iPhone 4S Outgoing Call Problems: muted/speaker

lilmill said:

this has by far been my worst iPhone. Ive had all but the 3g.

Click to expand...

*sigh* People say that every year. Every. Single. Year.

Had the same problem and after talking to Apple and doing a complete restore i took my phone to the Apple store and had them replace the phone. Have not had a problem since. But I did talk to Apple on 2 different occasions and did all the TS steps they wanted me to do first.

Hello

All,
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iPhone 4 1.5 years old.
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I honestly believe Apple is lacking in customer service intentionally, knows the answer to this issue, and chooses to ignore it as there solution so far is a win/win situation for them.* By not correcting what seems to be a simple problem, they admit no error in phone design.* The fix offered is replacement either under warranty or not.* The win/win?* Apple avoids losing a client to competitors such as android based phones, keeps the client for the remainder of the contract due to costs involved with breaking the contract, or gains a new 2 year commitment via the service provider contract.
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I have the sporadic problem where people can't hear me.* They always say "static" is heard before my voice goes silent or I can't be heard at all after receiving or making a call.* After trying all the fixes such as the paper spacer, starting /stopping iTunes/restarting phone, factory resetting phone, pressure on the back of phone, making sure all screws are tight, the one that usually succeeded in curing my silence during a call was pressure to the back cover?
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Mine is not a software problem as physical solutions correct the issue.
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After testing the many options above, I noticed a "lever" to the lower left of the battery which is a part of the hold down for the battery connector.* This lever also aligns with a "metallic" 1/4" by 3/8" rectangle on the inside of the back cover.* I assume this is a back screen anti scratch patch, ground, or tension/distance/pressure/spacer lever?* The lever actually sits higher than the remaing profile of the insides of the iphone and is compressed when the back cover is attached.* I have no clue why the lever is there but think it is part of the problem?* If anyone knows, please comment.
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Anyway, I found that while making a call with the back cover off the phone, all could hear me regardless of making or receiving a call.* To be specific, no outer shell contact with the inner hardware.* After thinking through, the paper spacer makes sense as it releases pressure or completely removes contact of the lever from the backing.* My reasoning for suspecting the lever is a tension/distance/pressure/spacer sensor is due to my voice being heard after pressure being applied to the back cover.* Some will say the I am simply "reconnecting broken solder connections.* I would agree except for the fact that the profile of the hardware is flat as is the back cover and technically, there should be no contact from hardware to cover* This would indicate the lever is there to keep the internal hardware from contacting the back cover of the iPhone.* So, my applying pressure to the back of the phone shouldnt factor into solder reconnections as there should be no contact and the functional operational oif voice calls with the removal of the back cover eliminates the solder connections reconnected idea.
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Further, it would seem since callers and called can hear me once the back cover is removed, the problem is related to "distance" or "contact".* I believe the rear phone cover is contacting internal hardware or the battery lever in a way that causes a "bridge" connection that shorts out the "phone" part of the microphone only.* Proof of this is the continued operation of the microphone with software such as "recorder" or "dragon dictation" when people cannot hear me talking during phone calls. Further proof is the "static" heard by callers before my voice goes blank indicating interference of either a physical or electrical source.
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Possible causes are:
Aged battery.* Lithium batteries are notorious for "bubbling" after repeated charges.* This would cause contact since the battery is trying to occupy a larger space as it has "grown".
Dropping the phone has "bent" or moved internal parts causing internal contacts.
Antenna shorts?* Do the 2 antennas also have separate send/receive designations which would indicate one of the antennas working and the other not due to internal contact?* This would support being able to hear callers but not be heard.
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Please let me know your results.