Dropped calls - bad cellular antenna - replaceable?

Question

iPhone SE 2020

Información de reparación y desmontaje para el iPhone SE de segunda generación, anunciado y lanzado en abril de 2020.

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Conny @conny86283

Rep: 1

Publicado: 26 de jun. de 2023

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Dropped calls - bad cellular antenna - replaceable?

Hi, my phone is very often (but not always) dropping my calls after 1-2 minutes - does not matter if called or was called. Using my son's phone today ( he has same carrier, diff. Iphone model) at almost at the same time/location, he did'nt have any calles dropped but mine did 3x within 6 min. so I assume it's not a carrier issue, but my phone. Problem suddently started last fall... phone works fine for a few days, then constantly dropps calls - staying in same location. Can a cellular antenna go bad? if yes, can it be replaced on the iphone se 2020? Or any other things I can try? Have reset network settings, checked sim card etc a bunch of times without any improvement. THANK YOU

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Jerry Wheeler @dadibrokeit Rep: 57.8mil 124 44 90 · Answer 1 · 2023-06-26T20:00:37-07:00

Hi Conny,

Let me 'fess up that I'm not an expert on cellular antennas by any means, but I see that your description of what's going on with your phone seems to match up with the solution description for what the French site SOSav calls the External Speaker & GSM Antenna.

External speaker & GSM antenna iPhone SE (2nd Generation) repair - Free guide - SOSav

Here's their description from the guide.

Does your iPhone SE 2020 no longer make any sound? Does the sound mute when you watch a video? Doesn't it ring anymore? The sound remains weak while the volume is at maximum? And yet everything works when you call? This is because it is a separate speaker! In your case, the iPhone SE 2020 external speaker is faulty. It manages all the sound of the iPhone except calls. Also on this speaker is the GSM antenna . So if you have problems receiving 3G / 4G network, this is also the part that you should change. The experts at SOSav are there to support you throughout the maneuver through this illustrated repair guide and each step is detailed in detail to prove to you that repairing your iPhone SE 2020 is possible and economical.

That would be my first pass at fixing this problem, to replace that antenna. It's actually glued to the speaker, but is sold separately. The iPhone 8 and the SE 2020 use the same parts for both, so finding an antenna for either will work. Here's an example that came up on a cursory search; I usually start by checking eBay, Amazon and AliExpress, depending on my desired cost vs. shipping time tradeoffs.

Loud Speaker Antenna Flex Cable For Apple iPhone 8 / iPhone SE (2020) 657472789805

Don't forget to pick up a sheet of precut adhesive for sealing the display back up against water when you're done! Personally I usually buy a couple because they're easy to mess up and if they don't go on right the first time, you usually can't recover them and just end up with a tangled ball of glue. So having an extra on hand means you won't have to wait to finish your phone until you can reorder.

Good luck; let us know how it goes!

Alisha C @flannelist Rep: 32.9mil 24 35 32 · Answer 2 · 2023-06-27T04:48:28-07:00

Issues with cell service can be SO tricky to isolate because there are a lot of factors not limited to your phone. In fact on newer iPhones, where their logic board is actually two boards sandwiched together, the entire bottom board is devoted just to “Radio” functions–various cellular radios, Wifi, Bluetooth and NFC.

If a network settings reset didn’t resolve, I would want to rule out software altogether by doing a full reset, through a computer if possible (backup first if you need to since a reset will wipe all your data). I usually recommend people not restore anything from backups while trying to determine if the issue is resolved, just set up the phone with the minimum amount of stuff.

If that doesn’t resolve, then I would go for an internal inspection. See if anything looks amiss. Cellular antennas are littered all over. I don’t have a schematic to confirm, but I am pretty sure the antenna mentioned that lives on the loud speaker is the WiFi Diversity antenna, so may not have any bearing on cellular function. The charge port assembly though usually has some antenna components and there are also antennas in the upper left corner, over the end of long skinny arm of the logic board. And near the rear camera (though I believe that is usually Bluetooth).

Just giving your internals a once over may help spot issues.