Edit a contact in the Phone app on your iPhone and scroll down to get to the custom vibration alert selection in iOS 6.

With iOS 6, Apple introduced custom vibration alerts. This not only allows you to select one of 8 built in vibration variations, but it also allows you to create your own. I am often in meetings where I need to have my iPhone on vibrate only. I do this by flipping the little switch on the left side of the iPhone to reveal a little red line. Up until iOS 6, I was unable to distinguish between the various incoming calls I was receiving. Now, I have a custom vibration alert set up for when my wife calls. That way, if I’m in a meeting and my iPhone is on vibrate, I can know it is her calling. Pretty cool, right? So, here is how you can set this up:

1. Open up the Phone app and select the contact that you want to add the custom vibration to.

2. Click the Edit button in the top right corner.

3. Then, scroll down till you see “text tone” and “vibration”. Tap on “vibration”. You will see the default vibration alert followed by 7 Standard built in vibration alerts. Scroll down to reveal the “Custom” section.

After pushing record, tap on the screen above the “Play” and “Stop” buttons to create a custom vibration alert for an incoming call on your iPhone in iOS 6.

4. Tap on “Create New Vibration” to open the vibration alert recorder. Then, tap record and begin to tap on the screen in the box above the “Play” and “Record” buttons. This will record the vibrations at whatever tempo and length of tap that you do. When you are done, simply tap “Stop”. If you are satisfied with your new custom vibration alert, tap “Done” at the top left of the screen and then tap “Done” again.

The next time this person calls, your iPhone will use this custom vibration instead of the default vibration.