Apple iPhone 4 signal fault 'caused by wrong software'

Careless hands: iPhone 4 users complained the signal bar dropped when held
12 April 2012

A fault with the iPhone 4's signal bar stems from the handset's software that calculates reception, not the hardware, Apple said today.

Users have reported that the smartphone's signal strength fell when held, giving rise to speculation that its antenna in the handset's metal frame could be disrupted by the hand.

However, in a letter addressed to iPhone 4 users, Apple said the "simple and surprising" cause was that the formula by which it calculated signal strength was "totally wrong".

Apple's letter said: "Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays two more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display four bars when we should be displaying as few as two bars.

"Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying four or five bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

The computing giant said the problem has been present since the original iPhone launched three years ago.

It will adopt American mobile network AT&T's more accurate method for calculating signal strength and a free software update will be available in the next few weeks.

Apple apologised "for any anxiety" it might have caused to customers who have just shelled out £500 or more on an iPhone 4.

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