Tingling when holding and using iPhone?

LoveOz wrote:

Hello, just wondering what happened to your issue eventually ? I am facing similar problem with any phone, not just iphone. Please suggest.

Your symptoms indicate a medial problem that should be addressed by a licensed medical professional, and any attempt at a prognosis by the volunteers here could put you in a far more serious situation. If you would like to pursue this with Apple computer go to www.apple.com/feedback.

What did your doctor say?

I can confirm pain and tingling/numbness in my right hand after holding my iPhone 5 for an extended period of time. If I hold the phone in my front right pocket I also get the same pain and numbness in that leg. I'm afraid we're going to find out in the future that these phones are more harmful than we thought. The same thing happened with cigarettes. It took years for the first people to begin dying from the harmful effects of smoking before consumers realized something was very wrong with the product. I've been looking for an alternative device but I have to admitt I'm addicted to iOS and the iPhone. I've tried Android devices and OS and it's just not as beautiful visually or functionally as iOS and iPhone devices.

Thanks to both you and Meg for the quick and detailed responses. I'm not sure what causes the pain and tingling I experience with my iPhone but we'll have to wait to see the effects. And by the way when I say extended I should mention that I feel the effect after holding the phone for just a few minutes sometimes. I did do research and current science does show that there are no harmful effects but I do feel pain in both my hand and leg when using or storing my iPhone. I also feel pain in my ear and head if I use the phone without speaker enabled. It may be a combination of having blue-tooth, cellular and wi-fi enabled. I realize the science doesn't back any significant health risks at the moment but I also can't ignore the pain which is the bodies way of saying "Hey something is not right." What that "something" is with regards to cellphones only the future will tell. Scientific knowledge is always being updating so they may come up with a new test or study that will shed light on what I and other users are experiencing.

Have someone blindfold you and then they turn the iPhone on or off without telling you if it is on or off. Hold the iPhone and see if you feel the effect wihout seeing the phone or knowing its state.

Hello, just wondering what happened to your issue eventually ? I am facing similar problem with any phone, not just iphone. Please suggest.

Odd. I've owned server iPhone models over the years, 3, 4, 4s, and now the 5s and never had anything like what your describing. To be honest, I didn't believe you at first, but it sounds like you've done enough blind tests to confirm your "tingling." No other phones have ever done this to you? For example your partners 6+, or perhaps an android phone?

On a side note, if you are truly more sensitive than the rest of us to the wireless signals emitted by smart phones, then you may want to stop carrying it in your pocket... assuming you want kids some day. j/k 😝

Check out the More Like This threads on the bottom.

You may be more sensitive to what is going on with the phone (lose wire comes to mind).

As it is giving you headaches when held to your ear - rather than selling a phone that may be defective you may want to trade it in for a new one.

Keep in mind these phones are packed at the manufacturer so are not 100% QC checked here.

Complaints of 'headaches' or discomfort while talking on the phone can almost always be traced to people with hearing issues that make them sensitive to the active noise cancellation used in the iPhone (and many other phones). Turn that feature off.

soulbrother77 wrote:

I can confirm pain and tingling/numbness in my right hand after holding my iPhone 5 for an extended period of time. If I hold the phone in my front right pocket I also get the same pain and numbness in that leg. I'm afraid we're going to find out in the future that these phones are more harmful than we thought. The same thing happened with cigarettes. It took years for the first people to begin dying from the harmful effects of smoking before consumers realized something was very wrong with the product. I've been looking for an alternative device but I have to admitt I'm addicted to iOS and the iPhone. I've tried Android devices and OS and it's just not as beautiful visually or functionally as iOS and iPhone devices.

If the problem was caused by something inherent in cellular telephone technology, it wouldn't matter if the phone was an iPhone, a Blackberry or an Android. The difference between cigarettes and cell phones is that the science always said cigarettes were dangerous. The science has never found any danger from cell phones.

soulbrother77 wrote:

I can confirm pain and tingling/numbness in my right hand after holding my iPhone 5 for an extended period of time.

The operative issue here is holding the device for an extended period of time. That generally indicates muscle cramping, and/or pressure in a certain area of the limb. Also the tingling is indicative of diminished blood supply (what many call "falling asleep"). Hold anything for an extended period of time and you will experience any number of symptoms.

As Meg has indicated, and if you do a search of the forum you will find other claims/explanations, there is nothing about cellular radio technology that will cause the symptoms you describe. Try swapping hands occasionally when using the device instead of holding it in the same hand in an extended use situation.

Take the time to put your device into Airplane mode and place it in your pocket and see if you still experience this leg pain. If you do, then it has nothing to do with the phone. If you do, then contact a physician and see if they can determine what it is that you seem to be sensitive to. Again, there is no current scientific evidence that the phones will cause any type of localized pain such as this.