Multiple problems with iPhone 3GS ( 2yrs old)

The first problem involves my wifi connection. About half the time, my iPhone will just randomly disconnect from my wifi network which is usually about 10 feet away. If it is connected, I only receive 1 or 2 bars on on the screen while my MacBook Pro and other devices all have full strength (as would be expected when only 10 feet away). This makes using wifi on my iPhone incredibly slow. I have tried reseting network settings and all that, but with no success. Any suggestions?
Second, for about a month or two, my iPhone has been having serious problems connecting properly with iTunes wirelessly. I get a wide variety of error messages that include things about how I should connect my iPhone and restore it (tried that, didn't help), something about how it can't properly read the device, etc. While trying to connect to the iPhone, it sometimes causes iTunes to lockup and if I try to use wifi sync from my iPhone, it never finds my MacBook Pro. I also seem to be having problems getting the iPhone to backup to iCloud properly even when it is connected to wifi, plugged in to a power source, and locked (as it tells me to do on the iPhone) or if I try to force a manual backup. It just sits there telling me "Backing up...," but that bar never moves and it never gives an estimate of time remaining. I wouldn't be surprised if these issues were also related to the wifi issue above. Any suggestions for these problems?
I am afraid to ask, but is my iPhone on the way out? Thanks to all that help.

Regarding the wi-fi connection problem, if no change after resetting network settings on the iPhone and/or after restoring the iPhone with iTunes as a new iPhone or not from the iPhone's backup, the iPhone has a hardware problem with the wireless card or something else.

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Reception / Battery problems with iPhone 3GS after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1

There are major reception and battery problems with iPhone 3GS after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1.
I can not believe that Apple did not test this for major bugs like this one is.
I am a business user and can not effort to have bad reception. Apple wants to gain in the business clients... I never had this with my former BlackBerrys!
I need a reliable phone not a play thing like this is right now, it just needs it to work propely. And if a major bug like this comes along, fix it immediately. After the iPhone4 story, now this...incredible! Going back to my reliable BlackBerry! It just ain't reliable and takes forever to fix a problem.

I have the same issue after iOS 4.2.1 update. I am using iPhone 3GS officially unlocked by Apple. I tried using different SIM cards and both carriers show same problem when using phone in 3G mode. Phone falls back to EDGE mode showing 'E' from '3G' at start. I have reset the phone and rebooted several times and moved to different cell areas in the city just to verify the problem.
I had no such issues earlier. I also have Nokia E71 which shows full signal and has no such issues.
I have posted the bug on apple iphone feedback page. I hope they Apple will fix the problem and test the release properly on all models before releasing to public.

I have very strange problem with Iphone 3gs. Whenever it gets little hot or exposed to 30 degree temperature it losses signals (No service). Whenever it is cooled down the service is back. Please help!

I have very strange problem with iphone 3gs. Whenever it gets little hot or exposed to 30 degree or above temperature it losses signals (No service). Whenever it is cooled down the service is back. Whenever I am using Skype or playing game for a while it losses carrier signals and wifi. When it is cooled down afer shutting down the carrier signals and wifi are back. It is for sure problem is with heating, but 30 degree tempeature in Oman is normal and some time it goes upto 50 degrees. I have noticed this has started after I started using substandard charger as I lost my original charger of the phone. Please help!! Thanx.

The specifications define an operating range up to 35 degrees.

Wifi problem with iPhone 3GS/4.0 upgrade

I installed 4.0 on my 3GS , now I can't connect wifi to my iMac ...
Therefore can't backup 2do or splash I'D which need wifi..
Any ideas apple ??

Have same problem on my 3G after update to version 4.0.
Must be beside my router to get connection, otherwise no signal at all.
Before I could be in garden 10-15 meters away with almost full signal strenght.
Works fine with Nokia N95 and several Laptops.
How to download old version 3?
I was stupid and didn't save copy of old version
Have tried every thing possible and impossible to solve the issue.
New with IPHONE and it looks like this will be my last one!

Many problems with iPhone 3gs.

I've been having so many problems with my iPhone 3gs in the past few days, These things aren't cheap, and money is tight. For about 2 days, My home button, speaker, microphone, and charge port (On the iPhone) Would not work whatsoever, I have been asking on just about every website with the word Apple in it, trying to diagnose what's wrong with it. I tossed it from the roof of a Sedan, A careless mother left her young child in the carseat on the roof, and as I ran to grab it, It slipped out of my hand. Not too bad of a toss, No cracks on the screen, But I couldn't do a Hard Reset, Or put it in DFU Mode. So after hours and hours of plugging in different cords, plugging those diferrent cords into different computers, and wall chargers, and even buying a new wall charger for 40$! I get a small glitch of battery charge. But now, It will only charge when the iPhone completely dies, and then it will charge to 5% and repeat (If i'm lucky). I basically have a 200$ Paperweight. The iPhone doesn't have a warranty anymore, And i'm not looking to spend hundreds to get it fixed, I never opened it, and it has never been Jailbroken. I can't restore it because when I put it into Recovery Mode, It still wasn't getting recognized by the computer. I just want my iPhone fixed, or at least a replacement, I used this for just about everything, I can't even create a backup file of my data. The iPhone is not only Unrecognized by iTunes, But it's as if the Charging Port in the iPhone isn't even there! There is no damage to the Charge Port itself, But around the case area is a crack from the fall. Please get back to me ASAP! This is a huge inconvenience!

Well, just so you understand, you are not addressing Apple here. We are users just like yourself that try to answer technical questions from other users. It appears as though the fall has created numerous hardware issues for the phone, that is why you cannot seem to get the phone to restore or get it to be recognized in iTunes. Since the phone is out of warranty, you have two choices. You can take the phone to the local Apple Store and see about an Out of Warranty (OOW) replacement. This is for phones that are out of warranty and do not work. OOW for a 3GS would run $149/USD here in the US. Not sure if that is where you are or not. The second choice is to Google for a 3rd party repair facility and see if they can fix it and what they would charge. The rest is up to you.

Reception problems with iPhone 3GS after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1

AFter upgrading to 4.2.1, my 3GS iPhone is experiencing bad signal, bad quality and frequent disconnections.
This was repeated even after my provider replaced my device to a different 3GS device, running 4.2.1.
inserting my SIM card to a NOKIA phone, showed strong signal and good reception.
Did anyone experience reception problems on 3GS running 4.2.1??
Thanks,

I have the same issue after iOS 4.2.1 update. I am using iPhone 3GS officially unlocked by Apple. I tried using different SIM cards and both carriers show same problem when using phone in 3G mode. Phone falls back to EDGE mode showing 'E' from '3G' at start. I have reset the phone and rebooted several times and moved to different cell areas in the city just to verify the problem.
I had no such issues earlier. I also have Nokia E71 which shows full signal and has no such issues.
I have posted the bug on apple iphone feedback page. I hope they Apple will fix the problem and test the release properly on all models before releasing to public.

Multiple Problems with iPhone 4.

Okay, so about a year and a half ago, I purchased a brand new iPhone 4 16GB. Worked perfectly for about a month, and then it froze up. There was a malfunction with the screen, and Apple confirmed it was through no fault of mine. It was defective. So, despite having all the service plans in place, a full warranty, and EVERYTHING else, Apple gave me a refurb. A freaking REFURBISHED iPhone. Which, had problems with it from the start.
Within a few months, the left speaker broke. Completely stopped working. And I take VERY good care of my phone. Then, it froze up for a while, and kept restarting over and over again. Apparently the same effect happens when you jailbreak it, which I DID NOT DO. Then, the software started deteriorating. The screen became uncalibrated, and for periods of time lasting up to a week, the phone was rendered useless. Sometimes, when I am listening to music, it will randomly skip forward entire songs. And now, no matter how I hold it, people cannot hear during phonecalls that I either make or recieve. Likewise, no matter how I set my ringtones and vibration patterns, it goes back to default. And I turned on the LED light to blink when i recieve a text. It will blink for a few messages, then stop doing it.
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mattfromma wrote:
Within a few months, the left speaker broke. Completely stopped working. And I take VERY good care of my phone. Then, it froze up for a while, and kept restarting over and over again. Apparently the same effect happens when you jailbreak it, which I DID NOT DO. Then, the software started deteriorating. The screen became uncalibrated, and for periods of time lasting up to a week, the phone was rendered useless. Sometimes, when I am listening to music, it will randomly skip forward entire songs. And now, no matter how I hold it, people cannot hear during phonecalls that I either make or recieve. Likewise, no matter how I set my ringtones and vibration patterns, it goes back to default. And I turned on the LED light to blink when i recieve a text. It will blink for a few messages, then stop doing it.
Okay, so you've been having issues for some time, it all started within months of the initial replacement.
Why are you complaining now? Why did you not address this with Apple when the problems first started?
Based on the initial posting, the device would have still be under the initial one year warranty and would have been replaced by Apple.
As others have already stated, the only option at this point is either an Out of Warranty replacement or a new/different device.

3 problems with iPhone 3GS, iOS 5

1. I deleted the movies and tv shows from my iPhone via iTunes, but when i look in Videos, they are still there. When i check the remaining space on my phone with iTunes, it shows that the videos are taking up 4.4 GB.
2. This is more of a problem with iTunes, but every time i try to sync movies or photos, it attempts to sync all my apps from the computer to the iPhone as well.
3. I cannot delete podcasts through iTunes.
An answer would be very much appreciated.
EDIT: When i go to the Movies and Tv Shows tab in iTunes, the movies aren't there. But they are still on my phone an watchable.
Message was edited by: Frustrated At Apple

I tried restoring my iPhone through iTunes, but it said the internet connection timed out. I'm doing a reset using the phone itself now.

Magnetic cases...any problems with iPhone 3GS

It seems that most horizontal cases that are any decent have magnetic closures. Does this damage the iPhone or weaken the signal while in the case?
I am looking at the Nite Ize Executive case and it states it uses a "High performance neodynium magnet closure."
http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?categoryid=27&productid=181
Any help would be great.

There have been several threads discussing cases with magnets causing problems. Additionally, neodymium is the strongest known magnet material. With those two in mind, it's possible that you'll have problems with this case.

Problem with iPhone 3GS's camera (iOS 5.1)

I have recently updated my iPhone 3GS, but I have one problem now, the Camera doesn't work. I can open and see by the camera, but I can't take a picture, because when I try, the iPhone get turned off. Can enybody help me??

That is strange and isn't supposed to happen. Try Restoring it using iTunes http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
I Hope I Was Able To Help You Or Solve Your Question.
Simmm

Multiple Problems with 5.5 month old MacBook

Okay. I've had my MacBook since March 3rd of this year. I have a few problems with it. It's the 2GHz model with a "SuperDrive", 1GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD I added myself. I added it in May, well after my problems had begun.
My first problem is that the keyboard squeaks. This started about a week after I bought it. The spacebar and "Enter" keys begin to squeak after about 20 minutes or so of use.
The second problem is that the palm rest has been showing some discoloration, but not very noticeable.
Now for the real hardware problems.
First up, this problem is very random, sometimes the system will not boot right away. I mean, I'll press the power button and the screen will flicker. The little sleep/power light will come on and then nothing will happen for about 20 or 30 seconds. After that, the screen will light up and the sound will play and everything will work fine. Sometimes I will press the power button and nothing will happen. I have tried everything suggested in the help topics at this site and nothing has helped.
The second problem is that, occasionally, my iPods will act as if they are connecting to nothing. It only happened with my 80GB iPod. But tonight it happened with my 2G 4GB iPod mini. Both using different cables. This started tonight after experiencing the problem I mentioned above. The last time I had an iPod act like it was connected to nothing was right before the motherboard in that particular computer died.
So those two problems right there make me believe I have a faulty motherboard.
My third problem is with the "SuperDrive". Lately it has been having problems reading discs. Randomly, I will insert a disc and it will spin it.. then spit it back out. Again, randomly, it will sometimes take 3 or 4 tries before it will finally read the disc. I can try that same disc again a few days later and I will read it no problem. This happens with professionally pressed (store bought) discs and burned discs as well. Which leads me to the next issue with the optical drive. It can write CDs fine. But DVDs are another story. Any brand of disc from any manufacturer has the same result. This happens in Windows and OS X with a variety of software, including OS X's built-in software. I cannot burn a disc successfully over 2x. If I try to burn a disc over 2x, even at 4x, it fails. What happens is that, when the burn starts, it will spin the disc at 2x while burning for about the first 10% or so. Then it will spin up to full speed. If the disc is a video, after that point (which usually translates into about 15 minutes in with a 2 hour video), the movie will skip and stutter randomly on every DVD player I try to play the disc on. If it is data, more often than not, the disc will not successfully pass the verification process. If it does pass, only the "SuperDrive" will be able to read it and nothing else will. And usually when it does pass, if I am present for the entire verification process, I can hear the disc being spun up and down at varying speeds so it can read it.
The last time I had that happen was with a bad drive that failed at around the 6 month mark. My first DVD writer, so I didn't know then that it was the sign of a dead/dying/bad device.
The final problem has to do with the hinge on the screen. I'm sure anyone reading this is aware of how the MacBook opens. Well, on the rounded plastic on the hinge, that goes directly into the path of the exhaust fan when the screen is open.... the plastic is starting to slightly bubble and come part. It has also slightly changed color.
Now I really don't know what to do. I don't have a credit card, so if I call Apple Care I will have to argue with them to listen to my problems because they are not software related and, based on what I've read, they require a CC number to proceed with any help.
And the closest Apple Store is a 75 mile round trip away, so it is not reasonable to drive there. I also cannot drive there and leave the system there because I have no other computer until the middle of next week.
So, any advice would be great. Thanks.

I'm definitely going to call.
However, its definitely not the hard drive causing the issues. The problems began before the drive upgrade and continued afterwards.
Besides, the discoloring plastic, iPods acting as if they're connected to nothing, and the DVD burner not being able to burn discs have nothing to do with the installed hard drive.
Neither would the random booting issues. If the hard drive was causing an issue, the system simply wouldn't boot.
I built many PCs before buying my Mac and had a couple of Windows laptops as well. I know enough about hardware to know that the problems I'm having now are completely unrelated to the drive upgrade.
I also live in California and I'm very aware of the consumer protection laws here as I had to research them and bring them up against HP when the motherboard in my HP system died. So I'm the last person they will be able to push around

Update problem with iphone 3GS to last night update IOS 4.2

Hi
last night i update my iphone 3GS to new IOS 4.2, and from this time i cannot use the iphone anymore, there is a message on the iphone asking to connect to itunes, but when i connect the iphone there is another message informing that they do not find the apple mobile device driver
please help
many thanks in advance

What worked for me was not on the Apple troubleshooting list. I tried the whole list.
First, I reset the phone. (Reset the iPhone by holding the sleep/wake button at the top right of the device and the home button at the bottom center of the face at the same time. Hold them both until you see the screen go black and the white Apple logo appear. When this happens, you can let go - the iPhone is rebooting.)
Second, I restored the phone.
I could not restore the phone until I reset it.
Good luck.

Sync Problem with iPhone 3Gs

I actually have two problems that surfaced at the same time.
I was using a iPhone 3G and updated to the 3Gs. At the same time, I upgraded my Mac Pro hard drive and in the process did a fresh installation of the OS. I am running Snow Leopard.
First Problem:
When I plug the iPhone to the computer now, it does not see it at all. I know that there is nothing wrong with my USB port because any other device plugged into that port works fine. In addition, I am running boot camp and if I boot to Windows 7, iTunes sees the iPhone on the same port without any problems.
Second Problem:
My original back up of the iPhone to iTunes is in my old drive. Is there a way to back up the iPhone to iTunes? In other words, I want to transfer all the information in my iPhone to iTunes. When I try to sync in Window 7 (the only one that works now) it tells me that it will erase my iPhone. I can't believe that there is no way to do that.

First, make sure your settings are correct in iTunes (Preferences > Devices tab, make sure the box to prevent automatic syncing is not checked).
Else, try downloading and installing the latest version of iTunes for the Mac OS (don't delete anything, just download and install).
http://apple.com/itunes/download
If that doesn't work, remove and reinstall AMDS.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1747
You can also check System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items tab and make sure there's an iTunesHelper app listed there - that's what recognizes the phone.
RE your second problem, by design the iPhone syncs with one and only one iTunes library for iTunes-managed content (music, videos, apps, photos). Connecting to a different library (the iTunes library in Windows is a different library, even though it's on the same computer) results in content being erased and replaced with content from the new library.

Multiple problems with iphone and itunes

Long time iphone and mac user here. We have 5 iphones in our family and 4 mac computers. I am fairly competent with them. That said we have nothing but problems when trying to get our iphones to sync or update through itunes. Today i had just had enough so i am spending the day trying to resolve all of the random errors we are getting. This isn't up to Apple's usual quality standards. We have an iphone 5 and an iphone 4 synced to a windows 7 64bit. The issues below are with the iphone 5. All software updates for phone, itunes, and pc have been done. I have uninstalled itunes, cleaned reg, then reinstalled just now. (this resulted in new errors...).
Here are my issues:
1. SQLlite.dll error (fixed this one myself by copying the files)
2. The iphone could not be backed up becuase the back up is not compatible or is corrupted error - can't back up iphone manually over wifi or cable
3. The iphone could not be synced becuase the iphone could not be found on the network - this just started when i resinstalled itunes. i've plugged and unplugged the phone about a dozen times, restarting the computer and phone each time. We've had problems getting our phones to sync for a while now but usually we can get it to work by plugging/unplugging over and over again, but not anymore.
Thanks in advance for your help with this.

Okay here's the entire deal it's my gf's Mac and we used to use it together I would sync on her labtop but now we are having issues and she continues to take my phone when I'm sleeping and connect it to iTunes and then proceed to go through all my things. So basically is there anyway I can remove my phone of iTunes or maybe have a pass code on iTunes for my phone so in order for it to be synced there has to be a passcode entered? Or just is there a way to stop this from happening?

Multiple computers with iPhone 3GS

Everyone,
perhaps someone can answer this question for me. I have two main computers I use with my new iPhone: one at work and one at home - each computer (Windows XP) with its own library. I used to manually manage an iPod mini between these two computers with no problems. I could add/delete songs to the iPod from each of the libraries. With the new iPhone I noticed a different behavior, although I am manually managing the music. Everything is fine with the work computer. But with the home computer, all my songs on the iPhone are grayed out and cannot be modified. iTunes is asking me to sync with the new library, which I don't want to do since it will erase the content of my iPhone. Is this normal behavior, even for a manually managed iPhone? If it is, is there a workaround to be able to use the iPhone on both computers without having to delete contents while doing so?
Thanks for any advice,
Toni

The iPhone does not support disk mode as is supported with an iPod, which is required for this even with manually manage music and videos selected for the iPhone's sync preferences.
In regards to iTunes content, an iPhone can be synced or manually managed with an iTunes library on a single computer only, and photos can be transferred from a single computer only.

Multiple problems with iPhone 3GS ( 2yrs old)

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