How often do iPhones make unintended calls from one’s pocket or phone holder? How often do they take photos of the inside of pockets, and do similar things? How awkward is it to somehow lock the phone before shoving it into a pocket?
All you do to lock it is to press one button, so it’s very easy. I’ve made inadvertent calls before with one, but only when I forgot to lock it, then put my hand in my pocket.
In the settings menu, there’s an option to set the auto-lock for 1-5 minutes of idle time (or never). After that time, the screen goes blank, and to unlock it, you have to press the Home button, then swipe from left to right on the bottom of the screen - there’s a graphic on the screen that shows you the “unlock slider.”
So if you set it to a 1 minute auto-lock, it’s pretty hard to butt-dial.
Auto lock? Do most people put their phones away while they’re still on? I’m either actively using my phone, or it’s locked.
I press the button to lock it before I put it in my pocket, and have never made an inadvertent butt-call or taken an unexpected picture or anything like that. It’s pretty well fool-proof.
Sure, I forget sometimes, so the auto-lock is a nice backup.
Never once has it happened to me.
It would be hard to butt-dial for the reasons listed above. But lots of times I have selected a name from my Recent Calls list thinking it would open their contact info or call time, and it calls them back instead.
I wear mine on a holster on my belt like you’re supposed to.
No butt calls, no strange pictures. We get a butt call from our stepdaughter two or three times a month. At least we know she’s still alive. 
As dictated by the international iphone fashion standards committee?? 
Wow. Nice. So, do I buy my way out of my current contract, or wait a year to get one? Decisions, decisions…
I have an LG “envy” phone (not sure what cute spelling it is written in), and it does things like this every single day in my pocket, or shuts itself off. I went to the Verizon store seeking solutions, and asked about holsters. The sales guy pulled his own phone out - my exact model, down to the color - and said none of them really help, and he hasn’t found a way of fixing this problem. But I bought a holster anyway, and it didn’t help.
I was thinking of patenting the idea of putting the buttons all on the inside of a cell phone that opens. Every time I get a new phones, I ask for two things: this, and a seconds display in the time. Every time, they tell me they do not have any phones with either feature, let alone both. I figured I could cite these experiences in a patent application as evidence of a longfelt need, and proof of the nonobviousness of not putting the buttons on the outside. I could also cite the frequent use of the term “butt call”. Seriously, I think putting buttons on the outside of a phone that has an inside has gone beyond the realm of product features and entered well into the realm of cause for discipline.
If you want, you can do a “compromise” of these two options and see if Verizon will give you a discount if you buy a new Android phone. (iPhone is only on AT&T right now.) Often, if you threaten to leave unless you get a discount, and you are within a year of when you normally get it, they might cave…I stress the word “might.”
Android OS has a lot in common with iPhone, and will work in regards to not “butt dialing.” It also has a lock screen that requires you to slide either up, down, across, or input a code depending on the brand/model/how you set it up.
Yep. There’s not much functional difference between the iPhone and an Android phone. The iPhone is a little more polished, but I’ve been extremely happy with my HTC Incredible, and the EVO 4G is supposed to be even better.
Aren’t all of the touchscreen phone capacitive, meaning they only respond to flesh?
Like my iPhone, even if the phone is unlocked and the phone app is open to the numeric keypad screen, it is highly unlikely it would ever inadvertently dial so long as it didn’t touch any flesh.
Basically, if it’s touchscreen with no physical buttons then you should be alright.
locked, and then powered down except for when the phone rings … if it is out of my pocket I am either reading an ebook, using the browser, using the GPS or calling someone. [droid user not i phone, but same principal]
I bought a nice case for mine, so it protects the screen while it is in my pocket/purse.
We talking just smartphones here? Because there are tons of flipphones that have all (or almost all, maybe just the volume button or something) the buttons on the inside. Haven’t checked the stock in the states for awhile, so maybe things have changed, but are there really none left? Like the razr, remember that style?
I’m talkiing phones with a hinge or slide, to expose more surfaces when you want to use it. I guess those are called “flipphones”, right? For me, the larger flat phone that does not open (or maybe I should say “is always open”) would be a new category, though I’m inclined to go that way.
Ooooh, a related question for iPhone users: do you ever find you accidentally hit the touch screen with your cheek? I have to use speakerphone and hold it away from my face, or else a part of my cheek will touch it and inevitably hang up on the person or hit mute so I’m talking away and they aren’t responding and then I end the call to call them back and it turns out it was my problem.
Even when I clicky the top button to make the touch screen deactivate it happens. My fat cheeks have the power to disconnect iPhones everywhere!
This results in me calling my mom while I’m cooking and singing little songs about what I’m doing over the speakerphone. ‘Little pasta, little pasta, go in the the pot! Little pasta, little pasta, boil to the top!’
Nope - because the iPhone has a proximity sensor near the earpiece, and disables the touchscreen. By holding it away from your face, you’re actually increasing the chances of having that happen.
I’ve heard owners of the iPhone 4 complain that the sensor doesn’t work well. I haven’t had any issue with my 3GS.