The dreaded o signal indicator

Mamiamjo · Dec 19, 2011

I have had my iPhone 4S for a week now, but am getting extremely frustrated by not being able to lock in a 3G signal. Most of the time I get the dreaded o (1X) whenever I try to access a web page or open Google Maps to find my location.

I know Sprints service wasn't always the best, but I've never had this much trouble before so I'm thinking it might be the phone itself.
Who can I call to see if it's my phone or a problem with Sprint's service?
Has anyone experienced noticeably worse signal strength with an IPhone as compared to their previous phone?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

jkhonea · Dec 19, 2011

I had that happen a couple times. Would go into settings and manually turn the data network off and then back on and that usually cleared it up. I've also run full shutdowns and startups a couple times and now I'm not noticing the problem like I did in the beginning.

Also, keep in mind, with the holidays coming up there will be more people on the towers and probably taking a toll on the bandwidth.

loco · Dec 19, 2011

I've seen this many times. I usually reboot and it solves the problem.

Mamiamjo · Dec 20, 2011

Tried rebooting and turning off cellular data ( and the back on). Neither worked. I went to the Sprint Store and was told they couldn't diagnose the problem that only Apple could.
While at the Sprint store I noticed that the iPhone they had on display was receiving a full 5 bars, while mine was only getting 2. I figured that probably meant there was something wrong with my phone's ability to pick up the signal (especially since they have a signal booster there for their displays).
So off I went to Best Buy to exchange my phone. Of course the employee there was quick to point out that Sprint is having issues with their signal and that the phone was probably fine. I insisted that they exchange it because I figured there had to be a problem with the phone.
Well my new iPhone 4s works much better. I was able to keep the 3G signal all day (so far), and I'm able to access the Internet while on 3G without the need or wifi.

So, if anybody is having serious trouble getting a 3G signal, take your iPhone to a Sprint store so you can compare to their display phones. If yours is seriously slower, try exchanging your phone.

Good Luck Everybody