“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
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.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
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.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
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