A Brief Plea to Apple

Boy, does this feel like a grain of sand in the Sahara. It doesn't even amount to a hill of beans. Maybe one bean, at best.

However, we have several readers who work for Apple, so maybe one of them can get this to the right department. A seemingly minor thing, but I'm in dire need of a timed Do-Not-Disturb mode for my phone. I go to meetings of my fellowship most nights, put the phone on Do-Not-Disturb mode when the chairperson prompts me to do so...and then forget to turn Do-Not-Disturb back off again until sometime the next day—when I discover that I've missed one to five calls. Calls can be critical, because one might come from a friend in trouble.

Using the Scheduled mode in Settings kinda works, but kinda not, because the meetings are all at different times. And I still forget to reset it.

Either that, or maybe Apple could provide me with a younger and less absent-minded brain—but maybe even mighty Apple can't afford that.

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ray Hunter: "Perhaps you could ask the chairperson to state a reminder regarding the silenced phones at the close of the meeting, a mirror to that at the beginning of the meeting. I know it isn't a solution to a functional memory, but it's a Band-Aid."

Mike replies: Paul Butzi suggested the same idea privately. I spoke at the meeting last night, and I brought up the phone issue. We did end the meeting with a reminder to people to turn their phones back on. We'll see whether that sticks, but I'm going to try to remember to announce it at the end of meetings.

Michael: "The alarm clock function in your phone can be a big help. I have number of different pills which have to be taken daily, some at specific intervals, some two hours after eating—with nothing ingested for an hour after taking—plus eyedrops on another schedule and such stuff. The entire schedule set as a series of alarms on my phone does more than just remind me to take this or do that. If something interferes to throw me off the clock, I can quickly reset the rest of the day to accommodate the change. If the dislocation is a big one, I can incrementally time-shift my way back to the normal schedule over the next few days. This may seem to have nothing to do with your problem but give it a try. Set an alarm for shortly before meeting time and another for a reasonable interval after it’s over. Turn the phone function off when the first one sounds. When the after-meeting alarm sounds, turn the phone back on. Low tech? Yes, but it works."

John: "You've become too reliant on technology. Leave your phone at home or in the car when you go to meetings."

Mike replies: That presupposes that I can remember to do that, which would functionally never happen, given that I've been trying for about twelve years now, unsuccessfully, to remember to take the canvas shopping bags from the trunk into the store when I go to the grocery.

Comments

[Kaspar Pflugshaupt]

Hi Mike,

this works for me with "Scheduled mode":
I switch on "Do not disturb" manually from the Control Center, and it will automatically reset next morning 06:30, since I set up the schedule like this. There's even a helpful little info text telling me when it will reset.

Seems to do what you need?
Cheers
Kaspar

[Jim A.]

On Android, I believe you can create a Do-Not-Disturb rule that's tied to your calendar events. I'm not sure about Apple.

[Benjamin Marks]

Please forgive the following snark:

You _have_ a "do not disturb mode." It is also known as "off."

Just turn the thing to this innovative "off" mode during family meals, dates, sex, and theatrical/live music performances. Breathe deeply and enjoy.

The notion that there is anything that happens that we have to know on a minute-to-minute basis is one of the basest, most vile, and most pervasive illusions of modernity.

[Kerry]

iPhone Settings > Do Not Disturb > Allow Calls From
allows you to receive critical phone calls all the time.

[Chris V]

Maybe you can put up a "me too" counter on this one.
... and add one to it from me, and another one from my wife..
Chris

[Doug C]

What's worse is that our phone just spent three days on DnD which it switched into by itself! It's a known flaw of iPhone 6. We were traveling and it was a major PITA.

[Benjamin Marks]

[/Snark off] I take back my previous comment. "Off" won't help you if you forget to turn the phone back on. Maybe having the phone off would be dire enough to cause you to remember? If I get to the point of recommending a separate timer in your pocket, I'd have to concede that a timed sleep mode is a better solution.

How 'bout this: my (Android) phone has a countdown timer with an alarm. (Excellent for naps). You could set something similar for an hour more than your meeting is expected to be and use the alarm as a fail-safe to remind you to turn the phone's connectivity back on. Just have the timer app run in the background while the communications features of the phone are in "off" mode.

[/Snark apology on]

[Bahi]

I haven't tried it but this might be useful:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auto-mute-by-location/id650303758?mt=8

[Dennis]

I second that and I bet it would be appreciated by a great many people.

[Eolake]

YES!!

This is sorely needed, I’m amazed it does not exist.

[Richard Parkin]

Maybe set the timer or an alarm.

[Eolake]

... Though actually Scheduled mode is of *some* use to me, so thank you for reminding me of that.

[Larry Gebhardt]

Try setting a timer when you turn on do not disturb. I use the timer for everything short term I want to remember. I know it's not ideal, but it should work - if you can remember why it's going off.

[Stephen Scharf]

This is easy; go into your Do Not Disturb area of the Settings menu of the iPhone and set it up it for "Scheduled"; you can enter the From and To times that Do Not Disturb will be invoked.

[That's what I do, but its still a bit of a PITA because all the meetings are at different times. And I have to remember to do that, too. --Mike]

[Ron]

Timers aren't subject to do-not-disturb mode, so ask Siri to set a 60-minute (or whatever) timer when you enable DND, then you'll get a little reminder to turn it back on.

[MrKellyGraham]

I think most people set a reminder to turn it off when they turn it on in situations like this.

You can set the reminder by time or location manually or you could use Siri and say something like "Siri remind me to turn off DND after 3 hours. Sirir remind me to turn off DND when I leave this place."

[Steven Willard]

Just go to the “clock” and set an alarm.

[Sal Santamaura]

No need for more complications, Mike. Turn the thing hard off at start of meetings. Turn it back on again at the end. Easy peasy. :-)

[robert e]

Great idea for a feature, Mike! Not just for meetings, but for timed work periods (music practice, pomodoro, etc.).

I just tried this and it worked: I set my iphone (5c) to do-not-disturb mode and then set the timer. When time was up, the phone did its usual chiming and vibrating.

Both settings are in my swipe-up panel, so I didn't even have to unlock the phone to do this.

[Keith B]

Mike, your suggestion of a timed Do Not Disturb is excellent. It would save millions of people from missing calls, texts, emails, etc.
Apple'd be fools not to implement such an easy but valuable change.
I've got one too: Please, Apple, make the camera able to shoot landscape photos while the phone is being held vertically. Vertically framed still shots are OK, but vertically oriented video is awful and one of the major indicators of civilizational ruin,social decline, and cultural senility.

[Nikhil Ramkarran]

I eventually purchased an app to resolve that very problem. AutoSilent by Niv Gutherz (there also appears to be a newer app by the same person called AutoSilence).

It's a bit rough looking and needs to be re-started periodically (once a week for me) to keep working, but it is a life saver.

Reads events in my calendar, can mute by location and also timer.

[Tony Roberts]

Go to the Settings app from your home screen and tap on Notifications. Then tap on Do Not Disturb. Switch the On/Off next to Scheduled into the on position. Then set the start and end times you would like the Do Not Disturb setting to be activated.

[David Maxwell]

It sure seems like there would be an app for that.

[Jonathan Hayes]

In iOS, you can create an entry in Reminders that will kick-off you leave a location. (You can even adjust the radius of the distance.) Or use Siri - "Hey Siri, remind me to turn off Do Not Disturb when I leave here". Of course, you have to remember to create the reminder when you first arrive! Make it a part of when you turn DND on. Email me for more specific instructions; happy to help!

[John Kauk]

When you put the iPhone on Do Not Disturb for the meeting, set a Reminder to turn it off. You can set the Reminder for a specific time, a given duration, or for when you leave the location or arrive home. Not perfect, but it may help.

[James]

Have you tried using the alarm clock?
Set it for.......
Alarm = t + fellowship duration

where t = now

[Bruce McL]

Schedule your phone to turn "do not disturb" on at, say, 3AM, and turn off "do not disturb" at 3:10AM. If you forget to turn DND on after your meeting, it will automatically turn on at 3:10AM. On nights when you don't have meetings, your phone will ring except for 10 minutes in the middle of the night.

[Enrique]

Do your fellowship meetings take place in the same location? Maybe set a Reminder to turn off Do Not Disturb when you leave an area.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205890

[Nature Lover]

Why not just go to control center set the timer for say 15 minutes longer than the expected meeting then put it in airplane mode.

[robert e]

I should add that you can exempt specific people from DND in the settings, in case you're waiting on a specific call.

[Michael Perini]

I believe you can just set a vibrating alarm for 10 0r 15 minutes after the meeting is supposed to end. Your Phone will buzz , then you can reset.

[Michel]

It’s not exactly what you are looking for, but you could use a reminder based on location. It seems to work especially well if your phone connects to your car via Bluetooth. It is an extra step but it could work. 1. Silence your phone; 2. Go to reminders -> hit the + for a new reminder, enter text (e.g. turn ringer back on), toggle on Remind me at location, and choose the option that works best for you.

Mich
P.S.: disclaimer I do not work at Apple

[Bruce Appelbaum]

Mike -- leave the phone in the car.

[hugh crawford]

A couple of months ago I was at a performance at the San Francisco symphony and of course everyone had their cellphones silenced. There was some sort of amber alert or impending doom warning, and every cellphone in the concert hall went off at once, because apparently that overrides the do not disturb / silence setting. Now I just turn my iPhone off completely and I find it’s easy to notice that it’s completely off rather overlooking that it is sort of zombified.

Airplane mode is similar in that the phone is crippled enough that you will remember to in-cripple it as soon as you try to use it.

[Doug]

Mike: I just set my alarm clock to remind me and that does the trick. But I like your idea! :)

[John Rasmussen]

set your timer to go off after meeting ends

[Kurt Shoens]

Do you need to be able to take calls during your fellowship meetings? If so, you're probably stuck with putting the phone on "vibrate" instead of do-not-disturb and hoping you'll notice calls if you fail to restore the ringer.

If not, why not leave the phone in the car during the meetings?

[SF Murph]

You kind of can. Just set a scheduled Do Not Disturb to start every night at midnight (or 10pm or 3am) and have it end in the morning (7am or 9 or whatever works). You may still miss calls after your meeting, but you won't need to think about it the next day.

[Charlie]

You're right, it would be super handy to tell Siri: "Don't bug me for an hour." But there are three things you can do, together or individually:

First, set a DND schedule of some kind. (Mine's from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.) Then if you invoke DND and later forget to turn it off, it'll turn off automatically the next morning at the set time.

Second, make sure family/friends' numbers are added to Favorites. You can set DND to allow calls from Favorites to always go through.

Third, turn on Repeated Calls in the DND settings. Change your voicemail message to tell callers that if it's an emergency, they should hang up and call right back, and it'll go through.

That doesn't get around the annoyance of switching DND on at say, 7 p.m. and then forgetting to turn it off an hour later, as you'll miss calls from non-Favorites until the next morning, but it helps.

[Mike]

Why don't you just set a time to go off when the meeting is scheduled to be finished?

[David Boyce]

Actually, that's a very good idea. And surely easy to impliment as an app. Must be someone out there...

[Jack Baty]

I wonder if this recent thing from Kevin Rose would be useful...

https://medium.com/@kevinrose/disconnect-and-take-a-break-from-your-iphone-by-using-this-little-known-feature-c8e6f41660da

He uses a modified version of "Do Not Disturb While Driving". You'd be annoyed by not being able to use your phone, which would remind you that DND was on. :)

[Steve Caddy]

You could always ask Siri to remind you?

[Ilkka]

Fully agree. Happens to me all the time. Usually not until next day but for several hours or until evening. Very frustrating.

[Aravind]

Can't believe that Apple would leave out such a simple thing. It might be hidden somewhere.

Am I rubbing this in? Being one of the great unwashed from half way round the globe who uses a cheap Android device, can only point out the simple(?) method in Android which you might be looking for in that expensive Apple :-)
https://www.howtogeek.com/260225/androids-confusing-do-not-disturb-settings-explained/

[But I note the title of the linked article Aravind! :-) --Mike]

[subroto mukerji]

Why not just put it on 'silent' mode? I have a seven-year old Blackberry knockoff that lets me do just that, but gives me the option of leaving the 'vibrator' on (heh heh). These vibrations are strong enough to feel if the phone is kept in a jacket pocket and, if placed on a solid surface such as a table, will emit a faint but distinctly audio-palpable buzz that alerts me to incoming calls or messages.
Alternatively, I can use one of the alarms or on-off timers (again in optional vibe-only mode)to serve the purpose. And it cost me all of INR 4,200 (USD 70?)! Surely mighty Apple can do better?

[Aleph]

Mike --

Try this work-around:

Turn on "Do not disturb" and, separately, set an alarm or timer to remind you to turn it off.

-- Fred

[Andrew]

Perhaps you could try turning the phone off instead of putting it on Do Not Disturb? That way when you need to look at the time or take a snap of your dinner you'll notice. Unless of course you're one of the dinosaurs with a wristwatch and a camera.

[Mickld]

There are apps that provided more extended Do-Not-Call functions. Call Bliss is one example. I haven't used it, but noticed it offers a location-aware mode, so it will activate/deactivate depending on where you are.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/call-bliss/id575698521?mt=8

[John]

You've become too reliant on technology. Leave your phone at home or in the car when you go to meetings.

[Michael T.]

At the same time you turn on do not disturb, set a timed reminder to turn do not disturb off later. Google “setting a timed reminder on your iPhone”. This should fix your problem.

[Richard Parkin]

Since the Chair reminds you to switch your phone off can he not remind you to switch it back on? Can you not put it on “silent” when you will get notification of calls by vibration?

[Eric]

You have 2 options that I can think of. First, when you pull up Control Center on your iPhone https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202769 you can tap the Do Not Disturb icon to turn on Do Not Disturb and then tap the timer icon and the set the timer screen will pop up and you can set the timer for a few hours later, what ever is appropriate for you to clear your meeting. When the timer counts down to zero it will play whatever sound you set on the timer screen. If you don't see the timer icon on Control Center you can customise Control Center to show it. See the web page above.

A second alternative would be to invoke Siri by holding down the home button and saying set an alarm for x hours from now.

Alternatively you can wait until Apple has several 6 figure programmers with nothing else to do but programme your suggestion.

[Fred Kinder]

Try Siri "remind me to turn off do-not-disturb when I get home"

[Romano]

I have a nice app doing that (and more) on Android. I don't know if it works, but a fast search landed here for iPhones https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autosilent/id474777148?mt=8

[William]

Estimate the average length of your fellowship meetings.

Add 30 min. for safety.

Before you leave the car say, "Hey Siri, set a Timer for X minutes". The timer will sound with the Tone set in the Clock app Timer pane. There's a large number of tones.

If can set the Timer tone to "Blank", the phone will just vibrate endlessly (well, maybe only as long as the battery works) until you manually stop it in the Timer pane of the Clock app.

You could also tap open the Clock App and set the Timer countdown manually.

I prefer to use Siri because she occasionally confirms the Timer countdown sarcastically.

[Richard Parkin]

This plea to Apple will go unanswered because it goes against their whole ethos. As a long-time Apple products user I know that Apple is not interested in feedback - they want to sell you stuff you didn’t know you want so feedback is clearly unnecessary :-(

[Khürt Williams]

The turn if off suggestion presupposes there is no consequence for doing so (family emergencies, medical device monitoring, etc.). The Benjamin Marks comments seems judgmental and naive.

Set a reminder in the reminders app to enable Do Not Disturb when you leave that location.

The notion that there is anything that happens that we have to know on a minute-to-minute basis is one of the basest, most vile, and most pervasive illusions of modernity.