iPhone 3G Reception Problems? Dropped Calls? - You are not alone

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 by Aaron Besson
Category: 3G iPhone, What's New.



There seems to be a buzz on the web recently about Apples new iPhone 3G and some serious reception problems. Fingers are already being pointed and someone is going to have to take the wrap for this. The problem seems to be that some users calls are dropped when 3G reception gets weak or lost and the antenna switches to EDGE.

Here is a list of some of the problems listed over on Apples iPhone Discussion Boards:

  • iPhone 3G drops calls
  • iPhone 3G shows weak reception
  • the signal is flaky
  • reception is especially weak when you enter a building, drops to zero
  • reception changes depending on where you put your hand at the back of the phone
  • the reception problems are worldwide (US, UK, AUS, GER, CH, IT, NED, …) on various carriers

A user named Doug posted a list of sites that have all covered this issue to prove that it is not a unique issue being spammed by a few (16,00o posts and 80,000+ views) on the Apple Forums:

Every possible solutions has been suggested, from changing sim cards, to updating the iPhone to latest firmware 2.0.1, reseting the network settings and even restoring and setting up the iPhone as new profile in iTunes. Some users report that they switch off 3G so that calls are not dropped when 3G signal is dropped or gets weak.

One of the websites above is called - APPLE - FIX OUR 3G IPHONE RECEPTION - and documents the problem quite thoroughly. ITWire recently published an article about the poor iPhone 3G reception hinting that it may be hardware related - “Rotten hardware core in Apple’s iPhone 3G“. Ny Teknik, a Swedish tech newspaper, has published the account of a scientist at the University of Gälve who investigated the iPhone 3G and discovered that the phone is not as sensitive to 3G signals as other phones.

Wired.com has created an interactive ZeeMap and a site called TestMyiPhone.com that you visit with your iPhone 3G, and they are asking users to report their iPhone 3G’s 3G and EDGE upload and download speeds. Click here for instructions, and below is a Map showing the results.


It’s being speculated that this problem can’t be fixed via software. Business Week reported that the problem may stem from the new Infineon chip saying that “Faulty software on the chip causes problems when the iPhone needs to switch from wireless networks that allow for faster Web downloads to slower ones, the people say.”

Apple has no comment and some of the threads on the Apple Discussion Board have been deleted by the mods. Some are saying the problem is only affecting 2% to 3% of iPhone users, but that seems to be enough to get the rumor mill going.

If the problem is more widespread, either a massive recall on some 3-4 million iPhone 3G’s and upgraded replacements will be shipping shortly or Apple will have to fix this somehow with a software/firmware update. With the iPhone about to launch in 20+ new countries in a few days and Apple planning to be in over 50 by the end of the year, they need to fix this, and fix this fast, before it gets more expensive.

Update from MacRunmors;

Two sources say Apple will likely issue a software update by the end of September—if not by the end of this month—to resolve the issues. Apple and Infineon are currently testing the fix, which will be included in a broader update of the iPhone’s software.

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/14/iphone-3g-connection-issues-related-to-software-or-hardware/

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