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BlueMoonForever

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 2, 2012
303
16
I know its normal for iphones to rattle, but this seems excessive. When setting the phone down or moving it slowly you can hear the rattle. I have noticed this on some iPhone 5s. Why do some rattle louder than others? The camera seems to function perfectly though?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEbUyt-FURg
 

mpayne2k

macrumors 6502a
May 12, 2010
876
63
My iPhone 5 powerbutton makes a noise when moving the phone or rattle if you will. I've heard this and the mute button can sometimes rattle. If they work, then it is no issue, if they stop working then get them repaired/replaced at an Apple store.

Apparently the design of these button/switches is as such that they sit in place and can be a bit loose. I have not had any issue with the use of the button, however.
 

aaronrs7

macrumors member
Sep 20, 2012
65
0
Its most likely the camera lens. If it stops rattling then you have a problem. The auto focus broke on my iphone 4 and that's when my rattling stopped. The reason it stopped rattling is that my lens locked up and would not focus anymore. So the moral of the story is that a rattling iphone is a healthy iphone.:D
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
I went through this, also. Mine had a really audible rattling like a piece had broken off inside the device and was banging around inside the housing. It wasn't the classic camera rattle you guys are talking about. It got to the point where I could hear it pinging around inside the earpiece when on a call. Apple replaced the phone for me. A slight rattle is absolutely the auto-focus. If it's anything more than that it's probably not normal. But if it doesn't effect the way you use the phone then I suppose it's at the users discretion as far as getting it replaced goes.

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Its most likely the camera lens. If it stops rattling then you have a problem. The auto focus broke on my iphone 4 and that's when my rattling stopped. The reason it stopped rattling is that my lens locked up and would not focus anymore. So the moral of the story is that a rattling iphone is a healthy iphone.:D

Agreed. My very first 5 came with a defective auto-focus out of the box. This was the one before the rattling phone I got. Anything a few inches in front of the lens was clear, but at a distance everything was murky and blurry. A Genius deemed it a defective auto-focus mechanism. And sure enough the phone had no rattle whatsoever. Completely silent. So yes, a slight rattle due to the camera mechanism is definitely normal.
 

BlueMoonForever

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 2, 2012
303
16
Well it seems some iphone 5's have an excessive rattle in the camera lens. We can come to two conlcusions here:

1. The iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 will make a rattle noise when you tap on the camera lens itself.

2. If the phone is shaken, the rattle is audible.

Now, I have noticed that when on a call and you move the phone, the rattle can be heard (slightly). It almost seems as if something were loose in the phone.

The iPhone 5 rattle is significantly louder than the 4S rattle.
 
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