Root Cause: iPhone 6 Cellular Antenna Signal Loss or Degradation Due to Adhesive Failure

At some point, we’ve all run into issues with our mobile devices.  Recently, I experienced a bizarre loss of service on my iPhone 6.  I was traveling with Oozing Wound while using my phone as a GPS device.  After about 14 days, I noticed a degradation in Verizon’s CDMA signal strength, followed by intermittence and complete signal loss.

NOTE: This turned out to be a hardware failure, however, I tried solving any potential software issues first.  If you are attempting to solve a problem with your mobile device, I cannot stress this enough.  Taking apart your device is sensitive and potentially irreversible work.  Likely, you will be voiding the warranty.  Be sure to exhaust any other troubleshooting options before disassembling your device.

Within the iPhone 6 there is a conductive strip completing the cellular antenna circuit between the display and body. If you experience cellular signal degradation prior to complete signal loss, the passive pad’s alignment could be causing the issue.

If your phone is ‘ON’ for long periods at a time it can become quite warm. The heat within the phone will cause the adhesive bond strength of the conductive sticker to decrease, making it more susceptible to external forces. Depending on the orientation of the phone, gravity can force this conductive strip to slip out of alignment, causing a degradation in cellular signal. Ultimately, the strip can traverse enough to cause a complete signal loss.

If you experience this issue, check the strip’s location by opening the phone. For details on how to open the iPhone 6 and locate these components, I recommend the visiting the friendly folks at iFixit. If the strip is no longer on the exposed pad, re-orient it to cover the pad, reassemble your phone, and reset network settings. If this was the cause of your issue, the cellular service should now work.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.