Issue with Proximity Sensor during calls - Continued v2

Also having this issue on 32GB model on 4.2.1. I usually don't notice until the call mutes or gets put on speakerphone by my face (embarrassing in public places :X).

Pffft.
Even Woz has PS issues!

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/01/30/wozniak.talks.white.iphone.and.giv es.android.edge/

It seems that Apple changed something in week 40/2010 - iPhones that were produced after that date do not seem to have proximity sensors issues.

Is there any information what was changed to cure this problem?

I don't think anyone, outside of Apple, knows. We really haven't even confirmed that week 40 is the magical date of a solution since we have so few actual tests.

I've only tested one from week 40 plus two from week 46 and one from week 50. All pass the test. None from week 37 or earlier do (I've tested a lot more of those older ones). Have never seen one from week 38 or 39.

Anyway, it's too few tests to know for sure if something was changed, but it does look that way, at least by week 46.

I tried checking phones at another Apple store a few days ago, but all of the display models there were from week 21-23.

Got to test a bit more today at the Apple store. They had another from week 50, which passed the test. Also found one from week 39. That one was not as good, but it also seemed to do better than my week 37 phone.

Summary:

Passed test:

1 week 40
2 week 46
2 week 50

Better than mine, but not as good as above samples:

1 week 39

Have yet to find a week 38. My week 37 fails the test, but it is usable.

I did have two people ask if they could help me - nothing unusual there - but both asked me to show them the test, which is unusual.

SOLUTION TO ACCIDENTAL TERMINATED CALLS ON IPHONE 4

1. Once your call has connected select "speaker" to activate loud speaker
2. Press the on/off button located at the top of your Iphone to lock the screen
3. Unlock the screen by sliding your finger across the screen
4. Select "speaker" to activate the handset
5. Press the home button located at the bottom of the iphone to activate screen lock

This may appear to be a long process but can be performed fairly quickly.

I think its time for Apple to employ me, Crispee Biscuit

Please copy and paste this post and spread the word 🙂

Hi all - my first post and it's a question about the ** proximity sensor on the iphone 4.

Mine's a week 40 build and I'm having horrible problems with the PS. (Sorry dbk9999 - I guess that throws your calculations off a little...)

I'm reluctant to get apple to replace the unit, as from what I've read around the net, including the recent pages of this thread, a replacement may not solve the issue, and would be likely to be a refurb with issues of its own anyway. I'd like to keep my phone but make it work.

So two questions:

(1) crispeebiscuit gave a 5-step workaround, which I immediately tried out, but unfortunately was unable to get it to work properly. I get a message across the top of the screen (right where your ear/cheek touches the phone) saying "touch here to reactivate the screen". Also, when I touch the screen on any icon - which my cheek does if I'm on the phone - the screen reactivates. So the workaround is a no-go.

(2) I'd like to try something like Call Lock or Call Guard, but really don't want to jailbreak a week-old phone as that will void the warranty. As far as I've been able to determine, Call Lock requires a JB, but I can't work out if Call Guard does?

(sneaking in a 3rd question!) If Call Guard does need JBing, does anyone have any suggestions for me? I really want to use my phone as a ...well... phone!!

Thanks guys!

I don't believe Call Guard requires anything other than buying the App from the App store. There is a simpler, completely free option. When you dial a call or receive one, hit the home button, and open the calculator and whatever touches your face makes on the phone, it will only show numbers your cheek checked.

That said, I'd get a replacement phone if I were experiencing significant PS issues. I have two iP4s, both from launch day and neither have PS issues. You shouldn't either. And workarounds are just that. You shouldn't need a workaround. Get the replacement phone.......

First, you results MAY throw off my calculations, but since I've only checked on week 40 phone, the stats are too few. Second, no matter what week, there are going to be at least some flawed phones. It's the bigger pattern that matters. That's why I find it very interesting that every phone I've tried from week 21 to week 37 fails my main test and, so far, none from week 39 to 50 do (though week 39 wasn't as good as 40 and later).

Call Guard is on my phone and I haven't jailbroken it.

I'd also ask what are the actual problems? Because I had some I first thought was the sensor (cut off calls), but turned out to be a different problem. If you are activating the speaker, mute, dialing new numbers - that is probably the sensor. If it is just losing calls, it could be really bad luck on your network or the other person's network.

Next, assuming it isn't just dropped calls, I'd get it replaced. Yes, it will probably be a refurb unit, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I would go in and say you want one, refurb or not, that is week 46 or later. I think Apple won't admit to the date thing, but you just insist on the 4th and 5th digit being 46 or later.

If you keep having problems, eventually you should be able to insist upon a new one anyway.

Two issues with the calculator on:

1. The top of the screen does let you touch it to return to the call screen, which puts you right back with the same problem.

2. Assuming you never accidentally activate that, there is still the issue with the screen being on, sucking up more battery power - or just being annoying.

Thanks guys (haven't worked out how to reply to more than one poster - sorry!) I'm randomly pressing "hang up" or "mute" or "speaker" etc with my cheek, so I guess it's a PS issue.

Re getting a replacement: Assuming Apple even cooperates (and I've heard "stories" from my friends about our local Apple store - unfortunately, the only one in the state as far as I know), the Apple store's a long away away from where I live, and I'd rather not have to make the trip if I can avoid it. I'll do it if I have to though.

I'm certainly not going to post the phone back to them and wait for them to send me a new one - I can't afford to be without my phone, and my old Nokia phone doesn't accept the iphone microsim. The microsim didn't come with a normal-sim surround (I kept the card and checked!) so I can't convert the microsim to fit the old phone.

Time to download Call Guard - I'll happily pay 99c to avoid the inconvenience of travelling to the Apple store - and then finding I got another bad phone!

dbk9999, I've now downloaded call guard onto my non-JB phone but cannot work out how to activate it - either manual or auto - during a call. How did you make call guard work on your phone?

I googled and found a youtube how-to vid. The vid maker said I need JB + call guard, then use the activator tab in settings but I can't find the activator tab (maybe because the phone isn't JB'd?)

(Addressing this Q to dbk9999 as they have call guard working OK on a non-JB phone, but if anyone else knows the answer I'd be grateful.)

I just tried Call Guard - no problem and no jail break. You sure you got the right one? It is in the app store and I can't see Apple selling something in their store that requires jail breaking! The name is "Call Guard" and costs 99 cents.

You start you call.

Press the home button so you can get to your apps.

Launch Call Guard.

It's active right then. One of the settings lets you keep the CG screen fairly dark, which I like, but at first I thought it wasn't even on, but it was. Tapping the screen showed where each tap was.

When done the call, you can do two things to get back to normal:

1. Simply press the top button - that ends your call on the new iOS and exits CG.

2. Press the home button again to exit CG and from there you can go back to the phone call screen or whatever you want, but the call is still active until you end it.

I did look on youtube and did see a couple that looked like the same app, but the videos weren't quite the same. For example, the first video seemed to activate CG simply by pressing the home button but on mine, that just exits to the app screen where you can choose it (or double click the home button if CG is already launched to activate it again).

The second video did talk about jail breaking, yet the Call Guard icon was the same as mine. Interestingly, when I saw a link it the description for getting it, I tried clicking it - and got a message that the app was no longer available in the U.S. store. However, when I went directly to the app store via itunes, it is still listed. Maybe slightly different versions for different markets?

Thanks so much! After your msg, I looked again and found the icon on the 2nd home screen - wasn't expecting it there as I still had room on the first screen (not any more though), and hadn't thought to look for it over the page. Just tried it and working fine.

Agree that Itunes wouldn't be likely to sell a JB app!!

Apple changed things in one of the iOS updates so any new apps go on page 2 (or later if that one is full). Because of this change, a lot of people have wondered why they couldn't find their apps!