I built an iPhone app called *Smart Silence* after sitting in a quiet setting (a service, actually) where someone’s phone rang loudly and interrupted everything. It wasn’t intentional — just one of those forgetful moments. I started wondering: what if our phones could gently remind us to stay silent when it matters?
*Smart Silence* helps iPhone users do just that. It lets you:
- Mark places where silence is expected (like libraries, meetings, classes, or houses of worship) - Get a reminder when you enter, with an easy Shortcut to enable Do Not Disturb - Schedule quiet times (e.g. “Mondays 9–11am at this place”) - Share Silent Places with others — so your community, school, or workspace can use the same setup - Stay fully in control — no auto-silencing, and no location tracking outside of defined zones
It’s currently available via TestFlight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/47CJ31VK
I’d love feedback — especially around usability, edge cases, or features you’d expect. If you run or attend a place where silence matters, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes to set them all up.
I don't think I would use an app for this, but as far as I can tell, it aims to crowdsource silent locations, something a shortcut couldn't realistically achieve.
Basically the phone communicates with the venues via an AirTag like network and enters DND or becomes a school mode device.
It can be on by default, and some users like on call doctors or firefighter etc can override and take responsibility for managing themselves.
I would love my phone to know I’m in Church for a wedding or at a play and not have to remember to switch.
I kinda have the opposite problem. I turn my phone to silent because I'm at a restaurant or cinema or whatever, then 3 or 4 weeks later discover I never remembered to turn it back.
And I'm 100% OK with that, I've gotten good enough at turning the ringer on when I'm expecting a call, and not worrying about "missing calls" from people who aren't in my VIP list or who don't leave voicemail.
The few times I do not notice a notification, I'll pick up up when just keeping an eye on the time.
Not having bings , boops, and rings surround my life has been a huge nicety -- Far more than I'd have expected. Highly recommend if someone wants to be 'notified reliably' but has the modern day sounds also drive them a bit nuts...
First one sets my phone to silent when I arrive at work (500m radius I think). It also sets it back to loud (or whatever the previous state was) automatically when I leave that radius.
Second one sets my phone to loud when my phone connects to my home WiFi. This helps with the problem you describe - but agreed, phone stuck on silent isn't generally an issue (until I miss some courier's phone call and kick myself).
We really need AGI to solve that. ;)
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iOS. It just works (tm).
"hey Siri, create an alarm and name it $X"
"hey Siri, delete all alarms named $X"
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“Doesn’t iOS already support this?”
You’re right — iOS offers Focus Modes with location-based triggers and automation via Shortcuts. But in practice, these are underused because they’re not easy to configure or manage. Smart Silence builds on that by making the process simpler, more flexible, and community-oriented.
Here’s how it’s different: • Quick Silent Zone setup: Add any location (house of worship, library, classroom, etc.) and the app handles the rest — no need to mess with Focus Mode automations. • Silent Zone Sharing: You can share a Silent Zone with others, so groups (like schools or religious organizations) can all use the same settings. • Smart Reminders: It sends a prompt (or runs a Shortcut) when you enter/leave a Silent Zone — keeping you in control, while avoiding disruption. • Easy Reversion: When you leave a Silent Zone, it reminds you to turn sound back on, avoiding the classic “why am I missing calls?” issue.
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New: Scheduled Silent Sessions
In addition to location-based detection, Smart Silence also supports scheduled quiet times in those locations.
You can set silent hours for things like: • Classes • Meetings • Services • Daily focus blocks (like 9–11 AM “deep work”)
This is especially helpful if you work or study in one place, but need silence at specific times.
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Coming Soon: Focus Points System
One of the most exciting features I’m working on is Focus Points: • While Do Not Disturb is active in a Silent Zone, Smart Silence uses motion data to see if your phone stays still. • If you don’t pick it up or use it, you earn Focus Points. • These points contribute to daily or weekly focus scores, with streak tracking and possible rewards later on.
It’s a lightweight way to encourage discipline and reduce unnecessary phone use during important moments.
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Not Just for Houses of Worship
The original inspiration came from watching someone’s phone go off during a quiet moment in a house of worship. They were clearly embarrassed, and it disrupted everyone else too. But this app isn’t just for religious settings — it works anywhere silence and focus are important: • Libraries • Classrooms • Meetings • Meditation groups • Study blocks • Movie theaters
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*“Do people still need this?”*
Yes — many people still forget to silence their phones or get distracted by notifications. Smart Silence is about reducing friction and making it easy to be present, whether out of respect for others or to improve your own focus.
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Thanks again for all the feedback. I’m continuing to improve the app and would love more input. Let me know what you’d want it to do — or if you think something could be done better.
– Gabe
I imagine that there are three personas -
1. one who wants others’ phones to be silent
2. one who wants to silence their own phone
3. one who is indifferent
Type 1 is motivated to download the app and encourage others to do so, especially if they are in the administration of that place.
Type 2 might choose to manually silence their phone. There is a subset of type 2 that might constantly forget to silence their device. This subset might be motivated to download the app.
Type 3 is simply not motivated to download the app.
I’d suggest checking if this is really a need that people feel and will be motivated to download an app for, or a projection of one’s own preference of order and discipline that one wishes others to have.