It’s absolutely a thing. Unless I am actively waiting for a super important call I can’t miss, I have no sounds or vibrate on for notifications of any kind. With very few exceptions, my phone has been on silent for at least 5+ years, and the 5 or so years before that on silent much of the time but not always.
I do have an Apple Watch that taps my wrist with incoming calls and GPS turns, so that’s good enough for me. I have most of the other notifications turned off for my watch though.
I missed the call that my mother in law died., because my phone was on silent during the night. Now certain numbers will always go through, even when it’s on silent. And why the hell are you checking your phone every couple of minutes?
Yeah just set an exception for a couple of people. I don't say that I do but the average user unlocks their phone 100 times per day with an average screen time of more than 4 hours a day
Ok, but you see the paradox in that if everyone is doing it? Lets say you check your phone, oh so and so called a couple minutes ago, maybe it's important so you should call them back. You do, but because they also have their phone on silent they won't notice till they check theirs a few minutes later so you each keep missing each other, etc etc. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I don't look at my phone all the time, especially if I'm at work or spending time with friends or family, I can go hours without looking at it, so yeah if someone is trying to reach me urgently I kind of need some sort of audible notification.
Yeah that means you have a healthy connection to your phone which most don't have.
I can't remember that I even got a single call from somebody I know in the last year. So all calls I get are spam. It's only messages so answering a few minutes later isnt a problem.
Theree are very very few things that could be an emergency in my life but that depends on your situation and life of course
I’m not sure where you read that I don’t answer it. I almost always answer calls from people I know if I’m in a place to answer it. Also respond to texts and emails promptly. I could see my phone sitting on my desk face up, or watch taps my wrist for calls so I can glance to see if it’s something that needs to be answered. No sounds needed. If I’m lecturing (frequent in my job) or doing other things that don’t allow me to talk or text, I wait until I can call back or reply. I’m an older millennial and I know for sure not everyone was always available every minute of the day until very recently. Unless your phone is for emergency work, it’s okay not to be tethered to it even in “time sensitive” situations. There are a lot of ways I can be found if needed. More importantly, I’m never the only one who can help someone in a true emergency.
OK, but having a watch take over the responsibility of the phone is not the same as just NOT having any signaling for incoming calls. OP doesn't mention smart watches at all, so it implies you just go around your day not being aware of people (possibly in a time-sensitive scenarios) trying to contact you.
I didn’t read it that way at all. I read that our phones were usually/always on silent, not that we have no way of being notified of anything or unaware of people, just that the constant ringing and dinging and pinging are way too much. My watch is silent too. We can silence it all. I don’t need a “you’ve got mail” chime every time I get an email or text (personal or work). I’m at my desk or see my phone frequently enough that even “time sensitive” things can be handled in a time sensitive way. As a wife, mother, and university professor I’m absolutely aware of other people and their needs - nearly every minute of my waking hours. That doesn’t mean I need audible sounds to alert me of everything all the time. I’m way too “alerted” as it is. What I need to do is be present and focus (as much as possible) on what or who is in front of me at that moment.
As an example, my kid’s school has my university’s main line in addition to my cell phone. If truly needed and I did miss a cell phone call while presenting (usually 75 min) or meeting with a student or walking through a quiet study area or lab, I’m sure someone can track me down or I’ll see the message soon enough. But also, the school could contact someone else. My kid has another parent to call. Also, they have other emergency contacts (family friends) listed who we trust. I don’t feel the need to stop what I’m doing and answer every call the second it comes in - just in case. I certainly hope my kids’ teachers and professors aren’t stopping class (or even their own deep thought time or their coffee or lunch moments) to answer many personal or work calls just to see if it’s urgent. Obviously, if they are waiting for something they know is urgent, important, and likely to happen at that time, that’s different, but rare.
Most often, things aren’t urgent, important, and something only one person can handle or fix though. Nearly everything can wait a bit.
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u/Michael_Dautorio Aug 14 '26
Wait.... Is this a thing? I couldn't imagine my phone being on silent.