iPhone 4 signal reception problems

iPhone 4 signal reception problem antenna

A pair of dissatisfied customers have filed a class action lawsuit against Apple.  This is because of signal reception problems in the iPhone 4.  More will doubtless follow.

Since the arrival of the latest iPhone Apple’s new baby has been plagued with reports of reception problems.  Apple has even made the terrible mistake of telling users to hold the device differently…..OOPS!

Under the sale of goods act, customers left with a device that cannot be used for its intended purpose are entitled to a full refund.

Kevin McCaffery and Linda Wrinn from Maryland USA filed the complaint against Apple and also AT&T.  They accuse the firms of negligence, defective design and manufacture, breach of warranty, fraud by concealment and deceptive trade practices.

Here’s a summary of the filing:

“Plaintiffs were sold defective iPhone 4 units, which drops calls and data service when held in a manner consistent with normal wireless phone use.”  “Plaintiffs have experienced numerous dropped calls, and as a result, plaintiffs are left with a device that cannot be used for the normal purpose and in the normal manner in which such devices are intended to be used.”

Unlike the US, Apple stores in the UK do not charge a restocking fee and the filing states that the plaintiffs have been “unable to return the phone without incurring a substantial restocking fee”.

Bad publicity like this often hurts sales and the US media have been quick to pickup on this.

I’d love to see the iPhone 4 with its bugs ironed out as quickly as possible as it is making goood headway in innovation, design and style for the mobile market.  As usual, it’s the early adopters getting their fingers burnt…..

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iPhone will not update to version 5

If your iPhone will not update to version 5 and you have Kaspersky Internet Security installed there may be some network blocking that interrupts the installation.  Here’s how to disable it:
Open Kaspersky main window and select Settings > Application control > Applications. Expand the Apple branch by clicking on the plus next to it,  then double click Itunes. Go to the Exclusions tab at the top and tick all boxes. Click on OK then click Apply and it should update without problems.

Another option is to temporarily disable Kaspersky by right clicking the tray icon and selecting Disable protection. Importantly, check you are behind a hardware firewall first such as a router before disabling any firewall. You will find that similar firewall and internet security products can cause instability and errors  when updating Apple’s iTunes.


Iphone mobile mail can’t verify the identity of mailserver

Secure imap mobile data certificate server ssl iphoneOn IMAP mailservers, apple’s iPhone often complains that “Mobile mail can’t verify the server’s identity”.  Unfortunately, this is because the iPhone currently has no version of iOS that will allow you to permanently accept self signed certificates.

On most modern browsers you can permanently store the certificate so that you can trust your mailserver domain, but until this arrives on the iPhone we are left with either disabling SSL or living with the “Continue” alert.  I would always recommend living with the alert because mobile data needs to be secured, especially at public WiFi spots.


Improve and test your iPhone 3G and 3Gs signal quality

Iphone Signal Strength Quality 3gsMany users have reported dropped calls on their iPhone either straight out of the box or after updating to the latest firmware.  Apple have been improving their service worldwide but some carriers are still finding that their customers are a bit annoyed after spending all that money for something that doesn’t make phone calls…..

If you are getting signal issues, try our top 4 tips and tricks guide to getting a better signal and alleviating those dropped calls:

 

Test your iPhone signal reception with the “Field Test”.

Tap on the Phone application, select Keypad.  Type:

*3001#12345#*

then press the Call button. You will see the Field Test main menu and some mumber indicating the strength of the signal (in decibels) where the graphical signal display once was. Note: the higher the number, the better – remember these are minus numbers so “-60” is better than “-80”.

Note: On later iterations of the 3GS and iPhone 4, the Field Test does not work.
 

Use the iPhone’s headphones

Since the wired headphones supplied with the phone act as an antenna, wearing them can improve signal strength.  It is them and not your head that are acting as an aerial (although much is still to be proven about the effects of mobile phones!).  Sometimes you can visually see the signal jump up as you connect these.

Turn off the iPhone’s 3G

Turning off the 3G reception often helps signal strength.  However, turning it on when you want to browse the Web is quite honestly a chore and some have even gone so far as to write an app to help make this a few taps instead of many.

Hold your iPhone a certain way!

The antennas for the iPhone are located at the bottom of the phone on the inside. By holding the bottom of the phone you obstruct the signal.  Holding nearer the top or not at all can give a better signal strength.

If all else fails, use the landline.  Seriously though, come on Apple, the iPhone really is a beautiful gadget but spoilt by the irregular signal strength.

Check these live deals on iPhone 3 and 4 accessories:

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