Something's gotta change with the volume control

[AnnDroid]

In the past I've always used Windows Mobile phones. Ok, don't flame me, it was a corporate mandate. I had no choice. Now, we're using Droids and I love it.

However, there's one feature that Windows Mobile phones had that the Droid doesn't have and it's driving me crazy. On a WinMo phone I can adjust the volume without unlocking the phone. This is critical and here's why...

I went shopping on the weekend. I left my Droid phone at home sitting on the counter. It can be noisy. A sound plays when a work email arrives. A sound plays when a personal email arrives. A sound plays when a text message arrives. A sound plays when a phone call comes in. Normally I have it on vibrate so it's not so noisy. But, for some reason I had it on full volume when I left it at home.

I guess I was gone a while. While I was gone my wife was miffed at all the noises it was making. She tried to turn the volume down on the side of the Droid to no avail. She knew this is the way my past phones worked. (I must have done this to her in the past.) It wouldn't shut up. She either didn't know how to unlock it or didn't care at this point and just pulled the battery.

I didn't pay attention and because I don't often wear my work phone on the weekend I just let it sit there waiting to hear the vibration for a message or phone call. (I thought I had left it on vibrate.) Since I didn't get any notification of messages or emails (I didn't hear a vibration) until I noticed on Monday morning that the battery was out. Now I was miffed.

Sometime in the future the Android operating system must be modified so that the volume control works even when the phone is locked.

[MarkB]

From the lock screen, if you swipe the speaker icon to the left instead of unlocking the phone, it mutes all audio. Seems like it would be pretty easy to show that to your wife?

[RAWR IM A DROID RAWR]

When the phones ringing, if you hit the volume key it will silence the ringtone for that moment.

And for turning the phone to vibrate, all windows mobile phones I've ever used had to be unlocked in order to change anything...

[Sleeve]

If what you request was the only way that a Droid behaved when it was launched, I would not own one. When I say lock, I mean lock, not sorta lock. That always bugged me about my former WinMo phone. I'm somewhat amused by how Droid media volume can be changed without unlocking when using Bluetooth, but I just put the Droid in my pocket with the volume slider facing upward when walking and listening to music. I've seen a lot of posts about vibrate getting changed to silent by pocket bouncing when apps show popups over the lock screen and I can empathize with that aggravation as well.

Of course, you satisfy everybody if you make this idea an option, and more power to making an option, but I've got to give MarkB above some points for breaking it down to a simple solution.

[gardobus]

Like MarkB said, teach her press the button on top to wake it up then slide the little speaker icon to the left. Done.

[MarkB]

Options would be nice, yeah. I was just looking for the easiest built in solution. Look at my problem, lol - Sometimes I'm driving my mother around and she forgets her phone. Would be nice for her to be able to use mine, or in case of an emergency or something. She's in her 80's, I'm not being ageist about it but she has no experience with stuff like a touch screen phone. She has a cheap dumbphone, flip in open and push da buttons. Imagine explaining to her, push the black button, swipe the green icon to the right, look for the icon that says "Phone", and yes those are the "keys" to make a call. Hehe, phone should have a valet mode.

[Sleeve]

Sounds like a great idea for a new Bluetooth product. Make it look like a hard button clam shell phone, but for all purposes it uses the Handsfree Profile to your Droid.

[MarkB]

LOL Sleeve, but then we'd have to remember to bring that too! How about an app or app combo, hit the black button and it goes right to the phone keypad? Great idea though, the headfake phone.