Why wont my android phone vibrate anymore

The vibration function on your phone can act as a great tool for notifying you of important tidbits. When you’re in public, like a meeting, a movie or a quiet event, you don’t want your ringtone on.

That’s rude. Instead, using the vibration function on your Android can keep you in touch with what you want without breaking the silence for everyone else.

But it’s stopped working. Fear not because you’ll find the solution to your problem here.

Why Won’t My Phone Vibrate Android?

Your android phone may not be vibrating for a number of reasons. The first thing we recommend checking is to make sure your ringer is on, with the little button that’s usually located near the volume buttons.

It’s also worth making sure you don’t have ‘do not disturb’ on, because if it is on you won’t get notifications, therefore your phone will not vibrate.

If these 2 things are set correctly and your phone still isn’t vibrating, it may be a software or hardware bug, or maybe you have a setting turned on that was activated accidentally. Whatever the case, we’ll be going over most reasons as to why your vibration isn’t working.

1. Phone Out of Date

It’s possible your vibration isn’t working because your phone version is out of date, and simply updating your device could fix it. This is especially the case if the issue is software related.

Even though there’s no easy way to see what the issue stems from, it’s still worth checking if you have any available software updates in your settings, and if you do, updating to the latest version. Here’s how;

Step 1. Go to your phone’s or device’s ‘Settings’ app.

Step 2. Scroll towards the bottom, until you see ‘System’. Tap this, and then tap ‘System Update’.

Step 3. If an update is available, you should be able to install it here. While the update is downloading, you can go back to this screen in the settings to see your download progress.

And that’s how to update your Android device! If you don’t see an update available, your device is probably already updated to the latest version. If you want to make sure of this, you’ll need to view your current software version. To do this, follow these simple steps;

Step 1. Open your phone’s ‘Settings’ app.

Step 2. Near the bottom, tap ‘About phone’ and then ‘Android version’.

Step 3. Find your ‘Android version,’ ‘Android security update’ and ‘Build number.’

You can then look up the latest Android version. If you have an older phone, you may need to also search your phone’s name. For example, ‘latest android version s7’.

This is because if your phone is too old, it will no longer be supported for new updates, though if this is the case, you shouldn’t have to worry about software issues as it should usually be the most stable version available for your device.

2. It’s turned off for notifications or calls

Another thing that’s definitely worth checking is your vibration settings in general. You may have accidentally turned off vibration for notifications and calls, or it turned off by itself for whatever reason. Whatever the case, here’s how to check your vibration settings.

Step 1. Go to the ‘Settings’ application from your device’s Home Screen.

Step 2. Tap ‘Accessibility’. It should be located towards the top of the settings.

Step 3. Tap ‘Vibration & Haptic Feedback Strength’.

Step 4. Here, you’ll be able to change vibration settings like ring and notification vibration, as well as touch feedback.

3. It’s Turned Off for Individual Apps

There are a few different things you can change with your vibration settings on your android phone. One of these settings allows you to choose which apps will vibrate when given a notification from them, and which ones won’t.

It could be possible that, for some reason, you vibration settings are off for the specific app in question, or they’re just off on random apps. Here’s how to check your individual app vibration settings!

Step 1. Open the devices ‘Settings’ application from your home screen.

Step 2. Now, tap ‘Manage Notifications’ or ‘Apps & Notifications’.

Here, you’ll be able to view specific apps and change the vibration settings for the app you select.

So, for example, if Twitter is not vibrating when you get a notification and you’d like to change this, select Twitter. You’ll be able to turn on vibration for the app notifications. If the vibration setting is already on, it may not be a software or setting issue.

4. Your vibration isn’t intense enough

It’s possible the vibration happens and the phone registers it, but it’s not intense enough to actually feel, so you don’t even notice when it happens.

To see if the case, press hard on the back of your phone in different spots while doing something that would normally give you a lot of vibration, like when you’re receiving a phone call. If you can feel it slightly, then this is the case. If this is happening, it’s probably a hardware issue with your device.

5. Vibrator motor is damaged

If you feel a slight vibration but it’s just not enough to notice, it’s possible your vibrator motor is damaged. It’s recommended to take your device to a repair shop, instead of just getting a new phone.

If everything else is ok with your phone and it’s just the vibration issue, they may be able to fix the vibration for a low cost and you may be able to keep your phone for years longer!

6. The Vibration is from a Software Bug

It’s also possible the issue is from a software bug. If this is the case, try restarting your phone and checking the software version of your OS. If the phone is up to date and the issue continues after restarting, consider taking it to a repair shop.

How to Fix Vibration on Android Phone

1. Turn Vibration On

Checking if the vibration is actually turned on is your first move. Normally when you silence your Android device, people usually assume it has been put on vibrate. Unbeknownst to some, there exists a true silent mode.

When you don’t want to be disturbed, you’ll usually hit the volume button until it switches to vibrate. It’s certainly silent, but you’ll still feel the vibration whenever you get a notification. However, if you hit the button one more time, you’ll enter a completely silent mode. No ringtones, no vibration, not even for a notification.

In other words, check if your Android device wasn’t put on silent. Press the Volume Up button. If that was the problem, you’ll feel the small vibration of vibrate mode.

2. Restart your Android Device

The next stop on your way to finding a solution: restart your phone. An often overlooked solution to the problem. Simple, but occasionally effective.

3. Test Vibration with an App

To get a feel for where the problem lies, software or hardware, you can use a handy app that simply activates the vibration on your Android device.

If the vibration works, then it’s the fault of software. If the vibration didn’t work, then it may be a hardware issue.

Test Vibration in Safe Mode – Part 1

Safe Mode isn’t strictly for computers; Android devices have them, too. It provides an opportunity to troubleshoot tons of different features on your Android device. This solution follows the same line of thinking of testing the vibration with an app. However, unlike that solution, Safe Mode has a function an app could never fill.

The way it works is Safe Mode only runs the processes that are absolutely necessary for the Android device to function. That funny meme generator app you have on your Android device? It won’t work. It isn’t a necessary function, no matter how much you want to believe it is.

1. Hold the Power button.

2. Select Shutdown or Power Off.

3. Wait 30 seconds. Afterwards, press and hold together the Volume Up button, the Volume Down button and finally, the Power button.

4. Test the vibration with your volume buttons.

If the vibration worked, move onto the section “Test Vibration in Safe Mode – Part 2”

Test Vibration in Safe Mode – Part 2

So, the vibration worked? That’s good news, and bad news. The good news is it isn’t a hardware issue. The bad news is it’s a software issue. But how? Software, like an app, can affect when the vibration is used.

Software can cause all kinds of problems, especially third-party software. It isn’t always perfect, and there’s hundreds of apps that work perfectly for being third-party. However, just about any app could be the culprit. Have you installed any new apps lately? Start with them by uninstalling each app until the vibration returns.

It’s a tedious solution, but a solution nonetheless.

4. It’s not your Vibration, it’s the App

Depending on the app you’re using, you may be expecting a vibration whenever the app wants to notify you, but it isn’t working. It’s possible it isn’t the vibration function, but rather, the app isn’t function like it’s supposed to.

It would be a good idea to fiddle with different apps that use the vibration function. Make note of the apps that are supposed to utilize it, but don’t. Uninstalling and reinstalling the apps should fix the problem.

5. Update Software

With that being said, an app may not need to be reinstalled, but rather, updated. Apps have been known to not always work, especially when they need to. In this case, the app was supposed to utilize the vibration, but for one reason or another, it isn’t functioning and no amount of uninstalling and reinstalling is going to fix it. It needs an update.

1. Open Google Play Store.

2. Open the menu. It’s the three horizontal lines.

3. Select My Apps & Games.

4. Under the Update tab, if an app needs an update, then select UPDATE.

6. Update your Device

On the flipside, it could be the hardware that’s causing all the problems, but on a surface level. Updating the device can fix any minor problems. What it won’t fix is broken components.

1. Open Settings.

2. Keep scrolling until you locate System Updates, or anything involving updates for your device. It depends on your phone.

3. You may need to update individual, or altogether.

7. Revert your ROM back to Stock

This pertains specifically to individuals that root their Android devices. Rooting can be a great way to gain more from your device than you normally would with an unrooted device. It’s a very freeing method. However, rooting comes with its own set off issues to deal with.

One possibility is the vibration function was affected by the rooting of the Android device. Functionality of it can come back if the device is returned back to its stock ROM.

8. Perform a Factory Reset

Before you take your phone to the shop, perform a factory reset. What is it? When you bought your phone, the pristine state it was in? That is factory settings. It’s the state in which the device was bought. For used devices, it means back to the state it was when the original owner bought it. Updates are rolled back, storage is wiped–everything is deleted.

Important: You might have guessed, but yes, it will remove pictures, videos and everything else personal. It’s a clean slate. Any software issues caused by apps can be completely erased.

1. Open Settings.

2. Locate Backup & Reset. Select it. If you want to backup your data, NOW is the time to do it.

4. Once you’ve backed up your data, select Factory Data Reset. Confirm by tapping Reset Phone.

9. Faulty Vibration Component

Even after all that, the vibration still doesn’t work, then you have yourself a faulty vibration component. This can’t be fixed by an update to the hardware or software; it needs the special knowledge of a specialist who can.