Vibrating alert
Feature of communication devices that notify users by vibration
A vibrating alert is a feature of communications devices to notify the user of an incoming connection or message. It is particularly common on mobile phones and pagers and usually supplements the ring tone. Most 21st-century mobile phones include a vibrating alert feature, as do smartwatches.
Vibrating alerts are primarily used when a user cannot hear the ringtone (a noisy environment or through hearing loss) or wants a more discreet notification (such as in a theatre). However, when a device is placed on a hard surface, the noise caused by a vibrating alert can often be as loud or louder than a ringtone.
The vibrations are produced by an electronic component called a vibration motor (alternatively called a haptic actuator). This component typically consists of a small electric motor with an off-center weight fixed to its output shaft.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Vibrating alert”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Vibrating alert iPhone 4.webm by Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Vibramotor.jpg by The original uploader was Towel401 at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 1.0
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