IOS 5.1 INCORRECT 4G DATA INDICATION ON IPHONE 4S

[hr94563]

AT&T is engaging in WISHFUL THINKING AND BAD MARKETING.  Yes Verizon is a year ahead of AT&T with its LTE construction but thats no excuse of cause USER CONFUSION by putting a FALSE 4G DATA INDICATION  on the IPhone 4S when its NOT TRUE.  I have been watching my iphone ever since it changed to IOS 5.1 to see if it indicated 3G AND 4G (HSPA+) and unless  HSPA+ has totally saturated the SF Bay Area It is a false indication.  This is just SILLY AND DISENGENIOUS AND FOR WHAT.  Everyone knows 4G is LTE and the IPhone 4S DOES NOT HAVE  LTE.  So why confuse the public with false information.   Yes HSPA+ TECHNICALLY  meets the spec for the absolute bottom level of 4G Data rates (14mb)  but does not come even close to LTE (70-100 mb).  Why then would AT&T engage in FALSE INFORMATION that will cause a lot of CONFUSION WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS????  I LIKE AT&T BUT I AM DISSAPPOINTED WITH THEM IN THIS INSTANCE.  I want accuate information as to what network I am connected to: EDGE, 3G, HSPA+ or in the NEXT iPhone LTE.  Is that too much to ask? 

[youngjm ACE - Master]

The standards board said HSPA+ is 4G. If you have a beef with that definition then you should have one with Verizon LTE too as it is not 4G either. Before the standards body changed their definition of 4G, LTE was not 4G but LTE Advance was. That version of LTE is not due for a few more years.

Take up your complaint with the standards board and not ATT.

[DrChrisB]

I wish I could upload a screenshot: it is of Speedtest on at&t so called 4G, ypload 1.43 Mbps, download 0.92 Mbps... Wow, blazin' 4G speeds. Thanks at&t

...

actually, I just found another screenshot speedtest of at&t 4G 3 bars, 0.55 Mbps upload, and 0.01 Mbps download! 

 at&t is simply awesome!

I am thinking of returning my iPhone 4S simply becvause Apple is complicit with at&t on perpetuating this fraud on the consumer! It may be time to go to Straight Talk, since thay sell SIM cards now for $15, and they run on at&t network anyway...

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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DrChrisB wrote:

I wish I could upload a screenshot: it is of Speedtest on at&t so called 4G, ypload 1.43 Mbps, download 0.92 Mbps... Wow, blazin' 4G speeds. Thanks at&t

...

actually, I just found another screenshot speedtest of at&t 4G 3 bars, 0.55 Mbps upload, and 0.01 Mbps download! 

 at&t is simply awesome!

I am thinking of returning my iPhone 4S simply becvause Apple is complicit with at&t on perpetuating this fraud on the consumer! It may be time to go to Straight Talk, since thay sell SIM cards now for $15, and they run on at&t network anyway...

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if you are within your first 30 days it sounds like it is the perfect solution for you, if outside of the first 30 days might as well etf it and do what you claim will work better.

If are one the unlimited plan it soulds more like you where throttled, or your data connection can only make it to the edge network,

[craiglang]

Wow.....I see you have AT&T "Blazing Fast 4G Speed".....How about .02Mpbs down and .01Mpbs up.  AT&T swears there is nothing wrong with their service and tell me it our Apple 4S phones.  Now I been to the Apple Store twice in the last 6 months to replace my SIM Card.  I guess I continue to get bad SIM Cards.  Both my 4S phones never improve.

AT&T says it's an Apple 4S phone problem and Apple says it's AT&T Service Area Coverage.  I guess I must be a fault for chosing to live where I live.  AT&T blames me for living 2 miles from one tower and 7 miles from another tower.  I guess AT&T needs to put a tower in my backyard so I can get "Blazing Fast 4G Speed".

Thanks AT&T

[cousintim]

My 3G ain't too bad.  It's 4171 down and 964 up.  I can remember when my cable modem wasn't much faster than that.

[johninsj ACE - Professor]

You have 30 days to return your device and cancel service if you are not happy with either.

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Guru]

Is your service uniformly bad inside & outside, or does your speed decrease markedly indoors? AT&T reps are ALWAYS going to say there's nothing wrong with their service, and point to their coverage map. When pressed, they'll also say they don't guarantee coverage at any location at any particular time.

If your service is bad both inside and outside your house, there might not be much you can do. You might want to look into a MicroCell, and by looking into one I mean badgering someone into giving you one. I have OK coverage outside my house, but terrible coverage inside. I finally talked to someone in their Executive Escalation Team and said, "Give me a MicroCell or let me out my contract". It's solved most of my coverage issues.

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craiglang wrote:

Wow.....I see you have AT&T "Blazing Fast 4G Speed".....How about .02Mpbs down and .01Mpbs up.  AT&T swears there is nothing wrong with their service and tell me it our Apple 4S phones.  Now I been to the Apple Store twice in the last 6 months to replace my SIM Card.  I guess I continue to get bad SIM Cards.  Both my 4S phones never improve.

AT&T says it's an Apple 4S phone problem and Apple says it's AT&T Service Area Coverage.  I guess I must be a fault for chosing to live where I live.  AT&T blames me for living 2 miles from one tower and 7 miles from another tower.  I guess AT&T needs to put a tower in my backyard so I can get "Blazing Fast 4G Speed".

Thanks AT&T

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[tilteddan13]

Had this a couple weeks ago in Northern, CO

Not too shabby...

[MJB0188]

My data speeds on my 4S are not bad, but during peak hours its hard to hit 3Mbps.   The 4G confusion with HSPA+ and LTE is ridiculous.  They should call it 3.5G or simply HSPA+.  4G is really bad marketing.  I'm betting if AT&T didn't call their HSPA+ "4G" then people would think they are drastically behind Verizon.

The general public is actually pretty stupid if you think about it, which is why these companies dumb themselves down.  

[Flip131]

I don't believe that ATT is to blame (believe me I have more reasons to not defend ATT then anyone else on these blogs) the FALSE 4G icon on the iPhone 4S is being caused by APPLE and this is true on the basis that iTunes updates are required for that to appear and that the phone when purchased from ATT does not say 4G anywhere on it nor has it even been advertised by anyone from ATT who knows what they are doing as being 4G capable (unfortunatley its only a very, very small percentage of ATT employees that actually know what they are doing). No spectulation is even needed as to why Apple would continue their on going tradition of misleading its customer base because Andriod/Google is killing Apple in the wireless industry and to this point in time the only thing that Apple can do is mislead their customers even further to make an attempt to not fall any farther behind Andriods in the wireless race.

[Underlyingsound]

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Flip131 wrote:

I don't believe that ATT is to blame (believe me I have more reasons to not defend ATT then anyone else on these blogs) the FALSE 4G icon on the iPhone 4S is being caused by APPLE and this is true on the basis that iTunes updates are required for that to appear and that the phone when purchased from ATT does not say 4G anywhere on it nor has it even been advertised by anyone from ATT who knows what they are doing as being 4G capable (unfortunatley its only a very, very small percentage of ATT employees that actually know what they are doing). No spectulation is even needed as to why Apple would continue their on going tradition of misleading its customer base because Andriod/Google is killing Apple in the wireless industry and to this point in time the only thing that Apple can do is mislead their customers even further to make an attempt to not fall any farther behind Andriods in the wireless race.

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Really? You can't compare the Android OS to iPhone...iPhone is a cellular device and Android OS is an operating system used by cellular devices, tablets and media devices. They don't even have the same marketing skeem. AT&T asked Apple to 
change the "3G" indicator to a "4G" one because HSPA+ is officially a 4G standard. LTE is also an official 4G standard. As for "lying" to keep up with Android...I don't see why that would be necessary...Apple is able to keep up with an entire operating system via a single cellular device, iPhone. You can't even compare another Android OS-equipped device to iPhone in sales, marketing or critical success. Apple originally never stated iPhone 4S was a 4G device, that was because at the time iPhone 4S was announced, HSPA+ was not officially a 4G standard and Apple didn't want to play marketing games. Why do you think all the other generations of iPhone still use the "3G" indicator? Because they don't support HSPA+ or LTE, the 4G standards. So Apple's not lying...especially to keep up with Android...which, again, is an operating system (and a good one at that), not a phone.

[renewedpurpose]

It's not just the iPhone 4S that claims 4G service. Several of AT&T's cell phones on their website are advertised as 4G that are only capable of connecting to the HSPA+ network. Just look at the Samsung Infuse 4G, Blackberry Torch 9810 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Focus Flash 4G, and Samsung Captivate Glide 4G to name a few. None of these phones are LTE capable but they all have 4G in the name of the phone. In a way AT&T is forced to make this false claim because you have other carriers like Sprint that have phones that are so painfully slow but being marketed as 4G.

[pfc1990]

First of all, yes, the "standards board" originally defined "4G" as 100 mbps or higher, then very suddenly had a change of heart and decided that HSPA+ is also "4G". The iPhone 4S supports HSPA+ networks at a rate of 14.4 Mbps (theoretical). I can't say with certianty if AT&T's network is 14.4 or 7.2 HSPA+...someone else is going to have to confirm or deny that. I will say, however, that when Apple released iOS 5.1, the update changed the AT&T indicator from "3G" to "4G." This update only applied to the 4S and only applied to iPhones with the AT&T carrier file. There are 4Ss in use on HSPA+ networks all over the world, but as of this update, only the AT&T iPhone 4S actually displays the "4G" icon when using an HSPA+ network. Because AT&T is the only carrier for which Apple has made this change, it is really difficult to believe that there isn't any marketing involved here. Remember that AT&T was Apple's first iPhone partner, and we all know the two companies share a special relationship. And just because the all the andoid phones say "4G" doesn't change anything; it only means that AT&T has convinced Google that HSPA+ is a 4G network before Apple finally decided to conceed to AT&Ts marketing and place a 4G indicator on the 4S. 

I think I join a lot of people when I say that I, personally, do not believe that HSPA+, an advanced 3G technology, should be labeled as "4G." This is absolutely nothing but marketing, which T-Mobile started by advertising their HSPA+ network as "the nation's largest 4G network." Per the "standards board," LTE isn't a 4G technology either, but would I argue otherwise. I'm not as concerned with speed upgrades as I am with actual network upgrades; thus I believe LTE is 4G because it is an entirely new system, hardware and all. 

In any case, I hate to ramble. Regardless of what the "standards board" has defined as 4G, I think it is very bold to assume that AT&T had nothing to do with this "4G' indictor on the iPhone. I say this because AT&T has been trying to convince Apple to do this for years. No other iPhone 4S on any other HSPA+ network in the world shows "4G," only an AT&T iPhone 4S. Not marketing? Please...

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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renewedpurpose wrote:
It's not just the iPhone 4S that claims 4G service. Several of AT&T's cell phones on their website are advertised as 4G that are only capable of connecting to the HSPA+ network. Just look at the Samsung Infuse 4G, Blackberry Torch 9810 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Focus Flash 4G, and Samsung Captivate Glide 4G to name a few. None of these phones are LTE capable but they all have 4G in the name of the phone. In a way AT&T is forced to make this false claim because you have other carriers like Sprint that have phones that are so painfully slow but being marketed as 4G.

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curious - how did you determine it is a "false claim" when it falls within the definitions of the entity that defined the standards? If it was truely a "false claim" then it would not meet the standards defined by the organization thet set them.

as far as another comment of "on any other HSPA+ network in the world shows "4G," only an AT&T iPhone 4S" the networks may not be 100 percent compatible, for example in the US both t-mobile and att's offer it, but their  HSPA+ networks are not compatible, so the indication on the 4S  would never show up.

[FiveOhFour]

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pfc1990 wrote:

First of all, yes, the "standards board" originally defined "4G" as 100 mbps or higher, then very suddenly had a change of heart and decided that HSPA+ is also "4G". The iPhone 4S supports HSPA+ networks at a rate of 14.4 Mbps (theoretical). I can't say with certianty if AT&T's network is 14.4 or 7.2 HSPA+...someone else is going to have to confirm or deny that. I will say, however, that when Apple released iOS 5.1, the update changed the AT&T indicator from "3G" to "4G." This update only applied to the 4S and only applied to iPhones with the AT&T carrier file. There are 4Ss in use on HSPA+ networks all over the world, but as of this update, only the AT&T iPhone 4S actually displays the "4G" icon when using an HSPA+ network. Because AT&T is the only carrier for which Apple has made this change, it is really difficult to believe that there isn't any marketing involved here. Remember that AT&T was Apple's first iPhone partner, and we all know the two companies share a special relationship. And just because the all the andoid phones say "4G" doesn't change anything; it only means that AT&T has convinced Google that HSPA+ is a 4G network before Apple finally decided to conceed to AT&Ts marketing and place a 4G indicator on the 4S. 

I think I join a lot of people when I say that I, personally, do not believe that HSPA+, an advanced 3G technology, should be labeled as "4G." This is absolutely nothing but marketing, which T-Mobile started by advertising their HSPA+ network as "the nation's largest 4G network." Per the "standards board," LTE isn't a 4G technology either, but would I argue otherwise. I'm not as concerned with speed upgrades as I am with actual network upgrades; thus I believe LTE is 4G because it is an entirely new system, hardware and all. 

In any case, I hate to ramble. Regardless of what the "standards board" has defined as 4G, I think it is very bold to assume that AT&T had nothing to do with this "4G' indictor on the iPhone. I say this because AT&T has been trying to convince Apple to do this for years. No other iPhone 4S on any other HSPA+ network in the world shows "4G," only an AT&T iPhone 4S. Not marketing? Please...

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Just to clarify, LTE is a completely natural evolution of 3G and HSPA wireless technologies, its not the degree of "new" that you suggest. In everything else i basically agree, its all the doing of ATT through pleading with apple, although no they have not been trying to get apple to do this for years, they would've been if they had a reason to, but the iphone 4s is the first iphone capable of taking advantage of HSPA+ speeds, so its the first that by any standard or definition can be called 4g. Yes other iphones can be on a HSPA+ network, but they cant actually take advantage of those speeds so thats why you only see the 4s showing that change, even if your iphone 4s is showing 4g and is connected to a HSPA+ network but only getting a miserable .5mb downlink speed, its still completely legit, the 4g etc. is a indication of the network technology and its potetential it doesnt inherently mean you should be getting a certain speed, we expect it too but you can even be on LTE and getting miserable speeds, it doesnt just change to showing 3g instead of LTE if you get crappy speeds, as long as you are connected to the LTE network or the HSPA network in this case, it will show that indicator, regardless of the speed you are getting, the key is that you now have the POTENTIAL for the greater speeds.

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Guru]

AT&T badgered Apple to add the 4G indicator when connected to HSPA+ towers until Apple finally relented in one of their software updates.

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Flip131 wrote:

I don't believe that ATT is to blame (believe me I have more reasons to not defend ATT then anyone else on these blogs) the FALSE 4G icon on the iPhone 4S is being caused by APPLE and this is true on the basis that iTunes updates are required for that to appear and that the phone when purchased from ATT does not say 4G anywhere on it nor has it even been advertised by anyone from ATT who knows what they are doing as being 4G capable (unfortunatley its only a very, very small percentage of ATT employees that actually know what they are doing). No spectulation is even needed as to why Apple would continue their on going tradition of misleading its customer base because Andriod/Google is killing Apple in the wireless industry and to this point in time the only thing that Apple can do is mislead their customers even further to make an attempt to not fall any farther behind Andriods in the wireless race.

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