Buzzing noise when iPhone 4s vibrates

Add me to the list. Very annoying and frustrating. More than 3 months of use so i don't know if i still could ask for a replacement at my local Apple Store.

Why wouldn't you be able to get a replacement? You get a year of repair coverage.

Don't let Apple get away with mass producing yet another shoddy product.

guys i think ur so luck u all can replace ur iphones 100 times but 4 me i cant replaced once becouse im in iraq and there is no apple care here i buyed an 4s 16gb for 850 $ and have all the problems that u thin yellow screen vibrates and so much issus and i dont really know what to do im just so disappointed

If you go into settings>general>accessability, and enable custom vibrations, then you can go into the settings>sounds>vibration patterns, and record your own, which I did by lightly tapping the screen 6 or 7 times. Your phone will now use your custom setting instead of the default, which was so annoying!! Now the new vibration is light and only noticable to me.

The first iPhone I had, had some software issues and it was replaced by apple, the replacement they sent had a tint yellow display, made so gruffing noise while vibrating and I could see the light from the earphone jack. I sent the phone back but they shipped the same phone saying that either their was no problem or the probelm was not reproducible. I dont understand how this hardware problem cannot be reproduced. Apple support also did not assure me for a replacement till i go for an express replacement. I have to travel 200 miles just to visit an apple store so that i can show them the problem with my phone.

Everyone in apple support gives different answers, it has been a bad experinece i hope apple solves this issue

My 1.5 week old iPhone 4S with Sprint also started vibrating very loudly...similar to the audio and youtube files posted in this thread. I took it to my local Apple Store. The guy from the Genius Bar told me that the buzzing is totally within spec. He said he could replace my phone...but only with a refurb...and that the refurb might buzz just the same because the buzzing is not addressed as it is within spec. He went on to say that even if I got a new one, it might buzz. To demonstrate, he took me over to their iPhone 4S display. There were 4 or 6 iPhone's (I forget). Half of them buzzed, half of them didn't.

I left the store without exchanging for a refurb.

Instead, I went to Sprint. I showed the tech the buzzing. He replaced it with a new one promptly. And it didn't buzz.

I remember when Apple Store customer service was second to none. Not any more...

I went to AT&T and explained them the issue and even they agreed that my iPhone had problems but they were not ready to help me. I had to travel 200 miles just to visit an apple store so that I can show them the problem. In apple store they immediately replaced my phone. Even this phone is not perfect as the apps crash at least once a day but I m happy as its not as bad as previous 2 iPhones.

I think u can just talk to apple and ask them for a new iPhone. As the iPhone have many issues and apple has to take care of it

I am on my 4th iPhone replacement now due to various faults. All of my other devices have had yellow screens but the screen on this new replacement is perfect however the vibration is noticeably louder.

Is this classed as a fault? Surely it seems to affect lots of people but some people just don't complain about it?

Just to update everyone...

Custom vibrations don't work for text messages etc. as we all know. I had high hopes that iOS 5.1 would provide that option but apparently not. Well done Apple (!)

I stripped my iPhone and through lengthy, patient investigation have discovered that there is nothing loose in the phone etc. When you hold the bottom corner, the noise gets quieter because you are removing energy from the vibrate, dampening it. It's the motor itself that's the problem. Poor quality control on that part it would seem.

I bought two spare motors from eBay for about $12ea and replaced mine using a teardown video on YouTube as a guide. Am very happy to report that the first motor swap has FIXED the issue.

It's incredible how much happier I am with the phone now that it's not irritating me.

So, the fix from Apple is either to replace the vibrate motor (and/or phone) or reduce the power to it through software. Ideally a 'slider' in iOS for the vibrate power would give us the ability to customise the vibrate power to our needs.

Good luck folks

I have had this issue - I went to the apple store in solihull (uk) two days ago and was issued a replacement there and then with no questions asked!

I was told that it was due to faulty or worn our bearings in the vibrate motor..??

However, within 24 hours the replacement phone is doing the exact same thing... So that will be going back too!!

Not particularly happy - as it jut means another 1 hour dive each way, fuel costs and parking charges to get a faulty product sorted out!!

It's a shame they don't use the same motor as my wife's bullet!! :-)

I have that on my white 4S and I am going to apple tomorrow to get it replaced.. Only thing is I don't have AppleCare. I hope I won't have to pay 200 for a faulty piece of hardware. Otherwise I am happy to get a Droid...

I have the same problem in my ihone 4s 16 gb its like another calling tone, I brought it at responsible company in Turkey but they said firstly we open it and look inside in if we fix it, if we don't may be it can changed but the vibration sound is the same since I bought it apparently it is a defective products. apple must do something about this.

Just to update on this issue:

A few months after I changed the motor the replacement developed the same issue.

I notice the iPhone 5 has reverted to the older style vibrate motor. Defective parts and an unwillingness by Apple to acknowledge the issue. Brill(!)

I'm on my third iPhone 4s.

The first one, that I got back in October 2012, was replaced due to a faulty unresponsive Wi-Fi and fast battery drainage.

The second one that I got just a few days ago had dark, unresponsive screen that would also flicker.

Finally, the third one is making really loud, rattle noise when put on "vibration" mode.

And I had it for only 24 hours.

I'll most definitely make an appointment through a Genius Bar, and go back to Apple store.

One thing that I did to minimize that loud rattling was to set the vibrating not as a default sound. I used "heartbeat" setting, although anyone can also make a customized vibration sound or choose another sound from the list.

Settings --> Sounds --> Ringtone (under Sounds and Vibrations Patterns) --> Vibration --> Heartbeat

Hope this helps.