If every switch you flip, every key you type and every long press makes your iPhone tap back at you, start with one setting: open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, scroll down and turn off System Haptics. That removes the small taps tied to system controls. It is only one of several haptic sources, though, so the sections below cover each of the others on current versions of iOS and what each switch leaves on.
Which haptic are you feeling?
Apple describes haptic feedback as “the vibration you feel on your iPhone when you perform some actions, such as when you touch and hold any icon on the Home Screen.” The iPhone produces it from several places, and each has its own control. Match what you feel to the row below, then jump to that section.
| What you feel | Setting that controls it | What that setting leaves alone |
|---|---|---|
| Small taps when you use switches and other system controls | Settings > Sounds & Haptics > System Haptics | Keyboard taps, and vibration for calls and alerts |
| A tap on every key while typing | Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback > Haptic | System Haptics, and call and alert vibration |
| A buzz when you touch and hold an icon, link or photo | Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch (timing only) | Everything else |
| Vibration when a call, text or other alert arrives | Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, Text Tone and the other alert types > Haptics | System Haptics and keyboard taps |
| All of the above at once | Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Vibration | Nothing: it also stops emergency alert vibration |
| Rumbles inside a game or another app | That app’s own settings, if it offers one | All iPhone settings above |
If the buzz you dislike comes from incoming calls and messages, skip to the alerts section instead.
Turn off System Haptics
Apple describes this switch as the one to “play haptics for system controls and interactions.” On older versions of iOS the switch sits on the same Sounds & Haptics screen, as in the screenshots below.
- Open the Settings app.
Older iOS version shown; current screens look different. - Tap Sounds & Haptics.
Older iOS version shown; current screens look different. - Scroll down to System Haptics and turn the switch off. Its position on the screen can differ between iOS versions, so look for the name rather than a spot at the bottom.
Older iOS version shown; current screens look different.
The change takes effect right away; there is nothing to save. To get the taps back, return to the same screen and turn the switch on again. For a closer look at what this one switch covers and when it is worth keeping, see turning off System Haptics on iPhone.
Turn off keyboard haptics
Keyboard haptics are the small tap you feel on each key press. They are separate from System Haptics, so turning System Haptics off does not stop them. Apple lists the option for iOS 16 or later.
- Open Settings and tap Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap Keyboard Feedback.
- Turn Haptic off. The Sound switch on the same screen controls key clicks, so you can keep one, both or neither.
Apple notes that turning on keyboard haptics might affect battery life, which is one more reason some people leave them off. The same page says that if you turned Haptic on and feel nothing, check that Vibration is on in Settings > Accessibility > Touch. To silence the click sound as well, see how to turn off keyboard clicks on iPhone.
Ringtone and alert vibration patterns
Alert vibration is set per sound type. Ringtone, Text Tone, Calendar Alerts and the other entries on the Sounds & Haptics screen each have their own Haptics choice, so you can keep the buzz for calls while removing it for texts, or the other way around.
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- Tap the alert type you want to change, such as Ringtone or Text Tone.
- Tap Haptics near the top of the screen.
- Tap None to stop the vibration for that alert, or pick a gentler pattern. Create New Vibration lets you tap out your own rhythm.
- Repeat for any other alert types you want quiet.
Silent Mode adds one more layer. On the Sounds & Haptics screen, a separate Haptics setting decides whether vibration plays when the iPhone is silenced; Apple’s instructions for vibrating in Silent Mode say to tap Haptics and select Play in Silent Mode. The other choices in that list can vary by iOS version, so read the options on your own screen before you pick one.
For single contacts, single apps and Focus schedules, see how to turn off vibration on iPhone, and if the phone is not buzzing when it should, fixes for an iPhone that won’t vibrate on silent.
Haptic Touch: change the timing, not the feature
Haptic Touch is the touch-and-hold gesture that opens quick actions on app icons and previews of links and photos, with a tap to confirm. In Apple’s touch settings it has a speed choice rather than an on and off switch.
- Open Settings and tap Accessibility.
- Tap Touch, then Haptic Touch.
- Choose Fast or Slow. Slow means you have to hold a little longer before the menu appears, which cuts down on accidental triggers.
Some older iPhones used 3D Touch, which responded to how hard you pressed instead of how long. On current iPhones the long-press gesture is Haptic Touch, and turning off System Haptics does not remove it. More detail, including what the speed setting changes, is in adjusting Haptic Touch on iPhone.
The Accessibility switch that stops all vibration
If you want no buzzing of any kind, there is a single master switch in Accessibility. Read the warning first.
Warning: Apple notes that this setting also turns off vibrations for earthquake, tsunami and other emergency alerts. If you rely on feeling those alerts, use the individual settings above instead.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch.
- Turn off Vibration.
With Vibration off, the System Haptics, keyboard Haptic and alert pattern settings stop having any effect, even if they are still switched on. That is why Apple’s keyboard page tells you to check this switch when haptics seem broken. To undo it, turn Vibration back on. Apple’s page on turning off vibration on iPhone describes the same switch.
What turning off System Haptics does not change
This is where most confusion comes from. With System Haptics off, these still work as before:
- Vibration for calls, texts, calendar alerts and other notifications, which follow the Haptics choice under each sound type.
- Keyboard taps, if Keyboard Feedback > Haptic is on.
- The Haptic Touch long press and its speed setting.
- Haptics that an app adds itself, such as in a game. Those are controlled in the app, if it offers a setting.
- Sounds. Lock Sound and the ringer volume sit on the same screen but are separate switches.
Haptic feedback questions
Can I turn off haptics for one app only?
Sounds & Haptics has no per-app haptics switch. Look in the app’s own settings for a vibration or haptics option. For alerts from one app, the vibration guide linked in the alerts section covers ways to quiet a single app or contact.
Will turning everything off affect emergency alerts?
Apple’s note covers the master Vibration switch in Accessibility: turning it off also stops vibration for earthquake, tsunami and other emergency alerts. Apple does not say that System Haptics or keyboard haptics affect emergency alerts.
Start with System Haptics and Keyboard Feedback, live with the result for a day, and only reach for the master Vibration switch if a buzz you cannot place keeps coming back. While you are on the Sounds & Haptics screen, you may also want to read what Lock Sound does on iPhone. Apple’s full list of these controls is in its guide to changing sounds and vibrations on iPhone.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.