When clicking on the Voicemail button, instead of hitting the Apple Visual Voicemail, the phone placed a call to Voicemail. When the icon is tapped, instead of showing the visual voicemail screen phone would place a call to voicemail. Visual voicemail appears to be functioning, nothing denotes otherwise. Panic Not! Calling Apple Tech team will reveal that similar issues have been faced by several hundreds of iPhone users.

Resolve iPhone Visual Voicemail Problem

Please run the below diagnostics before confirming the Visual Voicemail issue

Upgrade latest iOS

Use iTunes to revise your iPhone to the latest edition of iOS.

Cellular Connectivity

Ensure you have good cellular network connection. You can verify it by making and receiving phone calls.

Voice Mailbox Setup

Now try dialing your phone number from your iPhone to make sure your voice mailbox is set up properly. If this fails try resetting your network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

If the issue is still not resolved, then there is a possibility that the issue is not specific to your device. This could be due to the way your account has been set with your carrier.

Resetting your Voicemail Pin

Try resetting your voicemail pin with your carrier and then try activating the same through your phone.

For instance: If your carrier is AT&T then login to the AT&T website, choose your model. Choose to reset the voicemail option appearing on the column on the right hand side. Select submit if the website prompts you to reset the pin/password. One should receive a text saying that the password has been reset to your phone number in a text message.

Please note that the new iPhones are required to receive a voicemail or two for the visual voice mail to become active.

Call yourself from your phone. Post one ring, you’ll hear your voicemail. Leave yourself a communication. Verify the voicemail by clicking the voicemail icon. Check if it gives you the password/pin prompt If not prompted, make a few more tries. It will prompt you with the option.

(NOTE: The voicemail password is the pin with your Carrier, and NOT the password for the Apple ID. Once you enter the carrier PIN, return to the voicemail tab and the visual voicemail can be seen online.

If all fails, then in most cases, restoring the iPhone option works. At times you may encounter an error. In this case when trying to restore your phone in iTunes, you may see the following message followed by an error code 1601 or 1602: The iphone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred.

Solution: Completely remove iTunes and Apple Mobile Device support and then reinstall iTunes 7.5 or higher to reset your voice mail and you are good to go.

Perhaps, you may have experienced like many of our readers and staff members, a drop in your reception by the way you hold your iPhone 4. You may experience a bleak reception while you are using apps, browsing, emailing or while making calls. What we initially thought was that the reception had to do with the strength of the coverage area, and Apple confirmed it- that reception does get affected the way we handle the phone and touch the antenna.

The Problem: Apple’s Explanation

“Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone.”

With the earlier versions of iPhone, antenna performance remained unaffected, irrespective of the way we held it. But, with iPhone 4 the story is different.

The Solution: Apple’s Explanation

Stop Holding It Wrong

If you experience bleak reception while performing any of your favorite activities, Apple suggests that we should avoid gripping the phone from the lower left corner, and rather hold it in such a way that we cover both sides of the black strip in the metal band.

The awkward way of holding your iPhone 4 may sound uncomfortable, because the glass provided at the front and the back of the phone is extremely slippery, and we grip it at the bottom to avoid the gadget from falling out of our hands. Further, it’s easier for us to browse or sent emails, especially in landscape mode. And, this is the major cause for antenna performance.

But, the reports we’ve received so far are encouraging. The solution aptly fits the user.

Use Apple’s Bumper Case

Apple’s Bumper Case priced at $30, neatly covers the edges of your iPhone 4 including those sensitive antenna points. The case not only resolves the antenna reception challenge, but also protects the glass from breaking if your phone slips out of your hands.

The downside of using it: interference with charging the cables, and using third-party docks. Further, it spoils the gorgeous design of the iPhone4.

If you detest the idea of hiding your smartphone then the alternative options are:

Use a Third-Party Case that protects your phone and flaunts your phone’s cool design. The price ranges between $25 and $45.

You can build your own iPhone Holder- a DIY idea.

Some Whacky Pseudo Solutions

Use a Rubber band

Some of the readers vouched using a rubber band. Simply wrap it around your phone and receive proper antenna signals. Though you need to cut holes into the rubber band to charge your phone, yet this out-of-box solution does help.

Tape the Antenna Points

Our readers claim that by using small measures of tape for covering the antenna points fixed reception issues. We tried it and bingo it did work to an extent! Remember using heavy tapes like duct tapes will leave a mark on your phone. Use the lighter versions, instead.

 Nail Polish Can You Believe It!

Yes! You read it correct. You can fix the issue by dabbing the antenna points with Clear nail polish. Although a handful of readers claimed that it works. I’m doubtful. How often you need to re-paint the places after the vigorous wear and tear.

These pseudo- solutions definitely sound erratic and may not work for all of you. But, for a floating ant a leaf is a big help!

While restoring your precious iPhone with a custom firmware, if you combat error 1601, panic not, as there are millions of other users who have already experienced it, and have also discovered an easy solution to get around this error. While upgrading your iOS or any particular application on your iPhone you can often get into the problem of these common errors where it just says that your iPhone can’t be restored.

Whether, you use Windows OS or Mac OS for upgrading your phone firmware, there is a solution for killing the bug, and here’s how.

iPhone Error 1601 - The Problem

“The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred.”

If you have seen the following message splash on your iPhone screen while trying to restore your iPhone, you are experiencing iPhone Error 1601.

The Solution

Uninstall iTunes and Apple Mobile Device support from your phone and then re-install iTunes version 7.5 or higher. Please note that all your important data and files will be deleted during the process.

The Process

Step 1: Start iTunes and put your iPhone into DFU mode.

Step 2: Now, connect your device with your PC/Computer.

Step 3: Hold together for 10 seconds the “Power” and “Home” buttons.

Ste4:  Continue holding the Home button for another 10 seconds, while you release the Power button.

Step 5:  Exit iTunes and Open iREB RC3 on Windows OS.

Step 6: Select your iPhone device and wait for the red or white screen to appear on your phone. It will take a couple of seconds.

Step 7: Restart iTunes and select your phone device from the sidebar available in iTunes. Press and hold Alt/Shift button on the keyboard and then click “Restore” option in the iTunes. Once done, release the Alt/Shift button, and select the essential custom .ipsw file to restore it.

Bingo! You’ve done it! You should now be able to restore your iPhone to the latest version of the custom firmware. Hope this time it works for you!

While I was traveling to my office today, I launched the browser on my iPhone and after a few minutes, my Smartphone automatically turned off. When I turned it on my phone went straight into the recovery mode, informing me that it does not recognize the IMEI or code number. It was simply unbelievable for me and I decided to turn it off/on was. But, alas to my disappointment and horror, it displayed the same message.

So, then I decided to head back home, take a day off from the office and headed straight towards my PC for restoring my iPhone. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Gods were displeased with my fibbing, as my iPhone’s status bar ran but hung after a while, and the last written code I could read on my lovely gadget was iPhone error 1002! Eventually I sent it for repair.

Have you come across this instance?

While my baby was away, I decided to do a bit of research and this is what I learnt about iPhone Error 1002 and how to fix it.

The Problem: What is iPhone Error 1002?

iPhone Error 1002 is a baseband error. It basically means that the radio on your phone is broken and you need to replace the main logic board. This is a hardware problem, and it seems many people have been bugged by this issue, the world over.

Since, Error 1002 is a hardware problem, therefore, difficult to resolve, perhaps cannot be removed. In such a scenario, after trying the below mentioned procedure, you are unable to fix the problem then it’s best to make a warranty claim. If the warranty recently expired, simply accept the substitute of your original iPhone by paying a mutually agreed upon amount.

The Solution: Apple’s Take On it

Step 1: Download Quickpwn 2.2

Step 2: Open iTtunes, try to restore it

Step 3: Error 1002 is displayed

Step 4: Open Quickpwn

Step 5: A message should popup indicating that you must restart your iPhone

Step 6: Follow the instructions that emerge after you restart your iPhone

Step 7: When Apple boot logo appears, close Quickpwn

Now, your iPhone should normally boot up and iTunes will recognize your phone as new. It might seem like jail breaking, but at least give it a try before replacing your device or its parts.

If like me, you too own the precious creation by Steve Jobs, the iPhone, then you must have panicked to fix your Smartphone, the moment, it went static and froze, showed an empty battery status, failed to recharge, and finally displayed the ‘yellow triangle” to notify restoration is required. Worry not, as multitudes of iPhone users are trying to find a fix to the iPhone Error 1604, just like us!  So, here I am trying to help my fellow iPhone users to resolve iPhone Error 1604 restore error.

iPhone Error 1604

This is one of the common errors that users get while they are trying to restore the iPhone after getting some error while either transferring files from their laptops or charging the device via USB. iPhones normally end up in showing the yellow triangle where you are requested to restore it and subsequently it fails to restore giving the error number 1604.

In this case iPhone normally can’t provide you with any further technical details or instructions on how to fix it. So here is my attempt to get you out of the disaster.

Statutory Warning: Please note that while fixing this error you may lose all your data. Do it at your own risk.

Solution for iPhone Error 1604

Step 1: Ensure your iPhone is not connected to your computer, and iTunes app is closed. Also, you can use the previous version of iTunes, no need to install a fresh version.

Step 2:

For Windows XP Users

Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\<login with your windows username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

For Windows 7 and Vista Users

Navigate to C: Users\<login with your windows username>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Device Support

Cut and paste files from iPhone Software Updates folder to another location. If this process fails, then simply copy and paste to a new location. Performing either of the processes will enable you to copy the updates back when your phone begins to work.

Use Ctrl-Alt-Del to find your windows username. If, you cannot find the iPhone Software update files, then you are searching in an incorrect folder.

Step 3: Now, launch iTunes and start your iPhone in recovery mode.

Step 4: Proceed with the restoration process and iTunes will automatically update via online. If downgrading your iPhone to a lower version, execute step 3 and only leave your desired firmware file to be downgraded. Simply, double- click the custom firmware file for restoring and iTunes will instantly begin the process.

Hope this guide will help you fix the iPhone Error 1604. Again, this process may not work on every version of iPhone.

Here is the official Apple Support Forum for iPhone Error 1604.