Phew... I did this repair tonight, and it worked. Everything is back to normal; my GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi are all working like new again. The flex antenna was indeed the cure, but I could not find anything visually wrong with it - it looks perfect, no apparent damage.
Thank you to IFIXIT, to @gatorflyer, @tomchai and all the contributors on this thread who gave me the confidence to do this; my first ever iPhone repair.
I followed the recommended guide carefully, it is an excellent guide. One thing I recommend is before starting get a sheet of paper and draw 2" by 2" squares on it, number each square with the steps in the guide, and the size and quantity of screws you take out in each step. Then as you proceed through the guide place those screws you remove in the marked squares so you will be able to put all the screws back exactly where they came from. Also, be sure to get the tools recommended, this repair would be impossible without them.
A word of caution: this is a tedious job; the screws are super tiny, the cables are difficult to fit back into their sockets, and you need a steady hand and a big dose of patience. The toughest part, by far, was putting on the new antenna - it has 4 little snap-in mounting points, and it is really, really hard to align and get it snapped in on the back of the logic board. That one step alone took me 15 minutes. Use a magnifier if you have one, and be sure not to drop any screws. I dropped one on my dark wood floor and it took me 10 minutes to find it.
Good luck to anyone who has this problem in the future. @AppleSupport - please fix this, you know it is a problem.
I have been experiencing this problem as well. iPhone 6 / 64GB / 2months out of warranty. Genius Bar at Apple Store provided no solution. GPS is unable to track my movement, rendering fitness tracking and turn by turn navigation impossible. However, it can pinpoint my location if I'm stationary. Bluetooth can connect and function, but only from 3-5 feet away--no further. WiFi will connect only when in same room with access point. Signal strength is very weak or nonexistent when iPhone is moved to adjacent room.
After first noticing WiFi issues, I assumed replacing the Wi-Fi Antenna ($19.95 on this site) would fix the problem. Based on the symptoms described above, it's not just the WiFi.
Is there a single part/component that is responsible for WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS signal strength? @tomchai, you seem to be hinting with steps 29 and 30 that the grounding bracket be malfunctioning or perhaps loose? Would this cause the issues I've described above?
Thank you all for your time.
by cyclonepatriot
I'm having the same issue as well. I get the "GPS cone of confusion" if I have a simple plastic case on my iPhone 6 (no metal parts in the case to cause interference).
With or without a case on, Bluetooth range is really short now. I used to be able to walk around my entire house and have my Apple Watch stay connected. Now, even half the length of my house causes the two devices to disconnect. The Bluetooth range problem is even more obvious when streaming music to a Bluetooth speaker.
(I'm out of warranty, so I don't think I'll bother taking it to the Genius Bar)
by pkennethv
@pkennethv,
I am having the same issues. Did you finally found what the cause is?
by Vasileios
No, not yet. Hoping someone will read this post who's had a similar issue and knows of a fix.
by gatorflyer
Hi All,
Same issue here, iPhone 6 out of warranty, genius bar confirmed defective but I am not willing to pay for a replacement. Surely this can fixed by a replacement part?
Any help would be great
by Z N
@Vasileios,
Sadly not much useful info for you. I eventually realized that my credit card that I had used to purchase the phone with extends the standard warranty by a year, so I took it in to the Genius Bar and got a replacement.
Genius didn't give much info either, so I wasn't able to learn anything new about the problem.
by pkennethv
See the Answer by Fei Guan below... it's worth a shot. I'll post my results here once the repair is made.
by gatorflyer
Me too. Two weeks after warranty expires I upgraded to 9.2.1 and now gps doesn't work properly. So angry. Hello Samsung.
by Keith
I have the same issue. I Tried everything without opening my mobile. Mine iphone is a 6 128Gb. Is it the same model of all dude alround here?!
by tanurefred
Same issue....iphone6
3 months out of warranty......you would think as common as this is, someone would know the fix
by Lou Dog
Tanurefred - Yes, mine is a 128GB iPhone 6. The antenna fixed the problem; working fine for 3 days now. Replaced the battery yesterday; it's like the phone is new again.
Lou Dog - Replacing the F-shaped antenna fixes the problem (at least for me and several others). Took about 1.5 hours total. Just be sure to know what screws you remove are which - hard to tell the difference between a 1.2mm and a 1.3mm screw, even with a magnifier.
by gatorflyer
just real fast have the phone been dropped or anything else replaced ?
by Nick Flor
Had the same problem. Changed the F shaped antenna. Was as nervous as the first time in bed with a girl. Two of the four connectors literaly crumbled taking it out. Now works like a new.
by guillemieux
I also just replaced the F ribbon cable and it fix the issue. It wasn't an easy task and actually had to drill out one of the tiny screws but it is fixed!
by Samuel Lakey
I had the same problem with my Iphone 6 64 GB. I had it on my rear pocket and I sat on my car to drive, so I must have bended & compressed the phone enough that I damaged the Bluetooth / GPS antenna. I bought both pieces suggested here, the square looking plastic piece (step 14 on teardown iPhone 6 Teardown) and the F cable (seen on step 17 - left side same teardown). The f-cable did it, when I took it apart I noticed one of the four snap on connectors stayed in the board and had desoldered from the cable assembly. Replaced and Bluetooth and GPS are working perfect again!
by Juan Torrejon
Hi, any solution anyone? Thanks.
by egallegosle
I have the same issue as well now. Its been almost a year with a very week GPS signal, bluetooth signal and wifi signal. I have tried everything without opening my device but nothing has worked. I am going to attempt to replace the F cable and see if that solves the issue. Does anyone know what that should cost to get the F cable replaced by an iPhone repair specialist?
by david ferber
No idea what a professional would charge the only one I attempted to contact never got back to me so I wound up doing the replacement myself. I've never done anything like this before but if you read all the comments here you'll get great advice on how to do it yourself and the part only costs about $7-10 on Amazon.
by Garcia
I agree with Garcia, David. Since Apple doesn't authorize repairs to their devices by independent entities, there's no set cost to what they would charge. If you're good with small screws, though, the repair should take about an hour. If you're not comfortable with doing the repair yourself, though, you could try contacting a repair shop and asking their hourly rate. I've seen many local repair shops offering Groupons for screen repair or discounts on service - you could start there.
by gatorflyer
I had issues with all 3 (GPS, Wifi & Bluetooth) over the last few months. The Apple store told me I probably had corrupt software and to completely wipe my phone and start as new. I did that numerous times to no avail. Today, I had the ribbon cable shown replaced. Low and behold, it cured everything...my phone is working like new! Great repair!
by williamschmidt
Hey guys same issue. GPS not working but it can pinpoint my position if I'm stationary, really weak Bluetooth, and terrible wifi reception. Please help me ;-;
by Ash Zone
+1 success story
the fix itself was pretty difficult. should have done it in the daytime i would have preferred better and smaller tools as well..
i couldn't get the screw in step 31 part 2 (the one right at the top) back in at all.. too small.. or the orange one at step 27... and the angled bracket at step 32 did not stay in tact for me.
having said that everything was snug and fixed firmly in place on completion by at the other (extremely tiny!) little screws..
i would recommend a magnifying glass to anyone with less than perfect eyes
all that said thanks so much to you all for providing the info. its so nice to have full functionality back!
apple were no use at all, the did a diagnostic check and found nothing wrong, simply tell me to restore the whole thing to factory settings. had i followed their advice i would have lost all my data; videos, photos, everything... yet still have the issues.
good luck to everyone else attempting this
by sarah
Yes. The antenna that powers the Bluetooth/GPS/Wi-Fi has been damaged or diminished. The part to replace it IS IN FACT, available for about 7-10 dollars.
by ZP Pierce
Same problems with Bluetooth and gps cone of confusion. HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO BE THE BEST OF THEM ALL IF I CANT USE MY GPS TO PLAY POKEMON GO! Replacing the gps 4.7" module hoping to fix it I will lyk if it works
by Elijah Tay
Same problem. I bought my iPhone 6 64GB at launch and I am out of warranty. However my credit card adds an extra year on top of whatever the manufacturer provides. I then went to the Genius Bar, told them my problem and that I simply need a work authorization form documenting my bluetooth and wifi problem in order to submit to my insurance. I submitted the rest of the paper work required to my insurer and they sent me a check for $299 + taxes, to reimburse me for the cost of a replacement iPhone from Apple.
by Adeola A
Same issues as others. I replaced both the Antenna and the WIFI antenna flex cable in my iPhone 6 and it worked like a charm. Apple needs to realize this as an issue and fix it. Bought the parts and repair kit on Amazon for $20....beats playing $299 for a new phone. Takes about 1.5 hours to repair and make sure to keep things separate and labeled as parts are small and could easily be mixed up. Followed the iFixIt steps to remove and replace the antenna and flex cable.
by beauvbrown
I don't know if this has been covered or not, but I just did this process, and I can say definitively that you need to BE CAREFUL about removing the 4 connectors on the wifi antenna! One of mine was tenacious and stuck to the electrical pad/board connector, and ended up ripping it off the logic board. I was lucky that I was doing my repair in a facility near a soldering iron, and I was able to resolder a connection between the exposed board trace and the new wifi antenna...if I didn't have access to a soldering iron, the whole teardown would have been a huge failure on the last step. Be careful!
by thievedrelic
Same issue here plz let me know I have a iPhone 6s Plus and out of warranty and getting a 10 mile difference in gps only works on wifi but nothing else
by colton layhew
Have the same issue with wifi and GPS. First replaced the flex cable. No improvement. Next ordered an antenna for my iPhone 6. Still no improvement after th replacement. Don't know what to do now.
by Umair Nasir
I have replaced the antenna F piece and my wifi issue is fixed, but GPS still doesn't look onto any satellites. Its ok in a wifi covered area, but outside that its gone. any other parts worth replacing?
by andy
Thank you for the solution!!! I also have a 128 iPhone 6. I replaced the F connector and now it works like it should. When I took out the old one 2 of the four connectors were basically eroded.
I'm an electronic assembly novice and was nervous to do it myself but figured I'd try anyway as the worst that would happen is a trip to Att for an insurance claim. Fortunately all went well and it was easier to reassemble than I imagined, following the guide on here.
Tips for those contemplating DIY, get the right tools off Amazon. Have plenty of light. Label the screws as you remove them. And if your eyesight is not perfect also have a magnifying glass handy.
Thank you again for the solution to this annoying problem!!
by kirsta
In my case, it's the cell signal that I lose, while wifi, bluetooth and GPS seem fine.
I did have my front glass replaced at the Apple Store about a year ago, (iPhone 6 unlocked 128GB) and did notice the sticker on the flex cable was toast.
I put a sticker of my own on it, and disconnected/reconnected the battery - and I got some signal back, but it intermittently cuts out. Anyone else find this fix corrected issues with cell signal? I'm going to give it a shot regardless.
by Jason C
GPS and Bluetooth fixed using this guide!
I too had sudden failure of bluetooth and GPS (poor signal and poor location). Apple Store wanted approx £250 for replacement handset!
I bought the antenna flex cable and a toolkit for approx £12, followed all the steps for logic board removal, and it works perfectly.
The reason you have to follow the logic board replacement is that the antenna clips into the back of the logic board.
There was no visible damage to the antenna cable, so I am pleasantly surprised my iPhone 6 now works normally.
by Barry Andrews
I had the same issue with GPS not able to locate reliably or way off. After doing all the software and hard resets without success, I brought it in to a repair shop asking them to replaced the Wifi flex cable. It worked and now GPS is now able to get an accurate fix. This is much cheaper repair than $299 that Apple offered to replace the device. With so many people having the same issue, there should be an extended coverage for this part/problem.
by zeax
Show 29 more comments