Why do people talk on their phones through the speaker bit?

[Davethecat2001]

Is it just me, or is it really fucking weird and a bit annoying?

I see a lot of people these days shouting through the speaker bit, and hearing the person on the other end shouting back in a tinny, irritating manner.

Why don't they just use the phone in the normal way, ie hold it to your ear?

Yeah I think if I had Air Pods I wouldn’t need to have it on hands free!

Me too. Or to lean over & wave if someone’s FaceTiming loudly.

I'm happy with this explanation! 😁

But how do you know they don’t have hearing difficulties?

I’m almost completely deaf and people still don’t know unless I tell them.

Im managed to confuse many job interviewers by announcing it at the end of the internet

@FartOutLoudDay yep that's it.

I understand if people have hearing difficulties, but I'm talking about crowds of young kids all shouting into their phones speaker, often at the same time.

Mind you I'm old and out of touch.

@Soubriquet well, I suppose I don’t know, but unless there’s an epidemic of hearing loss in young people aged 16-25 I think it’s reasonable to assume not all of them are hard of hearing.

I can’t hear otherwise 🙈 try not to do it in public though!

I have to take calls on speaker as my phone is old and shit.

I hate myself for it.

I asked my teens this recently. They said it is because the calls are on WhatsApp or whatever and not normal calls. So the sound comes out the bottom of the phone and not the top and therefore holding it to your ear like an old phone doesn't work.

Basically all about where the sound comes out and it not being an actual phone call.

Why indeed.

Nearly as bad as people riding a bike with loud music blaring out

I mean where's the courtesy

They don't even need to be airpods. I have no name £20 Amazon Bluetooth earbuds and they mean I can use my phone without looking like a twat.

If I hold the phone to my ear my hair, head or ears inevitably brush the buttons & I mute myself or end the call. It's super hazardous. I wondered if everyone else knows some great trick to stop the unintended button pressing.

If I don't hold it to my ear, I can't hear what the person is saying unless they are on speaker.... actually even then, I can't hear them in a noisy place. Really bad on a busy road or a train station, I won't hear clearly then at all, heck I have the volume all the way up & may not even hear the phone ring.

I notice it's youngish people that seem to do this more.

🙄.

Most phones will black out the screen when you hold it up to stop button pressing if not its in settings.
WhatsApp calls work in the same way as normal ones unless you've hit the speaker or are facetiming.
I often wonder if the person on the other end minds their end of the conversation broadcast to everyone in the vicinity!

I posted about this a few weeks ago, it’s really antisocial and annoying (disabilities aside obviously).

This

Very obviously as because it's easier than holding it up to your ear.

What a stupid question...

Fuck knows. So irritating!!!! I don't want hear the conversation. Just about everyone seems to do it.

I know someone who does this regularly when we are all sitting outside and her 10 year old daughter will call. It’s virtual signalling. She wants everyone know she is having a conversation with her dd who is 15 metres away in the house. Shoot me now

Where's the speaker? I'm pretty useless when it comes to phones. Do you mean when they sort of hold it flat in front of their mouths?

"Oldish" people do it too. My MIL is 75 and does it. She is a complete narcissist though and probably thinks everyone wants to hear her conversations. Drives me mad.

@Perfectlystill 😂 So true!

@PinkButtercups why the rolly eyes? 🙄

If I see someone doing this in the supermarket I pretend to have a normal phone-to-ear conversation and follow them around, blabbing away loudly, looking at the produce. Totally fucking up their conversation.

Can't help myself.