Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
I just did this test on mine, and all I hear is the power button. I place a finger on the power button and do the test, and no rattle at all.

does your auto-focus function properly? For this to work a lens is controlled by a magnet and moves ever-so-slightly when called upon to do so. When not in use, it just sits there and can move about freely. If it doesn't make ANY noise, I would wonder if it's able to move about freely enough to function properly.
 

cRuNcHiE

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2007
778
46
Lesson of the day

Products with moving parts, e.g motors, speakers, autofocus camera lens and buttons will RATTLE if you shake them.

This is NORMAL.



Tomorrows lesson is titled 'How can i make myself accept that Apple Maps really is rubbish and stop living the lie'
 

aquadisiac

macrumors 6502
Apr 25, 2009
421
1
US
sorry to be a stickler... do you mean "HOME" button as in the round button at the bottom of the phone or do you mean "sleep/wake" as in the button that sits on top of the phone?

The HOME button at the bottom should be firm from my experience. I've seen more loose sleep/wake buttons however.

Im talking about the round button. It seems firm but there's def a rattling sound coming from there when i shake it :(
 

boxster99t

macrumors member
Jun 23, 2010
85
0
OK, so my 64GB black (Apple pre-order) rattles ever so slightly and to be honest, if I hadn't seen this thread, I would never have known it did (because I would never hear it under normal usage, when not specifically checking for it). If it bugs you, take it back, I guess. Mine--don't know it it's normal, but I'm OK with mine as is.
 

lilo777

macrumors 603
Nov 25, 2009
5,144
0
Products with moving parts, e.g motors, speakers, autofocus camera lens and buttons will RATTLE if you shake them.

This is NORMAL.



Tomorrows lesson is titled 'How can i make myself accept that Apple Maps really is rubbish and stop living the lie'

Out of curiosity, I just tried to shake my Galaxy Nexus. I hear nothing. Is that normal?
 

cRuNcHiE

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2007
778
46
Out of curiosity, I just tried to shake my Galaxy Nexus. I hear nothing. Is that normal?

No, get your hearing tested. I'm guessing you're over 30 and/or use in-ear headphones/ear buds.

EDIT: Nexus is plastic and doesnt have a home button so less to rattle and not so noticeable like metal.
 
Last edited:

Cali3350

macrumors regular
Feb 16, 2009
249
0
Products with moving parts, e.g motors, speakers, autofocus camera lens and buttons will RATTLE if you shake them.

This is NORMAL.



Tomorrows lesson is titled 'How can i make myself accept that Apple Maps really is rubbish and stop living the lie'

The issue is the amount. My Fiancee's rattles much much much less than my own. I hear mine just by bringing the phone up to my head. And its not a 'thud' like a loose battery or anything, its a camera ticke tickle rattle... but its quite loud.
 

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
Im talking about the round button. It seems firm but there's def a rattling sound coming from there when i shake it :(

meh. Personally, it's up to you to return or not. I haven't had a loose home button so I can't attest to the longevity of something in that shape.

OK, so my 64GB black (Apple pre-order) rattles ever so slightly and to be honest, if I hadn't seen this thread, I would never have known it did (because I would never hear it under normal usage, when not specifically checking for it). If it bugs you, take it back, I guess. Mine--don't know it it's normal, but I'm OK with mine as is.

Right. And I'm sure if I hadn't noticed it overboard on my first 4s, I would have never thought to check. After noticing it on my 4s, I now notice it on every device I touch.

----------

Out of curiosity, I just tried to shake my Galaxy Nexus. I hear nothing. Is that normal?

Let's also get something else straight:

Shaking the phone should NOT produce a rattle. You HAVE to TAP the back near the camera or possibly just when you set it down. I can shake my phone all day and not hear anything.

it's a marble-like clanking when you TAP it or if I set it down on the table a certain way.
 

cRuNcHiE

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2007
778
46
The issue is the amount. My Fiancee's rattles much much much less than my own. I hear mine just by bringing the phone up to my head. And its not a 'thud' like a loose battery or anything, its a camera ticke tickle rattle... but its quite loud.

Do they both have cases on? different cases? no case? Also like i said about the motor, The more the vibration motor is used, the more likely things will work slightly loose or make noise.

Also heat could be a factor. are the phones the same temp? do you game on it more so it heats up more? So many factors to consider.

Maybe you use your vibrator more.ahem lol
 

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
But I can hear rattle in iPhone 5. Maybe I should check my hearing for that too?

ignoring the brashness of the guy above... do you legitimately hear a rattle when you shake your iphone 5?

do you hear it if you apply slight pressure to the sleep/wake and the vol+/vol- buttons and then shake it?

How about if you mute those buttons by lightly touching them then tap the back under the camera?

Doing a few different tests should narrow down where it's coming from. Again, I can shake my phone all day long and don't hear anything. It's ONLY when I set it down on the table, face up, (on a tuesday in the rain) lol OK, I had to add that last part cause it sounds like we're splitting hairs here but I and I'm sure others really want to know if this is something we should be concerned about and at the very least, would like to discuss.
 

cRuNcHiE

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2007
778
46
Let's also get something else straight:

Shaking the phone should NOT produce a rattle. You HAVE to TAP the back near the camera or possibly just when you set it down. I can shake my phone all day and not hear anything.

it's a marble-like clanking when you TAP it or if I set it down on the table a certain way.

My money is on the camera lens. The 4s makes the exact same marble like 'chink'

If you fire up the camera app and tap to focus in different places while tapping , the 'rattle' stops occasionally while it is obtaining focus.

Other noise could just mean the motor is stopped in a different position.
 

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
The issue is the amount. My Fiancee's rattles much much much less than my own. I hear mine just by bringing the phone up to my head. And its not a 'thud' like a loose battery or anything, its a camera ticke tickle rattle... but its quite loud.

BINGO!

This is really the only question I personally have. "HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?" or "What's the tolerance on this?". If you call Apple, you'll get whatever answer. I called last year about my 4s and they said it shouldn't be making any noise. They obviously were on the other end of the phone so they can't hear/see it in person. For all they know, there was a screw loose in there. Experience and hands-on time with these things tells me that it is "normal" I'm just trying to gauge "to what extent".
 

Nicolas4ever

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2010
710
1
every iPhone i owned does it, but i can hear it only if i am really close to the camera lens, i mean really lol, it's normal RELAX:D
 

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
My money is on the camera lens. The 4s makes the exact same marble like 'chink'

If you fire up the camera app and tap to focus in different places while tapping , the 'rattle' stops occasionally while it is obtaining focus.

Other noise could just mean the motor is stopped in a different position.

Oh, I'm 100% certain it's the camera lens. I've done the focus test and I've heard it on my 4s for the last year. I think we're more trying to figure out what the tolerance is and if we're within spec
 

cRuNcHiE

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2007
778
46
Oh, I'm 100% certain it's the camera lens. I've done the focus test and I've heard it on my 4s for the last year. I think we're more trying to figure out what the tolerance is and if we're within spec

Maybe the camera modules are different in different batches. not impossible.

I really think this is a non-issue. Enjoy your phone, If it breaks or gets worse then it will be in warranty and you'll get a later production without the fault ( If any)
 

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
until there is some sort of official clarification, who knows for sure if the 'rattle' SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be present?

Who are we looking to for official clarification? Apple? They will stay as quiet as possible about EVERYTHING because any time they admit something is not right or out of spec (notice I did not use the word "wrong"), it brings it to the attention of people who wouldn't otherwise have noticed and it costs them money. Here's some reference that is NON iPhone specific... Heck, this is NON cellphone specific:


http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=13920718&postcount=4

http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2012/06/sigma-30mm-f28-it-rattles.html

You can feel that something is loose when tilting the lens forwards and backwards. I guess that the focus unit inside the Sigma 30mm lens is loose, to enable quick focusing. When the lens is "active", the rattle disappears.

http://www.mu-43.com/f38/rattling-sound-lens-12645

p.2 quote:
many many lenses exhibit it. The manufacturer can have a stiffer/more damped zoom ring or a mechanical lock to prevent it, but many cheaper lenses (like the 45-200) forgo that extra expense

http://www.talknex.com/f11/sigma-30-2-8-rattle-895/

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120412203413AASehob


short reserch says that sony and maybe optivision made cameras for the 4s models... not sure if that still holds true for the 5...
 

mcmanus7

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2008
708
87
My 3GS did this, my 4 did this, I know of 5 iPhone 4S's that did this and both of the 5's that I have in my possession do this.

I will note that I did have a iPhone 4 that the sleep/wake button was clearly rattling/lose that is not normal.

IMO it is a non-issue. I'd say there is a higher likelihood that your replacement will have a worse defect then a rattle that isn't even a defect.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.