OtterBox Interfere with reception? (iPhone 6)

Question

Level 1

8 points

OtterBox Interfere with reception? (iPhone 6)

iPhone: 6
Carrier: Verizon - reception in my home ***.
Case: OtterBox Defender series

Removed my OtterBox case to clean in an area of my house that reception is usually at one bar (dot, whatever). I glanced at the lock screen and I had 3 bars. Made a call from that spot. My friend heard me perfectly. I walked around my house, which previously, the call dropped EVERY TIME. Again, my friend heard me perfectly the entire time with no loss of connection, no crackle, no interference noise at all. When asked about the drop in coverage (before today) Verizon said I must be in a pocket with tower interference and they tried to sell me their home service.

ONLY difference today: Removed Otter Box. No trees cut, no new tower in area, no freakish wind, no sudden drop in foliage.
Search: The articles I've seen are old (2012, 2013), refer to older phone models, say the OtterBox does not interfere, but I see no other explanation. Is this an issue for anyone else?

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.4, Son has iPhone 5C

Posted on Aug 18, 2016 10:20 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

IdrisSeabright

Level 10

154,631 points

Aug 18, 2016 7:42 PM in response to kimoliver515

There's nothing in an Otterbox case that would interfere with RF reception. It's possible, I suppose, that there's some minor hardware problem with your phone that is aggravated by the case putting pressure or slight torque somewhere. I'd make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store and show them the problem.

Reply