# iPhone/iPod question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264 "2009-07-16T21:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/1 "2009-07-16T21:05:31Z")
This is a major annoyance. When I am listening to music on my iPhone and put it in my pocket (as in mowing the lawn or exercising), I’ll be partway into a song when I get this little electronic tone and it skips to the next song. Sometimes it will be halfway into it, other times it will be after the first note. The thing is, I can’t replicate this when I take it out of my pocket. I’ve touched every button and tab on the thing, but that sound and skip won’t happen. Obviously I am triggering something, but I can’t figure out what it is. Anyone know what I am doing and how I can get it to stop? It also seems to have begun happening recently. It didn’t used to happen. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/2 "2009-07-16T21:28:26Z")
Have you tried locking it? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/3 "2009-07-16T21:32:07Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Have you tried locking it? I don’t know what that is. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/4 "2009-07-16T21:34:47Z")
“Locking” it is a function that will prompt someone for a short password before it recognizes any buttons being pressed. Handy for preventing it from “butt dialing” someone while in your pocket or some such. Or from skipping your current song without your go ahead. I don’t own an iPhone so I can’t instruct you how to lock it, I’m just here to help bide your time until someone more helpful comes along. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/5 "2009-07-16T21:45:04Z")
On an iPod, there is a slide switch that locks the controls. On an iPhone, pressing the power button locks it. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/6 "2009-07-16T21:45:36Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I don’t know what that is. Press the button on the top that shuts the screen off. It shouldn’t respond to button presses after that, although if the audible/silent switch gets flipped it might sample the ringtone briefly. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/7 "2009-07-16T21:48:41Z")
Mine was doing that and I couldn’t figure out why and it was driving me crazy. Then I discovered how to turn off the “shake to shuffle” feature:[ol][li]Select the “Settings” app. The main Settings screen opens.[_]Scroll the Settings screen up until the “iPod” button is displayed.[_]Press the iPod button. The iPod settings are displayed. [_]Switch the button to ‘off’.[_]Press the Menu button. The home screen is displayed.[/ol] [/li] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/8 "2009-07-16T21:56:50Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Mine was doing that and I couldn’t figure out why and it was driving me crazy. Then I discovered how to turn off the “shake to shuffle” feature:[ol][li]Select the “Settings” app. The main Settings screen opens.[_]Scroll the Settings screen up until the “iPod” button is displayed.[_]Press the iPod button. The iPod settings are displayed. [_]Switch the button to ‘off’.[_]Press the Menu button. The home screen is displayed.[/ol] [/li] > 🙂 Locking it worked. I also did this, and I’ll try it next time. Pushing my lawnmower means a lot of shaking. Thanks, all. P.S. “Shake to shuffle” is a stupid feature. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-ipod-question/503264/9 "2009-07-17T13:50:50Z")
I dont think so. It lets me skip songs without having to turn the screen on, navigate, look down, press little virtual buttons, etc.