Lately I’ve been very annoyed by the fact my iPhone kept taking it upon itself to turn the ringer volume down at random times. Every couple of days I’d miss a text or call because the ringer volume was all the way down and, unlike crappy battery life, Google couldn’t seem to unearth anybody whining about the same issue.
Then, the other day, I hit the button to put it to sleep and saw a quick flash of the ringer volume across the screen before it went black. That’s when I realized this annoying little bug in my phone was actually user error.
During the winter, I primarily use the Speck SmartFlex case. Once Thanksgiving comes, I usually stop carrying my purse. This is because 1) I don’t like to be a target for Christmas shopping thieves and 2) whether I’m in a sweatshirt or my coat, I have pockets. The SmartFlex case holds my license, debit card and credit card, so I grab my phone and my keys and I’m good to go. I also like the way it feels in my hand. It’s rounded across the back and it’s a nice fit.
What I realized, though, is that when I use my index finger to hit the button on the top to put the phone to sleep, my ring fingers was against the volume-down button and I was exerting just enough pressure to push on it. So over the course of a day or so, I’d slowly turn the volume all the way down.
I feel stupid now, but at least it’s not the phone, right? And I’m not giving up my case, so I just try to be more conscious of how I’m holding it when I put it to sleep. When it comes to me and electronics, when in doubt, it’s probably user error.
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OMG, I do the same thing all the time! And I’ve developed a tic or something, where my pocket feels like it’s vibrating, even when the phones not in there, so I’m always patting my leg thinking I must be feeling my phone ring.
My mom has one of those cases, she loves it…I’m totally going to have to jump on that bandwagon, because otherwise, every time I pull my phone out of my pocket, all my cash goes falling out onto the floor.
Sheesh, the inconveniences of modern convenience!
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I want one of those cases for my Samsung Galaxy! Soooo much.
As for hitting the volume button inadvertently, it’s the one feature I dislike on my new phone. The power button and the volume are directly opposite each other, so when you go to hit one, you always manage to hit the other as well.
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This sounds like something I would do.
The one drawback to having an Android phone is we don’t always get all the pretty cases the iPhones seem to have before the new models are even released. Your post did convince me to go look and I found a cute case for my Sony. It doesn’t have the pocket for ID/credit cards, but I don’t think I would use that anyway.