My iPhone 8 Plus Won't Vibrate! Here's Why & The Fix.

David Lynch

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Your iPhone 8 Plus won't vibrate and you're not sure why. A lot of the time, this problem can be solved by going into the Settings app, but there is a chance that your iPhone's vibration motor is damaged. In this article, I'll explain why your iPhone 8 Plus is not vibrating and show you how to diagnose and fix this problem!

How To Fix An iPhone 8 Plus That's Not Vibrating

9 Steps Total
1.

Turn On Vibration In Accessibility

If Vibration is turned off in Accessibility settings, your iPhone will never vibrate! This includes everything from calls and texts to emergency alerts and other notifications.

How Do I Turn On Vibration In Accessibility?

  1. Open up the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Tap on Accessibility.
  4. Scroll down and tap on Vibration.
  5. Turn on the switch next to Vibration. You'll know the switch is on when it's green.
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2.

Make Sure Vibrate On Ring & Vibrate On Silent Are On

In order for your iPhone to vibrate when it receives calls, texts, and other notifications, Vibrate on Ring and Vibrate on Silent need to be turned on.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Sounds & Haptics.
  3. Turn on the switches next the Vibrate on Ring and Vibrate on Silent. You'll know they are on when the switches are green and positioned to the right.
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3.

Make Sure Ringtone Vibration Is Turned On

Even if Vibrate on Ring and Vibrate on Silent are turned on, your iPhone won't vibrate if your ringtone's vibration pattern is turned off.

How Do I Make Sure Ringtone Vibration Is Turned On?

  1. Open up the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Sounds & Haptics.
  3. Under the Sounds And Vibration Patterns submenu, tap Ringtone.
  4. Tap Vibration.
  5. Make sure the vibration pattern is set to anything but None.
  6. The vibration pattern you have selected will have a small check mark next to it.
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4.

Test Your iPhone's Vibration Motor

If your iPhone doesn't vibrate when you flip the Ring / Silent switch back and forth, there may be a hardware issue with its vibration motor.

  1. Flip the Ring / Silent switch on the left side of your iPhone back and forth a few times.
  2. If your iPhone doesn't vibrate, the vibration motor may be broken, but there could still be a software issue at play.
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5.

Reset All Settings

Many iPhone problems are caused when Settings isn't set up correctly or by corruption within individual Settings app files. Restoring the Settings app back to factory defaults doesn't fix every iPhone software problem, but it is a go-to fix for Apple technicians because it does solve a lot of problems that would be very difficult to to track down by hand.

How Do I Reset All Settings?

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Transfer Or Reset iPhone.
  4. Tap Reset.
  5. Tap Reset All Settings.
  6. Enter your passcode, if prompted.
  7. Tap Reset All Settings again to confirm your decision.
  8. Your iPhone will shut down, complete the reset, and turn itself on again will automatically turn back on when the reset finishes.
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6.

Back Up Your iPhone

It's important to back up your iPhone before doing any major restores (such as a DFU restore). If something goes wrong while you're trying to fix your iPhone, having a back up means you won't lose any of your data (such as contacts, photos, apps, and more). Restoring from a back up is a lot more convenient than having to go and reenter all the information that was saved on your iPhone.

How Do I Back Up My iPhone?

There are a few different ways to back up your iPhone:

Backup Your iPhone Using iCloud

  1. If you have a WiFi connection, you can back up your iPhone using iCloud.
  2. Open the Settings app.
  3. Tap on Your Name at the top of the screen.
  4. Tap iCloud.
  5. Scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup.
  6. Make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on. You'll know the switch is on when the switch is green.
  7. Tap Back Up Now.
  8. A status bar will appear to tell you how much time is remaining.

Backup Your iPhone Using iTunes

  1. Plug the Lightning connector on your Lightning cable (charging cable) into the Lightning port on your iPhone.
  2. Plug the other end of your Lightning cable into a USB port on your computer.
  3. Open iTunes on your computer.
  4. Click on the iPhone icon in the upper left hand corner of iTunes.
  5. Click the circle next to "iCloud" or "This computer" to select whether you want to backup your iPhone to iCloud or your computer.
  6. Click Back Up Now to backup your iPhone.
  7. When the backup is complete, you'll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.

Backup Your iPhone Using Finder (Macs Running Catalina 10.15 or newer)

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a charging cable.
  2. Open Finder.
  3. Click on your iPhone under Locations.
  4. Click the circle next to Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
  5. Click Back Up Now.
  6. When the backup is complete, you'll see the time and date updated under Latest Backup.
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7.

DFU Restore Your iPhone

A DFU restore has the potential to fix software problems by completely erasing the code which may be causing your problem. The code is rewritten as if your iPhone is brand new, so the software problem may get solved.

Think of it like a house that has cracks in the foundation. Rather than try and fix the cracks, we are building an entirely new foundation.

If you can, back up your iPhone before completing a DFU restore. Any time you do a restore, it erases everything from your iPhone. However, after the restore is completed, you restore all your backed up data back onto your iPhone.

How Do I DFU Restore My iPhone?

How To DFU Restore An iPhone SE, 6s, Or Older

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the Home button and the power button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the Home button.
  5. Let go of the power button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. Your iPhone’s display will be completely black if you’ve successfully entered DFU mode. If it’s not, try again from the beginning.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 7 Or 7 Plus

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the power and volume down button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the volume down button.
  5. Release the volume down button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. You'll know your iPhone is in DFU mode if the display is completely black.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 8 Or Newer

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a charging cable.
  2. Open iTunes (PCs and Macs running macOS 10.14 or older) or Finder (Macs running macOS 10.15 or newer).
  3. Quickly press and release the volume up button.
  4. Quickly press and release the volume down button.
  5. Press and hold the side button until the screen goes black.
  6. When the screen goes black, press and hold the volume down button while continuing to press and hold the side button.
  7. Hold both buttons for five seconds.
  8. After five seconds, release the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button.
  9. Keep holding the volume down button until your iPhone appears in Finder or iTunes.
  10. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.
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8.

Upgrade Your iPhone 8

There are plenty of reasons to upgrade from an iPhone 8 to a newer iPhone or Android. iPhone 8 repairs can get expensive very quickly, especially if you don't have an AppleCare+ protection plan.

Rather than paying to have your iPhone 8 fixed, you could put that money towards a brand new phone! Although new smartphones can be expensive, many wireless carriers offer special discounts, especially when you switch.

New phones have awesome features like facial recognition software, faster processors, better battery life, and much more.

How Do I Upgrade My iPhone 8?

  1. Visit UpPhone's cell phone comparison tool.
  2. Use the filters in the tool to compare phones by brand, model, features, and more.
  3. To learn more about the phone, click on it in the tool. To see plans compatible with the phone, click the # Plans button.
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9.

Repair Your iPhone With Apple

Apple repairs iPhones at the Genius Bar in Apple Stores and through their online mail-in repair service. Apple repairs are high-quality, but out-of-warranty repairs can be much more expensive than third-party solutions. If you're looking to save some money you're not covered by Apple's warranty, you may want to check out our other recommendations.

How Do I Repair My iPhone With Apple?

How To Repair Your iPhone With Apple's Mail-In Service

  1. Visit Apple's support website to begin the online mail-in repair process.
  2. Alternatively, call 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753) to set up a repair.

How To Repair Your iPhone At The Genius Bar Inside Your Local Apple Store

  1. Visit Apple's website to make a Genius Bar appointment before you go into the store. Apple Stores are extremely busy, and if you don't have an appointment, you may have to wait for hours or end up being turned away. (Editor's note: I'm a former Apple tech and we're not exaggerating — please, do yourself a favor and make an appointment first!)
  2. When you arrive, go to the Genius Bar to check in for your appointment.
  3. Genius Bar appointments always include free diagnosis. If you're under warranty, many repairs can be done on the spot, but it all depends upon which parts are in stock. If you're not under warranty, the Genius will give you a quote for the cost of a repair.
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Picking Up Good Vibrations

Your iPhone is vibrating again and the problem has been fixed. Next time your iPhone 8 Plus won't vibrate, you'll know exactly how to fix the problem! Thanks for reading and leave any other comments you may have in the comments section below.

  1. Turn On Vibration In Accessibility
  2. Make Sure Vibrate On Ring & Vibrate On Silent Are On
  3. Make Sure Ringtone Vibration Is Turned On
  4. Test Your iPhone's Vibration Motor
  5. Reset All Settings
  6. Back Up Your iPhone
  7. DFU Restore Your iPhone
  8. Upgrade Your iPhone 8
  9. Repair Your iPhone With Apple

Applies To: iPhone 8 Plus

AUTHOR

David Lynch

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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