All one would ordinarily do to check call strength is look at the home screen. For me the dialpad is a very infrequently used app, and I rarely use it to make c

All one would ordinarily do to check call strength is look at the home screen. For me the dialpad is a very infrequently used app, and I rarely use it to make calls. In any case, why are you so hostile to the idea that Apple was being intentionally malicious? If I were trying to discredit a competitor's product, I too would choose the most unattractive space I could to highlight it. Given that the signal strength is shown in most apps, you certainly have a wide choice.