To restore iPhone vibration, turn on Vibration in Accessibility, check your alert haptics, and turn off any Focus that is silencing notifications. Start with these settings before considering a reset or repair, because vibration can be disabled independently of the ringtone.
The short version
- Master switch: Turn on Vibration under Accessibility and Touch.
- Alert settings: Check the haptic pattern for the call or notification you are missing.
- Focus: Turn off an active Focus while checking incoming alerts.
- Last resort: Back up before resetting settings or erasing the phone.
Check the vibration switch
Open Settings > Accessibility > Touch, then turn on Vibration. This switch controls all vibrations, including those used for earthquake, tsunami, and other emergency alerts.
Next, identify what is missing: an incoming call alert, a text alert, or feedback when you use a system control. Those uses have separate options in Sounds & Haptics, so a silent alert does not by itself establish that the vibration hardware has failed.
Check Silent mode and alert patterns
On an iPhone with a Ring/Silent switch, moving it toward the back turns Silent mode on; moving it toward the front turns it off. Silent mode can still allow vibration, depending on your haptics settings. On models whose Action button controls Silent mode, press and hold that button to change modes.
On iOS 18 and iOS 26, open Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics and choose Always Play to allow call and alert haptics in both modes. Never Play disables those vibrations. Menu labels and the arrangement of sound controls differ on other iOS versions.
Under Sounds & Haptics, select an alert such as Text Tone, then tap Haptics and choose a vibration pattern. You can also tap Create New Vibration to record one. Check the ringtone’s haptic pattern as well, rather than changing unrelated sounds and expecting that to repair vibration.
If only one person’s alerts behave differently, open Contacts, select their name, and tap Edit to review their ringtone and text tone. For feedback from system controls, check System Haptics in Sounds & Haptics.
Turn off a silencing Focus
Open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap the active Focus to turn it off. On Face ID models, swipe down from the upper-right corner to open Control Center; on iPhone SE, swipe up from the bottom.
A Focus can silence notifications and can also turn on according to a schedule. If alerts disappear at particular times, review Settings > Focus and the affected Focus. For the specific setting, follow the steps to turn off Do Not Disturb.
Restart your iPhone
For iPhone X and later, hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears. Drag it, wait 30 seconds, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
For iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE models with a side button, hold that button to display the slider. On iPhone SE first generation, iPhone 5, and earlier models, use the top button instead. After powering off, wait 30 seconds and hold the same button to turn the phone on.
Install an available software update
Back up your iPhone, connect it to power, and join Wi-Fi. Open Settings > General > Software Update, then tap Download and Install when an update is offered. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete installation.
If the phone is also unusually hot, address the iPhone overheating problem separately. An update or restart should not be treated as proof that the vibration hardware is working.
Reset settings
Resetting all settings removes or resets network, keyboard, location, and privacy settings, along with Apple Pay cards, but does not delete data or media. Back up first if you want to preserve your settings. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.
Erase or restore only after a backup
Erasing removes your content, apps, and settings, so make a backup before proceeding. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, then tap Continue. Follow the passcode and Apple Account prompts.
Deleting an eSIM means contacting your carrier to reactivate the cellular plan. Choose to keep the eSIM if you are only troubleshooting the phone. When erasing finishes, the Hello screen starts setup.
A computer restore also erases information and settings and reinstalls iOS, so back up before using it. Turn off Find My iPhone under Settings, your name, and Find My. Connect the phone, open Finder on a Mac or Apple Devices on a PC, select the device, complete the trust prompts, and click Restore iPhone.
If vibration still fails, contact Apple to arrange an assessment. You can also find a service location instead of repeating destructive troubleshooting.
Updated October 2026: Corrected haptics settings, restart instructions, and reset warnings. The original article was published in May 2021.
