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The iPhone 4 has been on sale for just one day, but one design fault is already well established: it’s possible to drop the phone’s reception substantially by holding it in a certain position. Now Apple (And Steve Jobs himself) has weighed in with its response to the issue, and well, it’s not entirely helpful. Read on for the details.

In a statement to Engadget, Apple confirmed the build issue on the iPhone 4, saying that clutching a handset will inevitably result in “some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others.”

Apple’s solution however is far from helpful if your iPhone 4 is dropping calls simply because you’re holding it up to your head: “If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

We’re a bit disappointed to hear that this is the sum of Apple’s advice, especially since said cases conveniently include the £25 iPhone 4 bumper cases the company is selling on its store. Steve Jobs reportedly replied to a customer with similar advice, telling the new iPhone 4 owner to “Just avoid holding it in that way”.

Of course, while this is a clear design fault, it’s worth noting that it’s not a flaw that can be replicated on every device (our review unit has it, but you’d need to be a contortionist to pull it off by accident) and the same issue also affected some previous iPhone models – and well, Apple’s still had some pretty pleased customers until now.

What do you make of the iPhone 4′s signal issues? Are they a dealbreaker? Are you returning your phone? Happy to follow Apple’s advice? Jot your thoughts down in the comments below!

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  • ChrisUK1

    my current iPhone 3GS has the same problem… the phone has better reception while it's just sitting on its own (especially in its dock). It's a little bizarre that this is only being reported now with the new phone.

  • robH

    can you confirm that it actually drops calls or is it just the bars reducing?

    • bensillis

      Hi Rob

      Other reliable publications have managed to force their calls to drop off entirely, but we've not achieved it on our review unit. How badly models are affected clearly varies, as many are also reporting no problem whatsoever.

      • robH

        Thanks Ben, It'll be interesting to see if there is actually a real drop off of signal or whether it's being over emphasized by the bars on the screen. What happens if you do it when you've only got 2 bars to start with? Having been to the apple store and played with a few I'd take issue with your comment that you have to hold it in a contorted way – try being left handed – or how about being right handed and trying to surf the web with your right hand while holding it in your left hand.

        I was amazed by the email from Steve Jobs – taking PR advice from BP?

        • bensillis

          We've got excellent signal where we work, but we'll try and find that out for you, it's a good question. Re the grip – clearly it varies between models, and our one requires yoga to force the reception to drop. It's a pity that others require less! I was slightly gobsmacked by Jobs' reply too – Apple really should be bundling cases for free.

  • robH

    I just went to the Apple store and had a play around. They had phones there on 3 and Orange. I was able to drop the signal on both networks from 5 bars to one bar in less than 30 seconds just by putting my thumb over the gap at the bottom left. I tried it on 4 different phones, 1 was better than the others but it was still bad.

    not big or clever – I'm not going to order one until I see how this pans out

  • tummy full of apples

    c'mon people. Isn't it the time to wake up? iphone is a very good device, but there are so many alternatives that cost much less, allow operators to be more plan-flexible. All the hype about the iPhone is just a perfect example of brilliant Apple PR. They still manage convincing people that having the same phone as everyone else is cool, now they will come up with 'a cool way to hold a phone' just to justify their design flaws.
    I had a play with it in the O2 store yesterday and was not that impressed at all. My HTC Desire has almost as good screen is as fast, more customisable and with loyalty discount i got it free on £17.50/per month 18 month contract. You would get only an iPhone charger for such price :)

    • bensillis

      I'll be interested to see if Apple's iPhone 4 videos and ads suddenly start showing a new way to grasp it. Magical!

  • http://www.intellectsoft.co.uk/android_application_development.html android development

    Such advice as “Just don`t hold it that way” sounds not serious at all. It`s not a solution by any means. And buying bumpers or cases is not either. They should have tested iPhone 4 properly and done something with this problem before launching the device.

  • Marcobermann

    Well i said this in the great Live Q & A session you ran yesterday and I'll say it again you design possibly the best looking premium device made form a special strengthened glass and aluminium and then you tell your users to spend yet more money and put in a case is this for real?

    If this was any other device from any other manufacturer the ifans would be all over it with criticism and sarcastic comments as they do and have done with every other fault on any device. But because it's their beloved Apple and iPhone4 it's no big deal and not really a problem.

    Once again I'm going to have to point out I'm not an Apple hater or fan boy of any one OS or manufacturer i love tech and gadgets as long as their good and do what i want and need them to. But when any of them make screw ups like this they deserve to be taken to task for their mistakes and even more so for their attitude and how they handle it after their discovered who ever they are.

    • bensillis

      If it's a concern I wouldn't blame anyone for holding out to see how it pans out for a bit. But I've not seen anyone complain yet it's actually caused them to lose a call who wasn't trying to do it deliberately.

      Plus, look at it this way, which is more broken, an iPhone 4 with this antenna issue (some), or a BlackBerry with a BlackBerry browser (Er, all of them)?

  • http://twitter.com/slaguru slaguru

    My IP4 does the same thing. So I tried on my 3GS and it seemed to do the same although slower, as didmmy wifes 3G.

    But I don't seem to be dropping or missing calls, so I wonder if it's more software than hardware causing the issues. I don't recall it being a problem on the 3rd gen phones so why it should start playing up on IOS4 is a mystery but it certainly looks real.

  • Jasononiel22

    i think steve jobs must be laughing at everyone who has bought a defective iphone

    • New IPhone User1

      I have an Iphone 4 and it immediately drops signal when I hold it in my left hand. It has stopped me making calls and has cut calls off as well I am no contortionist, this is my first IPhone and I am giving serious thought to changing it for something else. I am disgusted by Steve Job's comment and the suggestion that after buying one of the expensive phone's on the market that I should then pay Apple another £25 to fix a design flaw they have made is ridiculous to say the least!!!

  • Martin

    ive had the phone less than 24 hours the phone is awesome without doubt, BUT ! it has less reception in my office at home than my old 3G and it also cut me off twice whilst talking to 02 about activating my wife's i4 also cut off twice when talking to clients of mine last night, my 3g never dropped a call unless in the sticks and no reception from supplier.
    regards
    Martin

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