Microsoft Patents Technology to Silence Your Phone When it Should Be

Microsoft sure does like to patent odd things whenever it can. This time, it’s a technology that allows a phone to detect when it should remain silent, and then shut itself up. No one wants to be the schmuck in a movie theater that brings everyone back 10 years with their hampster dance ringtone, and Microsoft is all too aware of it.

The solution, then, is to allow your phone to detect not only how silent a room is, but also your geographical location. In a movie theater? That cues the phone to remain silent. Fairly simple stuff. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as taking the time to turn your phone or at least the ringer off – but let’s give people the benefit of the doubt here and just assume that they forgot. Plus, we already know that John dies at the end.

If you’re worried that because your phone is silent, you’ll be cut off from the outer world – don’t fret. You’ll still receive silent alerts. Overall, a pretty cool technology, but not one I’m sure is totally necessary.