iOS5 now supported in version 1.4
Silent4 is for iPhone 4S, 4 or 3GS running iOS 4.0 or greater
(Actually it works on the iPad too - ed.)

The popular Silent application rewritten from scratch for iOS4 to take advantage of the new features like backgrounding/multitasking, low power location services and local push notifications. No need to run the app each time; Just set and forget!

Silent4 runs unobtrusively and efficiently in the background, monitoring the state of your silent/ringer switch.

If it notices you switch your phone into silent mode, it will remind you of that in three separate ways:

• The Silent4 icon badge is updated regularly (at least every 10 minutes) showing you the time that your iPhone has been in silent mode. This visual indicator on your springboard icon is the closest solution you can get to having a dedicated status bar icon.
• After your iPhone has been in silent mode for a (configurable) amount of time, you will receive a local notification as a reminder. You can specify either a countdown timer or a time of day timer before a reminder will trigger.
• Using the new low power location services, Silent4 will keep track of your location and issue a reminder if your iPhone is in silent mode and you are on the move. This is really handy for when you go somewhere that requires you silence your phone (eg. movies) and when you travel away from that location you'll get reminded automatically.

With version 1.3 you can now also preset your most commonly used timers for repeated use. Times can be displayed in 12 or 24 hour clock format and the sensitivity control can be set to display in miles or kilometres.

Rather than using potentially unreliable push messages which require an internet connection at all times, Silent4 uses the new local notifications, so it will even issue reminders when you have airplane mode switched on.

The new low power location services feature is very light on battery usage compared to full-on GPS tracking, so running Silent4 all the time is quite feasible. Essentially, if you have your cell radio turned on, then low power mode doesn't add that much. Empirical tests show that running Silent4 on an iPhone 3GS connected to the cellular network and GPRS data uses around 10% of the battery in a 24 hour period. If you're finding your battery is being depleted you might find that other apps you have in the background are to blame.

Click on the screenshot to the right to view in the Apple App Store.

*** This app is only of use to customers still running iOS3 ***

Do you regularly forget your iPhone is in silent mode only to find several missed calls and messages? If so, this simple utility might help.

The only way of knowing your iPhone is in silent mode is to notice the little slider switch is down on the side, as there is no persistent indicator on the screen. Unless you count missed calls as a persistent indicator, that is.

How to use:
When you switch your iPhone into silent mode, just touch the Silent app icon and exit Silent straight away by pressing the Home button (or have Silent exit by itself to save you a keypress using 'One Touch', described below). The icon badge is set to '222' (a bit like 'zzz') to remind you the iPhone is being silent. Likewise, when switching out of silent mode, run the Silent app again and the badge is removed. For best results place the app icon on your home page or even in the bottom section so you can see the status from any springboard page.

Silent also features 'Push Reminders'. When the app recognises it is in silent mode, it schedules a reminder to be sent to you via a push notification after a specified (via Settings) amount of time. When that time arrives, if you have not yet switched out of silent mode (and touched the app) you will receive a push notification reminding you that your iPhone may still be in silent mode. If you have configured vibrate in your iPhone's Sounds -> Silent settings, then it will also vibrate.

In the Silent settings (via the iPhone's Settings panel) you can configure the app to quit automatically so that you don't even need to press the home button. Additionally, set the 'quit delay' to 0 seconds to prevent the app from even displaying. The result: you have a super fast 'One Touch' action to set the reminder!

Remember - You do need to run the app each time you slide the silent switch on your iPhone. There is currently no way to avoid this. If you use the 'One Touch' feature, then sliding the switch and touching the app becomes second nature and almost painless.

When you download the app you receive the 'Basic' version to get the opportunity to try out all the features straight away. After a period you will then have the option to purchase the 'Premium' version to continue using all the features. Alternatively you can continue to use the 'Basic' version at no cost but the 'One Touch' and 'Push Reminders' are no longer available. If you find the app useful then the modest cost of the app should pay for itself when you reduce the number of calls and messages you might miss.

Silent is only of use for iPhone. The iPod Touch has no silent mode. Remember also, that for the app to recognise the silent setting no headphones can be attached while you run the app. If headphones are connected, the app will ask you to briefly unplug them while it checks the silent status.