“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?
I’ll confirm that a clear tape fix works perfectly. I did it with a thin rectangle cut from clear packing tape.
Before doing this: SpeedTest download and upload speeds dropped off dramatically with 3G-only data once a hand or finger was on the gap.
After doing this: there’s no difference, the speeds are good no matter how I hold it.
The tape is essentially invisible, I can’t feel it, and it’s not going to move. “Problem solved” completely, without needing bumpers or a case.
This is now a total non-issue.
Makes you wonder if Apple knew about the anntena fault all the time (or didn’t realize it till the last minute), and developed the ‘Bumper’ case to fix it.
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I guess in the iPhone 4S (or whatever the future revision might be called) a larger seam (filled with plastic?) will be introduced around the edge to prevent the shorting-out.
Still, the tape idea works for now
Now it’s become cable news fodder, fueled by Steve Jobs’ incompetent e-mail response. He really couldn’t have wrapped this gift up for the media any better.
It sounds like you whiners are all girly men. Come on, I put 3M cover on the front of my Porsche. Would you cry over that too? I wear a hat when golfing. I could go on and on. Man up fellows.
@R2: If the thought of putting scotch tape on a piece of electronics makes you “disgusted”, you’ve got a weak stomach and are in need of perspective. Listen to yourself….it’s a phone…. one that apparently you don’t even plan on buying. Go visit Haiti, then we’ll see how disgusted scotch tape on a phone makes you.
You put 3M cover on the front of your Porsche?? Say it isn’t so, that is sooooo digusting, spoiling a Ferrari like that ..ugh!
@ChrisM
Right on!
BTW, I just tested this using the plastic from a ziplock baggie, and it didn’t work. The bars went right down like usual: 5-2. I think you need something more substantial than a paper thin piece of plastic to really solve the issue.
No Joy!!!
Tried scotch tape, duct tape and electrical tape. Any suggestions. In addition tried an older 3G silcon case which I stretched over the new phone. Same result little or no reception.
What about all the other iphone users around the globe that expects the phone to work properly right out of the box, those who who notices the dropped calls but are unaware of the easy fixes, what happens to them?
I tell you what happens to them, they get disappointed in the phone and won’t buy iphone5, that’s what’s gonna happen, bad business.
@R2
“These articles do nothing but repel people like me from wanting an iPhone 4.”
You’re a well-known troll who loves to feign interest in Apple products but can’t seem to – repeatedly – overcome these huge design flaws.
Please: stop pretending that you’re anything but. Cut the shit.
speed test without covering the antenna:
8324 download, 2642 upload
speed test with covering the antenna:
7948 download, 2654 upload
Speedtest.net app from the app store.
@Cedric,
Those iPhone users need to man up and think about the unfortunate people still suffering from the effects of the Icelandic volcano eruption for proper perspective.
The skin effect likely may depend a bit on the person and the environment. I don’t know if it is a capacitive effect or a conductive effect, or both. If you have sweaty palms and/or live in a hot, humid area, then your skin will be a better conductor. If this is part of the problem, then you are far more likely to discover it in Houston than in SoCal.
now for the speed test without wifi…
Speedtest.net app from the app store
speed test without covering the antenna:
1238 download, 1231 upload
speed test with covering the antenna:
1121 download, 951 upload
I’m just not reproducing the results that some people are seeing. I have had a couple of dropped calls, but the Facetime seems to be working flawlessly and the screen is awesome.
Well, I’ll be….
Scotch tape works just fine.
@King Mel… I’m in socal and it is dry today… that could be a contributing factor in my results.
Im still waiting for mine to arrive, but a band-aid would also be appropriate (lol)
I really feel that Apple should provide a hand written apology and a yard of tape with every box. The apology should be in caryon and on an Arby’s napkin.
I feel bad for the people that are experiencing this and I do agree that Apple should do what they can to address this issue, but some of the outrage about it has been over the top.
There’s something thinner than tape, and much more attractive
I used to be an R&D;engineer in fuel cells, where corrosion and “passivation” issues are very important.
Stainless steel doesn’t corrode because it develops a thin layer of transparent, non-flakey oxides (passivation) on the nickel and chrome in stainless. These oxides don’t conduct electricity—believe me, they don’t. But such oxides don’t interfere with the radio signals (photons) being emitted by the metal antenna.
It’s possible that Apple knew of this problem and dismissed it. I note that in almost all the videos by users, they hold the video camera with their right hand and hold it with their left. So normal, right-handed use might make it so this is a rare phenomenon on average.
I don’t yet have my version-4 phone (still have my 3GS) But if it were me, the first thing I would try (be careful if you try this) is to make sure the stainless band is very clean and free of oils.
To clean, try one part Windex in three parts distilled water and dampen (not soaked) a rag. Wipe down the edge to make it completely free of oils
Then to passivate the stainless (make a very, very thin “piece of tape”), I would rub it down with a damp rag with distilled or tap water (if it isn’t really hard water). Let the dampness dry. Repeat several times. You can even use a hand-held hair drier on low (~140 °F) to accelerate the drying and promote deeper passivation.
A mild acid, like vinegar will really passivate stainless quite well. But you REALLY have to be careful; ensure the rag is only *damp*. You should also test on a small spot on the bottom of the phone to make sure it doesn’t discolor the band.
I should think that skin would have a terrible time galvanically connecting to the stainless and bridging the different antennas if the stainless is fully passivated.
so why did Apple miss this? They could have easily coated the conductive surface with some kind of insulator. Is this not the larger point?
Consider that you can also just fill in the gaps between the various antenna with a dab of rubber cement (RC). Once dried, you can trim any RC with an Xacto knife and it will not be noticeable.
I believe this is an engineering problem. Any EE knows that if you connect two open wireless transmission circuits that you will short the circuit and have drop off or at least a reduction in signal. Or if you block a carrier transmission with a non-RF conductive material, you will have degradation of signal.
How to fix? Insulate between the joints (open connections). Simple but not elegant.
Cheers.
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!
@Greg L
Perfect solution – I am sure Foxconn would want more $$ to passivate each iPhone coming off the line.
I am sure Apple cider vinegar would work best.
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Thanks… much better than my idea.
“I really feel that Apple should provide a hand written apology and a yard of tape with every box. The apology should be in caryon and on an Arby’s napkin.”
ROTFL hahahaha
A coworker got the iPhone 4 on day 1. He says the bumper doesn’t prevent this antenna issue.
How is this acceptable?!! My iPhone loses every bar and the call is dropped every time. It’s not a software issue, it’s not a non-issue, it’s a big issue. Granted, I only hold my phone that way when I’m surfing the web, or playing a game, but you lose all signal AND connection to data. I just can’t believe Apple isn’t doing anything about it. Still love my phone though…
@ccap1
@MizuInOz
Yes, with regard to putting some RTV in the joint between the two antennas, that wouldn’t work. Whether it’s air or RTV in the gap, the gap isn’t the problem. It’s electrically connecting the two different antennas by touching both.
It’s not so much tape over the “joint”, it’s tape over one—or both—of the antennas where you touch one—or both—of them.
If one were to fully passivate the bottom antenna using water, acid (vinegar) or warm vinegar (best yet), you could touch both the side and bottom antennas and not galvanically (electrically) bridge them.
I have two theories whey Apple didn’t pick up on this:
1) Most people are right-handed. It may be that the most natural way right-handers hold the phone doesn’t galvanically connect the side and bottom antennas.
2) It could well be that prototypes at Apple had more time before being handled and the stainless passivated better before they were handled. The Foxconn-produced ones are flying to the U.S. pronto and are quite “fresh.”
Again, I don’t know for sure that passivating like I described will work because I haven’t tried it. But I can tell you that when stainless like this (likely 303 or 304) is well-passivated, you have to mash the multimeter probes into the stainless to pierce through the oxide and to get any conductivity reading at all; passivation is like tape or a silicone rubber or plastic protective case, only much thinner.
Correcting something I wrote above, one doesn’t need to put tape over “the joint.” You can solve this by ensuring that at least one of the antennas is covered with an insulator at the spot where you naturally touch it. Or you can cover both antennas where you touch them (but only one is required).
Nope. Doesn’t work for my moisty midwest hands (or defective phone?). Tried it last night (proudly well before word of this got out
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> with two layers of electrical tape even covering from the button to the speaker. Phone has 3+ bars in old silicone case. Grrr!
Pretty impressive, how do you know all this stuff, maybe you should send your CV to Steve?
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You know what they say about early adopters!….
“something, something…pay the price…gummy, sticky, blah-blah, wait in line for hours, whosit, whatsit”……..or something like that.
Anywho!, I’ll patiently await the good, working, non-sticky, dare I say…White……version.
You know what they say about patience!…..actually, you probably don’t…allow me…as we read from the book of Wiki:
Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.
Amen.
Heh true that btaylor, let the suckers (= early adopters) pay the price (like the did with the first iPhone), the rest of us will be there to pick up the (finer) pieces:D
it turns out the iPhone 4 doesn’t drop left-handed calls. and the placement of the antenna helps reduce the chance of brain tumors. http://www.macdaddynews.com/?p=4368
The point everyone makes about this revolutionary antenna design is valid. And your $0.001 fix further justifies this. You shouldn’t have to add a piece of tape to your phone to prevent this phenomenon. Apple should have caught this in the design phase and addressed it. Period.
“(that’s Sellotape if you’re in the U.K.).”
Or is it Cellotape?
“You’re holding it the wrong way.” “Just apply some tape or clear nail polish.” The antenae is “beautiful. Really cool engineering.” With world-wide criticism gathering around the new iPhone’s design flaw and compromised performance, many of us will be pleased we held on to the 3GS. iOS 4 also doesn’t appear to be ready for prime-time yet. Upgrade required.
A more elegant solution would be to apply some nail varnish to the area nearby the gap. Hopefully the solvent in it will not harm the iPhone.
Whoops! somebody (Look Ma, No Hands) beat me to the idea
Whoops! somebody (Look Ma, No Hands) beat me to the idea 15 mins ago.
Just chill for a bit, I’m sure apple will fix this ASAP. They are usually pretty good about this, hell, it’s only been 2 days.
I just spent $400 to upgrade to a sleek futuristic device. I’m not putting some gluey garbage on it to help it work. Apple either figures out an elegant fix to this or we’ll all just have to not “hold it that way” until next summer.
It’s truly amazing the amount of energy and thought in this thread about how to fix the latest wonder product from Apple, the entire situation is unbelievable. Just imagine the MDN commentary if this had happened to the Droid X or Evo 4G?