Apple iPhone 4 Internal Troubleshooting Statements & Procedures Leaked?

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At this point I am pretty certain most people have heard about the reception issues on the iPhone 4. Needless to say, a fair amount of users have been complaining about lack of reception when holding the iPhone in certain ways.

Personally, I say that its hard to deny the fact you can hold your iPhone 4 in a certain way and noticeably see a drop in signal strength, but at the same time — every phone that has an internal antenna will see this on some level.

And now that people will think I am siding with Apple and playing the fanboy card I will move right along and get into what appears to be some troubleshooting tips for Applecare reps. Of course, it should go without saying but — these have not been confirmed as official. In reality, they are coming by way of the BGR blog who have cited an “Apple connect.” With the standard warning aside, here is what the Applecare reps are reportedly being told to do and say when dealing with iPhone 4 reception calls.

1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.

a. The iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4’s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.

b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.

c. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.

d. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.

e. The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.

2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.

3. Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a
table (not being held) it is not the metal band.

4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.

5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.

A simple 5 points, but interestingly enough — number 5. I guess word has gotten around internally with Apple that a case will solve the issues with the reception. In the end it would be interesting to have these steps in hand and then place a call to Applecare and see just how closely the rep will follow the ‘script.’ Alas, I have not participated in the iPhone hoopla this go around so cannot call personally.

In the end though, these 5 steps have also shown that the iPhone 3GS can have its reception affected by covering the bottom-right side. Maybe now we can see some iPhone 3GS reception issue videos begin to surface.