iPhone 4S camera lens rattle

My educated guess is that the lenses/cam components are set ever so slightly loose to account for thermal expansion. Kinda like how bridges have a slight gap in the road otherwise it would warp at high temperatures.

The cam lenses are all plastic and do expand thermally. If the 4S was subjected to high temps, like being inside a car during summer, the camera lenses would probably crack if there wasnt any kind of expansion tolerance. I'm sure the extra 5th lens has something to do with the overall structure also since the iphone4 didn't have this rattling sound.

Well I've got used to it to be honest.

I've read loads on forums saying its normal so as I have a years warranty if it does fail I will take it back

But I miss it now when it doesn't do it lol

Well I sucked it up and went to the apple store and spoke with a "Genius" about the issue. Just like everyone else reported the demo models all do the same thing. I asked them about this and they had a confused look like I was speaking German. They said its probably the motor. I explained the autofocus and if you lock it the rattling goes away. He pretty much said that this was. Normal and the phone was working fine. I'm okay with this. It just sad that I can read the forums and know what the issue is and the store has no clue what we are talking about.

Oh well I'm over it. I have the AppleCare plus and will just turn it in if there is ever an issue. Maybe they will fix it for the iPhone 5... Lol. Yeah right.

I've had all the iPhone versions. Purchased the 4S last week, had the rattle. Decided to go back to apple store this morning. Had one of the Genius Guys look at it. He said let's swap it out. It seems not all of the 4S phones rattle. He opened one up, loud rattle, then tried a second one, no rattle at all. He swaped it out and now I have one that is rattle free as of this post.

Mine didn't rattle until about five days of use. I'll be interested to see what happens to yours over the next week or so. Let us know.

Hello

I am from Holland And i have the Same problem.

I have bought my 4s in france.

What is the solution in Holland?

We only have resellers non Apple stores

In the area.

I have the same rattle with my 4S. I'm 99% sure it wasn't there for the first week of use. I'll be going back to the Apple Store at some point to see what they have to say.

I'm also having the same issue, have been mainly noticing it if I let the phone slide out of my hand onto something like a sofa, or placing it down on a hard surface.

I went to the Sheffield apple store today and the expert there suggested it was the sleep/wake button, but I'm also inclined to think it may be the camera. He hadn't heard of the issue before I spoke to him about it. We discovered a similar noise in one of the 4S display models.

I should also mention that this is not something my 4 did at all, at least not to the extent of ever noticing. I can live with the noises itself, which is fairly minor, but I hate the idea that it's potentially damaging the camera lens over time, especially when the improved camera was one of the main selling points for me.

Hi,

my iPhone 4S 32 GB (black) rattles to and I also asked myself if this is normal??? I am still not sure! My suggestions are:

• it shouldn't be the gyroscope (as this is a very tiny electromechanical device which should not create such a rattling sound)
• it could be the camera, stabilisation (if this is done optically) or the lenses/autofocus
• it could also be one of the buttons or a loose part in the iPhone

I would really appreciate Apple giving a statement to this issue.

Greetz

joe

I took my 4S to an Apple Store and found the same rattle on all the display phones. The staff didn't seem aware until I pointed it out. The Genius I spoke to immediatley handed me his 4S so was aware, but said it was the vibration motor, which I don't believe for a minute. I asked whether Apple have a central tech database he was referring to and he said they didn't, it was just his opinion.

Kudos to Apple they did offer a replacement phone, but I didn't see the point if all phones have this issue.

When I checked the display phones I found the amount of rattle differed slightly. Given that my phone didn't rattle at all for a few days, I certainly hope the rattle doesn't get worse.

I'm really suprised Apple missed this. Given how detailed there are in design, surely someone should have picked it up. Apple need to come clean, I don't expect a £600 phone to sound like it has a loose part.

Yep, mine rattles, too. Black 64GB AT&T. I noticed this a couple days after I bought it (11/4). I noticed it when I'd set it down on my desk, or what ever. Then started to try to localize the rattle by tapping around on the phone. Its definitely the camera. I was also able to change to tone of the rattle (almost eliminate it) by zooming in and turning on auto focus lock. Seems when the lens/lenses is/are relaxed they rattle on each other. Not so much when zoomed/compressed...

So I called Apple, and was told over the phone that "this isn't right" and "your phone camera should not rattle" (Duh!). They made me an appointment to see a "genius" at my local store to get it swapped out. The genius had a different customer service plan.... She basically didn't listen to anything I said, and proceeded to take it in back, undo the back cover, and remove & replace a couple screws (convinced that something else was loose). She comes back and says they all do it. Her own phone did it, and so did the display phones (the 4 didn't do it quite as much). She was not about to give me another phone. But why bother if the replacement will have the same issue, right? Being that they are so hard to come by right now I doubt I could have even been given a new one right then and there anyway's...

Sure, they may all do it....BECAUSE MAYBE THE ENTIRE BATCH OF CAMERAS ARE CRAPPY!(?) My old 3GS' camera rattles slightly, but no where near as bootleg-component-sounding as the 4S. I think that sure, this is the nature of this particular camera, but it still seems to me that it's a poor design. If this is an engineering compromise then I think Apple should state these characterstics in their product page for their phones. At least give us a heads up like: "the camera is rad, but...." This just really ruins a little bit of the otherwise amazing engineering asthetic of the overall device, IMO.

I'm very OCD so had to check everything myself even after reading this forum. My wife's 4 rattles, but I still headed out to the local applestore - woodfield in IL. They had about 20 on display and they all rattled. It really aggravates me but don't see we have much choice. It does make it feel kind of cheap though. I read somewhere that someone took theirs apart and removed the camera to see if it made a difference and sure enough it was the problem. Still stinks.

I have just noticed that mine rattles... apple is all about quality then why is my iphone rattling!! argh!

I have the same rattling sound on my 4S, and although it is a little bit annoying I actually think this is normal. As far as I know the lenses in the camera have to be a little bit "loose" to allow for optical image stabilization, where the lense itself is moved to correct shaking motions of your hand while taking a picture.

It's the autofocus - it rattles because it is a moving part and therefore needs to move when you tap-to-focus. My iPhone 4 has the same issus. I have had two iPhones in the past two and a half months since i bought mine as one broke, both had the 'problem' from day one but i can assure you; it's not broken and is simply needed in order for the camera to function properly. Hope this helped!😉