Test your iPhone 4's Antenna Reception in iOS 4.1 with Field Test Mode (Updated)

What a big one! Gizmodo could find a way to check your iPhone 4's antenna reception issue which was discovered by iPhone 4 users when they hold the device from the bottom left. The method to test your antenna reception only works on the newly released iOS 4.1, check it below.

First, you will have to upgrade your iPhone 4 (or any iPhone) to iOS 4.1 (Remember: It kills your jailbreak and unlock). Then, Dial *3001#12345#* into your phone. Now, the signal bars will be replaced with a number (i.e. -89) as shown in the screenshot above. The higher the number it is, the worse the signal it is.

Update 1: For a better understanding of  numbers resulted from the test , we offer this picture which simply show you the quality of your result.

In short :
-From -121 to -107 dB reception is weak and corresponds to a notch
-From -107 to -98 dB are the two notches
-From -98 to -87 dB are already in a good phase with 3 notches
-From -87 to -76 dB have great reception
-From -76 dB we get a good reception 
[via Gizmodo]

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New iPhone 4s Coming by End of September?

CanalMX reports that Apple is set to release a newly version of the iPhone 4 that do not have the malfunction of the reception by the end of September. The iPhone 4 users were reporting a lot of issues as antenna issues which experienced when holding the device. Also users complained about a proximity sensor glitch which may not be fixed in iOS 4.1. Below is the Google Translation from Spanish,

He [Marco Quatorze, Telcel's Director of Value Added Services] also said that as of September 30 Telcel will be available in new devices that do not have the malfunction of the reception and explained that the company will have several options to make changes from one phone to another flawed not to take: “If the previous plan is over, you will need to hire a new change for iPhone 4. If, for example, already has one and take three months for payment, change the cell with a re-employment and takes into account the previous time, so instead of paying 24 months, only done in 21. “

The question of the case beyond the phone company that we hire, it is worth evaluating whether to purchase the first version of iPhone4 with all its flaws, or wait a month to be available the new version promises to vindicate the reputation of this controversial but attractive device, though no doubt there will be many users who are not willing to lose this dream so long Smartphone.

Last month Apple offered free bumpers for iPhone 4 users but it seems like a mistake as it damages the iPhone. Also, the iPhone 4 bumpers program ends by end of September, so is that an evidence for the truth of this story? But is that the only way to fix iPhone 4 issues? to make a new one! [via 9to5mac]

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Tawkon App Shows Death Grip on iPhone, BlackBerry, Nexus One [Video]

Tawkon shows us "Death Grip" on iPhone, BlackBerry and Nexus One. This app for BlackBerry, Android and iPhone (Release soon) uses algorithms to determine how much radiation is being emitted from your cellular device. From the official blog,

As you can see in our quick demo, this phenomenon is not exclusive to the iPhone – the way you hold the phone – and specifically blocking the receiver – increases the transmission power of the phone to maintain good cellular connectivity, and thereby increases radiation levels you’re exposed to.

There are many other factors influencing radiation levels – such as your location, operators network load, your phone model SAR levels, etc – but during this demo we made an effort to keep changing factors constant so we could isolate and see the impact of the Death Grip on several different phones.

Here's the demo that he is talking about, check it yourself


Apple has already taken about other devices and published videos of Antenna Problems on Nokia N97  and others after Apple opened it's Antenna Labs and Antenna Site!
[via Tawkon]

Apple posts N97 Antenna Performance Video, Nokia will not be Happy

Well, Apple has posted a new video showing N97 Antenna Performance, It shows this Nokia Mobile with bad antenna the same as iPhone 4, Apple posted notes about N97 reception on Antenna Site saying that when holding it, it goes from 7 bars to 2 bars, I think Nokia won't be happy by this video!

Solve iPhone 4 Reception Issue with Antenn-aid [Only $4.99]

Couple of days ago in iPhone 4 Press Conference, Steve Jobs announced that they will offer free Bumpers for iPhone 4 Users to solve Reception issue, But If you don't like those Bumpers or need another idea and not expensive, Ok you can buy an Antenn-aid for Only $4.99

Antenn-aid is like a protector for iPhone 4, it's small, easy and not expensive, You will put it on the left side of the iPhone 4 which causes the Reception issue, Then it will work for you, For myself I would do that better than dressing my iPhone 4 with a bad Bumper!
You can Buy Antenn-aid only for $4.99 by Navigating your browser to this Site and get your one! [via Mashable]
You can take a look on our iPhone 4 Activity Section and Reception Issue Activity Center for more news and posts.

Inside Apple's Antenna Labs [Video]

Yesterday, Steve Jobs made a conference about iPhone 4 and antenna problem, After the Conference ended, Apple opened Antenna Site to help people to fix their problem, Also Apple refereed to Antenna Labs as "Black" lab because it was a secret facility that even some employees weren't aware of. Take a look Inside Apple's Antenna Labs Video after the jump..

Apple Offers Free Bumpers for iPhone 4 Owners

Yes, it may be a solution for iPhone 4 Owners, Steve Jobs announced that they will offer Free Bumpers for iPhone 4 Users, the Bumper were sold for 29.99$ and now it's for free, So have fun iPhone 4 owners, He says that he Love his users and he respect them..

Now, everything in life is more complicated than it seems on the surface. We’ll send you a free case. But we can’t make enough bumpers. So what we’re going to do is source some other cases — you’ll pick a case, and we’ll send it off to you.

Stay Tuned for More news about this iPhone 4 press conference, waiting for more from Steve Jobs.

Apple Sold 3 Million iPhone 4s in 3 Weeks

Steve Jobs has announced today in his Conference which is Live right now, that They Sold 3 Million iPhone 4s in 3 Weeks (WOW), I guess All of the 3 Million are waiting for Antenna issue fix and sure a Jailbreak... Here's what Jobs said:

The iPhone 4 is perhaps the best product we’ve ever made at Apple. We’ve sold well over 3 million since we launched it 3 weeks ago. It’s been judged the number 1 smartphone

Apple Hold Special iPhone 4 Conference Coming on Friday

You all have been waiting from Apple to discus iPhone 4 Reception issues, Now they will do make a big and special press conference on Friday to discuss iPhone 4 Reception issues, There's no words to Say except that We will be covering This event here on CoveringWeb!
[via The Loop]

iOS 4.1 Fixes Reception Issue? I don't Think So!

Well, There's no Confirm if iOS 4.1 which was Released minutes ago to Fix Receptions issue, There's some people confirms that it Works and at the sam Time some people says nothing Changed and Apple didn't do anything "We Still Getting Bad Reception"

Mac Rumors Reports that it worked, But also Mac Rumors forum members say it Don't, Also MobileCrunch Reports that iOS 4.1 doesn't fix the death grip attena issue (Reception issue), SO what about you?

iOS 4.1 has been Released for Developers

Finally Apple announced with iOS 4.1 for Developers, So if are a Developer head on and get it the first, Try it on your iPhone 4 and let us know by commenting about the iPhone 4 Reception Issues, Here's the full PR from Apple after the jump, Meet there!

Apps built with iOS SDK 4.1 beta should only be tested on devices running iOS 4.1. Make sure to read the Xcode 3.2.4 Readme and the iOS SDK 4.1 beta Release Notes before installing and downloading these new releases.

Download iOS 4.1 for Developers
Stay tuned, More coming this Week!

iPhone 4 Reception Issue may be Solved with a Network Reset?

TUAW has just reported that if you got iPhone 4 Reception problem and issue, then you might use Network Reset Method, There's confirmations from some developers that it worked well with them, Also Federico on Macstories worked with it, but he lost some Wi-Fi passwords, hah!

To Reset your Network just go to "Settings" on your Home screen, then "General" scroll down till you find "Reset" touch it and tap to "Reset Network Settings", That's it.

Hope you tell me if you got any results!

Oh, Remember Steve Jobs Conversion that was a Fake, It's REAL?

Do you remember that Conversion with Steve Jobs and Tom from Boy Genius Report. After Apple said it's a fake and Steve Jobs didn't do such a conversion, Now Boy Genius Report says that Steve Jobs email wasn't fake and it was real, they have proves and they got a perfect post!

Here's a good part in the post:

On to the Steve Jobs emails.
Jason Burford, someone who we have never worked with in the past, emailed us and said that he had a pretty interesting email conversation with Steve Jobs and wanted to share it with us, but wanted to be compensated. He sent us the email headers and we had some of our independent tech guys verify the email header information and then inform us whether they were legitimate. Their response was yes, that they were legitimate, and that the entire thread would be extremely hard to fake, if not impossible. After speaking with Jason and getting more background, I decided to run that story. There was an error in my write up where the last line in the article was written to be said by Steve Jobs, when in fact it was Jason who emailed that in reply to Steve Jobs.

Another good part:

Let’s go over it one more time… someone who wanted to remain 100% anonymous and only asked to be paid a nominal fee of a couple hundred dollars lied and completely made up this entire thing? Someone who showed me in his AT&T call records more than two calls from Apple representatives (Texas phone numbers, confirmed to be Apple Customer Relations) on the exact dates he said they called trying to resolve the situation after he had emailed Steve Jobs? Someone who repeatedly emailed me and the BGR staff to correct the last line in my story since it wasn’t accurate? Someone who has now had his name revealed to the public via a tasteless article from AppleInsider, and is now being called by reporters non-stop asking about this article and whether his exchange is true or not? They still wouldn’t admit this was fake? No, you know why? Because it wasn’t fake.

Hey, they got the real proofs there on their post, check the full post with title "The entire Steve Jobs email story… It’s real" from BGR here. Stay tuned for more news!

Apple Drops Return Fee of iPhone 4 because of Reception Issue

Apple found their customers object and complain about the Reception issue in the iPhone 4, so they have dumbed their Restocking fee of Returning iPhone 4s. Yes, now you can return your iPhone 4 within 1 month from the arrival [Only 10% fee for Opened!], check the iPhone Return Policy after the jump..

iPhone Return Policy

If you are not satisfied with your iPhone purchase, please visit online Order Status or call 1-800-676-2775 to request a return. The iPhone must be returned to our warehouse within 30 calendar days from shipment to avoid an $175 early termination fee. The iPhone must be returned in the original packaging, including any accessories, manuals, and documentation.

Apple will assess a 10% restocking fee on any opened iPhone. Shipping fees are not refundable.

Note: iPhones must be returned to the original point of purchase (e.g., Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Store, AT&T, Apple Authorized Reseller) with a proof of purchase (e.g., Shipment Notification, Invoice Receipt).

Apple typically charges $19.90 for a returned 16GB iPhone 4 model, and $29.90 for a 32GB device. I think 20$ or 30$ are not much! If you waited till Apple releases it's new update [iOS 4.0.1] you may miss this offer.
[Source: Apple, Via TechCrunch]

Apple release Statement Recepetion issue, Fix comming soon!

Great news for all iPhone 4 users, Apple has just released press release regarding Reception issues in iPhone 4, they send it as a letter and they are saying that fix will be soon, may be in few weeks. Read the full Statement after the jump..

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple

[Source: Apple]

Didn't understand yet? I will tell you what's going up there! Remember iOS 4.0.1, yes Apple is going to release iOS 4.0.1 or may be iOS 4.1 and it will fix iPhone 4 Reception issues.

Update 1: Gizmodo has reported that this will not change anything and will not fix anything. it's all about wrong antenna design and this update won't be the solution, Read more on Gizmodo.