Apple iPhone 3G S trouble roundup
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jun 22nd 2009 3:29AM
posted Jun 22nd 2009 3:29AM
To that end, here's what we're tracking on the 3G S from the first three full days of sales:
- Apple is awarding $30 iTunes store credits to individuals affected by lengthy activation times on their new phones. Regular activations shouldn't take more than an hour or two (ours were basically instantaneous) and ports from other carriers should take a maximum of 48 hours, but some unlucky individuals are still waiting to come online. We probably would've destroyed the phone with a hammer or a direct impact with a wall by now, so our respect goes out to those of you who are still waiting and haven't destroyed anything of value.
- It seems that some users are getting the error message pictured above when attempting to hack tethering support onto their AT&T iPhones using mobile config files available online, though repeatedly deleting and re-adding the configuration seems to help in some cases. Of course, AT&T isn't supporting tethering on the phone at this point anyway, so we wouldn't expect a shoulder to cry on if you call in to customer service with this one.
- Boy Genius Report is reporting that sounds played by the phone are immediately followed by some sort of extremely high-frequency tone -- the kind little kids and the next door neighbor's dogs hear, but you may not.
[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
So lets review:
10. This is your PERSONAL preference. Something you want it to do. It's not a "problem" because it's working how they set it up to be. Duh.
15. That could be your own headset, not the phone.
16. Then why mention it as a problem, just to add volume to your list? If it's meant to do it (as many other phones do) how on Earth is it a "problem"
23. I don't get this one...how can a phone freeze if the battery is dead?? Wouldn't the phone need to be on in order to freeze...
32. Animated gifs are flash enabled. No phone has flash. Once again...not a "problem", just something that is not able to be performed on any phone at the moment. Once again...duh.
36. Another personal preference....
41. I haven't seen too many phones that allow that to be handled correctly on a mobile device...
42. Another odd one for me. How can your pants cause the screen to skip tracks...when capacitive requires a human touch. =\
53. Once again, personal preference...not a problem
57. That seems more on the Honda side than it does Pre side. Seeing as you can handle your calls perfectly with normal bluetooth.
The rest do seem like somewhat legitimate problems.
AT & T Fail like always
Care to elaborate further? AT&T is just fine for me. 3G and all.
* AT&T isn't supporting tethering on the phone at this point anyway
How about they give us the option to use it for a start? if you get an iphone you are stuck with this limitation
They should allow it and keep the DATA limit that they always had, some people prefer to browse with there netbooks for example once in a while when there is no hot spot close available, i don't like there control over us
No MMS no 7.2Mbps no Tethering etc in 2009 and you want me to explain really?
* Their !
From what I've read on these internets, it really seems like AT&T is the worst possible mobile phone provider ever. It seems crazy that such a company would have iPhone exclusivity.
and people never complain about when the phone needs to be connected to wifi to do all that is advertised ....... at a decent speed...
Exactly Dr. House.
I suppose though, the USA mob should be grateful (/s) since Apple probably should not have released the 3G in the USA until this year considering AT&T's poor network roll out as for the 3GS sounds like it shouldn't be in the USA till late 2010.
I'm not interested in the 3GS but at least I could get 7.2Mbit if I did buy it.
On the 3G MMS works really sweet and Tethering is faster than I'd expected (Australia). If anyone cares, be aware that photos taken direct to the messaging client don't appear in the Photos folder. So if you want that photo later, take it then select it from the messaging client. Sending web snippets via MMS works very nicely.
A strange feature is that when you SMS and MMS you can select an email address now.
@Dr House
Browsing on a netbook/laptop will consume a lot more bandwidth and they don't think their network is up for it. You can agree or disagree, but honestly, I think they know more about it than you.
Unfortunately we are all controlled by reality.
"No MMS no 7.2Mbps no Tethering etc in 2009 and you want me to explain really?"
I don't think anyone has asked you to explain really. The google define function does a pretty good job:
------------------------------------------------------------------
define: really
# truly: in accordance with truth or fact or reality; "she was now truly American"; "a genuinely open society"; "they don't really listen to us"
# actually: in actual fact; "to be nominally but not actually independent"; "no one actually saw the shark"; "large meteorites actually come from the asteroid belt"
# in truth: in fact (used as intensifiers or sentence modifiers); "in truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire"; "really, you shouldn't have done it"; "a truly awful book"
# very: used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal; "she was very gifted"; "he played very well"; "a really enjoyable evening"; "I'm real sorry about it"; "a rattling good yarn"
------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone heard if there is some good app or solution for Gmail? I want threaded messeges so the iPhone mail client is a no go, and I want to know when I recieve mail so the online version is also a no go. With push notification there should be an obvious wake up call to Google, no?
DR House, really? Was that first line in your reply to Jay really needed?
Also, regarding the tethering issue, if AT&T's network cannot currently handle the presumed massive amount of data that would result from enabling tethering on the iPhone, they why would they enable it?
One of your arguments is that they should keep in place their 5GB soft cap (to my knowledge) which does make some sense. I would assume they've calculated their network can handle at maximum under some presumed worst-case scenario, I'd imagine, 5GB per user. It would perfectly reasonable to allow a user to consume his or her 5GB a month in the manner of his choosing, i.e., mobile web or tethering.
The only slight issue I have with this is your foundation which you mention. "They have a bandwidth limit 5GB for the iphone which people PAYED for they should have the freedom to use it as they please" The problem I have with this is the use of the 5GB is stated in the contract, to my knowledge. This 5GB is mobile data usage--not tethering as it is not currently supported. Saying that customers should be able to use their data, as it's been generalized, in any manner of their choosing is like saying they should be allowed to use their minutes in any manner of their choosing. But they cannot. "Minutes" as they're often generalized, are subcategorized as being domestic, M2M, international long distance, etc...
You say, "i don't like there control over us" but you signed the contract. The same contract where you both agree on how minutes and data can be used. You've paid for 5GB of mobile data and AT&T isn't stopping anyone from using them.
In regard to the MMS issue, AT&T has to manually update iPhone accounts to allow them to MMS. Do I agree in your saying in 2009 it is ridiculous that a phone like the iPhone is being sold without the immediate ability to send a MMS? Completely. I will even go as far as to say the original iPhone should have had that ability out of the box.
(I'm sure this post is full of typos, grammatical errors, and the general WTF DID HE JUST WRITE types of errors. My bad, in advance.)
Derx yes that first comment was needed if your name is JAY you have no rights to play smart ass
AT & T can do whatever they want but there is other networks that allows tethering and that's why i was saying AT & T Fail
Why should they care if i use my 5GB with my phone or my PC? i payed for it but they want you to buy another plan for your netbook 3G
Its ridiculous and so Gay
Why should they care if you use 5GB a month with your phone or your PC?
What happens when people go over? It is pretty hard to approach 5GB in a month on a phone nonetheless go over it. On a PC, however, it is not only fairly easy but likely. Then what should AT&T do when customers complain that they did not know they went over by a a gig?
AT&T gets bad press and they're forced to capitulate. They forgive the overage no matter how large. Now, with a phone as popular as the iPhone and with tethering made easy with a 5GB cap in place A LOT more people would go over. What happens to AT&T's bottom line then?
The goal of a company is to make money. AT&T has never said it will never support tethering on the iPhone and there is no evidence to support they would not allow it. In fact, with their allowing the iPhone 3G customers to upgrade at new customer's prices and their eventual enabling of MMS, there is a high likelihood that they will support tethering.
And with a name as unoriginal as DR House, I'll cool it on the smart ass front, as well.
You'll likely respond with a somewhat coherent response just to add in some more GAY to your commentary. I will not take the bait. I am, however, stunned by your precociousness. I do believe you are the first toddler to post on Engadget. Good for you.
@d889
browsing is a very decent speed on the 3GS over 3G, and I'm coming from Sprint who has great 3G.
But then again, I'm speaking truth in favor of the iPhone in Engadget comments where it's the coolest place to hate iPhone, so you already knew this, and I will probably be low ranked.
Derex this is not name originality contest and if you care about such things god help you, i like the name nothing else nothing more
And are you saying that in 2009 that they cant send a message to the users who pass the 5gb to stop downloading or they will cut there connection? just wow
why should i pay for other idiots mistakes like you for example
sure AT&T isn't all that hot compared to Verizon and the like, but really, what's the alternative? T-Mobile??
Or maybe Apple should have gone CDMA, but then that would either limit them to USA only or force them to build two different models of handsets.
GSM is the only way to go (right now) if you want to build a device with world wide compatibily.
DR House, to your comment, "why should i pay for other idiots mistakes like you for example."
Not to be rude, but it seems like you misunderstand how our society runs; this does not just happen to cell phone companies. At the end of the day AT&T is trying to give better service to their customers, regardless of what you believe. Tethering and MMS both transmit high quantities of data over a short period of time. As such, the company in question must update their servers and network to properly respond to the high influx data soon to be transmitted. I would much prefer a later start to both services rather than a swifter but poorly implemented service. To each their own I suppose.
at&t 3g tethering works just fine with my Xperia :-D. wtg apple.
So you're saying it's gay that ATT is not supporting tethering at this point in time? Like it's not really homosexual, I know many gay people who tether. And ATT is going to support tethering eventually. They also have the fastest 3G network in the United States, which is not saying much because Rogers in Canada has had 7.2 Mbps for the better part of 2009 and hopes to roll out LTE before 2010. Nevertheless, on the subject of MMS's. Who uses them? The only people who MMS anything are people who don't have Data and Email plans. If you have emails you can just send attachments, and a lot higher quality. MMS's are restricted to certain resolutions.
it still works for me
Same here- no issues. Picked mine up Sunday. Activated in store and was receiving messages before I got back to my car. No issues whatsoever.
Even pulled down 2200kbps on 3G just outside of Chicago.
Couldn't be happier!
I spent a lot of time fussing at AT&T and Fedex so I could get my phone on time, spent plenty of time setting things up to be perfect, pick my favorite songs and adding video since i had more storage space, only to find out the phone that I waited all of that time for had a bad earpiece.
Then sat in the apple store for 2.5 hours to get a replacement.
At least I have a working phone now.
My Iphone 3G S just broke. i didnt try to hack it or anything. but the left side of the phone doesnt work anymore. Im going to try and get a new one from apple tomorrow. anyone have the same problem?
Left side of the screen? Or the physical buttons? Is the hold switch on...
I've seen a few reports of this around the net actually, same side too. Just take it back and you'll get a new one, no problem.
My friend's iPhone 3G S has turned into a coke can and started spontaneously spreading jam all over his room!
Any one has the same problem?
Mine was more a light syrup than a jam. The "Geniuses" in the Apple store said it might have something to do with a faulty flux inhibitor, but they have no idea what they're talking about.
My friend can't get the oleophobic 3GS near his head because he oils his hair.
@superhobo +1
Well, it just crashed my iTunes while trying to sync, on the first day it wouldn't accept that my laptop (a MacBook, ironically) is something that can give it power, and if I leave my phone on too long it doesn't connect to the internet anymore and requires a restart. Also a few minor problems with the compass and its calibration.
Otherwise I love it :D
Did anyone notice that everything is super slow with iphoneOS 3.0 on the 3G model? I am dealing with weak wifi, dropped calls, response lag, etc since I updated it... Seriously thinking of downgrading to 2.2.
Do you share similar findings, or is it just my phone?
Not like that I haven't
But the messaging client is slower to load and some other things are too. Some things are quicker. Nothing is as slow as contacts were in 2.0 thank gawd.
I can feel a point release coming. All in all Apple has lifted its game with 3.0 versus the 2.0 release. 3.0 is smaller and does more, always a good sign and the upgrade process is now at acceptable speeds.
Same thing on my 1st gen. OS 3.0 is very sluggish...not as bad as 2.0, but noticeable. Most likey a ploy to het us to upgrade!
@Vancity
Yes...I to believe that is what they do. Have you download the OS, only to make your phone go slower while..oh, look. We just pushed out a new phone that goes 2x faster. If your phone is getting "old" and slowing down...go buy the new phone! =o
Those diabolical geniuses....
Nope. Actually, it's the opposite for me. My 3G feels a little snappier now when loading & doing things in my apps (there's still that lag when bringing up the keyboard in notes). The Network speeds are still the same (I use the Dslreports speed test app.)
I'm in the same boat as you, Randy. My 1st-gen iPhone actually feels noticeably faster with FW3.0 now. Of course, I had to wipe all settings, restore to factory conditions, and sync up from scratch to get it to finally work...
When I press the lock button on my 3G S, I get lag of 2 seconds between the screen going black and the sound to say it's locked - Is this normal on previous generations?
Yes mine does this all the time.
Whoa I totally forgot that it makes that sound when locking by default. I turned that off as the first order of business. But in testing it, yes there is a lag. Even more reason to turn it off.
That usually happens if you drop it -- mine is instantaneous
My iPhone 3GS has a "hairline crack" near the SIM slot. I thought they would have fixed this after so many iPhone 3G phones had this issue a year ago.
has anyone tried http://wan.to/iphone to add tethering on the 3gS or is it locked?
its catching the ipcc load onto the iphone as it comes down off apples server and then you change the settings
then plug the phone in and let it sync with the "modified" ipcc.
not sure how that works on the 3Gs, but would be interested to know.
My only problem so far is that I haven't received it yet... but I just ordered Friday with the 35% discount from bing.com! XD
You got a sweet discount on an Apple product by using Microsoft site?
Priceless!!!!!!!
@logicbomb
maybe that's why he hasn't received it
Yea APPLE IS HAVING TROUBLE WITH PUSH http://appadvice.com/appnn/ they got the apology letter posted
its not exactly a copy but they describe what was said my bad
Battery drained out of no where, I guess I was using an app maybe the MLB one and I locked it without closing the app next thing u know my phone is dead after a while in my pocket, ohh it had a full charge, it never happened on my edge iPhone that I know of, but who knows
My only real issue is battery life, but that's because I'm messing with the phone constantly. I've been pleasantly surprised by the voice control, too, once I learned exactly what it wanted me to say, at least. I wish they released a list of supported commands and such, as it took me forever to figure out you had to say "play songs by [artist]" instead of just "play [artist]".
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=726016
Hi, google... 15seconds... thanks.
Seriously!! the battery life down really fast. I dont know why people arent complaining. It just goes down on its own...even on standby.... i know i have push running but thats all!
ON the first gen phones, if you did a factory restore it fixed a lot of the battery issues, since they ship the phone with only 30% battery, you really really want to run it all the way down the first time, if you don't, you will want to do a restore and that fixes the battery brain most times.
With bluetooth stereo, I can adjust the volume with the buttons on the phone (I get visual confirmation of the volume change) but this does not change the volume on my bluetooth stereo headphones. Only way to change the volume is to use the annoyingly too small buttons on the headset....
att is waiting for a way to screw over everyone further with tethering
I haven't had any problems so far. I do hope AT&T hurries up and gets MMS working a friend sent me an MMS and it took half an hour just to write down the user name and password to put in there special website just to get a very badly taken camera phone picture. Also they really need to start supporting flash in the three days I've had the phone I've lost track how many sites I've been unable to access just because they use flash to make their menus.
Ok so maybe I've had a few problems. But I have no real desire to try the tethering because AT&T does offer a plan it is going to cost a whole lot of money and I'm not giving them any more money for a phone.
No, they don't need flash. Flash is bad! Its also an Apple issue, not an AT&T issue.
As for MMS, at least you are getting the text messages that direct you to a website, I don't even get those. MMS's send to me just disappear.
Half hour to write everything down?
why not copy and paste everything into the notes app?
works for me every time, (well, since 3.0 has been out if I have to be honest)
Apple will send AT&T the bill for the 30 dollar itunes cards. no joke.
What iPhone? O2 havent even bothered delivering mine in the UK.
i cant even go on internet since i dont i hav iphone data plan. but i was able to on 2.2.1. it actually tells me that it cannot activate data on my iphone and that i'm not subscribe to data service or plan. danm you! apple and att! good thing i can still make calls and stuff lol
Does anyone feel like the volume buttons are flat?
I got the same problem with tethering on 3G with the provider LUXGSM from Luxembourg (Europe)
The people who can't figure out tethering are idiots, its the simplest thing in the world
The key is, that sometimes you have to reinstall the new profile, its really not that hard
Why is my password never saved on engadget btw I always have to do a e-mail confirmation, even with the correct password @_@
iPhone fail
I totally hear the high pitched noise at the end of any of the lock sounds or anything like that. Its crazy. I also think there is some echo or its like they took the same speakers but are overdriving them to make them louder.
I hear the high pitches sounds as well, after a "lock" sound and the "sent sms/mms" sound. Very faint. Maybe 12 KHz range? Almost like that buzzing you hear in your ears sometimes. Very faint, but it's definitely there!
I'm having WiFi issues with mine. It shows it is attached if you go to settings, but it won't show the Airport logo at the top or use it when you go to Safari/App Store/Etc. You have to turn off WiFi, then turn it back on, then its fine. I'm sure it will be fixed in 3.0.1 though.
Wow...they deleted that comment. Odd, lol. Ignore earlier post sir.
@iDavey
32 - Last I checked animated GIFs work all the way back 486 with Netscape Navigator on it. There's no such thing as Flash and CompuServe GIF has nothing to do with Macromedia.
I've NEVER once seena GIF played on a mobile device unless I was using SkyFire...point out a phone that does that...and I will retract my statement.
Nobody bothered by the fact that no application data can be transferred from the 3G to the 3Gs? Yes, I know it only happens to non standard iApps, but it is really a pain (re-entering all rss feeds, setting up book/game/etc lists again, etc.).
The Apple hotline told me that's just the way it is, but as much as I like my new iPhone and its improved speed, I'm really put off by this even ever considering crossing over to a mac. Is losing all your application data what you would expect to happen when you upgrade within the same model line using the very same iApps?
Sorry, but as much as I dislike M$ you still have your data there if you upgrade your device.
Sounds like you did set up as new and not restore from backup. I restored my wife's from backup and everything copied over, including game saves, application data, etc.
No, I actually did a restore of a previously saved backup. If for others it works then I have no clue a) why it didn't work in my case and b) why the Apple hotline told me that's the way it is. Still reconfiguring things... :o(
I pre-order two 3G S's through AT&T and received them at about 2:00 CST on Friday and was patiently waiting and at about 40hrs I received an email from AT&T with the number 1-866-895-1099 to activate the new phones and it only took about 5 minutes per phone. I was pissed.
Thank you guys for being my guinea PIGS :-)
Yeah theres another issue, battery life is NO WHERE NEAR ADVERTISED.
My brother let me use it for a couple of days, and it didnt even last me from 9 to 5. Pathetic
No wayy, battery life over estimated? no freaking wayyy...
Here are some of the bugs that I have found:
1. SMS get sent as MMS when sent to multiple recipients, making it very expensive, Hello Steve, where's our $30 itunes voucher for having to pay for all those useless MMS that the buggy 3.0 has sent?
2. Contacts sent via MMS come out garbled and unusable. Why doesn't iPhone use vcard standard so contacts can be sent to other phones? Once again, where's our $30 itunes voucher for having to pay for all those useless MMS contact messages?
3. E-mails cannot be deleted, even when they are removed from trash, they can still be called up via the spotlight search. MAJOR SECURITY FLAW!
4. Usage display is useless, should display outgoing, SMS and MMS
5. Voice Memos don't syncronise to Voice Memos folder in itunes, instead they sync to music folder wtf?
6. Unable to add songs to playlist other than onthego.
7. 3G stays on even when wifi is available.
8. Unable to copy text from SMS messages without forwarding and editing.
9. Unable to turn off the microphone click function (the phone has already run empty in my pocket because it was playing songs all the time due to the microphone button being clicked)
10. Timer and stopwatch not showing up on locked screen.
11. coverflow for videos does not work
#2 - I can only send contacts via email, but they show up as a vCard there. I don't have MMS yet (lovely AT&T, sigh).
#6 isn't a bug, that's a feature request. No iPod/iPhone allows playlist editing.
#7 - I'm having the same issue. Its a bug with WiFi (I swear it happened back in OS 1 or OS 2 as well), I'm sure 3.0.1 will fix it.
#8 - I totally agree on this. Its annoying.
#11 - Did this work before, I can't recall?
My iphone 3GS crashed twice yesterday. Once when starting up the messages app and then again later in the day when trying to open my camera. On both occasions it froze up, wouldn't let me do anything for 5 mins and i had to do the ol reset with the two buttons for it to work again.
Should i take it back to Apple/O2 (uk)??
Yeah lets compare 1st generation hardware and OS Pre to a 3 year old iphone platform on a phone which is basically just a hardware upgrade to the phone before it in the exact same form factor.
This is good that Engadget is reporting the issues. I will, however, note that this article is much more foregiving than those that they have released about Sony and particularly Microsoft when they have problems.
Was waiting for one of these to turn up.
I think iphones rf power needs to be turned down as it clearly gives lobotomy to some users.
And this is why I am waiting until August/September range to get one... :)
Dick.
Here in the UK, O2 do allow tethering but charge £9.99 / mth EXTRA! Is it only me that finds this OUTRAGEOUS? Tin
Two dead pixels, first time I have dead pixels after buying my eight iPhone.
Aldo the iPhone 3G S has worse cell reception than the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G S os at one or two bars compared to four or five bars on iPhone 3G.
I am taking it back and exchanging it.
i have noticed that the text message sound seems a little distorted when the volume is all the way up
Wow so many bugs..
on the good side
1) Got in line 1 hr before the Apple store opened - 20 or so people ahead of me (in the reserved line)
2) 45 minutes from store opening until i walked out with my new phone.
3) I really, really like Pandora, Slacker, XM Radio player. In fact, streaming music was my main reason for purchase.
on the not so good side
1) Getting the "No SIM card" several times a day - have to reboot a copule of times to get it to recognize the SIM card.
2) Syncing contacts - what a pain - had issues with Outlook and Google sync - finally went with Yahoo. No way i'm paying for ME
3) Problems with home wireless network - works great for a while and then I get a prompt telling me the WEP key is bad and I have to re-enter it. I don't see this problem with other wireless devices.
overall - i'm pretty happy with it
You shouldn't be getting the "no sim" error -- either the sim or the phone is bad. Take it back. I've had all three iPhones and have never had that happen.
For your home wireless: on iPhone "forget this network" and then reboot your router. Then try to reconnect.
Excuse me, the Engadget comment system is alreay about to meltdown/explode, and your multiple posting of hideously long pointless comments is aggrivating it somewhat. Please refrain from posting excessively long comments; especially ones that are not related to the article.
Firstly, I'm sorry, there is no way in anyone's hell am I going to read that. However, due to the crazy length of your list--which looks more like a nation's constitution--I am going to assume there's a ton of nit-picking.
Secondly, and most importantly, are you accusing Engadget of iPhone bashing now? WTF is wrong with you people? First they're iWhores now they're iHaters? They're just reporting the news. Give them a damn break.
Really? Really? Really? Really?
ALL of the Apple praise Engadget gives and this one article (where THEY are not giving the bad news, but the posters are) and you feel as if Engadget is picking on Apple.
Then to add to it, you make this ridiculously long list...you know what. For your dumbass effort, I will take the time to read this list. And for every dumb thing listed, I hope someone in your family falls flat on they face just for your ignorance...
There are issues where people who are using their AOL Accounts for their iTunes accounts are receiving an Incorrect Password message and are unable to update or purchase new apps.
The temporary fix that the Apple Discussion Board has come up with is to Deauthorize your computer in iTunes, then Reauthorize it, and then sync. This fix will then allow you to enter your password and have your iPhone accept it just once before the bug returns.
My touch screen has locked up on me on a consistant basis... Guess I'll be heading to apple soon to get a replacement. My wides and mother in laws has given wrong icons for random apps... All I got
Same thing happened to me. It worked fine out of the box, but when I restored a backup of my old phone onto it the touchscreen just started locking up (physical buttons & voice control still work). It was intermittent for a while, but I tried another restore and now it's just totally frozen. The clock also freezes at the time that the screen does.
Talked to support today and they are fed-exing me a replacement for $30. Kinda pissed, but I also don't have a phone right now, so whatever.
I had the same problem, but it went away after I disabled the auto brightness. Don't know why it worked, but I'm not complaining.
The same thing happens to me! It is so annoying but I can usually fix it just by pressing the sleep button. I brought it to the AT&T store and they made it sound like it was just lagging, so I'm going to go to the Apple Store tomorrow.