The Iphone 4 has a broken proximity sensor

**4me2** · 29th June 2010

The Iphone 4 has a broken proximity sensor

No app can fix hardware

By Lawrence Latif

Tue Jun 29 2010, 16:38

ANOTHER DAY and another bursting of the Iphone 4 hot air hype balloon. This time users are complaining that the Iphone's proximity sensor can't figure out where things are.

The sensor is used to shut off the Iphone's touchscreen, such that when users are engaged on a phone call the screen does not respond to accidental input. A thread on Apple's support forums, which is already 350 posts long, relays the tales of woe caused by the malfunctioning sensor.

Iphone 4 users are finding that the haywire sensor is causing calls to be muted or hung up, and can even initiate new calls. One user writes, "I am holding my phone in the exact same way I always did with my 3G, and it is right up against my face, but it continuously switches the screen on and off. I was just on a 10 minute call where mute was turned on 3 times and speaker once, all by my ear."

Some posts even detail complex interactions with the Iphone 4 thanks to the proximity sensor activating the touchscreen. "I was on an hour phone call this evening and my phone muted me 5 times, put me on hold and tried calling my work and then put me on hold and tried to send a text message to my work," one user wrote.

Perhaps we were a little too hasty at calling out Steve Jobs on his claim that other phones' multitasking features are naff.
One user is claiming that 80 per cent of his calls are being cut short, thanks to his cheek activating the 'end call' button. This caused him to conclude, "This phone is currently unusable!"

Stand fast, friend, you're not alone. Come and join the ranks of disappointed Iphone 4 users who can't even get a mobile phone signal, suffer from dodgy screens and have their Exchange calendars and email made invisible.
Perhaps it would be easier and far more useful for buyers to admit what the Iphone 4 can do - significantly lighten your wallet. �

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...oximity-sensor

**neo2810** · 29th June 2010

It's about time Apple fucked up. Microsoft have had the limelight for far too long!

**Zippeyrude** · 29th June 2010

damn iphone upgrade seems further away!

**doughboy** · 29th June 2010

This is ios4, not iphone 4...

My fucking 3g with ios 4 does this all the time...C**TS

**beerman** · 30th June 2010

Originally Posted by 4me2

The sensor is used to shut off the Iphone's touchscreen, such that when users are engaged on a phone call the screen does not respond to accidental input. A thread on Apple's support forums, which is already 350 posts long, relays the tales of woe caused by the malfunctioning sensor.

Wow 350 posts long? It probably has a few posts from people reporting an error the rest will be from Apple haters slating Apple. From 1.7million handsets sold I'd say a thread with 350 posts isn't that bad.

**Spennyboy** · 30th June 2010

Yeah I keep putting my calls on mute, pain in the arse.

**ant3b** · 30th June 2010

never had the problem as of yet..

edit: yes i did actually.. thought it was the signal but was mute lol

**Goldberg** · 30th June 2010

All good here on my 3gs with iOS4 ?

**littlebilly1** · 30th June 2010

gotta say same with me on ios4 on my fossil 3g no problems as of yet,

**_Belial** · 30th June 2010

Not had the problem on mine yet, perhaps i'm just not slapping the phone against my head enough during a call to press a button

**Little John** · 30th June 2010

About time they caught up. My windows mobile phone has been writing in call notes with my ear for years never mind activateing speaker phone pretty much every call again with my ear.

Never ended a call with it as the screen goes off after 30 seconds of not being touched.

Then again it doesn't claim to not do it so hmmm....

**ant3b** · 30th June 2010

Im sure it will be fixed in the firmware update.. seems like software to me if one of the guys is having it happen on a 3g

**Over Carl** · 30th June 2010

Originally Posted by Little John

About time they caught up. My windows mobile phone has been writing in call notes with my ear for years never mind activateing speaker phone pretty much every call again with my ear.

Never ended a call with it as the screen goes off after 30 seconds of not being touched.

Then again it doesn't claim to not do it so hmmm....

One of many reasons I gave up on win mobile.

**blaggard** · 30th June 2010

Originally Posted by Over carl

One of many reasons I gave up on win mobile.

yep! that and lots more, have to admit though I'm loving Android!

**jamie_h88** · 30th June 2010

Not had one problem with my Iphone yet even though I seem to be reading new things everyday, Makes me think a lot of it is just apple haters.

**Billhouse** · 30th June 2010

Originally Posted by jamie_h88

Not had one problem with my Iphone yet even though I seem to be reading new things everyday, Makes me think a lot of it is just apple haters.

Just because you haven't had a problem doesn't mean they don't exist. And it also doesn't make those who speak about these issues 'Apple Haters'. I have the iPhone 4 and I have had both reception issues due to the antenna and iOS 4 as well as proximity sensor issues and im most certainly not an Apple Hater.

**KevinJB88** · 30th June 2010

Well I have the screen discolouration, so there are problems out there.

**ZX7R** · 30th June 2010

I think it can be fixed. Perhaps an update will mean that you have to double-tap the buttons to activate them. Or perhaps press and slide. Either of these methods would solve this problem.