Why does my iPhone randomly vibrate and how to fix it?

Does your iPhone keep vibrating even when there are no alerts or notifications? Well, it turns out you are not alone. Having your iPhone vibrate randomly is quite common.

But worry not—you can easily fix this! In this article, we’ll look at a few reasons why your iPhone vibrates randomly and offer solutions to resolve it.

Why does my iPhone randomly vibrate?

There are various reasons why your iPhone may vibrate randomly for no reason. Let’s look at a few common ones.

Misconfigured notification settings: Having visual notifications turned off but haptic notifications still active.
Faulty charging equipment: A faulty charger or cable can intermittently connect and disconnect, causing your iPhone to vibrate when it’s plugged in.
Buggy apps: Sometimes glitches and bugs in apps can cause your iPhone to start vibrating randomly
Exposure to moisture: Although rare, exposure to moisture could sometimes lead to internal damage and cause your iPhone to vibrate randomly.
Hardware problems: Sometimes, a faulty vibration motor or a malfunctioning accelerometer can also cause random vibrations on your iPhone.

5 Ways to fix an iPhone randomly vibrating

With the reasons out of the way, let’s move on to the solutions for getting your iPhone back to normal.

1. Make sure visual notifications are enabled

Sometimes, visual notifications might be disabled, causing only the vibration alert to be active. Ensure that visual notifications are turned on for all your important apps. So, whenever your iPhone vibrates, you can see the notification banner.

Open Settings and select Notifications.
Scroll down to the app list.
Select an app and ensure Allow Notifications toggle is enabled.
Under ALERTS, select your preferred notification location.
Next, tap Show Previews and select When Unlocked (Default) is selected.

Now, repeat the above process for all the apps on your iPhone. Instant messaging apps and the Mail app are common culprits for unnecessary vibrations, so be sure to check those.

If you don’t want to get notifications for any app, toggle off the Allow Notifications toggle.

2. Restart your iPhone

A simple restart can often fix many minor glitches that may cause your iPhone to vibrate randomly.

To restart your iPhone, press and hold the Side button and any of the volume buttons, then drag the Slide to Power Off slider. After a few seconds, turn your iPhone back on.

If you have updated your iPhone to iOS 18 developer beta, you can just scroll down the Control Center and tap the Shut Down button to turn off your iPhone.

Shut Down iPhone from Control Center — Shut Down the iPhone using Control Center in iOS 18

If the problem continues, even after rebooting the iPhone, move to the next fix.

3. Update iOS

Outdated iOS may sometimes lead to incompatibility issues. Ensure your iPhone is updated to the latest stable version of iOS, as new updates contain bug fixes.

Open Settings and go to General → Software Update to check if a new iOS version is available.

Update to Latest iOS on iPhone — Update iPhone to the latest iOS

Note

As you update your iPhone, also go to App Store and check for app updates. Outdated apps might cause glitches and trigger random vibrations.

4. Reset all settings

Resetting all the settings on your iPhone to their default is the last resort to try fixing any issue if no other fix works. Mind you, this won’t delete your data on the device.

To reset your iPhone settings, open Settings. Then, go to General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings. Now, enter your iPhone passcode and tap Reset All Settings to confirm your choice.
Tap reset all settings enter your passcode tap reset all settings in settings

5. Check for hardware issues

If none of the above solutions work, there might be a hardware issue with your iPhone. Have you recently dropped your device or experienced any other form of physical damage? If so, get your iPhone inspected at Apple Genius Bar. In the meantime, if your device keeps vibrating continuously, you can turn off haptic feedback temporarily until the issue is resolved.

Signing off…

Random iPhone vibrations can be frustrating and annoying. However, using the solutions outlined above, you should be able to fix the issue and restore your iPhone’s functionality to normal.

If you have doubts about any of the solutions above, please comment below, and we’ll be happy to help!

Does vibrating drain the iPhone battery?

Yes, frequent vibrations can drain your iPhone battery faster. It’s advisable to minimize unnecessary vibrations to conserve battery life.

Can a faulty app cause my iPhone to vibrate randomly?

Yes, a faulty app can cause your iPhone to vibrate randomly. Ensure that you regularly update your apps and check for any malfunctions. If a specific app is causing the issue, you may disable its notifications or uninstall it.

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