Mastodawn

Michael McAuley Mar 22, 2023

Federico Viticci

Here's my unpopular iPhone opinion:

The mute switch that most of my colleagues say "is great because you can feel it" is terrible. When you keep an iPhone in the case, nobody can "feel" whether it's on or off. I keep my iPhone in a leather case and the switch is completely inaccessible to me. It's a horrible experience.

Bring on a new button that is easier to operate and plays a haptic pattern depending on what it does.

Simon Harper Mar 22, 2023

@viticci but there appears to be no visual clue (the orange line) as to what state its in, so will have to either press and re-press depending on its state, or unlock phone and look at I hope a mute indicator on the status bar…

Federico Viticci

@simonharper You look at your iPhone's screen all the time anyway.

Simon Harper Mar 22, 2023

@viticci nope, its on my desk. when a Team’s (or other) call comes in on my MacBook I can see its on mute without touching it. Always on is always off as i’d prefer the extra battery ;)

Eric Leamen Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Plus a button can be automated with Shortcuts, just like mute on an iPad or Apple Watch today. 😉

Jonathan Lang Mar 22, 2023

@ericleamen @viticci that’s a really good point! Stateless is the way to go for automation…

Kostas Karayannis Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Also, it can be software-controlled like the iPad as well as the "switch"!

Gernot Mar 22, 2023

@viticci I don't have it in a case, but I still „feel“ its state by switching it off and on to see if it vibrates. I don't do it by the switch position alone. This can be 100% replaced by a non-mechanical switch.

Digital Mark λ ☕️ 🕹 👽Mar 22, 2023

@viticci So don't put the phone in a case? I sometimes get a grippier skin for the back, and once had to have a battery case. Otherwise, never had one, never broke a phone.

But also it does make a thrub-thrub-thrub effect when you mute and a single thrub on unmute.

Hannes Güdelhöfer Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Just get rid of the button. Especially with an Apple Watch I want my phone on silent ~99% of the time anyway. The 1% of the time I don't want to ave it on silent, I am fine with pressing a software toggle.

The only use I have for that toggle is a fidget toy. Kinda weird for it being 1 of 4 hardware buttons on the device.

Rishi Ó Mar 22, 2023

@reckter Would you use the button if it allowed you to lock screen rotation instead, or trigger the camera without launching the camera app?

Hannes Güdelhöfer Mar 22, 2023

@rishio I never used "Lock Screen rotation", but maybe because it's a software button, so not sure. But for certain better than silence.
Would use the camera button for sure! An extra button fits the "Taking my phone out out my pocket to make a photo" flow perfectly.

Rishi Ó Mar 22, 2023

@reckter That’s why I think the new button will be more like an action button than a mute button. A single function button that many people don’t even use is a waste of precious real estate.

Hannes Güdelhöfer Mar 22, 2023

@rishio A button with user-controlled action would be ideal.
Have it be able to open certain quick apps like maps, camera, music. And have it be possible to also run a shortcut.
Not that most people would use it with a shortcut, but it's still to big of an opportunity to pass!

James Thomson Mar 22, 2023

@viticci I want to keep my phone muted 99% of the time, and I worry that a button will lead to me accidentally unmuting it - easier to operate is a negative for me.

[email protected] se ha movido Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci I’m guessing that to unmute the button will need to be long pressed, same way as for turning it off. If not, I agree it could be a regression in some ways.

E. Eggert 👉@[email protected]Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci This. And often to double check, I feel for the switch or flip it (unmute/remute) quickly to be sure. I can do that without looking because the position of the switch gives me that haptic information. With a button, I have to look at the phone. And then a control center or lock screen button is as good as a physical button, IMHO.

Carlos Fonseca Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci It could be a configurable “action" button.

Nathan Liu Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci That becomes less of a problem if they allow you to reprogram it, for example to rotation lock?

Dean Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci TIL that there is another mode than « silent » on phones 🙃

WTL Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci Same. My phone is muted almost always.

Craig Grannell Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci I just hope there has been substantial testing across multiple use-case scenarios, and no tendency towards ‘mostly Cupertino testing’, which does happen sometimes (such as with Apple often relying on insanely fast broadband for services to fully work).

Joe Chott Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci 100% same.

Iain Simpson Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson I’d probably buy an iPhone with mute permanently set.

Colin Devroe Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci I can’t remember the last time my iPhone was out of silent mode.

Matthew Cave ⚾Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci 💯 this. If James only mutes his phone 99% off the time, I’ve got him beat. I absolutely do not want a switch that is easier to operate.

Michael Rowe Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci me too. I almost never turn on sounds on my phone (or watch for that matter). I prefer haptics.

@jamesthomson @viticci Why do you need a switch in the first place? If you could toggle whatever you needed in software like the flashlight or focus mode, would that do exactly what you want without the fear of flipping it in your pocket?

James Thomson Mar 22, 2023

@TheBruce @viticci I like the immediacy of the switch, and it’s indication of the value, but that could work. That’s how the iPads are.

@jamesthomson @viticci Coming back to the iPhone from Android, I’m now used to silencing my phone automatically based on work meetings, time of day, or Wi-Fi network. I can now trigger a focus mode based off of mostly similar things on my iPhone.

It’s not perfect, especially since I haven’t figured out how to make a focus mode that just mutes, but it is way more dependable than I am.

Casper 👻Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci Mine is always muted. My watch lets me know when a call is coming in. Even unmuted it always rings first.

Leon Cowle Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci 100% agree James. I’m also team ALWAYSMUTED. And it’s a cutout on my particular case, so I can easily confirm that the switch is down (and/or visually see the orange). Maybe Apple can gives us a setting to say “Disable physical mute button” so you can ONLY toggle it in software, thereby avoiding accidental “presses”.

François de La Bruère Mar 22, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci 👆🏻

Joe Welch Mar 23, 2023

@jamesthomson @viticci I leave my phone on silent 100% of the time. A way to change the button function in settings would be great. Flashlight would be great for when I’m wearing winter gloves and the screen button doesn’t work.

Cabinet 20 🌱

@viticci I also wonder if it’s not set physically, does that make it easier for focus modes to change the state without getting out of sync with the actual physical position.

Joshua Jung Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Also: a stateless button will allow us to set the mute status via Shortcuts! E.g., you should be able to set DND and unmute at the same time when going to bed, so you can be woken up by emergency calls. This is something I have wanted forever.

Rafał Sobolewski

@joshua @viticci or when you put Apple Watch to charge 👍

@joshua @viticci have you looked into “Emergency contacts” that bypass mute and DND?

Joshua Jung Mar 22, 2023

@shauny @viticci Oh, does it really bypass mute? I was under the assumption that it only bypassed DND.

@joshua @viticci yep, bypasses mute too! I have my husband as an emergency contact because I have a tendency to miss texts as my phone is always muted, but now his make noises and no-one else’s do.

Jonathan Lang Mar 22, 2023

@shauny @joshua did you have to configure it somehow? I have my wife & relatives as emergency contacts, but they only break through DND. Would be annoying if it ignored mute state for them…

@jon @joshua for Ringtone and Text Tone, turn "Emergency Bypass On”.

Jonathan Lang Mar 22, 2023

@shauny @joshua oh wow, thanks, that’s a nifty feature!

Joshua Jung Mar 22, 2023

@shauny @jon @viticci I had absolutely no clue that this existed, and that it’s separate from the Focus-specific bypassing contacts. 🤯

Coxiecox Mar 22, 2023

@joshua @viticci @viticci These are all good points, the only thing I would say in defence of the current button is that it’s nice to be able to see at a glance that the phone is muted. Maybe the dynamic island or the always on Lock Screen can help there though.

Maya Dawn Mar 22, 2023

@joshua @viticci Here's an idea too: maybe it's not a Mure button anymore, but an Action button like Watch Ultra. By default toggles mute but can be customized to any Shortcut.

Phil Mar 22, 2023

@joshua @viticci @viticci I must admit, I get confused between what DND and mute actually stop. Increasingly I just use DND but allow key callers through. You can also see on the screen that it is on which you can’t with mute. I agree that Apple really need to think this through again.

Coxiecox Mar 22, 2023

@joshua @viticci @viticci These are all good points, the only thing I would say in defence of the current button is that it’s nice to be able to see at a glance that the phone is muted. Maybe the dynamic island or the always on Lock Screen can help there though.

Zav Mar 22, 2023

@viticci 100% Agree

Luca Bartoletti Mar 22, 2023

@viticci everytime I pull the iPhone out of a case it switches on. I forget and get ring tones playing in unexpected places

Secundus Mar 22, 2023

@lucabartoletti @viticci Here‘s another unpopular opinion: removing the mute switch on the iPad was the right move and they should do it on the iPhone as well. Most people I know have it muted all the time and the control center is a viable alternative. Dedicated hardware for such a small feature is not justified 🤷‍♂️

Ben Bieker Mar 22, 2023

@viticci I also use it very infrequently.. Mostly the phone is on mute anyways. Would be totally fine for this to just be a software toggle since it's just so rarely

martin3783 Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Since the Apple Watch I have only in rare cases unmuted my iPhone. I like the mute button but at this point it might as well go away.

Josh McKinnon Mar 22, 2023

@viticci maybe I’m wrong but I kind of trust Apple to ship a change to iPhone that changes a core interaction, without them thinking about it.

Trager Mar 22, 2023

@corduroy @viticci

Colm Doyle Mar 22, 2023

@viticci who even enables the ringer anyway? I don’t know that I’ve ever intentionally unmuted my phone.

Rishi Ó Mar 22, 2023

@colmdoyle that’s why people are missing the big picture by calling it the mute button. It’ll be more like an action button. Did everyone already forget the digital island and how software is as important than the hardware?

R2 Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Yeah case experience is terrible, but you also can’t even see its state in a dark environment. Software button in Control Center like on the iPads is so much better; I wouldn’t mind if the whole switch was gone.

And even if you don’t use a case, I find it very questionable to be able to tell its state by feel only, unless you take it out of pocket and properly grope it.

Filip Němeček Mar 22, 2023

@viticci the main benefit for me with the switch is that by looking at it you can be 100% sure the phone is muted.

When I see the I know the phone won’t surprise my with sound

Kirk McElhearn Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Every case I have ever owned for an iPhone has a slot to access that button.

Markus Müller-Simhofer Mar 22, 2023

@viticci Is it really an unpopular opinion? I never use the mute switch. My iPhone is always muted. Probably the case for most people who also have an Apple Watch.