Apple Admits to iPhone Reception Issues, Claims “Death Grip” Fix Will Come in Software Update

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the iPhone 4 has been out for just over a week, and users are having some issues with the smartphone.  The biggest problem is with the antenna, the fact that if the phone is held from the left side, covering the small black strip there will cause the phone to lose signal.  Some have dubbed it the “iPhone Death Grip,” and it seems to be a problem with just about every device.

Apple initially issued a statement that all phones have spots on them where holding them will cause signal degradation.  The newest response from Apple reads almost like a parody of the issues.  Apple is now saying that plenty of users are happy with the iPhone 4 and how well it picks up signal over previous versions.  It then goes on to say essentially “yeah, those bars aren’t right, so we’re gonna fix them.”  The claim is that the iPhone 4 as well as the iPhone 3G and 3GS report signal in an inaccurate manner.  The fix then will be to follow AT&T’s guidelines on how the bars should actually work. {Apple}

The fix will come via a software update in the coming weeks, and will apparently show users that where they thought they had great service is probably an area with fairly weak service.  Of course, this doesn’t mean that gripping your iPhone 4 won’t degrade the signal, it probably will, but at least it won’t decrease dramatically according to what Apple is saying.

After having an iPhone 4 since launch, the issue is definitely real.  It’s fairly easy to duplicate the problem that many are showing, even if just as a demonstration.  After buying a recommended Apple bumper, which was recommended (and also adds a nice bit of color) when the issue first arose, the Death Grip is no more.  The phone now gets perfect reception for both the cell network and WiFi (it used to lose one bar) no matter how it’s held.

Still, this points to a design/hardware issue. It’s great that the bumper, or a LiveStrong bracelet as some have found {The iPhone Guru}, can give an uninterrupted connection, but Apple should make it a standard, free part of the package.