Possible fix for reception issues?

[Happy Noodle Boy]

Some crazy (read: awesome) fellow over at [ame=http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=955742]MacRumors[/ame] may have accidentally run into the real cause of the so dreaded reception issue that has been plaguing the iPhone 4. The benefit of finding the cause is that the solution is so simple I'm still having trouble believing until I tried it myself.

It actually worked.

For those that can't be bothered to click or links or have the attention span of a cat on caffeine, here's the summary:

Uh I have a possible reason this fixed the problem.

After taking my sim card out to test this I inspected it closer for the first time.

The metal part of the sim card is not centered and is contacting the sim tray. The sim tray is steel and the sim tray is contacting the outer antenna band. Once you touch the phone, this could be causing a sim issue.

If when you touch the antenna line on the lower left it changes the state of frequency, power or what ever, it might actually be messing with the sim card.

The metal on the sim is connected to the sim tray, the sim tray is connected to the antenae and the antenae is connected to your hand when you touch the phone.

Take a look at your sim card and see if the metal is just off center enough to touch the tray. This might be so simple it's stupid nobody has thought of this.

The general result from people posting there have been positive. "Fixing" this issue however can be tricky for some. As everyone knows, iPhone 4 runs a Micro SIM card, and the tray is designed as such that you really have no wiggle space to reposition it in order to avoid the sim memory to touch the tray. I personally used tape and it worked. Others have taken different approaches to the issue (cutting, coating, sacrificial goat), but the goal is the same: Don't let the sim memory (gold contacts) touch the tray!

NOTE: Of course you can still death palm it and get the signal to fail, this is more directed at those users that have signal issues just by covering the slit with their finger, etc. There seems to be mixed results, maybe it does something, maybe it doesn't.

Feel free to post your results here.

[stlcaddie]

Wow, no way. Design flaw of the century. Way to go Mr. Jobs.

[LastSonOfKrypton]

Good to hear for those having issues!

[linkisbest]

Wow...Well, I guess there's not going to be any software update for this problem, now is there?

It's always nice to find some people who still look at the obvious and find the answer!

[RonHC]

I tried it and didnt work

[kraziebone]

Trying it now. Thank you for the tip

[x| LiB |x]

WTH can it be this simple?

[lazyman]

Interesting.......

[Excel Wiz]

I will be so happy if it is this simple.

[kmmxracer]

I hope it works. I'm still rockin no sim. Waiting for a unlock. Maybe there will be a fix by then

[m021478]

We all know we were each going to buy ourselves a case for our shinny new iPhones anyway, so I suggest we just go right ahead and do as we'd originally planned and thank God (i.e. Mr. Jobs) we're not still using a freakin' Palm Treo!

[ipod touch u]

Explains why some people are having this issue and some arnt?

[Happy Noodle Boy]

Explains why some people are having this issue and some arnt?

It honestly wouldn't surprise me if the issues turned out to be AT&T's fault after all (for providing fault sim cards)

[NOCSUCOW]

WTH can it be this simple?

"The files are IN the computer? It's so simple!" -Hansel

[kraziebone]

This is actually working for me! I cannot get the bars to drop like I could so easily before. We will see if it holds up but I cannot believe this worked

[bcon1208]

Hmmm hoping for a fix but I'm a software guru...hardware fixes are slightly above my realm of expertise . Anybody feel like posting a lovely guide on how to accomplish this fix, or maybe a few tips? Thanks!

[bobright]

****Patiently awaits a YouTube vid of this procedure**

[alex1000]

wow, that seems to have fixed it. I was able to consistently get the bars to drop, then i put some tape around the section where the SIM metal touches the tray and the issue can't be reproduced!

Thanks!

[zmanforever]

Wow maybe a new sim tray will be mailed to everyone if this is the fix.

[ZOMGVTEK]

Hmmm.

I dont have any real noticeable reception issues. Bandwidth drops with FIRM grip with sweaty hands with no case. Thats about it...

My SIM is quite a bit off center. I will see what I can do to make sure it does not contact the tray. It appears the tray has some sort of a liner on it to protect the sim contacts from the metal tray, which is in contact with the right antenna.