I have just bought a new iPhone 4 and have had it a week now but I am feeling dissatisfied with the apps and internet on it.

For some reason when I am at home and connecting to my WI-FI the internet and apps works really well but I have my PC to use the internet so that doesn't really matter. I do use the apps from home though.

During the day time and when I am out and about I can only really get Facebook and Twitter to work. None of the other apps I use seem to do anything. I think its because the 3G connection doesn't seem to be that strong anywhere on Orange but I had to go with Orange as it is the only mobile phone network to have signal where I live. I don't understand how people can be using their iPhones all the time though with such poor 3G connection and I have heard of Orange iPhone users who can use apps that I can't in similar areas. Even when I connect to WI-FI hot spots when I am out and about the connection is not good and most of the apps won't work. I am also meant to get free access to BT Openzone hotspots for 12 months but I rarely come across them and when I do, I log in but still nothing works.

Please can anybody offer me any advice or am I basically stuck? I probably wouldn't have got the phone had I known this. I have rung Orange customer services a few times and they are absolutely useless. I really don't want to return the phone because apart from this I really like it.

Another thing is that when I am connecting to the internet at home on my iPhone I can get on certain things on the internet, e.g. forums but when I am out and about I can't and it comes up with an Orange page instead. Does anybody know why this might be?

This sounds like a problem with the Orange 3G network rather than the iPhone itself.

In my experience a very weak 3G signal is worse than good 2G signal. It might be worth trying it with 3G switched off when signal is weak. Data speeds will be slow, but things will load... eventually.

what a waste of money, £500 for a phone! You can go on holiday for that much £££

I don't think it's fair to say it's a waste of money. It might be a waste of money to you, but everyone is different.

To some people, spending lots of money on a holiday that only lasts a week or two is a waste of money compared to a phone you will get a year or more of joy out of.

Thanks for this. I assume you turn the 3G signal off in settings as you would turn WI-FI off?

Settings > General > Network

Orange's 3G signal has been woeful for me recently.

Thank you. Glad its not just me then.

Random question to the OP but did you get your IPhone from an Orange shop or did you buy it off the internet? IPhone 4 on PAYG has been out of stock on the internet for a few days now (a week or so), I'm just wondering if it is ever actually in stock on the internet.

I bought it from an Orange store. You are right about it being out of stock online for absolutely ages now. I got sick of waiting and went in and paid a £10 deposit because they were out of stock in the shops also. I had the phone by the following day because a customer who had paid a deposit for an iPhone 4 that had just been delivered changed their mind and no longer wanted it so I got that one.

That sounds like Orange Safeguard to me, Orange's adult filter if it only does it when using the orange network. I had the same problem with Orange and the XDA developers forums. Try logging in logging in to your orange online account to remove safeguard and you should then be ok to browse whatever, wherever.

the iphone is so overrated.

Well that's nice to know.

It has been slow recently.

My experience is the opposite - 2G on 3/4/5 bars is slow but 3G with 1 will load.

In my experience 1 bar of 3G often gives me no internet at all. it just sits there loading seemingly forever. Force it to use 2G and it works... however slowly!

Again... in your opinion.

Okay, thanks. I wanted to get it online because I can get a discount with them. Damn. How long were you waiting for it to come in stock online before you gave up?

It's a handheld computer really, not just a phone.

If you could calculate the pleasure caused from an iPhone and a holiday, then whereas the holiday would reach 60 pleasure points over a period of 2 weeks and maybe 20 pleasure points in memories, an iPhone would measure at 9,787 pleasure points, measured over years.

Troll.

Exactly what I was thinking!

By the way ck7ah, Blackberry's = overrated

I think Apples iPhone return policy is now 14 days.
If no joy from Orange phone Apple.

Apart from not being good at games a swap for a £99 San Francisco might be one solution,

Orange also allows roaming onto t-mobile but I doubt this includes data for apps.