All of a sudden your iPhone 6s Plus does not vibrate and you’re wondering why this happens. This can put you in trouble especially if you couldn’t just set your iPhone to ring for incoming calls or texts alerts and that you only rely on vibration to be notified when someone is trying to reach you through a call or text. But since your iPhone is no longer vibrating, there is a higher chance that you will miss important calls or text messages. Why do this happen and how to fix it? These are the main question that this post will attempt to address. Read on to learn what causes this problem to occur on your iPhone 6s Plus and how to deal with it.
Possible causes
You can blame it on a faulty hardware or software glitch. If you happened to drop your iPhone or got it wet before, then you might as well consider the possibility of physical or liquid damage that’s causing your iPhone vibration function to stop working. In most cases, the problem appears to be a minor glitch and is isolated to an application. And often times, it can be rectified by a reboot on the device.
The problem could also be on the iPhone’s vibration motor. To determine whether or not the vibration motor is active and working, start by flipping the Ring/Silent switch on the left side of your iPhone On and off for several times. You should feel a quick vibration when you switch the Ring/Silent switch, given that Vibrate on Ring or Vibrate on Silent option is enabled on your iPhone Settings. If Vibrate on Ring is enabled, your iPhone will vibrate when you drag the switch to your iPhone display. If Vibrate on Silent is enabled, your iPhone will vibrate when you toggle the switch to the back of your iPhone. You will also see a thin orange next to the switch if you position the switch towards the back of your device.
Potential solutions and workarounds
Below are a list of generic solutions that can help you fix your iPhone 6s Plus that does not vibrate due to some software malfunctions or random glitches. Be sure to test your device after completing each method to determine whether the problem has already been resolved. If not, try the next applicable solutions.
First solution: Restart (Soft Reset)
As mentioned earlier, a restart on the device, also known as soft reset, can help rectify minor software glitches that might have caused your iPhone 6s Plus to stop vibrating. To rule out this possibility, try to restart your device for at least 3 times and then test to see what happens. Here’s how a soft reset is properly done on your iPhone 6s Plus:
- Press the Power (Sleep/Wake) button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your iPhone completely.
- Wait for about 30 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, press the Power button again until you see the Apple logo.
Your iPhone will then reboot.
Alternatively, you can force your iPhone to restart especially if it is unresponsive or suddenly gets stuck.
- To do so, press and hold the Power and Home buttons simultaneously for a few seconds and then release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.
Both methods are safe as no data will be affected in the process. Check if your iPhone will now vibrate after the reboot.
Second solution: Verify vibration settings on your iPhone
When you moved the Ring/Silent switch back and forth but your iPhone does not vibrate, it is possible that the vibrate is off or your device is set to either ring or silent mode. Again, you need to enable either Vibrate on Ring or Vibrate on Silent option so that your iPhone vibrates for incoming calls or text messages. Here’s how:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap the switch next to Vibrate on Ring or Vibrate on Silent. If you see the switch is green and positioned right, it means that the option is turned on or enabled and that you’re good to go.
Test your iPhone to see if it now vibrates after enabling the features. If it is still not vibrating, try the next applicable solutions.
Third solution: Reset All Settings
It is possible that some settings on your iPhone are configured incorrectly or messed up by some bugs. Either a software update or you did it. Should incorrect settings are to blame, you can rectify it by resetting all settings on your iPhone 6s Plus. The process will not erase any of the personal information including apps, photos, and contacts from your device but it does restore everything in the Settings app to factory defaults. This means that you have to configure your battery settings, themes, display options, Wi-Fi network and passwords again. Corrupted files in the Settings app will likewise be removed along with incorrect options. Follow these steps to reset all settings on your iPhone:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and tap to select Reset from the given options.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
- Enter your passcode if prompted.
- Tap Reset All Settings to confirm action.
- Wait until the progress bar completes.
Your iPhone will automatically reboot once the reset is done.
Fourth solution: Restore your iPhone using DFU mode
If the problem persists after resetting all settings on your iPhone 6s Plus, then you can give DFU mode restore a try this time. Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode restore is considered as the deepest reset you can do on your iPhone. In this process, you will need to use a computer to erase and reload all the codes that control both the software and hardware structures on your iPhone.
A DFU mode restore can be a potential solution should the problem you have is triggered by a software bug, which is tough enough to withstand the previous methods. Given that the codes are rewritten in the process, you can have your iPhone as brand new afterwards. The software problem may likely be resolved as well.
Follow these steps to perform a DFU restore on your iPhone 6s Plus:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer using a lightning cable or the supplied USB cable.
- Open iTunes on the computer. Make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes app. It doesn’t matter if your phone is on or off.
- Press and hold the Power and Home buttons on your iPhone 6s Plus.
- After 8 seconds, release the Power button but continue holding down the Home button.
- When you see the message prompt that says, “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode” release or let go of the Home button.
If you have successfully entered DFU mode, your iPhone screen will completely turn black. If it ís not, try again from the very start.
Important Notes:
- Never attempt to perform a DFU mode restore if you suspect that your iPhone has physical or liquid damage. Any damage can prevent your device from completing the DFU restore. This will result to a possible iPhone brick and so you may end up having a completely useless device.
- Before you proceed with a DFU mode restore, be sure to back up your iPhone for safekeeping. You can backup your iPhone through iCloud or iTunes.
Seek More Help
Contact your device carrier or Apple Support for further troubleshooting assistance and recommendations. Otherwise, you can take your iPhone straight to the Genius Bar in Apple Stores, set a service appointment, and have a capable technician diagnose or repair whatever is found damaged on your device. You are most likely to pay for a service fee if certain components or the iPhone itself is damaged.
If you think that this is too much, then why not consider getting an upgrade this time? The new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are already rolled out so you might as well consider giving up your old iPhone and get a hold of any of these new powerful iPhones to date. There shouldn’t be any more vibrating issue if you do so.