User profile for user: young768
young768 Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

Random chime

I have an iPhone 3GS that started to chime randomly. When it happens, there are no txt msgs, emails, voice mails, or alerts from installed apps. The chime is three tones that sounds like the morse code for the letter "U". Anyone familiar with this. It started about a month ago for no apparent reason.

Thanks in advance for the help.

HP, Windows 7

Posted on May 10, 2010 6:52 AM

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User profile for user: Daryco
Daryco
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 13, 2010 2:52 PM in response to young768

Yeah, same thing. It's not an email chime, not sms, not voicemail, not any other sound that you can pick for any other setting. It's 3 notes: 1 quarter note if you will, then an eighth note and another quarter. The second note is a bit higher pitched, and the 3rd note is the same pitch as the first. (But all three notes are relatively low notes.)

Is it just me or is it a sad chime? Sounds like something bad happened- maybe an error or something, or maybe a sound it would make if your battery dies or something. Seems like it should be accompanied by a frowny face and a single tear.

The only insight I can provide now is that it seems to come in pairs. I have heard it three different times, and all three times it happened once, and then again a few minutes later. Any ideas?
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User profile for user: Scott P.
Scott P.
User level: Level 6
16,889 points

Jul 13, 2010 4:25 PM in response to young768

I'm sure this is completely off the mark, but three tones puts me in mind of the voicemail notification. You can check this by turning voicemail off and on in settings>notifications. The other reason I thought of this is there have been times AT&T for whatever reason has sent my calls directly to voice mail, and the first I hear of it is I get a voicemail notification.

Like I said, probably totally off the mark. But always better to suggest and be wrong than not suggest and have the solution. 😉
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User profile for user: Jen.Grace
Jen.Grace
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jul 13, 2010 4:40 PM in response to young768

Ever since the 4.0 update, I get alerts and chimes from apps like Nimbuzz even though I have "Notifications" turned off on my iPhone settings. I had to go into the app to turn off the chimes and alerts. Do you have any apps that may be sending out alerts even with global notifications turned off?
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User profile for user: Daryco
Daryco
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 13, 2010 5:35 PM in response to Scott P.

Yes, voicemail is also three tones, but not the ones I'm talking about (can't speak for the creator of this thread though). The voicemail tone is uplifting, as if to say, "Hey, you're good friend wants to say hi!" The tone I'm talking about is more of a, "Warning, your phone bill is overdue." or "We're sorry, your battery is about to die."
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User profile for user: Scott P.
Scott P.
User level: Level 6
16,889 points

Jul 13, 2010 8:52 PM in response to Daryco

Nonsense, it is a big deal.

I know it's not so easy, but I would truly love to hear the tones. You are right, it's probably some app that has its own alert tone. Personally, I hate that I can't set them, and have turned most of them off. I'd like a tone for VM, a tone for SMS, and one single, unified tone for all my app alerts. Of particular note, I'd like to change the one for eBay. Hate that one and it always seems to have static in it.

Truly curious at this point as to what's causing this tone. Are you low on battery, maybe?
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User profile for user: Daryco
Daryco
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 13, 2010 8:58 PM in response to Scott P.

No, not low on battery. In fact I actually thought it was chiming that it was done charging when the battery was fully charged... but couldn't duplicate the scenario. I'd like to record it somehow but have no idea when it's going to happen. Maybe I'll try and replicate it from memory on a piano and put it in sheet music. haha.
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