iPhone 5 Rattlegate

Just a few weeks into ownership of my new iPhone 5, I realized there was an rattle sound near the top of the iPhone 5 when you gently shake it or gently tap on the back near the camera light. This couldn't be normal, there must be an issue, so I made an appointment with the Genius Bar at my nearest Apple Store (33 miles each way), hoping they could identify and remedy that annoying rattle sound. After all, I did purchase Apple Care Plus.

I explained the issue in detail and demonstrated the rattle sound to the Apple Genius. He said he never heard of the issue before, so he started examining my iPhone 5 and quickly said he could not hear anything. I suggested maybe the background noise of the activity in the store was preventing him from hearing the rattle sound. I asked him to try listening for the rattle sound in a less noisy environment than in the public area of the store. He took it to the back where the techs work on equipment and was gone for about 10 minutes. When he returned, his first words were... "The rattle sound was normal, it's from the button on the top", "it's plastic" and said "it's within manufacturing tolerances and wasn't considered a problem". I was dumbfounded. I asked him to please explain to me how such a refined device such as this, with all of the hype and attention to detail and tight design specifications, could have a plastic button that rattles. That's kind of like building the most advanced spacecraft ever, and putting a plastic door handle on it.

I asked if there had ever been a "rattle sound" like this known on any previous version of the iPhone... he said that to the best of his knowledge, the iPhone 4 and 4S used a top button made of metal rather than plastic and didn't have this issue. I asked if we could examine a few of the iPhone 5's on display... we did, and discovered several but Not All of them, had the same rattle sound, again, he said it was normal. I asked why do some have the rattle sound and some don't? He didn't know why. Then he offered to replace my iPhone 5, "if it was that big of a deal". He further explained if I wanted that, it would be a "one time only replacement" and no promise could be made that any replacement wouldn't also have the same rattle sound, and if it did, it could not be replaced again.

I didn't understand why this rattle sound could even exist from one of Apple's new flagship devices. I'm not new to Apple products by any stretch, but this is my first iPhone. I expected more. I expected a quality device, one that matches the level of quality and reliability of every other Apple product I have ever purchased. I felt let down. For the first time, I started to feel as if this device might have been rushed to market and maybe quality control wasn't what it once was...

At this point, I decided to test this "plastic button" to see just how loose it was. While holding the phone in my right hand (display facing down), I applied slight pressure on the top button (holding it still), and then gently tapped the back near the camera light, just as before. I was shocked! It still rattled! Being more confused, I asked the Apple Genius how it was possible for me to hold the button still, and there still had the rattle sound? He paused a moment, then said it was most likely the component that makes the phone vibrate. Still holding firm to the claim of it "was within manufacturing tolerances". I asked how could the source of the rattle sound suddenly move from the plastic top button to the vibrate component? He said that was a known issue and he knew of only a few iPhone 5's having been replaced for that reason. I started to feel as if he was being deceptive the whole time. How else could he have come up with an alternative reason and suddenly recall a few phones being replaced. Hence the title of this post... "Rattlegate".

I explained to him some of the reasons I waited so long before buying my first iPhone. I asked if he seen Apple's Keynote announcement for the iPhone 5? "Yes, of course I did", he said. Do you remember some of the claims from that Keynote wherein the following statements were made:

Keynote Quotes:

"what makes the iPhone 5 so unique, is how it feels in your hand"

"the materials it's been made with"

"the remarkable precision with which its been built"

"never before have we built a product with this extraordinary level of fit and finish",

"we've developed manufacturing processes that are our most complex and ambitious"... and so on.

For the most part, the Apple Genius remembered those lines from the Keynote, then he suggested I fill out a comment or suggestion on the Apple.com website, and once again offered a "one time replacement" of my iPhone 5. I told him thanks for the offer, but I would pass for now, but would follow his recommendation of posting on the Apple.com website... and here we are...

If you have an iPhone 5 and it has a rattle sound, please let me know (IF) and (HOW) you might have resolved this issue.

Thank You very much!

Posted on Oct 21, 2012 8:32 PM

20 replies

jchizzle

Level 1

0 points

Jan 12, 2013 2:54 PM in response to iSeymour

I have this same issue with the sleep button. Just got denied any type of service or replacement because it's "within manufacturing tolerances". He also mentioned it is probably the new vibration motor in iPhone 5s - I told him to hold the button and see if it rattles. It did, but still no dice. Psssh! "Manufacturing tolerances" of a maraca.

thigmo

Level 1

0 points

Jan 17, 2013 12:15 PM in response to iSeymour

I'm actually on my third iPhone 5 now (original bought in November 2012). I finally upgraded from a pristine 3GS.

First one was fine, no rattle, until about 1 month of (extremely delicate and careful) use. Heard a slight tinny rattle coming from the camera area. Annoying, but didn't think too much of it until around the same time, all photos started to have a big dust blob (as in, dirty sensor) near the centre of every shot. That was too much for me (every shot ruined) so I took it into an Apple Store where they replaced it right before Christmas.

Didn't hear the second unit rattle right away (might have been because it was loud in the store). Even if it didn't, within a couple days I did notice it more and more. No camera dust problem though. However, what was really starting to trouble me was that the rattle seemed to get worse. It was a tinny (not a thud-like) rattle as if a screw was loose. It didn't seem to matter if you'd try the camera and lock focus (as some have suggested), if you tapped the phone it would still rattle. I was worried that another dust problem might occur and called AppleCare again.

They told me that this was "normal" and part of the autofocus mechanism within the camera. This would be somewhat reasonable, but then once the focusing was engaged and locked, it shouldn't keep rattling. What was more troubling about this unit was that it seemed to get horrible reception (as in, constantly losing signal strength until eventually no signal) or switching from 3G to LTE to even Edge (I'm on Rogers). Would rarely stay in LTE. Now, my office building has window tint film which is apparently metallic and messes up reception, but we also have several cell repeaters throughout the building. For whatever reason, I could look at my phone in my office drop from 3 to 2 to 1 to no service, within a couple minutes. This was with iOS 6.0.1, and 6.0.2.

The reception issue was enough of an issue that I was escalated to a manager and it was agreed that I should get a new unit. I also mentioned that this phone also had a slightly raised ridge on the upper plastic to metal seam on the back of the phone (the one right under the camera). It was hard to see, but you could definitely feel it if you ran your finger over it. I only mentioned this because it was one of the first things I noticed versus my first phone, and my finger tended to land along that seam when holding it during a call. Looking closely, it almost looked like the plastic part was raised toward the centre of the phone, making it higher than the metal part. The bottom seam also didn't feel exactly smooth, but not as bad as the top seam.

I happen to work at an R&D facility with lots of cool equipment, including a measuring microscope that can measure down to the micron scale (i.e. 0.0001 mm). According to the original PR of the iPhone, it was supposed to have some amazing tolerances. I looked under the scope and sure enough, the seam edges (top and bottom) were not exactly parallel to each other; the bottom of the plastic side of the seam was not in line by about 30 microns (i.e. ~0.03 mm) in the centre of the phone compared to the sides. Also, the seam itself was about 30 microns narrower at the centre of the phone versus the seam width at the sides. This would mean there is at least a 30 micron tolerance (well, +/- 15 microns I guess) not matching up well along this seam, if not up to 60 microns combined. I remember their PR video saying that their manufacturing tolerances were something on the order of 7 microns, so this would indicate a potential order of magnitude difference.

In any case, I'm on my third phone (just received it yesterday). The seams are much smoother (I haven't measured yet), the reception is consistent (3 bars in my formerly "no service" office!), and yes, it still rattles. What those without the rattle don't seem to realize is how annoying it is. When you're on a call and ANY notification comes with the phone on vibrate, you can definitely hear a random sounding tinny rattle. If it's on my desk, same thing (since it resonates through the desk). If it was more regular sounding or had more of a pattern to it, I'd be more apt to believing it was a "normal" situation, but the "loose screw" type of sound is troubling. Of course, a colleague's iPhone 5 doesn't rattle, so to me, it is not impossible to have a non-rattling phone. Plus, my first phone didn't rattle, but did progressively get worse.

Not sure if I'll keep this one, but I'll be paying attention to any news about this issue. Hopefully Apple will address this somehow and not keep sending out rattling phones!

alekb

Level 1

19 points

Mar 1, 2013 1:25 AM in response to thigmo

With the ipod touch 5 Is happening the same annoying thing, someone could fix it? thanks!

May 2, 2013 1:36 PM in response to iSeymour

I have an iPod touch 5g too and I can clearly hear the rattle sound in every condition. So

1. iPods don't have vibra, so it can't be the vibra motor!

2. even when focusing there's always this annoying sound

3. my first iPod touch 5g was absolutely silent even if I hadn't care of it (no covers, ecc)

4. the sound is still there even if I hold the lock button

A friend of mine have an iPhone 5 and he has this sound too, but it's very very very annoying because I can hear it every time I place it on every kind of surface starting from when I gently place it on a table to when i leve it on my pillow. I had a lot of phones with autofocus but none of them ever rattled!

May 18, 2013 8:47 AM in response to iSeymour

The 5 I just started using is rattling after about 1 month of use. I did not notice it until now so I checked my wife's 5 and her phone does not do it. She has had her phone for about 6 months. I have had 4 other iPhones several which I still use for music and none of them do it. Some posters have suggested that it is the vibration motor but the weight on the motor should not be hitting anything the cause a noise. The motor just spins with a weight attached to the shaft that is offset and causes the motor to vibrate. A clicking noise is not a normal thing it indicates a part is loose, if it is a normal design feature they should ALL do it and the manufacturer would be able to tell you why they designed that into the phone. I am going to take my phone into Apple it is still under warranty. I'll post the results of my trip.

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iPhone 5 Rattlegate