This may be the same thing as what you call the whitelist, but in case it isn't: on iPhones, you can mark some contacts as "Emergency Bypass On." Even in silent mode, you will always hear calls and texts from them. You can also choose sounds unique to that person. I have the bypass on for my fiancee, and I chose a pleasant, unobtrusive sound for her texts. I have found this works quite well.

Something I've found is that, in particular for calls, Apple isn't able to retain object permanence around contacts.

If I assign a contact a custom ringtone, I expect all devices to know that, especially if they're going to do the insane Apple thing where every.single.device.I.own rings at the same time.

I swear Apple thinks any call which hasn't been pre-selected for voicemail has world changing importance.

Great suggestion. Surprising Apple hasn’t implemented that.

It’s alarming when both your phone and your computer start ringing. I freeze. I do the same thing when I’m on a call and the options pop up - “hold and accept”, “decline”, or “end and accept”. My brain locks up.

The best is when you try to pause your music on the computer before picking up your phone. Nope, while ringing this either does nothing (for phone calls) or picks up the call on the computer (FaceTime).

This is brilliant. I was today years old learning this trick. I will still maintain a whitelist for in-laws, business partners, and others (limit of 20). However, I will add this to the core family (wife, daughters, and home).

For those looking, check this out https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-turn-on-emergency-bypass-o...

Great, now you've gone and ruined it for those looking for excuses! Sorry honey, my phone was on silent!

iOS also has a contacts only whitelist, you can set "Silence Unknown Callers" to On.

It's great - my only feature request would be to allow an API for app access so things like door dash, uber, amazon, etc. could be optionally allowed through.

Oh my, this is a really great suggestion. I never heard about the emergency bypass before. I'll check it out. Thank you

My mom used a referee's whistle. There were 5 of us and the number of toots indicated which of the 5 she wanted (two toots for me). If we were outside playing in the neighborhood, we'd get alerted directly or indirectly from someone who was tired of hearing the whistle.

If it was dinner time and she needed us all, she'd blow 'Shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits'.

Was your Dad an Austrian naval captain by any chance?

My dad whistled between his teeth. He was a prodigious whistler. As I recall, it was two tones alternating. Too bad we never measured how far away we could hear him whistling, because now I’m wondering. I’d guess half a mile though.

My mom used a cowbell... hadn't thought of that in years

My stepmum used to use a rape alarm to call us back from across the fields back in the 1980s

We had a 6" bell hung next to the back door. The same type as in churches where a rope pulls to get the bongs. It could be heard from a looooong way off. If it rang and we couldn't hear it, we were too far away from what was allowed.

We to this day have a cowbell mounted below the stairs to call everyone when dinner is ready

In the French countryside where my father is coming from, every house had an external bell for the diner/lunch whatever important call. You quickly learnt to recognize the different tones and ways to ring the bell.

My parents had also the bell at the bottom of the stairs... and as a father of 3, I understand all the parents having one!

My grandmother had a kind of wall-mounted metal xylophone at the foot of the stairs to call the family for meals.

Yeah we used a cowbell- farm living.

> Now, my wife uses Apple's Find My's "Play Sound" as I'm perpetually on Silent DND and I sometimes do not see her calls

I had this exact problem until I scheduled my DND to automatically turn on during work hours and off afterwards. That has helped immensely

It does not sound like a problem for GP.

Your recommendation, depending on apps installed, could lower their quality of life. Proceed with caution, here.

My mother had a heart-shaped "triangle" (about a foot across, so much larger than an orchestral triangle) that she used to call us in when dinner was ready. As a kid who did not enjoy hauling wood, my hearing was exquisitely tuned to hear that bell.

I got called by full name when my mother wanted me.

We had a metal tube/pillar supporting the top floor of our self-made summer house and a piece of metal to strike it with. You could hear that for miles!

My parents had huge a train bell that they'd ring.