Is the iPhone 4 having proximity sensor troubles?
By Laura June 
posted June 29th 2010 12:56PM
posted June 29th 2010 12:56PM
posted June 29th 2010 12:56PM
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Hadn't noticed it until this morning. Cheek turned on facetime which obviously also turns on speaker phone. Only time it has happened.
@NCTRNL
Doesn't affect my i4
@NCTRNL Noticed this last night. Very annoying issue.
@NCTRNL
Enough with the Icrap
@NCTRNL I noticed this the night I got it. At first I just thought I had too much to drink and was holding it wrong.
@NCTRNL
Dear iSheep,
This is for your own good.
I love you and all your lovely money.
All the best suckers.
Steve
@NCTRNL
Ya know, I have an HD2 and this has happened on it a couple of times with it too. But I blame that on the excessive tweenie and donut diet I had in Highschool.
@NCTRNL
EVO reported issue = 100+ comments mostly from emodroids.
Iphone reported issue = 600+ comments mostly from emodroids
What gives? :)
@NCTRNL
This iPhone 4 thing is turning to a buzz disaster :O
@ENGADGET
Create a poll as usual. Better way to know !
@NCTRNL
Yep. My friend had the same problem. Solution? Go into settings and reset the proximity sensor.
@NCTRNL
P.S : Do not put it too close to your face.
S. Jobs
- sent from my iPhone
@NCTRNL
did hear a couple of guys talk abt it..
dint know it was a major issue till now..
@NCTRNL
nope hasn't happened to me yet
@NCTRNL I had this issue. Reset my settings and i continued rubbing my cheek on the phone all romantic like...
@NCTRNL Engadget fail - if the proximity sensor was 'over-sensitive', then it would turn the touchscreen of too soon, This is an issue of the sensor not being sensitive enough, possibly because of all the cool coatings and stuff in the new faceplate of the device.
This has been happening to me since I got the phone, if I hold the phone just on my shoulder the proximity sensor doesn't work so well and I hit the end call button with my cheek.
@NCTRNL:
Does anything about this phone work? I'm not trying to bash. I love my iPhone 3G, but seriously - screen issues, design flawed antenna, proximity sensor working by itself. What about this phone works?
@NCTRNL
All of you are clearly facing the phone wrong. Similar to the holding it wrong issue.
@NCTRNL
My old motorola milestone had the same problem, always had to hold the phone at a weird angle so it wouldnt hang up on people. My 3GS with ios4 though works fine.
@NCTRNL
There is no proximity sensor issue. Stay tuned.
No problems here. In fact, I haven't had any problems with my iPhone 4 at all. With all the bad press, I have to wonder if the FUD machines at Google, Microsoft, Verizon et al are working overtime. *confused*
@Jordan everything.
Signal issue - you are going to buy a case anyways I assume, and I hope so because its a $600-700 hunk of metal
Screen issue - take it back, you get a new one. Simple
Prox sensor - General/Reset/Reset all settings.
Now everything works.
@applez:
Signal issue - Shouldn't need a case. It's a phone. A phone should be able to perform its most basic function without a case. Cell phones have been able to do this for years now.
Screen issue - You can take it back and exchange it, yes. But still, with the numbers reported, it's quite staggering.
Prox sensor - I have to keep resetting my phone and clearing all data to keep the proximity sensor working? Lame.
@System48
Issues have been magnified like never before with this iPhone launch.
Issues are there... everyone knows that for a fact. Apple messed up big time with this one. But magnification of this level has hardly been seen before!
This isnt as bad as the antenna issue.. this is an easy software fix imo.
@NCTRNL Same here, my cheek turned on FaceTime. Unfortunately, it was because I sat on the phone, and it wasn't my face they got some time with.
@applez Cause "it just works" right?
@NCTRNL
Why is Engadget not running a poll on this issue like others?
If they have to move their fingers, you blew it!
Still haven't had any issues
@applez
Toyota
Throttle Sticks - Kick the pedal
Car Accelerates itself - Your driving wrong
Car Crashes into wall - You have insurance
You are giving Apple and your boyfriend Steve a little to much leeway. Possibly we should hold these companies that we are giving large sums of money to responsible for creating a product that dont work as intended.
@kineticdamage actually it won't do anything. Cause the lines are still there and the demand is still there. and there are no reports of massive returns due to these (not so) major design flaws.
the portion of phones with any of the 3 problems is very small compared to the actual number of units. and is probably smaller than many other companies have had to contend with. All this talk of a lawsuit will disappear in a few days when Apple posts an update or a support document.
I have had 3 guys in the office with this proximity issue. Couple of questions later I found out that all 3 set up their phones using a back up of their 3g/s rather than a fresh sync. All 3 restored their phones and set them up as a new phone with a fresh sync and hours to a day later, no issues with the sensor. None had the spots or the antenna thing at all and still don't.
add this to the reports of folks resetting all settings and things are fine and I wonder how many other restored from a back up and brought over a glitch setting
Same problems here. Pressing various buttons while on the phone. Never had this problem on my 3G model. Hope an os fix will be released very soon!
@Jordan There is no screen issues that was the glue from the screens drying as you can see there are no further reports and the antenna issue will be fixed in a software update and this has only happened to a few phones mine is perfect.
@NCTRNL No touch issues here that I have noticed.
@Mike10010100 I had this happen to me. Resetting all the settings seemed to fix the trick. Maybe it's because I restored from a backup made from my 3GS? Only thing i can think of...
@Coyote - Finally! Lol...
I had to page all the way down to you to finally get a Butt cheek reference. Quite a fun relief from all of the iBile the last few days. But what about this "(though admittedly our cheeks are pretty round)"! How are all the pervy geeks missing such an awesome lob from Laura June. Ok, I'll take a swing: How round are your "cheeks" Laura J?
PS Please feel free to ignore me BTW ;^)...
@Jordan
Come on you can play Farmville on it!
@who said what
he who lives by the sword dies by the sword.
It's BBC front page news when they launch and so it is too when they fail, Apple isn't the only Star this applies to it's all the famous stuff, we build em up to watch them fall :D
But to be fair they do it to themselves, they want the fame and fortune but do they know the price?
@Jordan Making money?
I'm having this issue also. I tested out my sensor by putting the iPhone on the table and putting my finger over the sensor which is right above the earpiece. My finger did not have to lift very far off the sensor before the screen turned on. So if the phone is tilted away from your ear at all it will turn the screen on.
@kineticdamage LMAO
@NCTRNL
Just got my iPhone the screen is way to sensitive!
@gadgetrph
So.... don't put it close to your face like that. It's obviously YOUR fault
@coolkams03
Those polls are not scientific, so you shouldn't put so much stock in them
I haven't had any problems with mine. It's been working great!
@NCTRNL Just tested no issue the screen turns off with my finger about 1.5-2 inches away.
But its funny reading all the troll comments. Makes me want to troll too
@kineticdamage. Haha. iLike.
@BallastatuzX , not big on reading? That's ok, THE ANTENNA IS A FLAW IN HARDWARE DESIGN, NOT SOFTWARE, THERE WILL BE NO "UPDATE" TO FIX THE ANTENNA, HOLD IT RIGHT TO AVOID HOLDING IT WRONG.