Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Rattling iPhone SE's lock/power buttons. An old flaw reinvented?
- Thread starter 0087215
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yea it's normal and tbh it hasn't bothered me in the slightest. Still the best small phone in existence!
So the 64gb I just bought has the rattling button, but if i press on it gently and shake the camera - no noise at all. So, different behaviour than the 16 I just traded in.
Unfortunate. It's always a toss up with any replacement/exchange. I'm always a little afraid of what I'll get from the lottery. My iPhone 6S has been the most faultless iPhone I've had yet. I had to have my iPhone 5 replaced because of a non-responsive sleep/wake button. My 1st iPhone 6 was exchanged because the silent switch was very loose. The iPhone, iPhone 4 and iPhone 6S have been the most reliable ones I've had yet.
That's why I have ordered 2, to increase my odds
On a sidenote, would it have killed Apple to just fit a tiny rubber gasket around the button?
1. It would silence the rattle.
2. It would have the side effect of ever so slightly stopping water ingress.
....but then I guess that sliver of rubber would have cut into their dwindling profits.
And there's the difference between Steve Job's Apple and Tim Cook's Apple.
I would not say it is entirely true. iPhone 6 and 6S released under Tim Cook do have these rubber gaskets in lock buttons making them silent and making phones much better resistant against water. I would love to see the same design of the buttons in the SE model.
Which makes it all the more infuriating, relatively speaking of course as this is just a phone, that the SE ships without one.
I'm honestly thinking of just cancelling my order and picking up a second hand 6S. Guess I could get used to the size.
I have ordered an SE and am waiting for it to arrive. I guess I can live with the rattling lock button, I would not be able to live with dust getting under the screen of the 6S and its ugly protruding camera. It is more important for me to have a cheaper SE with better battery life than the 6S (also considering that in September an iPhone 7 will replace the 6S).
This is exactly the kind of greed that makes me hate corporatism. Trying to squeeze every single penny of profit out of every product. This is where a COO running a company thinks mainly about margins and market penetration with products. There's a big difference in the mentality that a COO needs versus a CEO. One needs to be cautious and safe. The other needs to innovative and bold/risky.
Only if the power button was not on the side. I hate the power button the side, it never worked well for me.
I'm still thinking about trying another SE, but I think I'm going to wait until stock levels catch up. That way, if the next one has more issues, I can immediately exchange it.
I know this is not about the sleep/wake button, but is the consensus now that the SE has a warmer display across the board and is normal for the phone? Is it just because it's a different screen technology used?
I know this is not about the sleep/wake button, but is the consensus now that the SE has a warmer display across the board and is normal for the phone? Is it just because it's a different screen technology used?
I think the majority of SE screens appear to be on the warmer side. It is a non-issue for me: it is a matter of personal preference.
Coming back to our discussion about rattling sleep/wake buttons, yesterday I realised that Apple had intentionally designed these buttons in such a way.
Do you remember the wide-spread issue with the iPhone 5 after its release? https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/
Sleep/wake buttons stopped working, were too stiff or stuck and could not be pressed. Apple even launched a replacement/repair program back then as a result of too many complaints. This issue was solved in the later versions of the 5 and the 5S that - guess what - had these rattling buttons. As already suggested by someone, it is all part of the design and it aims at preventing much larger problems with the buttons.
What I am trying to say, is that maybe it is a good thing sleep/wake buttons (or power buttons) rattle and that all SEs will have this "feature".
Last edited:
Uh oh....the Apple goons have got to 0087215!
What did they offer you!?!?! A gasket for your power button!?
Uh oh....the Apple goons have got to 0087215!
What did they offer you!?!?! A gasket for your power button!?
Haha... Unfortunately (or fortunately), "they" didn't offer me anything.
I was just trying to figure out why Apple's 5, 5S and SE models have these rattling buttons... and here you go. There certainly must be a reason for that.
It seems to be a wonderful phone and it makes me happy to read positive reactions/reviews of SE owners. At the moment, those who want to have the greatest/fastest Apple phone have not too many options:
(1) SE with its rattling sleep/wake buttons and (2) 6S/6S Plus with screens that are not well-sealed and accumulate dust over time and protruding cameras.
I have made my decision in favor of the first option. (also considering the price and size of the SE)
No, while I can get behind a discussion that its a manufacturing variable, I think its a stretch to say that apple did this intentionally. As I've said a few times, I'm not worked up over it's definitely not a design feature
What would be your arguments to defend the position that it is not a design choice made by Apple? You are quite certain about that if you say that it is definitely not a feature.
It seems that most SE owners do have rattling power buttons and even our modest poll indicates that there are more than 50% of SE owners experiencing this phenomenon.
I think it's just cost savings. They decided it didn't cause a problem, and so they don't put much time or effort into checking the phones for this issue. Careful with statistics. They usually say more than one thing, and they can be tricky. The flip side to the 50% is also true. That means, using that figure, that 50% of people do NOT have a rattling button. Kinda makes one wonder...if it is a design choice, 50% of people, either way, got a phone with a small defect... Just sayin...
Common sense, I guess.
Rattling of a component is not a feature that one looks for in premium products. Can you imagine if something was rattling in a rolex watch? The people who spend thousands of dollars would not be so forgiving if they were told that rattle was a design feature.
Just look at this thread as evidence, 9 pages many posters are upset.
Finally, the fix for the rattle is rather simple, a gasket.
Thanks for your input, guys. I appreciate your comments, but still think that our limited access to complete statistical data about rattling buttons and comparisons with watches are not very helpful in this regard. Yes, my Swiss watches do not rattle but there are many smartphones out there that implement similar designs and have these slightly moving buttons. (Don't forget that these are not A9 chips or batteries moving inside - that would be a disaster)
It would be so great to hear the actual designers/tech experts who used their knowledge, expertise and skills to create these phones, but they will of course never share their thoughts with us and at this moment we should decide for ourselves what to do: to buy the SE, the 6/6S/Plus or maybe a sturdy Galaxy 7.
It would be so great to hear the actual designers/tech experts who used their knowledge, expertise and skills to create these phones, but they will of course never share their thoughts with us and at this moment we should decide for ourselves what to do: to buy the SE, the 6/6S/Plus or maybe a sturdy Galaxy 7.
I actually found that most of the buttons rattle a little bit when shaking the phone but they are not the problem when the phone vibrates that makes the rattling sound. I found the rattling sound is coming from under the screen. If I press down slightly on the the top of the screen, near the earpiece and flip the silent button to make the phone vibrate, the rattling sound goes away....
My 5s does not rattle at all, i love the built quality of the 5s( silver one ) i got the SE gold 64gb on launch day and that thing feels so cheap, i lay the phone in the table and it sounds like all the pieces inside the phone are coming appart. And lets not talk when it vibrates. Im paying 500 dollars for a phone, not for a toyRUs phone. So i returned yesterday. Gonna wait till they are back in stock and try again.