Signal bars before and after installing iOS 4.1 beta

Apple has released a new iOS 4 beta version. So, will this be the key to all our antenna woes? Does not seem too likely right now.

Hardly a month after Apple launched the iOS 4, it has quickly followed up with an upgrade for the developers. The 4.1 beta version is seen as Apple following up its recent promise of better network reception.

Specifically meant for the iPhone 4, which has seen more downs than ups since its highly rated launch, Apple’s statement said that the software that had been implemented for displaying the signal bars was the main culprit behind the “death grip” issue. It was certain that a new update could enhance the signal bars, which of course, was the case when the new update was installed in the iPhone 4. The bars grew taller, as compared to phones using iOS 4.

The apparent improvement however does little to indicate that the prescribed aim has been fulfilled. And tests conducted by technology blog, Mobile Crunch, members prove us right. Instead of a software hitch, the antenna integrated into the metal strip, which is actually a hardware anomaly, seems more likely to be the source of all this tension. After all, taller bars need at least a tiny bit of network to work.

Along with being unable to counter the grip issues, the iOS 4.1 even possesses an MMS bug. MMS files are visible while in thumbnails, but go blank when enlarged to the screen. It can only be viewed with the Photo app after saving it.

We are guessing Apple will have to swallow in some pride and declare a recall after all. The final version can be hardly expected to include such a major thing as correcting the network reception issue, which the beta version did not.