Throughout the day, my Android smartphone often competes for my attention with a flurry of notifications from various applications. In moments of focus, I typically resort to enabling Focus mode or silencing my device. While Android does offer a scheduling feature for Do Not Disturb (DND), I recently discovered an app that provides a greater level of control over this functionality, allowing me to create multiple schedules and enhance my overall experience.
Timed Silence: For When You Don’t Want To Be Disturbed
Conceived by Felix Nüsse, Timed Silence is a Kotlin-based application designed for Android that adeptly manages your smartphone’s volume settings. It offers options to mute, vibrate, or ring with sound. After completing the initial setup, which required a series of permissions for optimal functionality, I proceeded to create a custom schedule to evaluate its performance.
The user interface was refreshingly intuitive, featuring a pause/play button at the bottom for easy activation. I crafted a new schedule titled “Test,” setting the volume to silent. The app also included two pre-defined schedules named “Night” and “Day.” I designated a starting time of 16:30 and an ending time of 21:00, applying this schedule to all days of the week. Setting everything up was remarkably straightforward.
Once my schedule was established, I enlisted a friend to assist me by calling, texting via Telegram, and sending a Snapchat message. Through this exercise, I confirmed that Timed Silence effectively activated DND at the designated time, successfully muting notifications from Snapchat. For the cellular call and Telegram text, the app adhered to my phone’s DND settings, allowing messages and calls from specified contacts to come through with audible notifications.
There are a few features I have yet to explore. For instance, the Calendar integration allows Timed Silence to adjust volume settings based on scheduled events, while the Keywords feature enables the addition of specific terms to further manage volume levels. This automation could prove quite beneficial! Additionally, the app includes a Bluetooth feature for compatibility with wireless devices and a Sanity Check option that offers substantial control over priority contacts and other DND settings. Overall, the app seamlessly integrated into my routine, allowing me to focus without distraction, and simplifying the management of my phone’s volume. Once set up, it required no further thought; it simply worked.
Install Timed Silence
The latest version of the app is available on F-Droid, with the source code and APKs accessible via the GitHub repository for those interested in delving deeper.
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