To put an iPhone 13 on vibrate, flip the Ring/Silent switch on the left side toward the back of the phone so you see an orange stripe. Then make sure vibration is allowed in Silent mode: open Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics and choose Play in Silent Mode or Always Play. Your iPhone will then vibrate for calls and alerts without ringing.
These steps were checked against Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 26 and iOS 27 and Apple’s support article on silent-mode vibration (published July 2026). The iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max all run iOS 27. If your iPhone runs an older version, see the section on older iOS versions below.
Contents
- What “vibrate” means on an iPhone
- Put an iPhone 13 on vibrate with the Ring/Silent switch
- Choose when your iPhone vibrates
- Newer iPhones: use the Action button
- Change the vibration pattern for calls and texts
- Set a vibration for one contact
- Turn vibration off
- Older iOS versions
- If your iPhone 13 doesn’t vibrate
- FAQ
What “vibrate” means on an iPhone
An iPhone doesn’t have a separate “vibrate mode.” Instead, two settings work together:
- Silent mode stops the ringtone and alert sounds. On an iPhone 13 you turn it on with the physical Ring/Silent switch.
- Haptics is Apple’s word for vibration. A setting in Sounds & Haptics decides whether the phone vibrates in Ring mode, in Silent mode, both, or never.
So “vibrate only” means Silent mode on, with haptics set to play in Silent mode. Apple’s guide notes that when Silent mode is on, the iPhone doesn’t ring or play alert sounds but may still vibrate.
Silent mode doesn’t silence everything. Apple says Clock alarms, music and other audio apps, and many games still play through the speaker. In some countries or regions, Camera, Voice Memos, and Emergency Alert sounds also play.
Put an iPhone 13 on vibrate with the Ring/Silent switch
The iPhone 13 has a small switch on its left edge, above the volume buttons.
- Find the Ring/Silent switch on the left side of your iPhone 13.
- Flip it toward the back of the phone. An orange stripe shows on the switch, which means Silent mode is on.
- To go back to ringing, flip the switch toward the front of the phone. The orange stripe disappears.
If the phone doesn’t vibrate when you flip the switch on, vibration in Silent mode is probably turned off. Fix that in the next section.
Choose when your iPhone vibrates
This setting controls vibration for incoming calls and alerts. Apple documents this Haptics menu in its guides for iOS 17, iOS 18, and iOS 26, and its July 2026 support article uses the same path.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap Haptics.
- Choose one of the four options:
- Always Play: vibrates in both Ring mode and Silent mode.
- Play in Silent Mode: vibrates only when Silent mode is on. Choose this if you want the switch to act as a vibrate switch.
- Don’t Play in Silent Mode: vibrates only when the phone is set to ring.
- Never Play: no vibration for incoming calls and alerts.
- Go back. Your choice takes effect right away; there’s no Save button.
To test it, flip the switch to Silent and have someone call or text you. If you chose Always Play, test again with the switch set to Ring.
Apple’s July 2026 support article for an iPhone that doesn’t vibrate in Silent mode gives this same path: Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics > Play in Silent Mode.
Newer iPhones: use the Action button
The iPhone 13 has a Ring/Silent switch. Some newer models, such as the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 models and later, have an Action button in its place. If you upgrade, here’s how vibrate works on those models:
- Press and hold the Action button. When it’s set to Silent Mode (the default), the phone switches to Silent mode.
- Press and hold it again to turn Silent mode off.
- If you’ve assigned the Action button to something else, open Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn Silent Mode on or off there. You can also reassign the button in Settings > Action Button.
The Haptics setting from the previous section works the same on these models.
Change the vibration pattern for calls and texts
Each alert sound has its own vibration pattern. If a pattern is set to None, that alert won’t vibrate even when haptics are on.
- Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap the alert you want to change, such as Ringtone, Text Tone, or Calendar Alerts.
- Tap Haptics at the top of the screen.
- Tap a pattern in the list to select it.
- To make your own, tap Create New Vibration, tap the screen in the rhythm you want, and follow the onscreen prompts to save and name it.
Set a vibration for one contact
You can give a person their own vibration so you know who’s calling without looking at the screen.
- Open the Contacts app (or the Contacts tab in the Phone app).
- Tap the person’s name, then tap Edit.
- Tap Ringtone (for calls) or Text Tone (for messages).
- Tap Haptics at the top of the tone screen (labeled Vibration on older iOS versions) and choose a pattern or create a new one.
- Tap Done, then tap Done again to save the contact.
This custom vibration plays only when your Haptics setting allows vibration in the current mode.
Turn vibration off
There are three levels, from narrow to complete.
Stop one alert from vibrating: Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics, tap the alert (for example, Text Tone), tap Haptics, and choose None.
Stop vibration for calls and alerts: Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics and choose Never Play. Apple’s guide says that with Never Play, you won’t feel vibrations for incoming calls and alerts. If you only want the phone to stay still while it’s ringing, choose Don’t Play in Silent Mode instead of Never Play.
Turn off all vibration: Open Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn off Vibration.
Warning: Apple notes that the Accessibility Vibration switch also turns off vibration for earthquake, tsunami, and other emergency alerts. Use the Sounds & Haptics options if you still want those.
Separately, System Haptics in Settings > Sounds & Haptics controls the light taps you feel when you use controls. Apple’s iOS 27 guide describes it as haptics “for system controls and interactions”; call and alert vibration is set in the Haptics menu instead.
Older iOS versions
The iPhone 13 shipped with iOS 15. If you haven’t updated, your Sounds & Haptics screen looks different:
- Apple’s iOS 16 guide doesn’t show the Haptics menu. Instead, older versions have two separate switches near the top of Sounds & Haptics for vibrating in Ring mode and in Silent mode. Depending on the version, they’re labeled Vibrate on Ring and Vibrate on Silent, or Play Haptics in Ring Mode and Play Haptics in Silent Mode. Turn on the Silent one for vibrate-only behavior.
- On those versions, the per-alert pattern menu is labeled Vibration instead of Haptics.
To see your version, open Settings > General > About. To update, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If your iPhone 13 doesn’t vibrate
Work through these checks in order.
- Check the Haptics setting. It should be Always Play or Play in Silent Mode if you want vibration while silenced.
- Check the alert’s pattern. In Sounds & Haptics, open Ringtone or Text Tone, tap Haptics, and make sure a pattern other than None is selected.
- Check Do Not Disturb or another Focus. Apple’s support article tells you to open Control Center and tap Focus; if Do Not Disturb is highlighted, tap it to turn it off. A Focus (a mode that filters notifications) can silence alerts entirely, so they won’t vibrate either. You can read more in our guide on finding Do Not Disturb on an iPhone 13.
- Check the Accessibility switch. Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Vibration must be on.
- Check the app’s notifications. Go to Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and make sure notifications are allowed. Vibration options inside each app vary, so check the app’s own settings as well.
- Restart the iPhone. Turn it off and back on to clear a temporary glitch.
- Update iOS. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If none of this helps and you never feel any vibration, including the taps from System Haptics, the vibration hardware may need service. Contact Apple Support.
FAQ
How do I put my iPhone 13 on silent without vibrate?
Flip the Ring/Silent switch toward the back, then go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics and choose Don’t Play in Silent Mode. The phone will be silent with no vibration, and it will still vibrate when the switch is set to Ring. See our guide on putting an iPhone on silent for more on Silent mode.
Will my alarm still ring if my iPhone 13 is on vibrate?
Yes. Apple says Clock alarms play through the speaker even when Silent mode is on. To make an alarm vibrate only, set its sound to None and choose a vibration pattern, as described in our guide to setting an iPhone alarm to vibrate only.
Can I make my iPhone vibrate stronger?
Apple’s settings don’t include a vibration-strength control. You can create a longer custom pattern with Create New Vibration, which is easier to notice.
Does turning off System Haptics stop my phone from vibrating for calls?
On current versions, Apple’s guide places call and alert vibration in Sounds & Haptics > Haptics, and describes System Haptics as the taps you feel for system controls. Apple’s older guides (iOS 16 through iOS 18) said that turning off System Haptics also stops vibrations for calls and alerts, so the result can depend on your iOS version. If calls stopped vibrating, check both settings.
Why does my iPhone vibrate on ring but not on silent?
Your Haptics setting is probably Don’t Play in Silent Mode. Change it to Play in Silent Mode or Always Play.
Next step
Flip the switch to Silent, set Haptics to Play in Silent Mode, and ask someone to call you to confirm it works. For full details, see Apple’s guides on changing iPhone sounds and vibrations, silencing an iPhone, turning off vibration, and what to do if your iPhone doesn’t vibrate in Silent mode.
Matthew Simpson has been creating online tutorial for computers and smartphones since 2010. His work has been read millions of times and helped people to solve a number of various tech problems. His specialties include Windows, iPhones, and Google apps.