Is there a way to switch silent mode on/off without using the physical switch?ox case that makes it difficult to reach the switch. An on-screen equivalent would be helpful.

Actually yes there is! I acutely use it because my switch is stuck. It's called asstivetouch. Go to settings> accessibility> touch> asstivetouch. After turning it on, a black circle will appear. That is how you will use asstivetouch. To change the silent mode status go tap on the asstivetouch circle> device> mute/unmute. To you can even add mute/unmute to the main screen of asstivetouch. Go back to asstivetouch in settings, then tap on "Customize Top Level Menu" then tap the plus icon in the corner. Then tap on the new plus icon that appears. Then look for mute on the list. If you don't want to have asstivetouch always on you can create a siri shortcut and then you can tell Siri to turn it on and off.

Learn more here: Use AssistiveTouch on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Big Bopper2 wrote:

I have an OtterBox Defender case on my iPhone 12 and fretting to the Silent Mode switch is difficult. Is there n equivalent control that I can use on the screen?

Sorry there is not.

My laptop is a Mac pro-2012