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3G Apple iPhone needs to improve cheek problem

By: Daniel Chubb | May 29, 2008 | 7 Comments


The iPhone is by far the best phone and mobile gadget I have owned in a few years, but with all amazing products it still has its problems. When the 3G Apple iPhone is released it will have many improvements that will include improved hardware like increased megapixels, possibly GPS and obviously 3G. Other improvements on the software will also be included, although we can only guess what they will be at this time.

We need improvements in the iPhone and I am surely not the only iPhone user that has their iPhones mute and loudspeaker turn on thanks to their cheek touching the phone. What is weird here is the fact that the iPhone is meant to have certain features disabled when you have the screen touching your ear.

How does the iPhone turn on the mute or loudspeaker when I am in a call?

This may not be a major problem with the iPhone but its still one that happens to me and a few other people I know, it’s a little pain that I hope gets fixed with the 3G iPhone as I will be trading in if possible.

What would you like to see in the second-generation iPhone? Personally a slimmer design would be nice, you can see some rumored photos on Phones Review, and they apparently have “Apple 3G iPhone pictures in the flesh”. After reading a bit more you will see they are edited photos and sadly not the real deal.

Do you get the cheek problem, when making a call on the Apple iPhone?

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  • Curel

    I have heard of the problem your having, I don’t think its the Iphone. It could be just the way you hold the phone because I’ve tried to duplicate your problem but my cheek doesn’t even touch the screen.

  • Mary

    This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I inadvertently place calls while talking on the phone and even launch emails. I took my phone to the Genius Bar thinking (hoping!) there was something wrong with my proximity sensor, but there appeared not to be. Nonetheless, the problem still occurs continuously for me. I heard the 3G has an additional proximity sensor — anyone own a 3G who previously had this issue? Very curious to see whether the 3G is any better in this regard…

  • topper harley

    I have a new 3G iphone and I can confirm that the ‘cheek’ problem is still there. I am forever ending calls by accident. I also dial other contacts without realising. If I check my call records i seem to be making more ‘accidental’ calls than genuine calls. My friends, family and bussiness contacts often call me to say I had called them, when I knew nothing about the call. How embarasing.

    I think Apple has tried to address this issue by adding a light sensor to the ear-speaker. I am sure the way it SHOULD work is that when the phone is next to your ear the sensor is dark and the screen is turned off, and disabled. When you remove the phone from your ear the sensor is light and the screen is turned on and is enabled. However, the exact opposite happens on my phone. Does this happen on anybody elses phone or is it just mine.

    I am trying to work out if it is ANOTHER bug in the firmware or just a fault on my phone (running V2.01 firmware)

  • topper harley

    Following my previous post, I now know what the problem is. My iphone did not work properly because I has purchased a pouch / wallet holder and this was interfering with the proximity sensors on the iphone. It seems that when the iphone is in its wallet the sensors on the iphone work the exact opposite to how they should do. If I remove the iphone from its wallet it behaves normally. Note that the wallet is designed to accomadate the phone all the time. Now, this is not some 3rd party wallet / pouch I have purchased, it was bought from the Apple store. I must say I am amazed that Apple would sell this item when clearly they have not even tested it with the iphone itself.

    Incedentally, Apple tech support was unable to diagnose the problem (it was difficult enough trying to explain the problem to the gentleman in the India based call centre due to language difficulties) it only occurred to me when I was packing the phone back into its original packaging so I could return it to the store.

    Anyway I am pleased I dont have to return the phone, however I will have to return the wallet as it makes the phone virtually unuseable.

  • jbf

    happens all the time

  • http://firecatstudio.com Susan Price

    I accidentally call folks after ending a call all the time. My contacts are tired of complaining to me about it. I once called someone from Italy for several minutes; woke her up at 5 am, and paid international rates for several minutes of her hearing us struggle to communicate in Italian from the airport. :(

    I love, love, love my iphone, but the touch screen usability needs a lot of work. Following suggestions on other sites I have set my autolock to 1 minute, turn my phone off after a call, etc. Changing my own or other users’ behavior isn’t the best way to address this usability problem, though. I hope Apple designers will solve it for us, and soon.

  • http://www.shaidell.com Steve Shaidell

    Proximity sensor dosent work cheek keeps pushing mute button.

    3g 16 gig.

    What do I DO??