iPhone 4S Faults to Look Out For
Do you own an iPhone 4S? Are you having a few problems with it? Do you think you have iPhone 4S faults and want to know whether you are the only one?
With any product that sells over one million in 24 hours there are bound to be some problems with some of them. I for one had problems last year with my iPhone 4, and subsequently got it replaced at the Apple store. My fault however wasn’t exactly common (the backlight failed), but with so many new iPhone 4S handsets being shipped you might just end up with a dud, despite Apple’s quality conscious build quality. Find below then some common iPhone 4S faults which have surfaced online so far.
iPhone 4S faults
Find below some common faults we have received through e-mail and Twitter from our readers regarding the iPhone 4S.
1. Siri “cannot connect to the network”
It was bound to happen, and some iPhone 4S handsets aren’t playing nice with Siri, Apple’s new personal assistant. To fix this, try going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings, and then turn Siri back on. If this doesn’t do the trick, make sure ‘Data Roaming’ is turned on and this may fix your problem. If this doesn’t fix your problem, just remember that Siri is still in Beta testing and as such your best call of action is to go to an Apple bar to see a genius.
2. Backlight fault
I had this happen to my old iPhone 4 and one of my cousins new 4S handsets has also malfunctioned in this way. Essentially, your screen’s back light fails however you will still be able to just view content under a direct light. The only way to fix this is to get your iPhone replaced, for free, so long as it is not water damaged.
3. Broken apps
With all new software releases come some apps which don’t play nice, and Apple’s App Store features some apps which don’t work. Your best call of action if the app is free is to delete it and re-download however if it doesn’t do the slightest bit of help, then you’ll have to wait for the app makers to update it accordingly.
4. Overheating
Electrical components + heavy usage + glass shells = overheating, it’s fact, and it is common within all smartphones (i’ve played with a few toasty S II’s in my time). If your iPhone is getting a bit warm whilst playing games or watching media then you should know that this is not abnormal, however if your smartphone starts getting red hot when the battery is charging then you should look at getting it replaced, before it breaks or worse, catches fire.
5. Cannot hear caller during calls
According to some forums some users of the iPhone 4S are reporting that they are unable to hear people down the other end of their iPhone 4S whilst making calls. Whilst some people may think this is a hardware fault, checking your iPhone 4S for any dirt or debris trapped in the ear hole should be done before taking it to an Apple store. If you are completely lost for ideas, then we recommend you go to an Apple store.
6. Yellow Screen
Within any high selling product customers always report that some handsets get plagued with the ‘yellow’ screen, and our readers have tweeted to us that the iPhone 4S is suffering from the same problem. Already dubbed ‘Yellowgate’ (a play on words from the iPhone 4′s antennagate) there is no other fix for this iPhone 4S fault than to get it replaced, and you have every right to do so. This particular fault has some consumers complaining about the quality of the phone for the price it is at.
7. Poor battery life
Some iPhone 4S users are reporting poor battery life on their handsets. Apple engineers have contacted iPhone 4S users regarding their battery life, according to The Guardian, where an Apple customer was contacted by an Apple engineer after his iPhone 4S was performing poorly even after location services and Siri we’re turned off. If you’re iPhone 4S is having battery life issues, do let us know in the comments section below.
8. Loudspeaker problem
According to a few users tweeting us and leaving comments, some iPhone 4S handsets are experiencing a loudspeaker issue whereby it does not work and selecting the option via their touch screen does nothing. For stuff like this, hit up Apple forums to see if there is a fix for this however as I have recommended in a reply to a commenter, taking it in to an Apple store is best.
iPhone 4S fault updates
[Update 13/11/2011: After Apple's software fix for the iPhone 4S Battery life in iOS 5.0.1 users are still reporting poor battery life. Some users are even going as far to say it is clearly a hardware issue and not possible to fix through software. Note however that some users are also saying that their iPhone 4S is fixed].
[Update 02/11/2011: Apple has now confirmed that bugs in iOS 5 are what's causing excessive battery life drain, however with iPhone 4's not being affected, one can only presume it is in fact Siri on the iPhone 4S which is causing it. Apple has promised a fix within the next couple of weeks for this issue, so look out for a software update on this front from Apple but in the meantime, lay off Siri].
Tell us about your iPhone 4S faults
If your iPhone 4S isn’t functioning properly be sure to let us know by commenting below, we’ll try our best to help and offer guidance for those affected.
PS: Did you like this post? If so, be sure to leave a comment below.
OMG! Unbelievable how many things can go wrong with it! My 4s is a white 64GB and touchwood, I’m OK @ the moment! So happy 4 it! Good luck 4 everybody!!
iPhone 4S is Apple’s Windows Vista.
IPHONE 4S OS5I have had the silence in the earpiece but timer is running when making a call, call is not registered at the other end, also sometimes people say it rings but you cant hear it ringing. Worst of all is the bluetooth connectivity to my pioneer head unit all other phones are ok including 3gs phone this 4s displays wrong contact when speaking also if it does connect it does not alway come through the car speakers but through the handset sometimes nothing can be heard through either if phone is reset its ok for a short while then starts playing up again – Apple support tell me to keep resetting phone as if I am going to do that I am after a refund as i bought it outright 9 days ago.
My iPhone 4S got replaced by an Apple genius just yesterday, because I had problem number 5 on your list (unable to hear people at the other end). Touch wood my new iPhone 4S is performing much better, and what’s more Apple let me have a white one.
Thanks for the input there. I’ve had a few of my readers complain about this, the good news is that Apple’s customer care is top notch.
As fault 5 …Can’t hear caller….or the person I have just called…..Had phone swooped at Apple store today with a new one,,, Worked ok until now and the fault is back…..Did the checks as suggested…. but same fault on a brand new handset and the original one was ony 5 days out of the box…..
Well thank god for that! I’ve had my black iPhone 4S for around 2 day’s and the whole display has a sort of ‘saturated’ look to it, like somebody put a dim yellow lense over it. I’ll get it replaced asap.
The screen my iPhone 4S keeps going blank and I cannot do anything with it and have to keep restarting it all the time. Gonna go into a shop but it is very annoying.
I really recommend with problems like this that you get to an Apple store asap. I’ve had problems in the past with Apple products and they just replace them. Please do keep us updated!
I have an intermittent fault with the ear speaker. Unable to hear anything on certain calls. Other calls I am hearing my own voice amplified through the speaker and other calls to voicemail where the speaker distorts and sounds like a robot.On average I have to make three attempts to gets normal call connection.
Wow okay, that sounds like an extreme case of problem number 5 above. Do keep me updated if you get your iPhone replaced, that’s what i’d do anyway!
I had exact same problem with new 4s i took it to the apple store and they said they hadn’t heard of this problem before but still swapped my phone and my new one has been fine so far. I noticed when it happens if you press the mute button it won’t work and also if it happens and u out loud speaker on then back off you can hear the other person again. Looks like this could end up being a big problem on the 4s
It’s interesting that they say that they have never heard of certain problems. My friend loves telling me about when he took his old 3G in to be replaced there was a chap in front of him with the same issue. Once the genius replaced his, my friend was next in line, and low and behold the genius said he had never seen it before. Very strange #badmemory!
I am having the same problem. I have done the reboots etc with apple support – still not working.
I am going in to apple on the weekend.
If they dont replace it I am asking for a refund.
when you tap the back of my iphone 4s at the top near the apple logo, it makes a rattly noise..doesn’t sound good & extremely annoying!anyone know of this problem?
Sounds like faulty / loose components, it could just be your home button though, if you hold your home button and shake your iPhone 4S does it still rattle?
i have got the same problem what did you do about it ???
I got a new iPhone under warranty. Turned out to be a loose power button.
I also have the speaker / mic intermittent fault mentioned above. Every now and then the speaker sounds like a robot as desribed above. I get it back by putting it on loud speaker and then back again. This has only happened a couple of times though. My main problem is that at the start of calls (if I dial or receive) sometimes other callers cannot hear me. Again I get it back by flipping to Loud Speaker for a second or 2. My big worry is that I have been to the Apple store and they replaced it, but the second phone has exactly the same fault. Unsure what to do now? Its a black 64gig by the way
So this is your second iPhone 4S with the same problem? Interesting. Is this fault really annoying to deal with? I had this problem with my old iPhone 3GS when it first came out, and it was fixed after a software update from Apple (can’t remember which update mind). Perhaps this is something Apple is addressing as we speak.
Yep same fault, very annoying but I can cope if it will b fixed quick. I think software for sure. On the apple site there is many complaints about this exact issue. I don’t care about Siri or any I’d that stuff but I do want to be able to make and receive calls. My Ericson brick 15 years ago could atleast do that. Sort it out Apple!
I hv 2 issues with my iPhone 64GB Black 4S which dont occur on my 16GB Black iPhone 4 even though both are on ios5 – i had planned to sell 4 but with 4S being flaky Im holdin on to both for now. Its been abt 8 days…First issue: 4S is paired to Ford car bluetooth & is playing music from my music when 3 songs or so later just cuts out … A minute or so later auto reconnects and plays a few more songs then cuts out before leaving rest of 2 hr journey without any music & message saying no phone connected or even phone calls on handsfree system! No issue with iPhone 4 on ios 5 so def the 4S handset grrrr!Second issue: Phone shows black screen as if battery has just died to 0% & phone is about to go dead & switch off then putting on to charge shows near 90%!
Your first problem may actually be your Ford Bluetooth pack, although then again it could be your iPhone 4S. The reason I say it could be your Ford Bluetooth pack is because that particular pack was actually made for the iPhone 4 in mind.
Your second problem is a serious fault. I recommend getting it changed at the Apple store, however it sounds more like a software issue than anything else.
My new 4S that I have only had for a few days has died! Completely lifeless and I cannot even connect it to i-Tunes on my laptop. Have had to resort back to my 3GS and both phones still have a very annoying problem in that I can hear myself speaking a split second after I’ve said something which is extremely off-putting! I just put that down to my 3GS getting a bit old now but was shocked to hear it happening on the new one, (and signal is good). Looks like I will be returning my 4S to O2 tomorrow and will be in the market for a Samsung. Shame really because I have been faithful to Apple but can’t help but feel let down by them.
Check out the HTC Sensation XE too if you are looking to change, it’s a great smartphone.
i have the same problem as of what you have had. did you manage to get a new phone. i used my phone at 4 and all ok, by 4.20 it had gone off and not to be turned back on. i couldnt connect to the laptop either, what did they say in the shop as im off in tomorrow to kick off, ive only had my phone less than 2 weeks.
my 3gs has the same problem. it just died randomly. in the morning, it was ok. but then come afternoon, it doesn’t do anything! it cannot charge, or turn on even with the 10 second power home button. i hear something loose below the sim card, but i should hear that, correct? i had an otterbox, so that means it shouldn’t have broken. especially when i had it on my phone throughout the day! probably going to go to apple and see if they can’t fix it. i spent too many hours doing everything possible to lose all of that in a replacement. or maybe not… i can try jailbreaking
again…
Sometimes when I make a call I cannot hear the phone ring at the other end and I cannot hear when they answer, just nothing like I’m not making. Call. If I turn he speaker on I hear the call and if I turn it off again I can still hear. It’s just the initial call starting/connecting.Will be calling apple tomorrow
Had exactly the same fault, call time counter starts but no connection made/unable to hear the other person speaking. Happens most often if dialling from the contacts list. Swapped the phone for a new one same fault. (32 gb phone)
Sick of my 4S crashing now
I’m fault is screen related. I recieved my 16gb 4s via courier on day of release. I switched it on and low and behold the screen had lines running from top to bottom. And all the colours ran off the page. For instance if on the search screen, the white search bar had a dim white shadow running off the screen at both ends. On discovering this I phone Vodafone customer services who said they would send a replacement but had non in stock. I have now been waiting for 2 weeks.
Not good mate, not good.
New update: My iPhone 4S has a few new faults. First of all is batter, im not even getting half a day, and second is display, it’s gone pink!
I have had problem no5 with my 4s. I phoned vodafone with the problem asked me to do a restore but actually went worse and they said it was probably a hardware fault and agreed to exchange it. Seems i am not the only one to have this fault as they said the second batch of phones shouldn’thave this problem as they have fed the information to apple!.
I had my 4s for not even 2 weeks and the ear pice stopped working. I took it back to the shop got a exchange and that was also broken. Can’t say I’m to impressed so far just disappointed and left with a brand new broken phone and a 60 round trip to a apple store again !!!!!
They should replace it for free from experience, your iPhone 4S warranty covers hardware faults.
Ok well having read the posts on her i thought i would throw my 5 pence in
I got my 4s from T mobile 12 days ago and quickly found the battery draining ridiculousy fast !! Having owned an Iphone 4 i did the usual and turned all the location services off etc etc still kept draining, i phoned the apple store who booked me in this monday just gone. I had already read of complaints regarding the battery life and voiced my concerns in store, whoever i was suggested to do a restore and see how it went. I did the restore that night and did a full charge. Left my house the following morning with 100% battery and half an hour later after only using it for music i had dropped 17% !!!! Now i was seriously annoyed and booked an appt at the apple store that afternoon. What a joke that was not only was i told that they dont listen to what their customers say on the apple site i was also told the battery was working fine !!!! After much arguing they did finally replace it and i made a phone call to the manager who took my complaints on board. To be fair its a lot more tha just a phone but considering they advertised better battery life this is appalling !! Apple have now admitted there is a fault but we have to wait weeks before they release the updated software !!! I have totally lost my faith in apple and will be returning mine as still faulty and going over to samsung galaxy S2 which my girlfriend has and is a far better more reliable phone !! Rant over lol
Did the iOS 5.0.1 update help you out?
So my iphone 4s has really bad bateery life as most peoples im guessing has from the comments……I wanted to ask if anyones photo quality on their iphone 4s compared to iphone 4 is better? I noticed that my pictures were not as clear, sharp or bright as photos taken on my friends iphone 4?
I cant beleive how many problems there is, i hace a white 16gb 4s and its PERFECT
Wow, a bit harsh. One million in 24 hours…
Ouch, how much did that set you back? Sorry to hear you are having such a rotten time.
I have a 64gig white. A couple of times now I have played a video (one I recorded and YouTube). The image was all pixelated and there was a strange green colour. It jumped and skipped, failing to play peoperly. I’m concerned there is something not right as its only 8 days old
Hmm. This sounds like a hardware fault or even connection error, however if you are saying it happens on local video (one’s you have recorded) then it’ll have to be hardware.
My I phone 4s is two days old and driving me mad. It keeps putting itself onto loudspeaker. With that on the other person cannot hear anything that you are saying and the conversation is only one way. Pressing the loudspeaker button does not work either. Anyone got any suggestions?
That sounds like an iPhone 4S software issue if your speaker button does not work when pressed. Take it to an Apple store to see what is what, and see if you can get your iPhone fault sorted.
My first 4s had intermittent fault of not connecting to internet so had it swapped this one they have given me has the speaker fault that has been mentioned u can sort it by flickin to loud speaker an back but also won’t connect right with my bluetooth headset, also if u tap back of phone up near speaker deffo summin rattling
I bought a iphone 4s for my daughter, hers is contencted to icloud and randomly syns her contacts will all other icloud devices, and then the other devices lose their contacts, a bit odd, she also complains of overheating and sound issues.
hi, i upgraded to a 32gb 4s couldn`t get one from o2 shop so went on line, soon as i tryed to use dialled a number ok put phone to my ear it goes blank thats fine but when i take it away from my ear it stills stays blank
phoned o2 they said it was faulty so sent a replacement 4 days later, recived second phone today does exactly the same spoke to apple the agree this is also faulty !!!!2 in a row does tis sound possible
That’s really bad luck I think! Hopefully your 3rd will be decent!
I have a big prob!!! I keep lossing signal. I allways have 1 bar???? And my phone heats up alot also it freezes on some apps sometimes on siri???
got a new 4s inbetween christmas and new yr only to find it echoing when i speak, took it back and got a new phone only to find it exactly the same, and its very annoying
My 4s battery wasn’t too bad at the start. But over the last month it’s gotten terrible. I used to get about 6 hours usage and 24 hours standby. Now it’s around 11 hours usage and 14 hours standby. Problem is I’m not using it that much. The usage meter keeps going up when I’m not even touching it. The place I got it from has said to send it back for repair. I’m not so sure, what could be causing it? I’ve even done a restore and haven’t installed any apps etc yet and it’s still happening.
I have an iphone 4s – purchased at christmas time – worked fine until this morning – then all of a sudden turned itself off and wont go back on, was fully charged at the time. Does anyone know what this could be? Or will i have to make a trip to the Apple store?!
Thanks!
That sounds like a hardware fault, are you sure it is not your display? Have a look at it under the light and see if it is on but not backlit.
Hi my iphone 4s has a fault and normally the 4th letter in on any writing has a line going through it how do i sort this and some icons like the wifi at the top the bottom if the icon is missing bits and every app i go on it has lines through the 4th letter help please !! Thanks
That’s weird, I’ve never heard that before, Could you send an image in? jakk(at)technologyblogged.com
sounds like a faulty pixel if its in the same position on any screen.
Hi! I have an iPhone4s 16gb, bought it late last year2011. I’m from Philippines. Everything went well with my iPhone 4s but not until I updated my iOS to 5.0.1 (9A406) from 5.0. There’s a loss of signal. I can’t make calls and even cannot send SMS. I already restored it a lot of times already, and also tried DFU mode. Nothing happened.
I am very disappointed with what I bought. 
Does anyone have the same issue? Does anyone have any solution for this? Please help. 
And will Apple still replace my iPhone 4s? Your suggestions or help will be highly appreciated.
ya i faced problem with siri,it was working fine for a week then it coudnt make call to any number but the apple service centre told it will be replaced by another iphone,eventhough im not gonna be satisfied since its my first iphone:(
Not good!
Bought a new iPhone 4s 32 gb in Norway through apple.no. Top-microphone not working- no sound in videos and no sound transmitted to receiver of calls when using speaker phone mode.It was returned and I received a “new” (refurbished) phone. The touch-screen was defect- a dead spot where the “O” character on the keyboard is placed. Also, the onscreen slider for unlocking the phone was acting flaky.Now waiting for my third phone. Not a happy camper right now!KSB
Just bought a 32Gb 4S after many years of staying well clear of anything Apple!! Plugged it in to charge with the supplied mains adapter – nothing. No charge indicator. Plugged the USB into the PC – nothing. No charging, no ‘new hardware’, not recognised in iTunes!
Wiggle the connector a bit. Makes a nasty sort of ‘cracking’ noise when it’s moved back/forth slightly. After it goes crack and you push the plug slightly from the back to the front of the phone, it starts charging and the PC jumps into life and sees it on USB.
Let go of the plug, stops charging, disconnects from the PC.
Very poor for a £400 handset, less than 3 hours old, from a sealed/shrink-wrapped box.
Mrs isn’t at all chuffed as she is about as anti-Apple as you can get!!
Back to O2 tomorrow, only to be told no doubt that they don’t have another 32Gb version in stock at the moment………
That’s a bit of a p*** take! I hope you got a new iPhone 4S on the day.
have a small dirt particle under my home screen button not visible much but on giving some close consideration you can see it ,, its almost 15 days now and having brought something about $800 you don’t expect such issue’s ,, pls help me if i go to apple store would they get me replaced for such an issue or will they make excuses !!
I bought an iPhone 4s from Three on Saturday and by Sunday it was reporting “no signal”. Checking the Internet, I have done an “all settings” reset, taken the sim out and even gone as far as calling Three customer service. Their recommendation to connect my phone to iTunes to reset it has rendered it unusable – its getting as far as a firmware update before telling me tthat it has experienced an unknown error! I’m taking it back to Three tomorrow and I’m hoping they’ll just swap it. Is this a common problem with iPhones?
It is not uncommon.
I recommend just taking it to Apple rather than your network provider, Apple has excellent customer service.
I got an iphone 4S at AT&T store 3 weeks back… Today morning, the screen is OFF and when I press any buttons its not switching on. My Mophie Juice Pack is charging when connected to the PC but the Iphone does not want to switch on. I am sick of this. Should I goto Apple Store or AT&T? I have warranty on it so does it matter I need to show the receipt?
My iPhone keeps blacking out whenever I try to use Siri and then it goes all quiet and I can’t hear it anymore
I have the iphone 4s 32 gb black with an intermittent fault my home screen seems to quadruple in size making it impossible to answer calls as unlock not visible the screen only returns to normal size once ive managed to switch it off (also difficult) and then back on ive tried rebooting and installed all updates but problem still comes back any one else had same problem
I had many iPhone 4 faults however since switching to the iPhone 4S I have no iPhone 4s faults to speak of.
Hey, I just read this post and I have been struggling with battery life on my iPhone 4s on 5.1 iOS. I have tried every trick in the book and nothing seems to fix it, tried reinstalling iOS many times and resetting iPhone as a new phone, reset network setting.. I even run the phone with Siri location services, spotlight, 3G, Bluetooth, everything is off and I still charge my iPhone sometimes twice a day.. This isn’t fair with an $800 investment and now I need to find a 30ft iPhone charge cable so l can at least use it at home regularly.. If im on safari browsing I can watch my battery % go down by the minute… Please help I’m so frustrated..Regards,Brad
i have an iphone 4 and when it rings instead of hearing my ringtone it hisses like interference really loud with crackling.thought it was bottom loud speaker problem just had it replaced and its still hissing.been doing it since my last update.this is a replacement phone from apple.first phone did exactly the same thing they changed that no worries but now out of warranty on this one just and its doing exactly the same thing.already tried pleading with apple they dont want to know. xxx anyone any ideas?