iPhone 5 - Bedside Mode?

[rbenjamin]

I am new to the iPhone - coming from a decade of blackberries. I've searched, but not found an answer.

Is there an option (or app) that allows you to set different notification preferences when charging? Blackberry has something called "bedside mode." When you put it in a charger (and you can also require a specific time window) you can set different notifications - such as no vibrate and no ringer.

I know there is the "do not disturb" function. But that is solely triggered by a time window. I'm looking for something that is triggered by charging.

The problem with the do not disturb time window is that I keep irregular hours. Sometimes I'm in bed at 10 and the iPhone is on my bedside table making noise until 11 (when I have the do not disturb set), but other times I am out (usually working) until midnight or beyond - and I don't want my iPhone to automatically go silent.

Having a charging trigger is the perfect solution. My blackberry was set so that if it went in the charger between 10pm and 6am, it would stay silent (except for a couple of pre-defined phone numbers who could make it ring).

Anything similar for an iPhone?

 

[Mercenary]

Yup. When you plug it in just flick that little switch above the volume to put it into silent mode.

 

[rbenjamin]

Yup. When you plug it in just flick that little switch above the volume to put it into silent mode.

Thanks, but that doesn't stop the vibrating.

 

[jbennardo]

In settings > sounds you can turn off vibrate when silent. It's more of a global solution and probably not what you were looking for but still kind of a workaround.

Do not disturb really is a great option because it stops the phone from doing anything - lighting up, vibrating, etc. It will however continue to work while the phone is awake and in use. So, if you have DND enabled but are reading tweets, the phone will operate as normal. Hope that helps.

 

[rbenjamin]

In settings > sounds you can turn off vibrate when silent. It's more of a global solution and probably not what you were looking for but still kind of a workaround.

Do not disturb really is a great option because it stops the phone from doing anything - lighting up, vibrating, etc. It will however continue to work while the phone is awake and in use. So, if you have DND enabled but are reading tweets, the phone will operate as normal. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply, but that doesnt do it either. I use the physical switch to turn off sounds when I am in meetings (or court) but I can still feel the buzz in my pocket.

I can't believe the iPhone doesn't have this. I never realized how much I liked that blackberry feature.

I also assume there are no apps that let you set different profiles for different situations, times, or states? Using the GPS, you could even use location services to set different notification settings for different locations (which would be GREAT!) Automatically set everything to vibrate when in the office. Make noise at home. Set everything to loud ringers at the ballpark. Turn everything off when in court. Since this doesnt seem to exist, I assume Apple doesn't let apps control notifications.

 

[Diode]

I would suggest you send them feedback to say they should have a option to trigger the "Do Not Disturb" when it's plugged in.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Not a bad idea.

 

[darngooddesign]

You can schedule the Do Not Disturb times.

While you are on DND, there is an option to allow a call to go through normally if it is the second call from that number within three minutes.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

Do not distrub has worked well for me so far. Are you just not wanting to have to open the settings and turn it on?

I realize that may sound smart -ss, but it is not intended to be.

 

[UHFrank]

You can schedule the Do Not Disturb times.

While you are on DND, there is an option to allow a call to go through normally if it is the second call from that number within three minutes.

Yes this is exactly what I do from 10:30pm to 6am works pretty well

 

[rbenjamin]

I would suggest you send them feedback to say they should have a option to trigger the "Do Not Disturb" when it's plugged in.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Not a bad idea.

Thanks. I just used the link to leave the feedback.

 

[whsbuss]

Haven't used DND yet, but if its active will the alarm clock still sound?

 

[rbenjamin]

Do not distrub has worked well for me so far. Are you just not wanting to have to open the settings and turn it on?

I realize that may sound smart -ss, but it is not intended to be.

Yes. That is absolutely what I am saying. It should be automatic. A simple "if, then" command:

IF it is between xx:xx PM and yy:yy AM
AND plugged in
THEN activate do not disturb

I shouldn't have to go into settings to change things every night. On the Blackberry this was all automatic.

 

[JoshObra]

Haven't used DND yet, but if its active will the alarm clock still sound?

Yeah, alarm still sounds off with DND on. As long as phone volume isn't turned all the way down.

That is a good feature by the way for the BB. But for me, I usually just either leave my phone on my carpet or place it on top of a cloth or something on my table when I sleep.

I hardly get any calls during the night anyways and I never notice them when I start sleeping.

 

[Mercenary]

I missed profiles when I switched from Nokia many moons ago but you quickly forget about it and just use the silent switch. Do not disturb is a fantastic addition.

 

[rbenjamin]

Our usage scenario -

My wife and I both got iPhone 5s and charge them at night on our bedside tables.

We both get emails throughout the night - actual work stuff and stupid spam junk. Sometimes we get wrong number call or - hopefully very infrequently - actual calls in the middle of the night from people we know and care about.

It is probably a 1 in 3 shot that we would both remember to manually change a setting or flip a switch at night to turn it off. The Do Not Disturb function is a deal-breaker for us and absolutely necessary.

We both have them set very broadly now to protect our valuable sleep - 10pm to 6am. BUT if either of us is out and about beyond 10pm we don't get the vibration of messages or the sound of the ringer (which is how we have both of phones set 99% of the time).

Blackberry solved this by adding the plugged in (or charging) variable to their version of "do not disturb" - which they call "bedside mode." Thus, even if it were after 10pm, if we were not plugged in for the night the phone still operated normally - only when we finally plugged in (at midnight, 1am, or whenever) would it enter bedside mode or "do not disturb." That was a key feature. I miss it.

 

[MrGimper]

Yes. That is absolutely what I am saying. It should be automatic. A simple "if, then" command:

IF it is between xx:xx PM and yy:yy AM
AND plugged in
THEN activate do not disturb

I shouldn't have to go into settings to change things every night. On the Blackberry this was all automatic.

I think that sound "Profiles" are something that's been sorely missed on iOS that has been present on most phones since the dawn of time.

 

[CatsTide]

Wait for jailbreak and all those things will be possible.

 

[Outrigger]

Our usage scenario -

My wife and I both got iPhone 5s and charge them at night on our bedside tables.

We both get emails throughout the night - actual work stuff and stupid spam junk. Sometimes we get wrong number call or - hopefully very infrequently - actual calls in the middle of the night from people we know and care about.

It is probably a 1 in 3 shot that we would both remember to manually change a setting or flip a switch at night to turn it off. The Do Not Disturb function is a deal-breaker for us and absolutely necessary.

We both have them set very broadly now to protect our valuable sleep - 10pm to 6am. BUT if either of us is out and about beyond 10pm we don't get the vibration of messages or the sound of the ringer (which is how we have both of phones set 99% of the time).

Blackberry solved this by adding the plugged in (or charging) variable to their version of "do not disturb" - which they call "bedside mode." Thus, even if it were after 10pm, if we were not plugged in for the night the phone still operated normally - only when we finally plugged in (at midnight, 1am, or whenever) would it enter bedside mode or "do not disturb." That was a key feature. I miss it.

I also miss the dim clock when I used to charge my berry and think that is a great feature. I also miss the charging contacts so you can just put it in the cradle without having to make sure the connection goes inside the charging port. However, these are just some of the things you need to get used be without if you're planning to stay with the iOS ecosystem. Personally, there are too many pros that outweigh the cons after switching to the iPhone.

 

[DollaTwentyFive]

I used BBs for many years and they did some fantastic things - things other devices don't do. Like switching to bedside mode and automatically displaying the clock when plugged in.

I loved the idea of Do Not Disturb in iOS 6 because I want some of my contacts to ring through if there is an emergency in the middle of the night. The problem I have, as pointed out, is if the phone isn't "sleeping," the calls and text tones will come through as they would normally.

Well - I like to use the app nightstand for its great flip clock and some other features. For many years, going back to blackberry days, my phone has been my bedside clock. One less thing to clutter the night table. When this app is active, however, it leaves a dim clock on the screen and the phone is technically awake and in use. The result? Do not disturb doesn't function when the app is running.

Not the end of the world, but this feature could stand a little refinement.

 

[Small White Car]

1) Flip the silent switch

2) Put the phone on a sock so the vibrations don't rattle the table.


You say you forget to flip the switch. Just give it a week. Habits are easy to form when the punishment is annoying. I can't remember the last time I forgot to flip the switch before bed. Nor do I remember the last time an on-sock vibration actually woke me up.

 

[JesalTV]

Why on earth Apple STILL doesn't let us have profiles - which have been around forever on other phones - truly perplexes me.

Why can't we have Home, Office, Bedtime, Car, Loud etc?? It is ridiculous, unless I am missing some obvious workaround.

And don't say "flip the silent switch, then turn off Vibrate When Silent" etc - there should be profiles!!

 

[MrGimper]

1) Flip the silent switch

2) Put the phone on a sock so the vibrations don't rattle the table.


You say you forget to flip the switch. Just give it a week. Habits are easy to form when the punishment is annoying. I can't remember the last time I forgot to flip the switch before bed. Nor do I remember the last time an on-sock vibration actually woke me up.

Haha, I thought I was the only person who did this! I have an odd sport sock on my bedside table that the phone sits on while I sleep.

Yay, I'm not a mentalist.

 

[wacomme]

I also miss the dim clock when I used to charge my berry and think that is a great feature. I also miss the charging contacts so you can just put it in the cradle without having to make sure the connection goes inside the charging port. However, these are just some of the things you need to get used be without if you're planning to stay with the iOS ecosystem. Personally, there are too many pros that outweigh the cons after switching to the iPhone.

I agree. I just switched from a Blackberry to the iPhone. The clock and bedside mode are missed - but that's about it.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

there should be profiles!!

Well, at this time there aren't. I would suggest weighing the pros and cos of the iPhone versus the BB. You can always switch back.

However, these are just some of the things you need to get used be without if you're planning to stay with the iOS ecosystem. Personally, there are too many pros that outweigh the cons after switching to the iPhone.

Personally, there are too many pros that outweigh the cons after switching to the iPhone.

I agree. I know the iPhone has it's short comings. However, for me, it has way more pros than cons.

 

[willmtaylor]

Haha, I thought I was the only person who did this! I have an odd sport sock on my bedside table that the phone sits on while I sleep.

Yay, I'm not a mentalist.

Well, in your defense, you still could be, just not exclusively because of this.