubber case on it which I love. No, I do not sell them, but have included the link because I think it's better than the bumper. And it's only $8.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Checker-Soft-Gel-Skin-Case-Protector-Apple-iPhone-4-/2706015 85519?cmd=ViewItem&pt=PDAAccessories&hash=item3f011c836f#ht_1423wt913

Once again no issues here, not one bar drops.

I have tried to reproduce the problem on my phone. No matter how I hold, I do not lose any bars, regardless of whether I start with five or one.

That said, I will be keeping the phone in a case regardless, so even if I had the problem, it would be a non-issue for me. I've had the iPhone 2G, and iPhone 3G. I immediately bought cases for them, as I did with my iPhone 4.

Read the article at http://usat.me?98730 which will explain some interesting points. All cell phones have antenna issues when holding in different positions. Also the signal either reaches threshold or
it doesn't. When it doesn't you get the dropped calls. Bars make you feel better but once you reach the
threshold more won't matter. Everyone has a problem with antennas regardless of phone type. As the article states the issue is over blown by some. The real issue is not signal bars but how many dropped calls you have. I for one have had no issues with dropped calls regardless of 1-5 bars.

I love this thread!

To everyone posting "No issues!" Here...

Wait until Apple releases their OS fix; then you will see what signal you are really getting when you hold your phone!

I bet half the people here will even believe that the OS fix has broken their phone.

If you grip your phone now in a high signal area; you will notice nothing.
After the fix; you may from from 5 to 3 or 2 bars; or from 3 to 1 or 0 bars.
Because you are in a high signal area, you all should drop 2 or 3 bars when using the _*Death Grip*_ . Since there is a bug in the OS, your signal does drop; you just don't see it yet 😉

Imagine that (in terms of strength) each bar is 20%.

So 4 bars should be about 80%.

The bug at the moment is that the phone stays on 5 bars even at 70%; and 4 until 45%, about 3 bars at 30% 2 at 20% and 1 at 10%.

If you say that death grip makes you lose 50% of your signal (for example)
If you have 100% signal; you will still see 4 bars with death grip right now...
After the update, instead, you may only see 3 or 2 bars.

This thread might just be fuelling false hope until the fix is available on iTunes...

I feel sorry for everyone who believes that their phone is not affected by this. Apple has published a letter saying the bug for signal bars has been in their OS since iPhone 3G (maybe earlier unless I read it wrong).

http://www.apple.com/uk/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html

Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars.

At my home I usually have one or two bars. I have been unable to make the bars drop with the so called Death Grip. I have also had zero dropped calls.

So, to say everyone has the problem is BS. The OP asked if anyone was NOT having the problem. I do NOT.

If you have it, I hope they fix your phone.

hot_spur wrote:
So, to say everyone has the problem is BS. The OP asked if anyone was NOT having the problem. I do NOT.

Have you tried a paperclip over the black band at all?
I only ask because your hands _as beautiful as they may be_ may not be as conductive across the palm to bridge the gap...
i.e. your phone may have the problem but your hands are kinder.

I got mine on June 25th. Not a single dropped call so far - the phone is really amazing. I am very happy with it.

I have had no issues. I have tried to replicate the problem, but unsuccessfully.

iZian, at the moment I'm at my office, I have three bars. A paperclip has no noticeable effect - no drop in bars.

I'll try it when I get home. I usually only have one or two bars there.