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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 | Posted by Editor - Blog News Service

iPhone Death Grip problem looms -Updates

iPhone Death Grip problem looms

iPhone Death Grip problem looms

If your newly-updated iPhone isn’t working quite right — iPhone 4 death grip issues aside — Apple has quietly updated its troubleshooting knowledge base to help you out.

Five sections of Apple Support were updated Monday to reflect iOS4, which launched on June 21. They are: hardware troubleshooting, MMS troubleshooting, inability to use data services, help with accessories and tips for transferring photos to a computer.

Most notable is the troubleshooting page for iPhone hardware. No, it doesn’t have an answer for the antenna problem; for that you’ll have to improvise with Scotch Tape, or just take Steve Jobs’ advice and “Just avoid holding it in that way.” But you will find help with iPhone 4’s Facetime video chat app, audio issues, short battery life, non-functioning cameras, phone call problems and more.

I’ve also found a page, updated on June 25, dealing with apps that close unexpectedly due to memory problems. This is notable because one of the potential fixes entails opening iOS4’s tray of recent applications and closing them out manually. This level of micromanagement is one of my issues with iOS4 multitasking, though I’ve admittedly opened dozens of apps at a time without running out of memory.

If you’re fairly tech-savvy, however, much of the advice in Apple’s support pages will strike you as common sense. Fixing most problems typically starts with making sure the phone is up to date and checking that the thing you’re trying to do is compatible with your phone, operating system or wireless carrier. In many cases, restarting the phone is a suggested solution, and restoring from a backup is a last resort.

Still, if you’ve got iPhone problems, troubleshooting from the support pages is never a bad idea. At the very least, you’ll make some tech support guy’s life a little easier.

Apple may be reasonably upfront about the iPhone 4’s so-called “death grip” position, where holding the smartphone in the lower-left corner leads to noticeable signal degradation, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to start “appeasing” users. Despite having suggested that their Bumper cases can address the issue, a leaked internal memo to AppleCare staff makes it very clear that a free case is not on the cards. Instead, employees are supposed to point out that the iPhone 4 has better reception than its predecessors, and that every cellphone has signal issues depending on how you hold it.

iphone 4 bumper

BGR were sent the internal document, and whoever wrote it was pretty adamant about not handing out the $29 Bumper accessories willy-nilly. The smartphone’s signal problem isn’t, it maintains, a matter for warranty service, though if the iPhone 4 is experiencing problems connecting while not being held by its antenna then staff are supposed to escalate it accordingly.

Frankly, it’s not exactly surprising that Apple are trying to keep all their support staff on message, but it’s disappointing that there isn’t a more useful way of addressing the reception problem than saying “either move your hand or pick something up from the accessory rack”. If you’re still looking for more on the technical issues behind the signal dilemma then Richard Gaywood has a good write-up (though there is a little fruity language, so be warned).

1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.

a. The iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4’s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.

b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.

c. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.

d. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.

e. The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.

2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.

3. Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.

4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.

5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.

Apple’s iPhone 4 signal problems have been the source of a barrage of complaints by customers complaining of a faulty antenna and now Steve Jobs has broken the silence. In an e-mail Jobs downplayed users’ reception gripes as a “non-issue.” Meanwhile, others within Apple are advising iPhone 4 users to avoid gripping the device from the lower left corner.

As the first batch of iPhone 4 smartphones reached the market on Thursday, several users reported that they are having poor reception issues with their new device when holding the phone by its metal sides in two opposite places.

The metal bands surrounding the sides of the iPhone 4 also acts as antennas for the device, and the signal drop problem seems to appear when a user touches both of the black lines on the phone’s metal sides towards the bottom, according to corroborated users reports.

“Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone,” reads an official Apple statement on Thursday.

“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,” the statement concludes.

Jobs also replied to a few complaints sent to his e-mail inbox. One MacRumors reader asked Jobs what is going to be done about the signal dropping issue, and the Apple CEO replied in his typical brief manner: “Non issue. Just avoid holding it in that way.”

Spencer Webb, an antenna designer, explains on his blog that the iPhone 4 has two symmetrical slots in the metal frame, which when covered, will affect antenna performance. “There is no way around this, it’s a design compromise that is forced by the requirements of the FCC, AT&T, Apple’s marketing department and Apple’s industrial designers, to name a few,” Webb wrote.

Apple currently sells a $29 rubber “Bumper Case” for the iPhone 4 (pictured above), which covers only the sides of the device, something that made Mashable’s Barb Dybwad ask whether this indicates that Apple already knew about the potential reception issues with the phone.

PCWorld also did its own tests of iPhone 4 signal and took the new phone for a spin in San Francisco alongside an iPhone 3GS. PCWorld was able to replicate the signal problems when covering the bottom left edge of the phone, something that did not occur when the phone was laid flat on a table with the antenna untouched.

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