Why is my 4S dropping calls all the time?

It is 330 am and I was just answering the Emergency Room on my new iphone 4S. As usual my call dropped in the middle of listening to the ER doctor telling me critical details about my patient. I called back and got on my Bluetooth. That has been my only salvation. I drop every long call without exception. It doesn't matter where I am, and it is in places where my Bleckberry never ever failed me as a phone. I am left handed and the iPhone 4S is slippery so I worried that a so-called "death grip" in a leftie was creating the antenna situation that supposedly was corrected from the older models. My phone is less slippery in the case, but I still drop any call in any location. Typically they are longer calls. I wondered if my face was touching something as I tend to be walking around when I talk, and writing with my other hand. My only solution has been Bluetooth. I never drop a call with Bluetooth. I have not had the weird noises and poor reception that others have talked about. I am using a Jabra BT8040 that is several years old. I am grateful for the other information here about swapping the phone out as that was my plan. However, I do not see a single post of anyone who did the swap out that solved the problem. It is a lovely little hand-held computer but doesn't seem to be great as a telecommunications device which is ironic since that is the prime purpose. I hope my Bluetooth positive experience will help someone through this. Thanks for info that the swapping wasn't a solution.

Alright. So here is how I connect the dots of my experience with the call drop problem. In summary, only drops when I am holding the phone, Never drops with the Bluetooth on. Wifi status irrelevant to my drops. I am left handed. Hmmmmmm. Left handed, so using left ear. Which means handpiece is held up to left ear. I am writing and moving around every time it happens, and never at rest. My conclusion is this. I believe the mandible (my jawbone on the left) touches the portion of the touch screen where the red disconnect button appears during a call because that is located on the left bottom of the screen right were the face can touch it. The bone of my mandible mimics the push of a finger on exactly the right spot and calls disconnected. This is my best explanation for my problem. I thank everyone ahead in the discussion as it helped talk me out of wasting time in the store trying to convince them for a new phone or do software reload. I am not sure if my experience may help others, but that is my theory for my problem anyway. Thanks.

Apple must address this problem. I rely on it for my business and right now it is not functioning as a phone but a great internet device. I have tried taking 3G off and it helps marginally. I have not used Bluetooth but standard Apple earphones/mike,and it still drops calls!!!

It is very frustrating that Apple is not addressing this major flaw.

I am issuing the same problem. 😟 I changed three iPhone 4S until now. First I have problem with "loosing home button", and occasional signal issue. Now I have third one and it has signal issue. 😟 It just drops calls on every second, third call, after some time, 1-2 minutes. Also I have ANOTHER issue refers to this signal issue. I am occasional unavailable, even if I live with full, both 3G and 2G coverage. After some time I get sms that I have some missed calls, and than I am available again. It is unbelievable! I bought this phone in Germany for 623 EUR, and I have all this troubles! I love Apple. I used all the iPhones, since iPhone 2G, but this is really outrageous! Having such a expensive phone, and yet I am not sure would I'd be able to use it as a ordinary phone, while people around me having some ****** phones which costs 20 EUR, and they don't experiencing any issues like this. Not to mention android phones. Had for a while galaxy S, and not only that calls quality was MUCH better, but also NEVER had such problems.

I am thinking about replacing my phone, but I don't know if there is any point since I see people whose already did this, are also having same issues.

Can someone tells me if I replace my phone, would I get another one brand new, in original vacuum package, or some refurbished, because I've heard lot of, not so pleasant stories about that? I am intending to do this in apple store in Munich.

Hi All

I use an iPhone 4S with iOS ver 5.1 on the O2 network. Both myself and my partner have this issue as we are both iPhone 4S users.

In reply to pianodoc's mandible theory, I don't subscribe to this as my calls state failed and not call ended as it does when pressing the red disconnect button when ending a call.

The most annoying thing for me is knowing my partner has reception and phone is turned on but then the call goes to her voicemail instead of actually calling her. This also happens vice versa where she cannot call me.

Another issue I have noted is that I get searching... Where carrier O2-UK in my case usually should be and this lasts until reboot usually.

I think this is an IOS bug as I don't think it's anything to do with hardware or carrier.

In summary 3 issues

1. Calls fail while in the middle of calls.

2. People are diverted to VM even when receiving phone looks good to go.

3. Seems to drop carrier and takes an age to reconnect but usually I reboot phone to sort it out.

This "mandibule theory" isn't right. Here's why. I've made some call, cover proximity sensor with my one hand, so that screen goes black. Than with other hand, I've pressing many times space where "end call" button should applears, and nothing happened.

I read various theories such as the phone touching your face but this is not correct. My phone is on Vodafone and regardless of the country in 3G mode it has serious problems. Apart from calls being dropped, I sometimes can't even dial out. It drops the call immediately and will not connect. On Blackberry I get full 3G signal and it dials out without problems.

You can take 3G off and it improves a bit. But I am getting fed up. Today I had a number of voicemails and I never received the calls or missed calls. It must have gone into search mode and lost the signal completely.

Yes I also have these issues,

Phoning out and nothing happens no ringing just does nothing also had a few times where I can't end that call and have to turn phone on and off again.

I've had failed text message where it fails so I try and resend and it just fails again, reboot fixes this also.

I'd actually like to know if apple can supply a problem record number or bug reference number for this problem and if they are separate known issues.

Apple must have some way of tracking the issues.

Hi. My thinking has evolved over the several months I have had my phone (December 2011). I agree with you Scripted - I have refined my telephony technique and now scrupulously avoid mandibular or facial contact of any kind. I still drop virtually 100% of all calls that are longer than 3 minutes. Very annoying. I am left-handed. I am trying to experiment with right hand, but don't have enough data points from longer calls yet to make conclusion. Sadly, much as I love all Apple products, and I like the 4S as a handy mobile device, it really, really, really is a pretty lousy telephone. However, it still does not drop when I am on Bluetooth or on speakerphone so I cannot exclude a grip or hardware explanation completely.

I hope Apple is reading this and that we are not just "dressed up for each other." It would be great to fix this.

Thanks.

I confirm the call drop problem.

Once the connection established, something happenes, like cellular network re-calibration, which can interrupt sound between talking parties, or even can cause a call drop.

But if your call "survives" this misterious procedure, you can talk forever! At least up to carrier's talk limit (40 minutes here).

This problem established in iOS 5.1 and is actual for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Obviously Apple should fix it ASAP!

This problem established in iOS 5.1 and is actual for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Obviously Apple should fix it ASAP!

Um, did you even notice that this thread started Oct, 2011, when the iP4S was released with iOS 5.0?

In fact, you can go back to 2008 and find many more threads, with many more posts about dropped call with every iPhone model since the 3G and every iOS version since 2.0.

Then again, anyone posting here can declare themselves to be expert in mobile communications and whatever pops into their heads is truth by definition, right?

And, what do I have to do to get mine and my wife's iPhones to drop calls? I'm feeling really left out....

I have opened a support case with apple and they are going to call me on Saturday to discuss the issues I'm having I'll post back after. My partner phoned O2 but they didn't really have anything useful to say.

In response to modular I'm not an iPhone expert but I do know when something just doesnt work properly. I also think this thread should be unresolved as its clear there are still problems and no real answers.

I have never had this problem with other phone handsets just iPhones :0( I really wish apple would look at the issue more closely and include carriers as I'm sure they can see logs of dropped calls.

I'm having the same problems and have been since December. I had the 3GS, AT&T first said it was my sim card & told me to replace it...I did. Then, they told me I just needed to upgrade my phone...I did. I bought the 4S. Things got better for a while, but now it's worse than before. I drop calls every where I'm at...even when I'm not moving. The WIFI stays turned off on my phone 99% of the time. I will watch my phone drop a call and it have 3-5 bars. It was doing this long before I upgraded to iOS 5.0.1. I have contacted Apple...they're blaming AT&T. AT&T blames Apple. This is very frustrating!! It's not just calls on my phone, either. I have problems getting texts to go thru. I have to resend them multiple times before they will ever go out. Texts and iMessages. I know people on Verizon who is having the same issues I'm having with the dropped calls. Something has to give or I can promise you my next phone WILL NOT be an iPhone!!

This issue is also happening with my iPhone 4s IOS 5.1 here in United Arab Emirates. I get tensed when I am having important calls because this dropping call problem. It is very frustrating and really annoying. I have already done all the research how to fix this but it did not solved the problem. I checked with my carrier but all suggestions did not fix the problem. I was told that a lot of iPhone 4s subscriber have all these problems.

I have noticed that when you turn off 3G and turn it on again NETWORK SIGNAL drops totally for few seconds. I compared it with my iPhone 4 OIS 5.1 it never has the same problem, network signal is stable. This could be the root cause of this problem, when iphone 4s automaticaly switches cellular network to 3g network in the middle of your call.

I BELIEVE APPLE SHOULD TAKE THIS ISSUE VERY SERIOUSLY AND IF THIS PROBLEM WILL NOT BE SOLVED PEOPLE MIGHT STOP BUYING IPHONES.

I have been thinking of selling my iPhone 4s and buy android phone today!

I tried some test, I called my iPhone 4s using landline phone. Drop Calls happens when iphone4s switches from 3G Network to cellular network during the call. Confirmed!

To avoid this problem, the solution would be turning off and never use 3G? That doesn't make sense, this problem should be fixed!!