Programmers: When creating a mobile game application, how difficult is is to include a MUTE option?

It’s easy. I don’t know why they wouldn’t include it.

Not hard, except if there’s custom UI graphics for the menus and controls. In that case it’s a little more work to have the mute button asset created by the designer and integrated into the game. If the game doesn’t have an “options” or “settings” menu then this means you’ll have to figure out where to put it. Then again most of these games are free or less than $5, so there’s little room for complaining.

So if there is already an options section for other aspects of the game (such as timed or untimed etc.) then it would be really easy to just add on a MUTE option? Is that correct?

I just want to be sure I interpreted what you said correctly.

All the games with which I’ve dealt recently already had an options menu for other things but no choice at all on sound level.

So, I just deleted the game. But I did let the dev. know why. I figure if people don’t speak up then they’ll never know.

I’m also assuming that even if a game is free, there is still some benefit to a developer if the number of users are higher so if people are promptly deleting their game, they may be interested in the reason why.

But I’m still puzzled about why they would leave out something so basic and integral to the peaceful enjoyment of their game while providing other more frivolous options like different colors or styles of game pieces. I just find that kind of strange.

@Buttonstc “I’m also assuming that even if a game is free, there is still some benefit to a developer if the number of users are higher so if people are promptly deleting their game, they may be interested in the reason why.”

You get what you pay for. There are probably quality versions of the apps that may cost you a few bucks. I don’t see why people have such a hard wanting developers to be able to feed their families. Millions of users paying you nothing just means a lot of support e-mail and not being payed for your time. The app’s developers may be using the app to build their resume, their code was outsourced to India, or they are trying to get acquired by a large company etc. in which case they probably could care less about you deleting it. 50% of iOS apps make less than $3k, and I think I remember reading Android apps are even much worse than that.

Support quality software!

I agree with you and I have no problem paying for quality apps. I recently bought the IOS version of Wonderlines even tho I already have it on my Android Tab because the artwork was beautiful and I’m hoping they make more apps like it. It was worth the extra $2. But I already knew that they had the good common sense to enable sound control.

But if I can’t mute the sound in the paid version it’s STILL annoying (and even more so, because now I’ve paid for the privilege of being annoyed).

Most of the apps to which I refer didn’t have a paid version. There was one which did and I wrote to the dev. asking if there was a mute option in the paid version and indicating that I’d be happy to buy it if that we’re the case. Still haven’t gotten a reply and as I said, I don’t see the point of paying to be annoyed.

I just find myself really puzzled as to why any dev. would leave out such a critical option ( especially in a game requiring thought) since its not that difficult a thing to implement.