*Important--iPhone4s Static/Crackling Noise

It's a hardware problem, come on, wake up!!

Yep, I'm sure it is... Probably related to the 3G chip (part), cause on 2G I don't hear any noise/static.

I it was a software bug Apple would've fixed it by now. Every new firmware version has had a modem update, but the static is still there, so I think you better learn to live with it, or wait until 5.1 comes out and disable 3G 🙂

No matter is it's a hardware or software issue - Apple don't give a F about us ( the users)....
It looks we'll have to live with it and be smarter with our next purchases ... 🙂

It definitely has to do with 3G, my girlfriends unlocked 16gb white 4s works on tmobile, which is edge, and there's no noise, when I switched sims and used my sim on her phone (AT&T) the noise appeared. Also there's no noise when you're on wifi. So it has to do with the 3G chip. Me and gf going to the apple store today to exchange it, see if that helps. I'll be back with my story)

Update: changed our both phones and same thing, the technician at the apple store kept trying to convince me that there was no noise, until I showed him this post. He was nice enough just to take my word for it. The static isn't as bad as in our older phones, but it's still there.

hi,

I'm on my second white 4S, exchanged because of the crackling issue and after 4 days, it's doing the same thing except it's worse. The first phone the crackling used to start after 10min and this one it starts almost straightaway! Not happy with Apple as there isn't a local store where I am and it will mean another trip to the city.

To the people with 3+ replacements, is it worth getting another replacement, because I'm not sure if another phone won't have the same problem, or should we just wait for an update? Also I'm thinking at this point if it's worth to investing in apple care even though I have phone insurance through the bank...

Any other ideas?

Does anyone have a 4S without the static/crackling issue during phone calls?

I'm on my second phone and I don't have an apple store to go to either. The nightmare I went through returning the original phone has caused me to just keep this phone until the end of its contract and put up with the noise. It's a hardware issue, so no amount of updates will fix it. I wish Apple would acknowledge the issue and recall all faulty phones. So disappointing, especially from a company that prides itself on perfection!

Prides itself on perfection - my *** ... !
Do you have any idea what financial loss will they face if they recall all the faulty devices ??? It's better to screw us, the customers and continue being ignorant on this HUGE problem.
Did you see Apple financial reports - amazing, huge profits, etc .. While there are so many ppl suffering this issue - what a disaster. Shame on Apple !

What I don't understand, is how such a big, successful company can't resolve an issue that's been ongoing since October it appears? Have they just abandoned fixing the 4S problem and diverted all resources to the next model now? If so, I think they should upgrade us all provided they don't crackle too...

I'm not on a contract, I just got the phone sim-free from an Apple store, but it's really silly if you can't use a phone for it's primary function i.e to call properly, it is briliant in every other way. Do you think third time lucky?

Just got off the phone with Apple Support, first guy was nice and offered to set up an exchange via courier, (since I've only had 2nd phone for 5 days) he said he's passing onto After sales team, which turned out to ba supervisor who explained that buzzing was apparently a very uncommon thing with iPhone and if it was an issue then Apple would be aware of it and they couldn't send out replacments...

She then went on to say it wasn't a hardware problem and whether I had tried another sim, which I said no, then she said how I should call the network and ask for a replacement, however when I explained that this was a brand new sim I got specifically for the 4S and I didn't think that the sim was an issue, she surprisingly agreed.

However, rather than helping me (the customer) she took the case number for my first phone and said she'd look into the matter further and call me back...I don't see how the previous issue is going to help her, when the problem is now with the current phone. Maybe I should've refused to give the old case number,

Seriously considering just getting a straight refund now, as I'm a finals student now and have better things to do than phoning apple, going to London apple store, resetting phone and redownloading everything! Arggh!

Given 21,000+ views to this thread and 130+ comments with pretty much no one writing about the problem being fully resolved, I'm shocked that Apple hasn't even bothered to address the problem. This is my first iphone (well, second, considering I returned my first phone only to get a second phone that still buzzes), and it's been pretty disappointing. I just live with the buzzing noise, or use my phone almost exclusively on speaker because I can't stand the buzzing/high frequency crackling in my ear.

I also filed a case with Apple the day after I got my second 4s (as well as posting to this thread on that day), because I realized that continuing to replace my phone would do nothing to solve the problem, and would only add stress, since we all know that visitng Apple stores is a hellish process. I thought filing a case would alert Apple that there was an issue. But still nothing.

Is there anything we can do to bring this to the attention of Apple? Case numbers, message boards, thousands of views, hundreds of posts, and still nothing. It's really infuriating. How else are customers supposed to have a voice? If anyone has had any success in getting someone at Apple with decision-making power to acknowledge this problem, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks.

Apple don't care about us(. Everybody at the genius bar are aware about this. It took a long to bring the antennagate problem to light this is going to take even longer if not never considering that iPhone 5 is not that far away. It's all about money and profit. Imagine recalling 39 million something phones, no way, maybe other company, yes, but not apple. What kind of case did you file with them. I actually on my third iPhone 4s and the buzzing comes and goes on 3G. On the two previous ones it was horrible.

sillynaseem wrote:

Given 21,000+ views to this thread and 130+ comments with pretty much no one writing about the problem being fully resolved, I'm shocked that Apple hasn't even bothered to address the problem. This is my first iphone (well, second, considering I returned my first phone only to get a second phone that still buzzes), and it's been pretty disappointing. I just live with the buzzing noise, or use my phone almost exclusively on speaker because I can't stand the buzzing/high frequency crackling in my ear.

I also filed a case with Apple the day after I got my second 4s (as well as posting to this thread on that day), because I realized that continuing to replace my phone would do nothing to solve the problem, and would only add stress, since we all know that visitng Apple stores is a hellish process. I thought filing a case would alert Apple that there was an issue. But still nothing.

Is there anything we can do to bring this to the attention of Apple? Case numbers, message boards, thousands of views, hundreds of posts, and still nothing. It's really infuriating. How else are customers supposed to have a voice? If anyone has had any success in getting someone at Apple with decision-making power to acknowledge this problem, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks.

I agree, it's frustrating. I keep hoping for a leaked internal memo about the defect posted on the internet so we can at least rest easy knowing Apple is aware of the situation. I’m really curious how this model passed the testing stage before being released in the wild. I’d write a letter to one of the writers of those “cell phone news” websites. Boy Genius Report, Engadget, Phone Scoop, Phone Arena, etc. Media attention might help. I’ve written to BGR already to ask for a follow up on this article:

http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/29/static-bug-plaguing-iphone-4s-users-could-be-hardw are-issue/

He said he'd look into it again. Although the article states he could not replicate the issue, I did get him to admit he had Wi-Fi on during testing. Data through Wi-Fi keeps the data chatter silent, so he couldn't hear the digital noise. Hopefully he will test again and update the article. We'll see.

Well I am on my second replacement white 4s and the static is still there. I am very frustrated and disappointed. I expected more from Apple. I tried switching to wifi but it did not make a difference. I hope Apple recalls these defective 4s phones. The price of the phone is high so I expected it to work. Silly me. I do not know what to do. I am pretty sure a third replacement will just have the same problems, maybe worse. Why is this problem not being fixed?

Same problem. Makes it hurt even more because all of these people are talking about it on the Apple support community. It's not like it is some random page that apple doesn't look at, and yet they still deny deny deny....