Follow up for post about: Haptics volume being automatically turned to near zero without me doing anything.

iPhone haptics don’t produce sound on their own. The vibration motor only creates movement.  

The sound you sometimes hear is actually the surface the iPhone is touching—such as a table, desk, or chair—vibrating in sync with the haptic feedback.

Some surfaces act like little amplifiers. When they resonate well, the vibration becomes louder, and you hear a noticeable “buzz” or “tap.” When they don’t resonate, the same haptic feels quiet.

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Examples that make it obvious

• On a wooden table:  

The table vibrates slightly, acting like a speaker cone. You hear a louder “thud” or “buzz,” even though the phone itself isn’t making a sound.

• On a soft couch or bed:  

The surface absorbs the vibration. You barely hear anything, even though the haptic strength is the same.

• In your hand:  

You feel the tap strongly, but you hear almost no sound because your hand doesn’t resonate like a hard surface.

• On a metal chair or glass surface:  

These materials resonate very well, so the vibration becomes noticeably louder.

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• The Taptic Engine itself can produce a very faint mechanical noise if you put your ear right next to the phone in a quiet room.
• Think “precision machinery whisper,” not “sound effect.”