Thursday, September 4, 2008

No Service


If you ever encounter a situation where your iPhone 3G says "No Service" but other phones nearby has, your iPhone is probably in for some trouble. Bad Infineon 3G chipset? Nyahhh! 

Luckily, there are some troubleshooting steps that you can try first before calling AppleCare or your wireless carrier. The 6R's by Apple is still the best method of troubleshooting almost all issues but not all iPhone users doesnt know what it is. This entry will discuss the 6R's troubleshooting step you may want to stick to your mind as an iPhone user. This will save you a lot of time dealing with tech support 'cause they will ask you to do some steps included in the 6R's and all you need to say is "I've done that already." After completing the 6R's of troubleshooting and you are still experiencing the same issue, your iPhone may need service or is in hardware trouble.

The 6 R's of troubleshooting are: Recharge, Restart, Reset iPhone, Remove, Reset Settings, Restore.

On the next scenario, we will use the issue "No Service" as a classic example. We also need to use our troubleshooting intuition because not all of the 6R's are applicable in this scenario.

1. Recharge - May not applicable on this issue. This may be used if you're getting "No service" and low battery both at the same time.

2. Restart - A highly recommended first step. This should have been the first in Apples 6R's. You're iPhone could probably be frozen that's why it doesnt get service. Turn off and on the iPhone to restart. 

3. Reset - If your iPhone is totally frozen and not getting service, Try pressing and holding the Home button and sleep/wake button for several seconds 'til you see the Apple logo. This step is sometimes called force reset or hard reset.

4. Remove - Totally not applicable step. I borrowed from Apple the next paragragp to explain what remove means. 

If iPhone is not working as expected, it may be due to some of the content synced to it. Try selectively removing certain content that may be causing unexpected behavior such as contacts, calendars, songs, photos, videos, or podcasts.

To remove content, connect iPhone via USB and use iTunes to change the sync settings. Click on iPhone in the Source list, and select each tab to change what content is synced then click apply.

5. Reset Settings - The next paragraph is also borrowed from Apple.

Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings

Note: This will reset all settings. No data or media will be deleted.

If that does not resolve your issue, try erasing all content and settings.

Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings

Note: This will delete all media and data. All settings will be reset as well.

6. Restore - Your last resort for troubleshooting. The ultimate step that will tell if you need iPhone replacement. If issue still existaftera restore, you really need a new iPhone. Try restoring iPhone using the latest version of iTunes. Connect iPhone. When it appears in the Source list, click on Restore in the Summary tab.



Posted by Rouge

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