Is there any way to see if you already own an app without having to click "buy" then sign in (cross fingers) to find out I have already paid for the thing? If not then I just purchased it any how sooooooooo that seems to be a bad idea. Also, is there no universal "sound off" switch that all apps obey? Why would Apple allow an app developer to choose what the sound on/off toggle switch does? I have a few apps that always play sound no matter which position the toggle is at, quite frustrating when you are trying to be discreet on the crapper at work!!!!
There aren't. Many apps use a volume control that is independent of the ringer volume. You can mute these apps by pressing the lower button on the volume rocker until all of the bars on the on-screen display go dark.