Test iPhone Signal Strength and Antenna Reception

Sep 9, 2010 - 14 Comments

iphone antenna reception test

You can test your iPhone signal strength and antenna reception easily again, it requires the iOS 4.1 update or later, but will work on any iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, or later. Here’s how:

  • Activate the antenna strength test by dialing the following: *3001#12345#*
  • Hit Call

You’ll then see the signal bars be replaced with a number, the more negative the number, the worse the reception (-107 is worse than -80 for example). If you tap the numbers you can switch back and forth to the reception numbers and signal bars. You can exit out of this Field Test mode by just hitting the home button at any time.

The dialed number is actually the same field test that worked on the original iPhone 2G, but the ability was lost between several iPhone OS updates.

The whole iPhone 4 antenna fiasco is mostly a nonissue these days, but it’s still interesting to see the iPhones reception. Whether it’s right or wrong, I chalk a lot of the signal weakness up to AT&T’s network more than the iPhone itself, but this is largely due to the fact that my friends with unlocked iPhones on other networks have significantly better reception in many places.

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Related articles:

Posted by: Paul Horowitz in iPhone, Tips & Tricks

14 Comments

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  1. Kat says:

    What if doesnt show any numbers? Just says connecting down the bottom.

  2. Chris says:

    0 in Mars…lol

  3. Lena says:

    -118 sprint. This bites!

  4. Rj says:

    -110 Poteau, Ok. 1 bar? Service map shows full 4g lte service?

  5. Mohanram Kumar Nagaraj says:

    The code does not work on my iPhone 5. Is this due to IOS 8.0?

  6. Barry says:

    Mount Isa constant -104 to 130 or two bars or was that bears

  7. Sierrasteve says:

    -78 in Magalia California (3000 feet in the Sierra Nevada’s)

  8. Raul Rojas says:

    -63 near the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  9. Cosmo says:

    I live in Gainesville Florida my AT&T reception is -140

  10. Elvis says:

    -62 to -116 in Waterloo, IA.

  11. Fathermacer says:

    Between -82 and -102 in Stockholm, Sweden…

  12. sprale says:

    The worst I saw was -112, the best was -95 in the Austin, TX metro.

  13. Gary says:

    -107 is terrible you must be in San Francisco too!

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