“If you’re a user who feels they’re suffering from difficulties connecting to the nearest cell phone mast with your iPhone 4, then one theory–which has been given a degree of credence by official communications from Apple, including Steve Jobs himself–is that it’s because your hand is covering the GSM and Wi-fi antenna joint when you hold it,” Eaton reports. “Your slightly electrically conducting skin is bridging the slim insulating wedge of plastic that splits the phone’s frame at this point.”
So here’s the fix:
1. Get about an inch of scotch tape off the reel (that’s Sellotape if you’re in the U.K.).
2. Cut it carefully so that you make a rectangle something over a half-inch long and just tall enough to exceed the iPhone 4’s height (about 0.4 inches should do it).
3. Align the piece of tape so that it’s covering a section of the lower left metal side of the iPhone 4, some below the thin black plastic line and some above.
4. Stick it around the phone’s metal edge, making sure that all of the back of the edge’s metal strip is covered–you may even be able to leave the front uncovered, as it’s the back where your hand will rest. The main thing is to ensure that it’s unlikely that your palm will touch the metal on both sides of the black plastic line.
Eaton reports, “Result: Your iPhone 4’s twin antennas are now insulated against skin short-circuiting in the ‘problem corner.’ You don’t even have to use scotch tape–make a statement and do it in bright red electrician’s tape, if you feel better for it. It’s also exactly what Apple’s ‘bumper’ case, and probably every other iPhone 4 case too, will do–so you don’t need to worry with the fix if you’re an iPhone case fan.”
Full article, with photo, here.
MacDailyNews Take: Now we know what Gray Powell was supposed to be testing. 
Five words: “Be a man; duct tape.”
Related articles:
iPhone 4 sensitivity to fingers explained by a Ph.D. in electromagnetics – June 25, 2010
Apple responds to iPhone 4 reception attenuation issue: ‘A fact of life for every wireless phone’ – June 24, 2010
Yeah, I’d use a black piece of electrician’s tape, to match the iPhone.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> But who uses and iPhone to make phone calls, anyways…?
The scotch tape idea has helped me figure out what kind of case I want on my iPhone 4. I want a clear thin plastic ring that just barely covers the antennas on my iPhone 4.
As soon as someone comes out with that thin clear plastic solution, I’ll buy it. I’m thinking of something so thin that you’d want to replace the ‘ring’ after dropping your phone on cement a few times. They should come in packs of 3 or something, since it’s so thin they market it as disposable. Switch it out every 6 months.
Anyone else think that would be the perfect solution? Solves this little ‘death grip’ issue and also gives a little protection to our beautiful stainless steel phones. Plus you don’t end up hiding the beautiful design of this phone.
all you need is a small square of it where each of the antenna’s join – where the gap is – unless you have a bumper – in which case, no worries.
scotch tape on a iPhone 4? Sounds like Apple’s uber engineers missed something…
What freaking amazes me is that Apple didn’t spot this during testing. Wireless networking seems to be a constant “oops” area for Apple.
This guy might be on to something. While I’m at it, if you ever get in an auto accident, why get the bumper fixed? Hell, duct tape will work just as well!! Who needs pristine?
Of course the “bumper” or a case will do the same, but they cost more than $0.001. Before doing or buying anything, make sure this is actually a problem. Apparently, it does not affect everyone and/or you may normally hold your iPhone in a way that does not cause a problem. Also, even MDN said earlier that the “bars” went down (on the screen’s indicator), but that did not seem to affect the actual performance in making calls. So whether there is an impact or not, it may not make a difference in terms of usability.
Yeah, i am gonna use a hunk of $0.001 tape on a phone that will, over the course of a few years cost me a couple thousand bucks… Who is the effen moron that came up with this? How about this, give me a phone I can hold onto and talk on without having to be an effening yoga master and get into some apple-lotus-jobs position to use.
All the testing must have been done with rubber gloves.
Screw this! I didn’t pay $750 for phone to put SCOTCH TAPE ON IT!!!
Instead of tape, use aerosol can of clear lacquer to coat affected areas (mask off all other areas first). Much cleaner than tape and sure to void warranty
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I prefer MDN’s take. Apple could refund case purchases and include cases to all new purchasers with basically no hit to iPhone sales margins.
I would never endorse this – but there is a defective design here.
Not an issue for me.
Um, yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna be putting pieces of tape all over this phone. What is this, a pc box that needs duct tape? Apple needs to do something…seriously…this is unacceptable.
Except when you try to get in a federal building. If you have a phone that looks like it has been tampered with (like my old, old Seamons which I ducktaped the antenna back after it broke off), then you may not be permitted to go into the building. In that case put the iPhone 4 in a case.
Or click on the MDN featured ad in the upper left corner of this page, enter ZAGG’s Win A Free iPad contest, get a discount promo code and buy the MAXIMUM iPhone 4 invisible Shield which will cover all your iPhone with an impregnable plastic sheath.
Oh boo hoo boo hoo I can’t do that. I hate that Apple makes such shoddy stuff. Oh my whatever will I do. I know Droids don’t need no duck tape, Droids just do. You poor Apple fanboys will put up with a lot, I don’t know how you do it.
What a disgrace. I knew it was a serious problem when I started seeing these haphazard DIY solutions. I’m disgusted, I would never buy a product that required such maneuverings just to get it to function the way it’s supposed to. These articles do nothing but repel people like me from wanting an iPhone 4.
Since we know Apple fitted their field test units with a 3GS style case which hid the antenna band, it’s easy in hindsite to see how this problem might have gotten past the testers.
And why does the author start off by classifying the antenna design as “clever”? Do they not see the irony? There is nothing fscking clever about an antenna design that requires me to put scotch tape over it.
To me, the iPhone will feel like cheap old garbage if I have to attach scotch tape around it. You fix old gizmos like this, that are out of spare parts, not cutting edge technology like the iPhone.
Just the mere thought of this fix in my shiny brand new iPhone makes me wanna puke yuck.
I meant to add, my iPhone works just fine, cannot make it lose bars. But I am getting a bumper today according to FedEx.
3GS with iOS4 does the same thing (I know, I tried it), so that puts me in the “it’s a software issue” camp.
“I don’t believe in many things. But I do believe in duct tape.”
– Miles Strom, LOST
I bought a bumper to minimize scratches and wear. I am also able to reproduce the degraded signal problem even with this bumper on the phone. Apparently this has been an issue with other iPhones, and other cellphones also. It’s a trade-off between phone design and function. Do we want to go back to having a collapsible antenna, like we had over five years ago?