As I said over at Macworld last week, carrying around an iPhone hasn’t yet freed me from the tether of carrying around my 30GB iPod as well. Since they’re about the same size, I often find myself slipping them into a pocket together, or laying them down on the desk next to each other.
Then I started to notice something odd with my iPod. I’d go to adjust the volume and the meter would jump all over the place. Once could have been a fluke, but after a couple times, I hit upon a realization: it only seemed to happen when the iPod was in close proximity with my iPhone.
It doesn’t happen all the time: my guess is that it’s when the EDGE radio is at its most active, transmitting either data or voice. Somehow, that appears to wreak havoc with the iPod’s touch sensitive scrolling, even from several inches away. Pointing the antenna end of the iPhone (the black plastic part) at it seems to make it fluctuate the most.
I don’t know much about FCC regulations, but I thought that devices weren’t supposed to cause harmful interference? This never happened with my old phone (a CDMA/EVDO handset). Anybody else noticed this with their iPhone, or with other phones?
I haven't noticed any interference with my iPod, but placing the iPhone anywhere near a speaker, even a telephone handset, will create a tremendous amount of static. This problem also appears when using the iPhone with a cassette adapter in my car for iPod playback.
I had this interference using my Motorola RAZR v3 and my 5th gen iPod video. When in the car, whenever a call came in my iPod volume would fluctuate and often a hum would come over the car's speakers presumably from the iPod.
@tbaird, Neil: The hum you're getting is definitely caused by the GSM chip that the phone uses. I'm not sure if it's the same thing that's causing interference with the touch-sensors, though.
I use my 60GB 5G iPod all the time. At work, it's about 5" from my iPhone. I haven't noticed any problems with the volume or any other control issues with my iPod.
As with my old RAZR, I do hear the buzzing that means that the phone is talking to the cell towers. Or at least that is what I assumed it was doing.
I'll keep a closer eye on my iPod to make sure, but so far it's worked fine.
Same thing with my digital alarm clock radio. Just unlocking the phone when near my alarm clock can cause the radio to start scanning up through FM.
Yep. My Logitech MX Laser mouse starts acting funny - not moving, then moving quickly, then not moving until I move my iPhone off to the extreme side.
I've decided that the iPhone is one heck of a radio disruption device (but with a lot of plusses!)
This is an old problem, cell phones interfering with the iPod clickwheels. I think it was noticed around the time of the first nanos...
And yet, when some of us point out problems with GSM that DON'T happen with CDMA (not to mention CDMA cell towers greater range and far more widespread deployment in the US) we instantly get labeled "iPhone haters."
Hmmm.
I get tremendous interference from my iPhone, mainly at work. My phone sets on my desk next to a Meridian phone and CRT monitor. Several times a day the monitor will experience electromagnetic interference (looks like its being degaussed), and if I am on the phone, occasionally it will start Morse code-like beeping that both parties can hear.
This isn't just an iPhone problem, the same thing happens with my Samsung Sync, or any Cingular/AT&T phone that I've ever used (Nokias and Sony Ericssons). I always have to keep the two in separate pockets, otherwise if I were to get a call or a text message, the iPod volume goes crazy and usually ends up blasting music into my ear (and most of the time, causing me to yell out expletives in public places... looking crazy).
I have had this problem with my iPod and the AT&T Motorola RAZR I owned before the iPhone, so I don't think it's specifically an iPhone problem. It happened when I had the iPod resting right on top of my RAZR in my car, so that would lead me to believe it's a GSM thing.
I had the same problem with my Motorola RAZR and my video iPod. I had to start carrying them in different pockets because whenever my phone got a call or text message, it would turn the volume all the way up. It was causing havoc on my ears. I haven't seemed to have the problem with my phone.
I take an almost daily walk past a secure Federal Building (no one is supposed to know - they have buckets of sand every few feet into which people are expected to bury their heads).
My 5th G iPod 60 goes "ape" when I walk past this square block fortress. Volume up, down, off with songs skipping and playlists swapping as if I had suddenly chosen "Shuffle".
So where do I complain? OOPS, not at the portals of the windowless building. But now I know (I think) thanks to everyone on this thread, that some stray electrons are fixating on my iPod.
What chance might the dolphins and whales really have against the likes of stray waves of sonar beams. But I digress.
Thanks again for the nice site and the welcoming venue. I must go and reshape the aluminum in my hat before my next outing - yea - right!
Signing off as the NON cook -
That Ray Guy - 3 W's followed by insidetheboom then dot com
Um, harmful would be interfering with critical systems, like if the thing made you anti-lock brakes wig out in your car.
Its not iphone specific. My motorola v3 does the same thing to my ipod!
Once the iPhone opens up to third party developers, things will get better. In terms of value, Japanese cell phones are still leagues ahead. The iphone will remain a posh collectible for yuppies. And in many cases, a chick magnet. Having an iPhone says that you have lots of money(and naturally women will magically gravitate in your direction). It's expensive at the Apple Store, though. You can find better deals online(such as http://tinyurl.com/2wyal4 ). But to the first time buyers that already jumped ship: Enjoy!
I have had this happen in m y car with a 60 GB iPod and a Razr on several occasions. Once I thought it had blown my car speakers.
I have had the iPhone for about 3 months now. This is my first Apple product to own. Previously, I had a Palm Treo. What I've noticed, is that if my iPhone is recieving a text or checking for e-mail, I get a "static" like feedback from the speakers of my vehicle (brand new). I also have noticed at work that our phone system (Cisco IP Phone) if my iPhone is within 2 feet of the phone and is looking/recieving/sending I get the static feedback from the my desktop phone's speaker. Also, you can track where I am on my floor at work because if I walk by cubicles and the phone is close to me, they all start the static feedback and then stop as I move away. It's a little unnerving...people look at you like you have a horn growing outta your forehead....Any guidance that can help me eliminate/reduce this annoyance would be greatly appreciated.
My iphone is creating an tremendous ammout of interferience. I have found that my iphone cannot play the ipod features unless in airplane mode. This is quite an inconvience because i would like to surf the net, get emails, text, and be able to recieve phone calls.
If I do not put the phone in airplane mode, I get a sound in my car speakers that sounds like chewy from star wars is holding a megaphone and trying to talk to me. I have also found that using the iphone head set the same way will cause a tweeking sound and what feels like static shocks in my ear.
Basically, we just need to avoid speakers, phones and anything else our iPhones or RAZRs or whatever technology we have interfere with until some foreign company (Japanese cell phone reference in previous posting) or third-party developer gets their hands on the stuff. Is that what I hear?
I don't know how to fix it, but I sure have fun with it. The other day I convinced a rather paranoid, superstitious little cousin that I had a ghost following me. I told her that every time I got near speakers, the noise was the ghost trying to escape through the magnetic field in to our dimension. Actually, it freaked her out quite a bit.
It's weird and can be annoying, but enjoy it when you can.