Why is iphone buzzing?

March 31, 2008 9:54 PM

Why is my iphone buzzing now?

Ok, here is the set up on my night stand. Old, normal clock radio, lamp, iphone charger dock, digital baby monitor, cordless telephone dock (the kind that plugs into the wall outlet, not the phone outlet.). I have had this set up ever since I got my iphone back in September and had no problems. No buzzing, feedback or anything. Nada. Zip. Now, all of a sudden (the past two nights), I'm getting the annoying cell-phone buzzing thing that happens every five minutes or so when your cell phone is looking for the towers or whatever. You know, the kind of stuttering buzzy thing. Why now? It's not the baby monitor, it happens whether it is on or not. No settings on the iphone have changed. It's not the land line phone, nothing else has been altered or changed in any way. It's not anything that I can think of but it is driving me crazy! What would make this annoying sound start happening now and what can I do to make it stop? Any suggestions appreciated!

posted by pearlybob to technology (9 comments total)

Short of finding some way to shield your wiring, there's very little you can do.

Perhaps some of the wiring was moved and is now closer to the iPhone's location? Electromagnetic radiation tapers off as the inverse square of distance, so small changes can lead to large effects.
posted by chrisamiller at 10:48 PM on March 31, 2008

You say it happens if the baby monitor is on or off - have you tried fully unplugging the baby monitor, or removing its batteries? My friend's computer speakers constantly create the cell-phone buzzing even when they're off, she pretty much has to dismantle them whenever she's not actively using them.
posted by sarahsynonymous at 11:06 PM on March 31, 2008

Maybe your local tower is out, and your iPhone is having to transmit at higher power to reach the next nearest tower?
posted by flabdablet at 4:06 AM on April 1, 2008

I have not noticed this tower-buzzing thing ever happening on my own iphone.
posted by bingo at 5:12 AM on April 1, 2008

Not a helpful answer, I know, but when I first read this question I just assumed that it was an April fools joke and that the correct answer would be, "because it's set to vibrate, and you're receiving a call."
posted by TurkishGolds at 6:13 AM on April 1, 2008

What would make this annoying sound start happening now and what can I do to make it stop? Any suggestions appreciated!

Maybe your local tower is out, and your iPhone is having to transmit at higher power to reach the next nearest tower?

It's certainly transmitting at a higher power. The reasons for this could be many. Try moving the phone a few inches in any direction in case the signal is fading just where you have placed it.
posted by three blind mice at 6:52 AM on April 1, 2008

My clock radio has always done the GSM buzz with my iPhone and with the previous AT&T phone. I resigned to charge my phone in an alternate location. It was the simplest and cheapest answer.
posted by advicepig at 6:54 AM on April 1, 2008

3 blind mice might have it. I noticed this morning that I've collected alot of "crap" on my nightstand and the dock is actually about 5 inches to the right of where it usually sits. I will feel stupid if cleaning off my table and repositioning is the answer but hopefully that is it. I don't want to move the charger because I use the phone as an alarm. In fact, I could probably get rid of the clock alltogether. Will do that too. Thanks all for the insight everyone. Happy Fool's Day!
posted by pearlybob at 7:34 AM on April 1, 2008

This happens all the time when my iPhone is near some sort of speaker, clock radio, etc. Simple solution: turn off your phone. Second best solution: move your phone away from your night stand.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 10:48 AM on April 1, 2008