How do you make the iPhone vibrate for arbitrary durations?

Question

In the iPhone 2.x firmware, can you make the iPhone vibrate for durations other than the system-defined:

AudioServicesPlaySystemSound(kSystemSoundID_Vibrate);

In jailbroken phones, you used to be able to use the MeCCA.framework to do this:

http://pastie.org/94481

MeCCA_Vibrator *v = new MeCCA_Vibrator;
v->activate(1);
sleep(5);
v->deactivate();

But MeCCA.framework doesn't exist on my 2.x iPhone.

Answer 1

Yes, this is something that has caused AppStore rejections in the past, and probably will again...which means it is still possible to do it.

Answering my own question, here's how to do it:

Add framework CoreTelephony in Build Phases.

declare:

extern void * _CTServerConnectionCreate(CFAllocatorRef, int (*)(void *, CFStringRef, CFDictionaryRef, void *), int *);
extern int _CTServerConnectionSetVibratorState(int *, void *, int, int, float, float, float);

static void* connection = nil;
static int x = 0;

initialize:

connection = _CTServerConnectionCreate(kCFAllocatorDefault, &vibratecallback, &x);

start vibration:

_CTServerConnectionSetVibratorState(&x, connection, 3, intensity, 0, 0, 0);

stop vibration:

_CTServerConnectionSetVibratorState(&x, connection, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0);

This code is from HapticKeyboard, a downloadable application that buzzes the phone as you type. It is available for jailbroken phones on Cydia. See also my jailbreaking experience)

Any other good references?

Answer 2

There's no way to do this using the SDK, sorry.

Answer 3

Not only is this impossible to do using the SDK, but it's also the first item in the Unofficial App Store Rejection Criteria.

Answer 4

iOS 5 has implemented Custom Vibrations mode. So in some cases variable vibration is acceptable. The only thing is unknown what library deals with that (pretty sure not CoreTelephony) and if it is open for developers.