The iPhone 4 Grip of Death
Friday, June 25, 2010 at 1:14PM I just picked up my iPhone 4 this morning (at the second time of asking, but that's another story).
I had heard that some people were experiencing problems with the exposed antennae on the iPhone 4 and that it was causing a loss of signal strength. I didn't have to work very hard to spot the problem on my phone.
Here's a video demonstrating the iPhone 4 Grip of Death:
This problem isn't confined to people who are left handed. Any right-hander needs to cradle the device in their left to use it for any kind of multi-touch gesture, such as pinching on maps or photos.
There's a question as to whether this is an actual signal degradation problem or simply a problem with sensing and displaying the signal. I shot a second video to demonstrate that the signal is not just being attenuated but almost entirely disrupted.
Here's my procedure:
- Disable WiFi
- Hold the phone in the 'fingertip grip', observe 4-5 bars of 3G.
- Launch TuneIn radio.
- Buffer and play a channel.
- Switch to the Death Grip.
- Observe signal falling to 1 bar.
- TuneIn streaming stops dead when it runs out of buffered data.
For all the supposed design refinement of the iPhone 4, this is a near-showstopper. It's very surprising that the device shipped with this kind of flaw. If the fix is to add Apple's £29 rubber bumper on top of this £600 device, that will be a very poor show indeed.
As John Gruber questioned, I don't know whether this is a problem with all iPhones and some people's hands or some phones and everyone's hands. My sister also has an iPhone 4 and is experiencing the same thing.
There has also been some speculation that it could be to do with moisture. I know everyone's skin carries moisture but, as skin types go, I have particularly dry skin. Just one data point, but that's what I have.
Reader Comments (10)
I have a suspicion that the Bumper case only exists because Apple knew of the issue late in the game, and instead of redesigning the antenna system, decided it was easier to sell the bumper as a solution.
If you ask me, the Bumper should come with the phone free of charge, especially in light of this. At the very least, reduce the price from a ridiculous $30 to a more realistic $10. I'm sure at $10 the margins would still be a ridiculous $8 - $9.
I bought the Bumper yesterday and have yet to have this issue with the Bumper on, so it seems like a really simple thing for Apple to fix (until they redesign the Antenna internals) - give the Bumper case away for free.
The Wifi antenna is also on the side of the phone. Why do you think the Wifi doesn't degrade as well?
I agree with Ted that bumpers likely came about as a result of Apple noticing this problem. Amusingly enough, the Apple salesperson that sold me my phone yesterday morning recommended a bumper for just that reason (having heard it from other people, not through official sources). I didn't buy it.
I'm quite sure there will be a lawsuit filed any day now alleging this was a conspiracy of some sort, and Apple will probably respond by sending bumpers to all users for free.
My hope is someone (Apple or otherwise) makes a very thin, clear bumper that solves this issue while preserving the appearance and dockability. Scotch (transparent) tape might even be enough.
...Mitch
This signal loss is definitely a problem, but there are some other factors in play here. I'm on AT&T in Florida and the grip of death has no effect on the signal. Unless the phone is lying to me, the signal is steady at 5 bars holding it that way for more than 2 minutes. Very puzzling.
why a bulky bumper? celo tape wont' work?
for what it's worth, i couldn't reproduce the problem on 3 different phones, neither could their owners.
@speirs - does washing your hands matter? not a solution, just another data point.
Unfortunately I don't have an iPhone 4 yet, somebody could try the death grip with rubber gloves or some other thing (plastic wrap, tape?) to provide electrical insulation.
My iPhone 4 does this, but I've always held it at the top to avoid this, since my 2G also dropped bars in low-signal areas (North Houston) if I cover the antennae.
This seems like quite a big deal. Let's hope Apple address it in a reasonable manner.
Do phones in the UK operate at a different frequency from those elsewhere? It may be that the frequency used in the UK is what is susceptible to the grip of death, while say North American users are unaffected?
Just a guess.
I think every iPhone 4 has this issue, but it depends on location- I'm at Starbucks right now and have a death grip with 5 bars, but at home the death grip results in no service.
Probably an issue which people can live with. Maybe Apple is just stating a fact which hits all kinds of Cell Phones, but since it is Apple, it's something asize with us being hit by a world devastating meteor.
If Apple gives you a bumper, good. If not, your iPhone still works 99,9% of the time as mine does.