Sounds like somthins loose... is it normal?

I've noticed this as well. When set to "silent" the switch rattles ever so slightly. Did the 3G do this as well? Seems like a pretty minor defect anyway, I wouldn't bother getting it replaced unless I also had something else wrong.

It's the silencer switch making that noise. That is normal on the 3Gs. It is annoying, but it's the way it is. They will not replace that for you. Whatever change they made to loosen it up a bit so that they don't break off (a known problem on the previous iPhones) also made them less secure and they rattle a bit when you move the iPhone. But that is the new normal. Several reviews have also mentioned this.

It clearly is the switch, though I have a faint rattling also when the switch is in the 'normal' position - but it is much much worse when in the 'silent' position.

But is this the norm? Or should I take mine back?

I believe you're referring to this thread: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1541784

I do believe the rattle is coming from the autofocus system. If you look at the lens itself while it is focusing, you can see that the part actually moves. That being said, I assume that this part also moves when the device is shaken or put down.

If this is any comfort to anyone here; My cell phone from work (a windows mobile pda) rattles by the camera lens; My wife's Blackberry 8900 rattles by the camera lens; My own 8900 which has now been replaced by the iPhone 3GS also rattles by the lens....my own conclusion; This seems to be caused by the camera lens, and I will believe it until Apple releases anything to contradict this. Should it fail, Warranty should cover.

My 3G S definitely makes noise, and it definitely blows. I'm not sure I would classify it as a rattle ... more of a cheap, hollow rattling sound. 😉

There is no sound whatsoever when I shake the phone vigorously, it is when I put it down on a harder surface that I can hear it ... it's worse than nails on a chalkboard.

I don't have a case for mine, so I am always putting my phone face up on soft-cover books or note pads at my desk. If I put it down screen-side down, there is no noise. The hard brick thud of my 3G has been replaced with something else.

Tapping the back does seem to indicate the source of the issue is the camera lens, but at times I think the whole top of the phone rattles ... the bottom is the usual Apple iPod brick sound. Holding in the buttons or changing the vibrate switch position does nothing to change this sound emanating from the coolest phone I ever had.

This is most annoying and I hope Apple rewards the early adopters by rectifying this situation, and truly considering these phones defective.

Mine rattles too. It's the camera focus mechanism. You can tell if you continuously tap on the upper back while tapping the screen to focus the camera…you will hear the rattle briefly stop while the camera is focusing.

I have the infamous rattle noise as well on my new 3GS. For everyone having the rattle noice apply pressure to the silent switch with your finger and shake the phone...does it go away? If so, mystery solved it's the silent switch...*no big deal!*

If anyone does that please post your findings.

I am 100% positive this is the cause on my phone and I would assume it is the cause of a high percentage of those rattles out there...good luck.

Message was edited by: MChezz

Well, as I am not as concerned as many others about this rattle thing (it doesn't bother me), I have done the tests that people have mentioned and deducted that the rattle is definately coming from the camera auto-focus. When tapping near the top, you hear it. When tapping near the bottom you don't. When tapping near the top when focusing it stops breifly. Huh, I have been having problems with the camera on this phone and actually have been posting in the "Blurry photos" thread. When talking to one of the guys at the Genius Bar, he said he was absolutely, positively, sure that the autofocus was purely digital and there was no mechanical focus device in the camera. I thought that sounded a little strange, but I figured he knew more than I did, so I accepted his answer. I've lost a little faith in the "so called" genius's at Apple. I checked it out myself and I saw the focus mechanism move. I am 99.9% sure the rattling is from the autofocus in the camera. They really screwed up with this camera. I really wish I had the old 3G camera in this phone (it took better pics and is probably less prone to failure later down the road because it doesn't contain moving parts).

CptnMorgan, did you try to hold down the silent switch?

I did some research on the 3GS camera and I could not find any information on the exact camera used in the iPhone. However, I did find one site that broke a cellphone size autofocus camera down and you could clearly see the mechanical parts that I could image would rattle slightly when shaken.

Same here in both of mine. Went to the local Apple Store and everyone there rattles. It could be a manufacturing problem

When I got my first G5 Tower they had a build problem whereas they did not install a rubber spacer on the DVD. It rattled too.

Anyway, since I get new iphones every year I will only have to deal with it for 11 more months.

Same issue here. My G3 never used to do this....so I'm guessing it's either the compass parts or new camera parts. It's not the silencer lock because if I hold it I still here it. The best way to hear it is to let the iphone gingerly flop onto a hard surface. Another is to lightly tap the iPhone on the back towards the top. In fact when it's in silent ode and vibrates I can hear it too.

16GB Black iPhone 3GS - Same rattle as everyone else. Several of my friends have the 3G and it does not make this noise. I have had no problems with my phone from a functional standpoint, however, I am concerned that over time, with daily use, the part inside that is vibrating against something will finally give out. Hopefully Apple will investigate the probablity of this causing a major problem with the phone and, if needed, correct the situation for those of us with the existing phones. It would be ashame to have such a small oversight in production ruin the best phone I've ever owned.

I've had 3x 3gs' now due to reception issues. While exchanging I notice this....

3gs number 1 - no rattle from any of the buttons including the silent switch. It was stiff and didn't rattle on silent or loud.

3gs number 2 - rattle from the switch when set to vibrate, and a wierd knocking sound (I'll explain later)

3gs number 3 - same as number 2 only this one has a rattle from the power button too.

All 3 have the rattle when you tap underneath the camera.

Anyway the knocking noise i'm talking about (on my 2nd and 3rd iPhone) is wierd. Basically if I hold the phone horizontally with my thumb on the screen and give it a light shake left to right I hear a knocking noise from inside. It only does it in this position, and it does it without the sim tray inside and also does it when holding all the buttons. Very odd.

Yes, it is right. The iPhone 3GS rattles. The descriptions of the noise given above are very accurate. It is exact the same noise in my phone. It does not have something to do with the buttons.

Especially for me as a German (who, of course, is used to fine manufacturing) it makes me feel very uncomfortable:-) Imagine a rattling in a Leica.

But, on the other hand, should we send it back to Apple although we do not know if the reason for the rattle noise will do any harm?