Cell phones: as much as they’re needed for business purposes, there are definitely times that they shouldn’t ring and interrupt what is going on around you. However, turning a phone’s volume up or down isn’t always the first thing on a user’s mind. Fortunately for Android users, it no longer has to be.

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario: you’re sitting as an audience member while the demonstrator--be it your boss, a coworker, or your child’s school chorus--is suddenly interrupted by the sound of your phone going off after you forgot to kill the volume. Or, you miss a crucial phone call from your boss or coworker because you remembered to silence your phone when it was appropriate, but forgot to reactivate the sound later. Either way, you don’t look very good, and your professional reputation and performance could suffer as well.

However, there is an app available for download that can help to avoid these issues automatically: the aptly-named Volume Scheduler.

This free app allows Android users to preset their volume adjustments based on the time of day. As a result, if a user knows that they will be in an important meeting from 1:30 until 3:45, they can tell Volume Scheduler to silence their phone between those times. On the flip side, if they know that they’ll be in a crowded terminal between 9 AM and 3:45 PM where they can answer their phone at any time, a user could make sure their phone was scheduled to be at full volume.

What makes this app an excellent option is how budget-friendly it is, in all senses of the word. Not only is the app free to download, but since it works based on time, it will not eat up data charges or even battery life. As a result, a phone can be set to a pre-established schedule and relied on to be quiet when necessary.

What are some of your most embarrassing phone volume-related stories? Feel free to share some in the comments!