Static in Iphone 4s

*** THIS IS A HARDWARE ISSUE ***

I just had my iPhone 4S swapped at my local Apple Store and the static is GONE. I have verified this across multiple phone calls. This is NOT a network or in-call issue, as the static noise is being generated inside the iPhone 4S itself. You will note that this problem is nowhere to be found on non-4S models, which rules out iOS 5 itself. If you launch a data-intensive app using only 3G data and hold the back of the phone (apple logo area) to your ear, you will hear the buzzing coming from that area. The reason it is heard during calls is because the speaker opening aids in transmitting this noise from inside the case.

I don't know if it's possible to examine what components are in general proximity to the center top third of the case, but I'll bet it's a transmitter or receiver of some kind that is causing audible interference. Or perhaps that might be the location of the Qualcomm 3G chip(s). Remember the 4S has a new antenna design and also supports higher HSPA+ speeds, so it has some major changes on the wireless/antenna side.

I also wonder if this also relates to battery problems. My understanding is that iOS 5.0.1 addresses battery drain while in sleep/standby mode, but does not address the rapid drain during a call or while using data. I don't know much about electronics, but the buzzing may be causing excess current to be drawn from the battery during 3G use, explaining the rapid battery drain when using the phone. I would place my bets on a bad hardware component, as a software update surely will not solve an electrical buzzing that's emanating from the circuit board.

Again, swapping out my phone has solved this issue 100%.

Cool, hope it lasts....

Could you post your findings again after a few days of use?

I just had a case of extreme static/noise: couldn't hear the caller on the other side.

First time this happened to me.

@AZREOspecialist Were you experiencing the echo issue as well? Any other symptoms or just static?

I want to make sure there aren't multiple bugs here -- some hardware, some software?

I am getting static, echo and other party not hearing me when I make a phone call. All issues are intermittent.

I was not experiencing any echo issues, but I also have not used the phone with a headset. I have used it on my Toyota bluetooth handsfree in my Prius without issues. No issues with other callers not being able to hear me.

Huh? You mean you've got your iPhone swapped?

I live in Korea, and customer service here rejects to swap claiming it's not admitted as a mechanical flaw!

This is totally unfair!!

I'm sorry, I have no idea how they do things in Korea.

Hi, I am also having these issues with my new iPhone 4S, purchased on the 11th of November. My girlfriend also bought an upgrade to the 4S the same day but is not and has not experienced any of these issues (*Jealous*). Mine is Black/64Gig/ATT, hers is White/64Gig/ATT.

I have tried (and nothing has solved the issue):

-taking out SIM card and cleaning inside and the SIM card itself

-Restoring to factory defaults x2

-Restoring from previous backup from iCloud x2

-Turning off all location services, Siri, and everything else imaginable. The only thing that solves the static issue completely is to turn the phone into Airplane Mode, leading me to believe this is an issue with the carrier network adapter. Of course a fix into airplane mode is completely unacceptable.

-exchanging the phone for a replacement that would hopfully work (my experience with this is that my new phone experiences less static and is tolerable, but still the same type of sound and IMHO is still unacceptable for the price we all pay for ... basicallly perfection in handheld devices).

-I will today again bring in my phone to the genius bar to have it swapped and let you know the results. I don't want to have to go back to my iPhone 4, but I will if these issues are still prevelent.

Pretty crummy that these issues are here and seemingly to stay. It would be great if apple could give some advice and not continue to ignore the issues. I don't want to drain their profits from phone exchanges, but I will continue to exchange until they get it right. sigh...

Here's how my visit to apple store today went down. I told the "genius" that I had the problem we are discussing. I told him what I had done to try to resolve it. He says, ok, what we are going to do here is to restore the phone to factory default settings and see if we can reproduce the issue. I say sure but I tried exactly this 2x just yesterday. He basically politely brushed me off and told me we were going to do it anyway. I don't care if he troubleshoots but going through the steps in which i spent hours of free time just the day before isn't really the solution I would hope the apple experts were going to give me... and it was obvious to me that this was a waste of time.

Of course, after it is said and done, the phone is restored and I tell him that we were unlikely to hear the problem in the crowded and busy store. He tries making a call and waiting for the static, but its a no go and we can't hear the issue even in the most quiet places of the store. However we are connected to wifi and it seems that it is most noticeably reproduced correctly when the 3g antennae are working at their max. He was nice enough to replace the phone again (this is now my 3rd with the same issue. first was the worst but it is very noticeable still) but the moment I get far enough away from noise, I can hear the same sounds again... just like you can hear the circuit board working...

I go back to the store and ask what we can do. He says he doesn't really want to replace the phone because he thinks it is something related to the software I keep downloading from iCloud. I tell him its not. He says basically we are at an impasse. I tell him to come with me to a place where we can both hear it and to ask his manager if they can or if he can go far enough away that they can hear it, but they give him a no go and tell me that if they cannot hear the issue in the store, then it is non-reproducible. To anyone who has heard this, you must know how annoyed this made me. He says, well we can replace the phone for you again, but he's obviously frustrated at this point and trying to just get to the next customer in queue for genius appointments. I tell him I don't want a new phone if it is going to have the same issue; I want a phone that works without said issue. Again, he says we are at an impasse because if he can't reproduce it, he can either just replace it or have me go on my merry way.

I left the store feeling pretty unhappy, but then thought about disabling wifi and streaming something from Netflix. It worked and I could hear it louder than before so i go back to the store one final time and try to talk with the same "genius" again. He says he can no longer take any of my questions as he is involved with another appointment and that I should need to make another appointment for a later date with someone else (somewhat rudely, I might add).

I'm at a loss for what to do, but I hate making phone calls now... when you can hear it, it is just audible enough to drive you nuts while you are trying to have a conversation. I keep going back to my girlfriend's phone and how it has NO issue whatsoever, so that is giving me hope that this issue can and will be resolved as soon as it is acknowledged by apple... until then I may try to go back to apple with wifi off to show them the issue is real and I'm not a lunatic who wants to keep replacing my phone for some strange unfathomable reason. It sure does feel like **** not to be acknowledged though.

After hours, DAYS even, I finally have convinced Apple to send me a brand new, still in the original box, iPhone 4s. I have had this static problem since 14 October and hope to determine if it's a problem that Apple is silently working on or if it's just a few bad phones. It's my theory that the Apple stores are recycling iPhone 4S's to customers that are complaining about the same thing. Static in calls. It's my opinion that Apple knows about this problem and is delaying acknowledging it until they have completely saturated the market with 4S's. They actually probably have found and corrected the problem in the the manufacturing lines and are more than likely now supplying perfectly good iPhones without the extra fun of static.

Tomorrow I will receive my NIB phone and let you guys know if a brand new, non-recycled/remanufactured iPhone 4s will fix the problem. If not, we can safely assume that Apple has turned mega greedy and doesn't really care about you and I. I hope it's not true, but It may be one of those things that they won't address and hope just goes away (when we have all gotten sick of trying to get a working iPhone). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow.

BTW: If this works, you ALL should contact Apple and demand a NIB iPhone. You have paid for a phone which has never worked since day one. They need to stop treating us like children and live up to their obligation. BRAND NEW IPHONES or RETURN OUR MONEY!

You sure are making a lot of assumptions...

Apple offered you a new phone, what more do you want? Also, it's easier to get a "Genius" to listen to your complaint if you simply show them the google results of the following search: "iphone 4s static". That's what I did and promptly received a new phone that appears to be fine. However, it's still possible that this is an intermittent issue caused by software even though a hardware exchanged seems to have resolved the issue FOR NOW. I also find it interesting that I could hear the static with my left ear, but not my right. That's one of the reasons why everyone doesn't hear it the same way. The static is in a frequency range where apparently not everyone can hear it, indeed even two different ears on the same person don't hear the issue the same way.

The fact that Apple is mum on the issue says one of two things - either they don't think it's an issue, or it is an issue which they are still researching and trying to solve. Neither is especially comforting to those of us who paid good money for these phones.

AZREO, how many times did you have to swap the phone for a "good" unit? I don't want to burn through their backstock of phones, but I also can't continue to have this issue driving me nuts. Do you think I should wait a bit for a newer shipment? Or should I try again to reproduce the issue for the "geniuses"?

"Apple offered you a new phone, what more do you want?"

I'd like for the next phone to not have the issue. They obviously can't guarantee this, so I'm unsure of what to do since they can't hear the issue in-store.

If you're within your 14 day return period, just return the phone and exchange it a new one. This requires only the briefest discussion with a sales rep about the reason for the return (no need to reproduce the issue in store) and shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

@ CoryAM

I exchanged the phone one time. However, I have a feeling I just heard it again on a phone call just now. This is going to be a very difficult issue for Apple to track down. The sound emanates from the circuit board inside the unit close to where the apple logo is on the back of the case. Whatever is inside the phone in this proximity causes the buzzing/static noise inside the case, but only when 3G is being utilized. Due to the noise being intermittent, even on the same call, the evidence is increasingly pointing towards the dynamic 3G antenna switching that is one of the new technologies in the 4S. Everything points to this issue being related to 3G usage.

I would wait a couple of months to see how this issue shakes out. Given how sporadic this issue is, it will take Apple some time to figure it out. Even if Apple knows about it and has issued a fix in the supply chain, it's going to take a while before we see problem-free units. Even swapping the phone out with Apple is no guarantee that you are going to get a newer batch of phones. Patience is your friend...