Update to iOS 5 Signal Problems?

I started getting the 3G signal issues on my 3GS after the 5.0.1 update. Often 'Searching' and 'No Signal' are displayed where previously I had 2 bars coverage.

I originally upgraded to 5.0.1 directly on the phone and thought that may be the issue.

So I did a restore through I tunes which appeared to fix the problem for a little while, but it came back.

I live in a fringe reception area so it seems to be constantly dropping signal and searching now.

Even here at work in the middle of the city only 4 out of 5 bars.

I noticed the phone struggled all the way in to work on the train. Where previously the phone signal was steadily one bar higher than my 3G broadband on my laptop, it is now much much worse.

Was the battery life fix just a matter of reducing power to the antenna? That would be very annoying!!!

Another user who wishes I had stayed on 4.3.5 :-(

Funny thing after having this issue for a few days I made some changes and it seems to be better than before:

- enabled installing and deleting apps,

- disable notification services

- disallowed changes to notification services

- disable 3G

- removed some apps I did not want anymore (Battery Magic, Valor, Mooncraft, some other games and utilities)

- added some apps (kingsoft battery doctor, some games)

- left the phone on the usb charger for a few hours

- re-enabled 3G

- disabled installing and deleting apps

- allow change to and enabled notifications services for some apps

Not sure if some or any of these steps helped but I seem to be getting 1 bar now in places where it was repeatedly searching and no service before. 😕

Hopefully it will stay this way!

I think it was the turning off and on of the 3G that helped you, not all the other stuff. It worked for me, but only for a while before my phone would take calls or sms or internet on the 3G network.

It seems you are correct @wishineverupgraded -> 'Searching' has reared it's ugly head again within a few hours of me making that post... 😟. Dropped back to 2g again and it stopped 'Searching' within about 20 secs and got a few bars.

I have this same issue. Never dropped a call until the day I did the iOS5 upgrade. Now I can't load safari, can't download emails, can't load FB, dropped every call since I upgraded. My Iphone 4 is worthless at this point.

What network are y'all using? I'm on Verizon Wireless. And ever since I updated to 5.0.1 my phone can barely connect to the internet through Verizon's 3G network. iTunes and the App store take a very long time to load.

I'm on AT&T and having the same issues as everyone else.

I don't think it's an issue with a specific network, because it seems to be affecting people with different carriers in different areas of the world - some are in England, some in the U.S., I'm in Canada.

It has to be something to do with the new iOS5. What exactly, I don't know, but it seems like the phone gets overloarded with information after a while and something prevents the phone from connecting to the 3G network (even when it says it's connected, in some cases).

The only thing that worked for me was switching off the 3G network in my settings. This allowed my phone (a 3Gs) to function as a phone and get texts - on the slower o or E network - however connecting to the internet or recieveing any other data is obviously torturously slow on those networks. But at least I could get phonecalls on my phone. After turning on 3G again, my phone would work normally for a bit, but then after a period of time - sometimes minutes, sometimes hours - it would revert back to not being able to connect to the 3G network for anything. No calls, sms or internet. Nada.

I tried everything, many times. Reboots, switching off and on, airplane mode, changing a whack of setting, restoring the phone as a new phone, doing a DFU recovery/restore, nothing worked. So Apple agreed to replace my phone. It works fine - on the old 4.3.5 OS.

I'm staying away from the new iOS5 for a while. It seems like this problem is surfacing for more and more people, but not enough for Apple to do something about it - yet. They will after a while. I'm sure there is a minimum number of complaints to Apple that trigger a software fix. So I urge everyone having this problem to call Apple and bug them. The more people who do, the faster they'll fix it.

I'm in Australia with Telstra mobile. This is the biggest telecommunications company and has the best coverage in our country. I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with the carrier. Before I updated to ios5 I use to get coverage everywhere, where as when I was on '3' it use to drop out in bad signal areas. Now I can be in my house where I get full signal and it will just drop for no reason.

Have also noticed when my phone is just sitting there and i pick it up, as soon as I press the home button and start using it, the signal just drops and goes through the standard scenario, no service, searching, sos, etc. it won't do this every time though. Reminds me of a pc full of spyware or a virus in some ways as well. Takes ages to do things and has random lock ups all the time

I have a 3GS with ATT in the US. I completely agree with everything you said. I have tried all of the solutions you mentioned and the only fix is turning 3G off. Unfortunately, my phone is not under warranty and I don't think Apple will replace it. I am counting on them correcting it with a future update. It looks like 5.0.1 caused this problem with more phones (and is also affecting the 4 and 4S) so I am hoping Apple will respond as the number increases.

My 3Gs is with Telstra in Australia.
Today I can't get any 3G connection and the 2G is struggling as well, except where there is a strong signal.

Yeah I don't seem to get strength signal problems much with the 3GS. Maybe it's made worse for the 4 which has antenna issues. It's more dropping out completely for a bit then works again. Today it's not as bad but then some days the phone is unusable and could search, sos, no signal for 5min or more. The phone is consistently jerky and very slow with a lot of apps. I could be playing a game and it's running fine and then for no reason it starts to get really sluggish and jerks.

Maybe you should try calling AT&T

I was hoping Apple will resolve the "Call Ending" defect in iOS 5. The "Call Ending" defect is the one because of which I am planning to switch to other platforms. It's by far the most annoying defect in iPhone.

This is how it happens:

- You try calling a number when you're in range

- Just after you place the call, you are out of range

- iPhone keeps calling

- You click end

- iPhone says "Call Ending"

- iPhone keeps displaying "Call Ending"

- You click the screen lock button (on the top)

- iPhone goes back to "Calling"

- And so on, until after a few minutes iPhone realizes it's not a phone and gives up.

It is strange that this issue is still being ignored by the big tech blogs which until now released titles only related to the battery bug and the contacts crash issue , yet nothing about the call drops/no service situation 😟