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What is your iPad side switch setting?

  • Rotate lock

    Votes: 107 71.3%
  • Mute

    Votes: 43 28.7%

  • Total voters
    150
I used to have it set on rotation lock; but now that I have gestures, I have it on mute, as its quicker to get to the orientation lock, and I find the physical button hard to press.
 
It's mute. You guys who have it on rotation lock — What do you to stop all the bleeps and swishes and tings when you're using your iPad to listen to music or trying to watch a video? As soon as that happens I just mute all notifications with a flick of the switch but I still retain my music and video volume controls.

I use the mute switch regularly enough to understand why Apple made it default, whereas I probably use rotation lock once a month, if that.
 
It's mute. You guys who have it on rotation lock — What do you to stop all the bleeps and swishes and tings when you're using your iPad to listen to music or trying to watch a video? As soon as that happens I just mute all notifications with a flick of the switch but I still retain my music and video volume controls.

I use the mute switch regularly enough to understand why Apple made it default, whereas I probably use rotation lock once a month, if that.

As my initial post said, if you just hold the volume down button for one second it mutes the device. Simple enough for me considering I use rotation lock often. Whatever you prefer though.
 
Rotation Lock, I use that feature way more than I ever mute anything. Particularly given how quick it is too mute by holding volume down. (which is actually annoying sometimes I just want to lower the volume a few points and usually end up muting by accident)
 
As my initial post said, if you just hold the volume down button for one second it mutes the device. Simple enough for me considering I use rotation lock often. Whatever you prefer though.

The mute switch is not to mute all the volume. It's to mute notifications. You can still listen to music, etc., and use the mute button to avoid getting interrupted by notifications.
Holding the volume down switch will mute all volume.
 
It's mute. You guys who have it on rotation lock — What do you to stop all the bleeps and swishes and tings when you're using your iPad to listen to music or trying to watch a video? As soon as that happens I just mute all notifications with a flick of the switch but I still retain my music and video volume controls.

I use the mute switch regularly enough to understand why Apple made it default, whereas I probably use rotation lock once a month, if that.

It's incredible that most people don't understand how the mute switch works on the iPad.
I have gestures enabled on my iPad, so it's very easy to lock rotation.
 
I had mine set for mute for the longest time, but I just put it on rotation lock again. I like using the rotation lock and use it a lot more when it is configured as the button on the side.
Of course the mute button was convenient as well, as I do need to mute it frequently.
 
The mute switch is not to mute all the volume. It's to mute notifications. You can still listen to music, etc., and use the mute button to avoid getting interrupted by notifications.
Holding the volume down switch will mute all volume.

It's incredible that most people don't understand how the mute switch works on the iPad.
I have gestures enabled on my iPad, so it's very easy to lock rotation.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. The mute button, as the name implies, mutes all sound. Your comment suggests I can mute the device yet still watch a movie via the iPod app or do other activities with audio.

The mute button mutes all sound. What am I missing?
 
I'm not sure what you're talking about. The mute button, as the name implies, mutes all sound. Your comment suggests I can mute the device yet still watch a movie via the iPod app or do other activities with audio.

The mute button mutes all sound. What am I missing?

No. As it turns out, a lot of people who immediately changed the setting to rotation lock may have missed what the mute switch does. It does not mute the iPad. It mutes notification sounds.

Let's say you want to listen to some music on your iPad for a while. If you receive any emails during that time, your music is interrupted with the sound of an email arriving. If you don't want that sound annoyingly interrupting your incredible music, flick the mute switch and you're still able to hear the music and control the music volume with the volume slider, but now any emails or calendar events or messages or any other notification noises will be muted.

Another example: You might be trying to watch a movie on your iPad or maybe a long YouTube video. Again, if you don't want noises interrupting, flick the mute switch. You'll still hear the audio from the video, but not notifications. Then you can flick it back on when you're done.

It's not just music and video but I use it when I want to play games uninterrupted, or when I simply want to quickly mute my iPad when it's with me in the living room and I want to watch something on TV.

I literally use the mute switch multiple times a day. I think more people in this thread might if they knew how darned useful it is.
 
No. As it turns out, a lot of people who immediately changed the setting to rotation lock may have missed what the mute switch does. It does not mute the iPad. It mutes notification sounds.

Let's say you want to listen to some music on your iPad for a while. If you receive any emails during that time, your music is interrupted with the sound of an email arriving. If you don't want that sound annoyingly interrupting your incredible music, flick the mute switch and you're still able to hear the music and control the music volume with the volume slider, but now any emails or calendar events or messages or any other notification noises will be muted.

Another example: You might be trying to watch a movie on your iPad or maybe a long YouTube video. Again, if you don't want noises interrupting, flick the mute switch. You'll still hear the audio from the video, but not notifications. Then you can flick it back on when you're done.

It's not just music and video but I use it when I want to play games uninterrupted, or when I simply want to quickly mute my iPad when it's with me in the living room and I want to watch something on TV.

I literally use the mute switch multiple times a day. I think more people in this thread might if they knew how darned useful it is.

Oh, I see. I didn't know that. Though it's because I turn all those notification sounds off anyway (ie: email send & receive, calendar alerts) as I have no use for them. Therefore, my iPad doesn't make any alert sounds. I don't want an audible email alert that I just got a coupon from Radio Shack.
 
It's mute. You guys who have it on rotation lock — What do you to stop all the bleeps and swishes and tings when you're using your iPad to listen to music or trying to watch a video? As soon as that happens I just mute all notifications with a flick of the switch but I still retain my music and video volume controls.

I use the mute switch regularly enough to understand why Apple made it default, whereas I probably use rotation lock once a month, if that.

I have it set so that I don't get any of those alerts. Wouldn't that solve the problem, too? I never have audible alerts at all...that I recall.
 
Mute. I very rarely use the rotation lock, so I don't need it to be convenient.

Side note: I HATE that it automatically mutes if you hold down the volume bar for a second. Sometimes I just want to turn the volume way down, not completely mute the device. It's very frustrating...I wish that was something that could be changed.
 
Rotation lock. Was really annoyed when they changed it to mute, so glad they gave us the option to select either.
 
I have it set so that I don't get any of those alerts. Wouldn't that solve the problem, too? I never have audible alerts at all...that I recall.

If I turned the sounds off altogether then I wouldn't hear notifications when I need to (e.g., calendar reminders, waiting on an important email.) It's only temporarily I wish to mute notifications, which the switch is perfect for. :)

Drew- Same with me. That 'hold volume down to mute' feature I found cool at first, but now it just bugs the heck out of me. Sometimes my volume will be too loud when I start playing a video and I want to turn it down a bit so I hold the button but it just ends up muting it. Despite using my iPad daily for a year now, I still make that mistake and it never gets any less irritating.
 
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