iPhone vibrate randomly

[dethklok7]

At first I thought it was just me but my phone will randomly vibrate, like as if I just got a text message but when I check my phone it will have no new notifications. It has been happening about 3 times a day and at first I thought it was just me but I'm sure it isn't at this point. My phone is always on vibrate so I don't know if it does the same when it isnt. Has this happened to anyone else?

[pismodude2]

Are you getting Emails? That might be it... Sounds like a mystery! :D

[firewood]

Could you be hitting the silent/ring switch by accident? That might cause a vibrate.

[franzmueller]

Hi

Was reading your post the other day and i could not get it out of my head , today i found the reason why the iphone vibrates randomly ...

Every time my phone changes from edge to 3G or the other way around it vibrates ...

Hope this helps..... means our iphones are ok :D

Saludos

[marvel2]

Hi

Was reading your post the other day and i could not get it out of my head , today i found the reason why the iphone vibrates randomly ...

Every time my phone changes from edge to 3G or the other way around it vibrates ...

Hope this helps..... means our iphones are ok :D

Saludos

I have been getting these random buzzes too. I will check to see if this is the problem...

[bluenoise]

Hi

Was reading your post the other day and i could not get it out of my head , today i found the reason why the iphone vibrates randomly ...

Every time my phone changes from edge to 3G or the other way around it vibrates ...

Hope this helps..... means our iphones are ok :D

Saludos

This hasn't happened to me and I've watched the phone switch between 3G and EDGE.

Have any of you with this problem seen the display when it happens or right afterward? My guess is that the silent switch is a little flaky and it is randomly popping in and out of silent mode. The display would show that, though.

[patarick]

There is a pretty simple answer for your vibrations. It's known as Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain subconsciously expects your phone to vibrate from phone calls and messages, and sometimes makes you think the phone is vibrating even though it never does. Have you ever seen the phone vibrate randomly without a call or msg while the phone was sitting on a table or something? Probably not. I know that I've personally experienced these weird vibrations dozens of times myself.

Check out this link to USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm

[fireshot91]

Mine does it to but I have an EDGE (first gen.) phone. not the 3G, and its not my mind because i don't expect phone calls/txt mssgs..i really don't lol.

[Phat_Pat]

if i dont open the phone and read a text in the sms app the phone will vibrate occasionally until its opened

[bstpierre]

There is a pretty simple answer for your vibrations. It's known as Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain subconsciously expects your phone to vibrate from phone calls and messages, and sometimes makes you think the phone is vibrating even though it never does. Have you ever seen the phone vibrate randomly without a call or msg while the phone was sitting on a table or something? Probably not. I know that I've personally experienced these weird vibrations dozens of times myself.

Check out this link to USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm

Sometimes I feel the phone vibrate in my pocket without any thing occuring that would make it happen. Sometimes the phone isn't even in my pocket when I feel it. I don't think it is a matter of expecting a message of phone call. It is probably just a random signal on the nervous system. Kind of like a twitch but of a remembered stimuli.

[mkstewartesq@co]

My phone (1st gen) does this; in my case it is just a case of the "silent" switch wearing out. I switch to vibrate a few times a day and have done so since I got the phone back in June 07. Sometimes when I switch to "vibrate" now, it vibrates once to confirm but then vibrates a few more times in a fairly random pattern as if the switch thinks it is still trying to engage, and then may vibrate a few more times during the day after that for no reason (no e-mail, no SMS).

I know it has to do with the switch going bad because sometimes flipping the switch to vibrate doesn't actually effectuate the switch, so I'm still on "sound", or sometimes, after flipping the switch, I'll see the "bell" and "no bell" symbol flash back and forth on the screen, indicating the phone thinks its being switched back and forth between "sound" and "vibrate" even though the switch is stationary.

I'm well out of warranty, so I'm just living with it.

M

[mlemonds]

There is a pretty simple answer for your vibrations. It's known as Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain subconsciously expects your phone to vibrate from phone calls and messages, and sometimes makes you think the phone is vibrating even though it never does. Have you ever seen the phone vibrate randomly without a call or msg while the phone was sitting on a table or something? Probably not. I know that I've personally experienced these weird vibrations dozens of times myself.

Check out this link to USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm

+1 happens to me all the time

[maladroit]

Happens to me too, but I've started realizing it's the silent switch. If you just kinda nudge it right like a pocket would, this happens occasionally.

[manhattanmania]

this has happened to me too, sitting on the desk, silent switch clearly not activated.

probably the same thing that causes random text alerts w/ no text message there, as has been discussed.

[dethklok7]

There is a pretty simple answer for your vibrations. It's known as Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain subconsciously expects your phone to vibrate from phone calls and messages, and sometimes makes you think the phone is vibrating even though it never does. Have you ever seen the phone vibrate randomly without a call or msg while the phone was sitting on a table or something? Probably not. I know that I've personally experienced these weird vibrations dozens of times myself.

Check out this link to USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm

I thought thats what it was at first also. I've known about that syndrome for years but sometimes my phone will be sitting on my desk and it'll do that. Also it can't be the phone switching from 3g to edge since i have the first generation. i cant really seem to pin point it to anything. its been happening less frequently but still happens probably once a day.

[KristenM]

I had the same issue with my 1G phone. I watched it one day while it vibrated in my hand and it was the silencer/ringer turning on and off even though I wasn't touching anywhere near the button. Shortly after the button stopped working completely. I just brought it to the genius bar last Friday, showed the guy, and walked out with a new phone.

[dethklok7]

I had the same issue with my 1G phone. I watched it one day while it vibrated in my hand and it was the silencer/ringer turning on and off even though I wasn't touching anywhere near the button. Shortly after the button stopped working completely. I just brought it to the genius bar last Friday, showed the guy, and walked out with a new phone.

Was your phone still under warrentee?

[KristenM]

Was your phone still under warrentee?

Yeah, it's 8 months old. Though he couldn't have checked on that until he went to type in the exchange info. He never even asked how long I have had it, just listened to what I told him and said "yep, that's a problem, we'll get you a new one" and reached behind him and started setting up the new one. He was even nice enough to pull my screen protector off my old one :)
It can't hurt to try even if you are out of warranty, especially since it seems to be a semi-common problem.

[0dev]

Sorry to bring back this very old thread, but my phone is now doing the same. I know it's not the phantom vibrate syndrome because I felt it vibrate in my hand just now while using it. No mew texts, no missed calls, no new e-mails.

[doraj]

So my phone has an issue and i'm wondering if anyone has had something similar happen to them.
This started a few days ago, everytime I answer my phone or complete a call my phone vibrates. I think it's strange because it's never happened before. I just upgraded to 3.1.2 on 2g(first gen) iphone i'm not sure if this is one of apples tricks or if there is something wrong.
Any help would be appreciated because the vibrating in my ear is annoying.

[Tourn]

Ok. Experiment for u all Set phone on silent with vibrate active. place ur thumb and finger on the front and back of ur phone in the top left corner. Now squeeze. Somehow it activates the phone in loud mode and realeasing will default it back to silent. It's hitting the switch inside the phone somehow. Phantom vibration lol!

[dontlookback82]

I am having the exact same problem when I squeeze my phone. I am going to ring up my insurance company and put it through as a fault, hopefully they'll replace my phone. Worth a try anyway!

[gobyfish04]

Ok. Experiment for u all Set phone on silent with vibrate active. place ur thumb and finger on the front and back of ur phone in the top left corner. Now squeeze. Somehow it activates the phone in loud mode and realeasing will default it back to silent. It's hitting the switch inside the phone somehow. Phantom vibration lol!

yup, squeezing anywhere near the top left corner set it off. Started about two days ago for me. My phone is only about 7 months old. going to ATT later today....

[Zyvan]

my vibrate switch BROKE OFF, and my phone still vibrates randomly. so today I went and registered for mac forum. as soon as it said GO TO YOUR EMAIL TO ACTIVATE, my phone vibrated. I checked my email and I had 1 new email from macforum. I clicked on the link and sent me back to safari. as soon as I touched there I got another vibrate.

I got a vibrate everytime I got a new email. to turn it off, go to mail and then set to "FETCH". and fetch MANUALLY. so this time, it will only load emails when you open the email app. "PUSH" loads emails everytime the server detects you receive one.

hope this helps.

[fullmanfullninj]

Only thing I can kind of suggest is that you're getting emails without knowing it.

My phone was vibrating randomly one day, and it turns out I was receiving emails.
I previously did not have edge (tmo) or any data service. Then I realized the vibrations were emails and I opened safari, went to google, made sure I was not on wifi, and it loaded.

Other than that, I can't suggest much.
Is it really a big issue if it's 3 times a day? It could be a software thing, if you are 100% certain you're not triggering the switch.
But I'm not sure it'd be worth a restore..

[cozydunt]

Hi All, this has been happening to me for a while and I checked my APP updates when it happened and there was one there so perhaps that's it? :):confused:

[cozydunt]

This has been happening to me for ages until i checked my APP updates and there was one there just after it happened, perhaps that's it? :):confused:

[angemon89]

My iPhone vibrates in my pocket randomly, but it's because I put pressure on it. When in silent mode, if I squeeze the top left of my phone it vibrates. Pretty weird. But I'm out of warranty so nothing I can do.

[goughrmak]

There is a pretty simple answer for your vibrations. It's known as Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain subconsciously expects your phone to vibrate from phone calls and messages, and sometimes makes you think the phone is vibrating even though it never does. Have you ever seen the phone vibrate randomly without a call or msg while the phone was sitting on a table or something? Probably not. I know that I've personally experienced these weird vibrations dozens of times myself.

Check out this link to USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm

I fully understand this concept because it happens to me a lot. BUT, my 3GS was just sitting on my desk not plugged in, and it vibrated. When I checked it, there was no new message anywhere. It does happen several times a day with no explanation.

[androiphone]

I fully understand this concept because it happens to me a lot. BUT, my 3GS was just sitting on my desk not plugged in, and it vibrated. When I checked it, there was no new message anywhere. It does happen several times a day with no explanation.

perhaps youve got a dodgy silent switch that keeps switching between silent and not silent?

[atpark333]

I had the same problem and it was driving me crazy. On closer inspection of the switch, I noticed some dirt and lint build up between the switch and the iPhone case. After thoroughly cleaning this out, the random vibrating stopped. The switch is still sensitive in the off position but it only vibrates when pressure is applied.

[Ajarema]

I've had the iPhone 3GS for over a year now and never had a single problem with It until now. It started a few weeks ago when I noticed my phone would vibrate while sitting on the table next to me and when I go to check there's no text or call OR email, nothing. As the days went on it started to get worse and it vibrates now whenever it wants to. I have literally been typing a text to someone and with my hand away from the switch the icon for ringer on and ringer off goes off and on with the vibrate. Just this morning As I'm lying in bed with my iPhone next to pillow like i always do, I could feel the vibrate go off and on about 25 times in a minute. Personally I think it's just a loose wire in the hard drive or something but it is NOT phantom whatever you said. Yes we all expect texts and assume our phone goes off BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE. You probably have an error internally on your phone. I would highly recommend getting it looked at. Thanks!

[sdirghalli]

I have read through this forum and I am having this same problem with my iPhone4. I am certain that it vibrates...I can see/feel/hear it (it's on my desk), I verify that there are no new messages (SMS/email/notifications) or app updates, and I am sure that it is not an issue with the silent switch. The other issue I am having is that sometimes when I receive emails, I get two vibrations and other times only one. Anyone have any insight? Thanks.

[crawfish963]

At first I thought it was just me but my phone will randomly vibrate, like as if I just got a text message but when I check my phone it will have no new notifications. It has been happening about 3 times a day and at first I thought it was just me but I'm sure it isn't at this point. My phone is always on vibrate so I don't know if it does the same when it isnt. Has this happened to anyone else?

My friend's iPhone did the same thing. The switch was coming loose and eventually became completely loose. It was a 3G.

[simondowsett0]

i have a 3gs and when i squeeze the phone by the ear piece it vibrates whn i let go. nothing to do with notifications or alerts

[DaMan05]

This happened to me today as well! I was in an interview and twice there were instances where my iPhone 4 (4.1, limra1n jb, lockinfo) vibrated for milliseconds multiple times. Meaning within about 10 seconds, the phone vibrated about 3 times for very very short durations.

I have idea why this happened. It wasn't phantom syndrome, I get that all the time. The phone was fully pressed into my leg and I felt it completely...

Weird.

Haven't been able to replicate it with squeezes or network changes. I also have a perfectly working vibrate switch. And we all know the iPhone 4's is much more stiff and robust than previous gens.

[halo loard1]

i have a very similar problem with my one year old 3gs. this just started happening within 2 days of this and i have never had anythng wrong with my iphone before. so what is happening is that when the iphone's vibrate switch is on (you can see the red dot and it is muted) it does the normal vibrate once to let you know that it is on mute. but with the slightest movement of the switch it will switch really really fast between muted and un muted. showing the icon on the screen and vibrating. when this happens the switch is only moved about one milimeter and is not nearly colse enough to switch back to the unmuted mode. there is no dirt in the switch and everything else is fine. but this happens constantly when it is in my pocket or wherever it moves even a little bit. if anybody has a fix for this it would be much appriceated.

[DaMan05]

i have a very similar problem with my one year old 3gs. this just started happening within 2 days of this and i have never had anythng wrong with my iphone before. so what is happening is that when the iphone's vibrate switch is on (you can see the red dot and it is muted) it does the normal vibrate once to let you know that it is on mute. but with the slightest movement of the switch it will switch really really fast between muted and un muted. showing the icon on the screen and vibrating. when this happens the switch is only moved about one milimeter and is not nearly colse enough to switch back to the unmuted mode. there is no dirt in the switch and everything else is fine. but this happens constantly when it is in my pocket or wherever it moves even a little bit. if anybody has a fix for this it would be much appriceated.

Sounds like a straight hardware problem to me. Not much we can do.

[brayhite]

My iPhone 4 does this randomly. I will be sitting across the room, hear it vibrate and see it light up, yet I have no emails, messages, notifications, etc.

[DaMan05]

My iPhone 4 does this randomly. I will be sitting across the room, hear it vibrate and see it light up, yet I have no emails, messages, notifications, etc.

Check if you have any badges. Remember that apps can vibrate, make noise, set a badge or a popup. With any combination of those or just one of them.

For example, my Mint alerts just make the Tri-tone sound with a badge yet no notification. It's pretty annoying, I would like a notification to know what the sound is for.

[snarkies]

I got the same thing today. I really thought what the heck.. it vibrates, but the screen is still black.
It was because I turned automatic email fetching every 15 minutes on and it received an email. :o

I thought I go crazy. :rolleyes:

[oplix]

I think it has to do with notifications. Maybe facebook app?

[naughto]

Hi guys,

I have had the same thing happening. Driving me mad! upon reading this forum I have found that mine vibrates when i squeeze the top left area and release. This only happens when it's on silent. not when it's set to loud despite it being set to vibrate during loud settings. Very weird and if someone came to a solution it would be much appreciated!

Until now my iPhone 3gs has been completely fine save for a small ammount of dust behind the screen.

Cheers

[psimpson232]

Hi,

I noticed this on my new iPhone 4S 16GB. I was a little confused at first as like you said there were no indications of any messages. Found out it was the sub folders from my secondary work email that were causing the alert. No red circle in the top right of the email icon appeared which :apple: should look into.

Hope this helps!

p.s. My work email runs through the Microsoft Exchange.

[ryanr3]

Hi psimpson,

This sounds exactly like the issue I'm currently having. I just set up my email account, using Microsoft Exchange, and the random vibrating without notifications started happening.

Were you able to fix it so that it wouldnt randomly vibrate anymore?


Hi,

I noticed this on my new iPhone 4S 16GB. I was a little confused at first as like you said there were no indications of any messages. Found out it was the sub folders from my secondary work email that were causing the alert. No red circle in the top right of the email icon appeared which :apple: should look into.

Hope this helps!

p.s. My work email runs through the Microsoft Exchange.

[aoifeee]

This happened to me but it was due to the Reddit app running in the background. When using the app if you shake the phone it goes to a new page and also vibrates. This was also happening when the phone was in my pocket.

[blovely]

...I am not kidding. It happens once or twice in the middle of the night--my iPhone 4 howls like a wolf or makes a strange crackling sound when I'm not even touching it. It'll just be sitting there on the nightstand.

My boyfriend has heard it, too. It jerks him awake sometimes.

It's quite fun, except while trying to get a good night's sleep anyone else experiencing this?

It seems like a virus...

[kapside]

hi guys,
I solved this random vibration thing on my 3gs by cleaning both the external and internal side of the switch. I don't know if it's the same problem for all models, my iphone was vibrating a lot randomly, when i had it in my pocket, when i was talking or writing, often when i put it down somewhere.

Cleaning the outside is easy, to clean the inside part i went on ifix.com and found the instruction to open it, you just need to remove the bottom screws and a couple of connectors to separate the screen, then with something small and sharp (and a good light, otherwise you'll go mad like me) i removed all the dirt that i could from underneath the inside part of the switch. i couldn't remove it all since it was really packed with dust, i wasn't surprised the switch wasn't working, but what i did was enough to solve the problem for me. you can also be more accurate if you want, but you need to unmount almost all the internal parts of the iphone to be able to reach and remove the swich in order to clean it completely.. anyway, hope this may help someone, that vrrr was driving me mad!

[mastsethi]

Lol! That is funny.