I have owned my Note 3 since November of 2013. From that point until the KitKat update it was just rock solid with reception. I had great reception inside buildings and in most of the places I frequented. Since that fateful day in May that I updated to KitKat it has been nothing but trouble. I have performed two factory resets, spoken to Verizon tech support (who acknowledged there are some issues with the KitKat version as maybe not being ready for prime time), and frequently have to either reboot the phone or go into and out of airplane mode to resolve signal issues. (The weak signal also leads to battery death because the phone is always upping the gain and trying to poll for a signal) The biggest frustration is that nothing has changed from my vantage point, except the KitKat update. I go to the same places, I go into the same rooms, I travel the same roads, all places where signals, although sometimes perhaps weak by the meter, existed. Now, same places give me the no network, circle with a line, etc. Since the hardware is the same and I assume Verizon hasn't made any major changes to its tower coverage in my area, I must assume its the phone. I have done comparisons with other Verizon phones, such as my work phone, and the other phones always have adequate signal. The difference, they are on Jelly Bean or are non-Android. Some are 3G and some are 4G LTE, but the story is always the same acceptable signal, either 3G or 4G LTE. I did do a signal comparison to a friends S5 with KitKat and it was very similar signal loss/strength to my Note 3 so again I am not ready to blame hardware.
What's the scoop Verizon? Is there a known issue with KitKat and signal acquisition? I LOVE my Note 3 and Android, but I'm feeling like maybe I should go back to the iPhone. My wife has an iPhone 5C from Verizon and her signal quality/strength always beats mine, hands down. Her phone connects in places where mine says 'No Network'.
Thanks,
mark
