Does your iPhone 5 Power / Sleep Button rattle?

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Level 1

5 points

Does your iPhone 5 Power / Sleep Button rattle?

I bought a brand new Iphone 5 and the sleep / power button (on top of phone) rattles when you shake it or tap the back.

Anyone else experience this? Should I drop some WD40 in there or something? You can only hear it in a quiet room - which is whenever I'm at home. I put the phone down and hear a little rattle and if I tap or shake it, I can hear the rattle.

I've read mixed reports for Apple replacing phones with the power button rattle, so does anyone have any fixes? I've had 3 Iphones and none of them have had this problem - the power button has always been rock solid.

What do you guys think - worth going to the store and trying to get an exchange over?

Cheers,

ddkkpp

iPhone 5, iOS 6, Iphone 5 Power Button Rattle

Posted on Oct 19, 2012 7:20 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 19, 2012 7:25 PM in response to david kk

Same thing with mine.

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Answer 2

Rane77

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Oct 20, 2012 11:04 AM in response to david kk

Also with mine too. It is horrible

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Answer 3

david kk Author

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5 points

Oct 20, 2012 5:56 PM in response to david kk

Just got out of the Vancouver (Pacific centre) Apple store. I explained the rattly button. The apple staff immediately said vibration motor. So then I placed a finger on the button and tapped the back, showing that it was the power button rattling. At this he took the phone to the back for 5 minutes, and came back with mine and another. He showed me that tapping the back of the other produced the same rattling sound.

He explains that all iPhone 5's made that small rattle. Also he said something about the tap to focus mechanism, not allowing the lens to be too tight. When I asked about previous models not having any rattles or similar issues, he said this was just the design of the new phone.

It seems apple has made a bit of a regression, with a "not as advertised Siri", inferior maps implementation, and now with the new iPhone, which they constantly reiterated that they've completely redesigned from the ground up, inferior hardware to the previous iPhones.

It's the little things that made the iPhone great, and it's the little things that will make the iPhone mediocre.

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Answer 4

Justid2

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5 points

Oct 22, 2012 3:31 PM in response to david kk

I also had the same problem.... The rattle is fine as long as the button continues to work, but it doesn't.. Gets harder and harder to activate, gotta push way to hard.. I don't live close to an apple store but even if I did I wouldn't waste my time there.... Just call support and have them ship you a new phone, that's what I did... They are great to deal with over the phone if you have a legitimate problem.

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Answer 5

david kk Author

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5 points

Oct 22, 2012 8:35 PM in response to Justid2

Good advice.

Luckily my power button still works - for now. We'll see how it fares when it's more than a week old.

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Answer 6

Nov 10, 2012 8:25 PM in response to david kk

I bought a new iphone 5 at my local Sam's Club and my sleep wake button had a slight rattle. It annoyed me because i'm used to great build quality with apple. Took it in and returned it and the second iphone 5 I got had more rattle witht the volume buttons now being loose.

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Answer 7

kkreezy

Level 1

0 points

Nov 14, 2012 8:55 PM in response to Justid2

I agree. I just returned my first one because of a serious ghosting near the bottom third of the screen. Now the replacement they sent has this horrible power buttom rattle! It's horrible. I'll just call them again and have them send me another one.Ugh.

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Answer 8

jbwalsh

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0 points

Dec 16, 2012 4:08 PM in response to david kk

Noise Problem cured !!!

My iPhone 5 made a rattling noise when shaken after it had "a few falls"

I read in one of the forums that it was the battery coming away from the adhesive.

I checked iFixit teardown of the iPhone 5 and noted the very large battery which occupies two thirds of the screen space from left to right (starting from above the headphone jack side).

I'm not surprised that if it comes loose that it is the cause of the clunking rattle.

One of the forums contributors suggested gradually pressing all the area of the phone on the outside that overlies the battery inside pressing hard between front and back over all of the screen area from left to right that fronts the battery inside. In this way one pushes the battery back on to the adhesive !!

It works perfectly - Problem cured !! - J B Walsh

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Answer 9

Sep 26, 2013 12:20 PM in response to david kk

my 5s does the same thing.

don't remember if my 5 had this issue

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Answer 10

jonchild

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5 points

Sep 26, 2013 2:26 PM in response to chevysales

I am on my 4th iphone 5s because of this issue.

spoke to tech support today and apparently this is within normal tolerance.

my model has been the space grey 16gb model.

my friend has the gold model and no movement whatsoever.

apple are no longer willing to assist me in the matter.

am currently putting together an article for the press with transcripts from phone calls and web chats regarding the issue as it is clearly not right.

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Answer 11

Sep 27, 2013 4:41 AM in response to jonchild

wath what you say here i had my post removed as i complained about many aspects of waiting in line (i was 5th) at a huge apple store and spoke of my experience after doing twice before and post was removed.

i have an appt with genius tonight and will see as i checked the 3 iphone 5's in our house and all have the rattle. 2 have been in otterboxes since the day my wife and daughter got theirs.

my iphone 5s is in apples new leather case (black) and it always felt like button didn't line up perfectly with case? having always used speck candyshells i never noticed it and the way case fits it wouldn't let button ratle with it on yet the apple version does. different fit and protection entirely.

I am going to check all iphones on display at apple store to see if they do it after a week of being handled by everyone.

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Answer 12

Sep 27, 2013 4:43 AM in response to jbwalsh

that just sounds awfully strange but obviously yours was a different rattle than we are discussing.

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Answer 13

jonchild

Level 1

5 points

Sep 27, 2013 4:57 AM in response to chevysales

I have had countless posts removed for being negative!

It is an issue

I have compared over 40 handsets

I have had three replacements

Even Apple in the USA will not help me!

What do we do next?

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Answer 14

david kk Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 28, 2013 1:36 AM in response to jonchild

This is an obvious oversight in what has always been impeccable build quaility from apple. I've always held Apple in the highest regard when it comes to hardware. However, the iPhone 4/4s both had a more solid build than the 5. I am waiting for my 5S.

Half way through the life of my 5, I started seeing dust in my photos. I took the phone back and they said there's nothing that can be done, and no putting a case on it won't prevent dust from getting onto the lens, because it's all internal. So they just gave me a new phone, clean, without dust on the lens.

BUT, the power/sleep button STILL rattles. This is over 8 months into production. I assume they know about it but just don't care enough to fix it. This WOULD NOT fly under Jobs' leadership. It's exactly something like this that would drive Jobs crazy.

Also, have you noticed the change in the vibration motor between the 4S and 5? For some reason, the 4S' feels denser, quicker, and just better. The 5's feels a little rattly, if that makes any sense.

Anyways, it's sad to hear that the 5S still has the sleep button rattle. I think it's a sign of an internal change at Apple, that for those who work there, is less tyrannical, more liveable - but for the rest of us, a small sign of the crack in Apple's armour. I am very curious about what the 6 will bring in a year.

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Answer 15

Sep 29, 2013 11:00 AM in response to david kk

had a space grey from launch day when you tapped it rattled. wanted white so apple called me when yhey got shippment (yesterday and button on white one is looser but it goes in the black leather case they make so no worries. i don't like it but our iphone 5 of which we had 3 all did same thing.

senior manager at apple store said they were informed it was from virator on phone. have no idea if true or not all i know is just the nature of the beast. you won't get a perfect one. everyone on display at apple store did exact same thing.

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