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MacNN News

http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/08/05/company.still.investigating.iphone.3g.issues/

Apple denies reports of problems with iOS 4 on iPhone 3GS

updated 10:25 pm EDT, Thu August 5, 2010

Company still investigating iPhone 3G issues

Apple claims it has not received any reports of problems running iOS 4 on the iPhone 3GS, despite a number of such complaints posted on the company's support forums. After upgrading to iOS 4, some users claim to have encountered problems with MMS messaging, signal strength, random reboots, dropped calls, and other issues.

Frustrations from iPhone 3GS owners appear to have taken a lower priority amid the widespread reports of poor reception with the iPhone 4. Apple acknowledged the possibility of problems running iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G, although the complaints appeared to be primarily related to slow performance on the older hardware.

Apple has yet to divulge many details surrounding the next iOS maintenance update. It is unclear if the company has found a software fix for the problems. [via LA Times]

by MacNN Staff

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TAGS :

iPhone, troubleshooting, iPhone 3G, Apple, iOS 4

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Comments

Roehlstation
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

+4

08/05, 10:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Really?

Neither of mine have had an issue and none of my friends and colleagues have either. Weird.

ff11
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2004

+4

08/05, 11:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: Really?

I had a LOT of problems with apps crashing after going to iOS 4, but that seems to have been fixed with upgrading to 4.0.1

Steve Wilkinson
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2001

+5

08/05, 11:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
Not sure about 3GS...

But my iPod Touch feels like a whole different device, and not in a good way. There is a good deal of lag in how it responds to the touch UI. Apps launch slower. Things lag in general. It just feels slow... nothing like it was prior to the update. It also loses wifi a LOT, whereas before the update, it hardly ever did. Apps also do tend to crash quite often, where that was fairly rare before the update.

I expected not to get multi-tasking, but was hoping for a much more positive experience than this. I really hope the next update does something about it.

russellb
Junior Member

Joined: Sep 2001

+5

08/05, 11:50pm | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Our entire office has iphones

Our entire office has iphones and every single user is complaining bitterly about the device being very very very slow.

delete
Forum Regular

Joined: Jan 2003

0

08/05, 11:57pm | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
comment title

The issues that older devices had had with iOS4 (I have an iPod +3G) and Apple's indifference to them has been a disappointing experience. Everyone who has the latest, greatest equipment just remember that in a relatively short time it will be passe to Apple too!

panjandrum
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2004

+2

08/06, 12:15am | report spam | close Reply |
Completely Fubar

My iPhone 3G is nearly unusable with iOS4, so I'm not entirely surprised that people are also having at least some minor issues with the 3GS. I think Apple and AT&T need to learn and important lesson here: dedicated purpose devices are not "computers". As consumers, we don't expect a device to be ruined with a software update. Both Apple and AT&T have heard from me regarding my iPhone. I fully expect them to either fix my phone or provide me with a free replacement. If that doesn't happen then both Apple and AT&T will lose my business in this area (Android here I come. Thank goodness there is real competition in the market finally). (A short list of problems: extremely slow, to the point of being useless under some situations; runs much hotter; battery life is 1/2 to 1/3 what it was prior to update; when using AT&T Navigator after the updated the phone discharges so quickly that it will not function for more than a couple of hours even when plugged in and "charging". All of these things of course worked perfectly immediately prior to the iOS4 update. No amount of resetting or restoring to factory settings has revived my phone to what I consider to be a usable condition.)

bleee
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Mar 2002

0

08/06, 12:37am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Problems with both 3G and 3Gs

I have both phones and I can say for sure since my upgrade to IOS 4 both phones have beeen less stable. The alarm clock on my 3G will go off ad the wrong time and it also get really slow after long periods of use. With may 3GS ive had the phone app crash multiple times, sometimes I'll get a call the phone will ring but the phone app doesn't launch so I won't know who's calling and I have no way to and wer or decline the call so the phone rings until mitt goes to voice mail. Another crash scenario if my phone is ringing and at the same time a push notification pops up while the phone is still ringing. The phone app will crash. Other weird behavior, while on a call sometimes pushing the home button once won't take you to the home screen, instead it does nothing as if you never pushed the button, but if you double tap the app switcher will popup

JuanGuapo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2008

0

08/06, 12:41am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Enough with the exaggerations

My wife's old iPhone 3G is slow(er) than the iPhone 4 on iOS 4 but I would hardly say it is unusable.

chefpastry
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Nov 2005

+2

08/06, 01:51am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Can't win

My 3GS runs iOS 4 very well, albeit not as well as my iPhone 4. My 3G is considerably slower on iOS 4.

Imagine the outcry from 3G and 3GS users if Apple had decided to not make iOS 4 available to them. Since Apple did make it available to them, users are complaining about it being slower. Of course it'll run a bit slower!! It's multitasking!!!

It's just a simple case of damned if they do and damned if they don't. Users should learn to be careful of what they wish for.

Welly
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2006

0

08/06, 02:05am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Nope.. no problem here either

iOS 4 has been fantastic on my 3GS. No complaints whatsoever. I've never experienced dropped calls, lost messages, reboots or anything. I'd wager it's your network that needs looking at rather than the phone.

BigIslandMac
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2009

+1

08/06, 05:47am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

"Widespread reports of poor reception?" Is this just monumental sloppiness or intentional false reporting? The so-called "death grip" is an issue, if you hold some iPhone 4s in a particular rather unnatural way in an area with low signal strength. The exact same thing happens with Samsung's new Galaxy phones = http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/handheld/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225900042. Overall, though, the consensus among users and reviewers is that reception is much improved with the iPhone 4, despite AT&T's issues, and that the phone can make calls in areas that were dead zones before. Is it too much to expect that writers on tech blogs know what they're talking about?

Zwilnik
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Oct 1999

-2

08/06, 07:22am | report spam | (2 replies) close Reply |
Constant rebooting

Since updating to iOS4 my 3GS randomly reboots itself, usually in the middle of calls.

dwishbone
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: May 2002

0

08/06, 08:17am | report spam | close Reply |
just bs

just like the antenna issue (which i have had zero problems with...and believe me i tried to reproduce it) these issues seem isolated at the very best. i know several people with iphone 4's who have zero problems with them. i also am among the ones with no problems with the 3GS. i have upgraded my wife's 3GS to iOS 4 and it runs just fine. it doesn't drop calls. she doesn't have mms problems. she has none of these bs complaints people are ranting on and on about. the only noticeable thing it is slower on the 3GS than the iPhone 4, which is to be expected. this is the norm for OS/Hardware relationships and I don't see why people are so surprised. I mean take Windows as an example. Win 7 will run much better on machines released within the past few months as it did on computers even as little as a year or so ago. hardware gets more powerful. in the case of iPhone 4 it is MUCH more powerful than the 3GS and frankly I am amazed that it works as well as it does on both devices. Apple had to lowball the h*** out of the iPhone 4's power to make it even useable on a 3GS. but it works and it works well. as someone mentioned what if Apple made it exclusive to the iPhone 4. be glad you have it. be glad it runs as well as it does. i have not had my wife complain once about iOS4 on the 3GS, in fact it is the exact opposite. she is constantly saying how much more she likes her phone now. i'd have to agree since i used my 3GS for iOS4 until AT&T got my preorder in (a week late but that's another story in AT&T stupidity and no fault of Apple) and I also had zero problems.
if you have problems, fine. but don't try and go around like these doom and gloomers and try and convince people it is a mass problem, because it quite frankly isn't.

Xinnix
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2003

+2

08/06, 08:59am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
3GS no problem

My 3GS has had no problems whatsoever with iOS4.

But for everyone who keeps saying how bad it works on a 3G or an iPod Touch should have never updated to iOS4. It's been known since day one the update would bog down the processor and that most of the cool stuff in iOS4 wouldn't even work.

So complaining about poor performance is your own fault for installing it on the 3G and you should go back to the latest version before iOS4.

DrDanger
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2002

0

08/06, 10:21am | report spam | close Reply |
LOTS of problems with 3GS

What are they smoking in Cupertino? Here's a long thread documenting WiFi problems. Basically, after upgrading to iOS4, the 3GS can't connect to public WiFi (e.g., hotel/airport networks).

BIG problem!

See this thread at Apple: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12047717#12047717

Oh, and I also filed a report directly with Apple - are they just asleep at the wheel?

burger
Forum Regular

Joined: Sep 2000

0

08/06, 11:29am | report spam | close Reply |
Flaky

My 3G has been very unreliable and often slow to respond since the update. Same with the wife's.

Flying Meat
Junior Member

Joined: Jan 2007

+1

08/06, 12:12pm | report spam | close Reply |
Had some browser crashes,

which seems to be okay now under 4.0.1, and a sluggish wake and run experience cleared up by killing all the background apps I'd launched previously...

testudo
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

-1

08/06, 12:17pm | report spam | close Reply |
Well...

I guess one thing we know. When you report problems to Apple, they are sent somewhere that isn't apple. Thus they can honestly say "Um, we've not received any reports!".

testudo
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

-1

08/06, 12:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

"Widespread reports of poor reception?" Is this just monumental sloppiness or intentional false reporting?

It is neither sloppiness or poor reporting. Or did you miss all the reports about poor reception with the iPhone 4? Regardless of whether you 'agree' that there are problems, the reports were widespread. So much so Steve had to have a special press event just to talk about it.

The so-called "death grip" is an issue, if you hold some iPhone 4s in a particular rather unnatural way in an area with low signal strength.

Except the 'unnatural' way you describe is also the way many left handers hold their phone. I know, they're left-handed. That makes it unnatural to begin with. But to try to write it off as if they were holding their phones upside and backward, with their left hand to their right ear, while walking on one leg, just shows you're one of the "Well, it didn't happen to me, so it must be bogus anti-apple ripping" crew.

Overall, though, the consensus among users and reviewers is that reception is much improved with the iPhone 4,

Um, no, that's not the consensus. As shown from this article seen yesterday:

http://www.paconsulting.com/our-thinking/pa-consulting-group-iphone-antenna-test-results/

"Tests carried out by PA Consulting Group have indicated that Apple's iPhone4 does indeed suffer from connectivity problems compared to other smartphones. "

Oh, but I'm sure they're just another company holding a grudge against apple, right!

David Esrati
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 1999

-1

08/06, 12:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
iOS4 bricks some 3G phones

And apple still doesn't acknowledge a way to downgrade. After 2.5 days of no phone at all- I figured it out and posted the solution here: http://www.websitetology.com/?p=711
it's been getting a lot of hits- so I'd say there is a problem.
Frankly- I've looked at both the Droid Incredible, Droid X and EVO- and thought about leaving AT&T and Apple.
If Apple doesn't wake up and release us from ATT soon- there will be more apps and people using Android than Apple- and the advantages of owning an iPhone will be less.
I'd get a iPhone 4HD if I could get it on another network- but, right now- being held captive isn't feeling so good.
Wake up Apple- pay off ATT and get on with it- before the Xmas season puts Android over the top.

dwishbone
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: May 2002

0

08/06, 01:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
there is a difference

do not trust the media. there is a difference between widespread reports and reporting something that is widespread. the media tends to be the prior. one place picks up the report and reports on reports which are reporting of reports of reports of reports. it gives an illusion of something being a major catastrophe when in actually it is very isolated. someone could go piss on an electric fence. if it is a slow news day a local news station might report it. then maybe regional, then national. it would seem like there is a pandemic of people suddenly pissing on electric fences, when in fact there was just the one.
brains people. dont be a fence pisser. if you have a problem i am sorry, but don't think that it is a widespread problem. even apple can have occasional lemons. fact is the reports to apple on actual problems has been very minimal. even if you look at the "huge" thread of reports. that is still a very small number. they have sold MILLIONS of these things. MILLIONS. even if the thread has reports of 1000 people with problems that is still a tiny percentage compared to how many products that have are out there and working just peachy.

dwishbone
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: May 2002

0

08/06, 01:12pm | report spam | close Reply |
and wifi...

and as far as wifi goes, just got back from a vacation and every public wifi place i went to on both my iPhone 4 and 3GS. they connected just fine to our hotel and other public wifi's we used.
again sorry for the people that have problems, but again it doesn't happen to everyone. maybe if you guys didn't jailbreak your phones and mess it up :) j/k

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Apple denies reports of problems with iOS 4 on iPhone 3GS

updated 10:25 pm EDT, Thu August 5, 2010

Company still investigating iPhone 3G issues

Really?

re: Really?

Not sure about 3GS...

Our entire office has iphones

comment title

Completely Fubar

Problems with both 3G and 3Gs

Enough with the exaggerations

Can't win

Nope.. no problem here either

When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

Constant rebooting

just bs

3GS no problem

LOTS of problems with 3GS

Flaky

Had some browser crashes,

Well...

Re: When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

iOS4 bricks some 3G phones

there is a difference

and wifi...

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Apple denies reports of problems with iOS 4 on iPhone 3GS

updated 10:25 pm EDT, Thu August 5, 2010

Company still investigating iPhone 3G issues

Related Articles

Recent Articles

Really?

re: Really?

Not sure about 3GS...

Our entire office has iphones

comment title

Completely Fubar

Problems with both 3G and 3Gs

Enough with the exaggerations

Can't win

Nope.. no problem here either

When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

Constant rebooting

just bs

3GS no problem

LOTS of problems with 3GS

Flaky

Had some browser crashes,

Well...

Re: When did Eric Schmidt start editing MacNN?

iOS4 bricks some 3G phones

there is a difference

and wifi...

Login Here

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