News
Some iPhone 3GS units emitting high-pitched tone
A number of iPhone 3GS owners are reporting a high-pitched tone emanating from the device’s speaker following the play of nearly any system sound. The issue, reported by Boy Genius Report and detailed further in an Apple discussion thread, appears to be triggered any time the phone makes a noise—such as when using the keyboard or locking/unlocking the phone. The noise may be inaudible to some users due to its high-pitched nature, which BGR estimates to be in the 15KHz range. It is currently unclear how widespread the issue is, and whether or not it can be fixed via a software update as opposed to a hardware replacement.
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1
Well the tone is there… I have an appointment at the Genius Bar tonight to fix my wheel on my IPOD. I will ask the question then. There is no tone during
Vibrate mode.
Posted by Richard Lewis on June 22, 2009 at 10:05 AM (PST)
2
Finally. A reason that I’m glad that I got screwed out of an early upgrade.
Posted by amy! on June 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM (PST)
3
No tone for me.
Posted by Dale on June 22, 2009 at 11:34 AM (PST)
4
I have the tone, and it was also on my first one that I had replaced due to an occasionally unresponsive screen. It’s barely audible so I doubt it will bother me enough to make an issue out of it.
Posted by Jordan on June 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM (PST)
5
So the “S” in “3GS” apparently stands for “shriek”, eh?
Pretty interesting issue, and hopefully one that isn’t too widespread, but you’ve got to hand it to Apple/AT&T if this problem is the biggest one in the aftermath of the device’s launch. Considering that the 3G’s launch was botched, this is actually a good sign (and, yes, I know some people are having activation delays, but at least those experiencing the worst are getting a $30 iTunes card for the inconvenience).
My 3GS is set to arrive on Thursday. I’m hoping the only high-pitched noise emanating from it is Brian Johnson’s voice after I use voice control to “Play songs by AC/DC.”
Posted by Flippy Hambone on June 22, 2009 at 12:33 PM (PST)
6
I hear the tone - it’s faint, but definitely there and high-pitched. Guess I’ll be heading to the Apple Store for a fix…
Posted by El Payo on June 22, 2009 at 1:35 PM (PST)
7
I have it as well…but it goes away after 5 seconds
Posted by luhem on June 22, 2009 at 4:06 PM (PST)
8
I just checked and mine has it. I can only hear it if my ear is within about 3 inches of the speaker. I would never have noticed if not for this article and I highly doubt this is going to be a big problem for any humans buying the iphone. To those who need their iPhones “fixed” from this problem: is this seriously something that is going to bother you? Seriously?
Posted by mattwd on June 22, 2009 at 6:42 PM (PST)
9
The noise is picked up by the mic when recording video: that’s why it’s an issue.
Currently the solution is to put the phone into silent mode, or turn down the volume, before switching to video mode.
Posted by dean on June 23, 2009 at 4:48 AM (PST)
10
Any word on if they’re going to have a recall on this? Is the only current solution to go in and have it traded out?
Posted by Alex on June 23, 2009 at 2:13 PM (PST)
11
the noise does not subside by turning down the volume or silencing the ringer. hopefully apple will become aware of this issue.
Posted by stacey on July 14, 2009 at 7:42 PM (PST)
12
I’m getting that same high pitch sound on my 3G. Started last weekend out of nowhere so I hit the Apple Store today and they swapped it out. The replacement was dead silent. Got home and did a restore, now the high pitch us back… Assume that means it’s a software issue?
Posted by D38 on July 25, 2009 at 7:50 PM (PST)