Why do people use their mobile phones on speaker?

[KnackeredBack]

My Dparents (late 80s) have to have all phonecalls on speakerphone, but that's so that my DM (dementia) can hear what's going on, or my DDad gets the 3rd degree as to what's being said. This I understand.

Why though, do loads of people have phone calls (not videocalls) on speakerphone instead of at the handset? In the last 2 weeks, I've been close to people almost shouting at their phone, all the way round the supermarket, sitting at a cafe, and on a train, with their entire conversations broadcasted?

Am I missing something?

They've always been used this way, even before they were invented...

I only do it when I'm alone in the house or parked up in a car so no one can hear the conversation
I do it because I can't stand the way the phone gets hot by my ear that's all

I had to for a while because my microphone/speaker was broken 😭

I was in a restaurant recently where a woman answered a call on speakerphone. All the other diners were looking at her in a baffled manner but she gave no fucks. I've also had to suffer it on train journeys and am grateful for my headphones.

It is SO ANNOYING. See also people who watch videos without headphones or those shitty little apple wireless ones which leak noise

I have a real thing about it - more me than other people. My DH will put his phone on speaker and expect me to join in. God knows why I hate it - phone to ear and don't involve me.

Because I am hearing impaired and, even with hearing aids, cannot hear the fucking thing unless I have the speaker turned on...

If that's okay with you? It's for my convenience, not yours

And do that weird holding it flat thing.

Because they're inconsiderate cunts.

It's attention seeking and drives me mad. I'm not interested in anything they've got to say. And they are so loud

Yep.

It’s completely bizarre behaviour. I was in the supermarket queue the other day and a guy was listening to his voicemails on speaker whilst people were looking at him in confusion.

I like to think there is a special place in hell reserved for them.

It's hands free, I suppose and they aren't bothered about what other people think about it that they pass for a few moments in public. Not something I'd ever do but equally I can't get too worked up about it - more just find it odd you'd want a personal conversation broadcasted.

Yes.

Because people saw it on reality tv shows, where the 'stars' have to have their totally not staged telephone conversations on speakerphone so the cameras can pick up both parts of the conversation.

Except some impressionable people thought it was part of the 'look' that they wanted to emulate. And it's spread from there.

They think they are a Kardashian!

In a restaurant or cafe you'd still answer and put it on speaker phone. I appreciate you're hearing impaired, but it is still inconsiderate to others. My Nan is hearing impaired and she either walks out and uses the phone or messages if it's someone she knows. I can't imagine a situation where she'd be in the middle of a restaurant or cafe talking to someone else on speaker

Yep. Someone was doing this in a café the other day when I was in. I was several tables away and it was impacting on my disability as I had difficulty with noise tolerance. If you can't talk privately then text.

People are just so increasingly entitled and selfish I find.

I really wondered if it was just me, but thank you all for making me feel less grouchy and snarly. It winds me up and I find myself giving people the stare that my mother used to save for us when we'd REALLY done it!

@labamba007, no, I wouldn't even answer it in a cafe, restaurant, supermarket or anywhere similar as, with all the background noise, I wouldn't have a hope of hearing a conversation clearly, with or without the speaker on. I probably would not even hear it ring anyway! But in a public open space or walking down the road, for example, I probably would

I have to because my microphone is broken! My other choice is headphones but I only always have them quickly enough to hand.

I don't do it outside of the house even though I'm hearing impaired but I hardly receive calls. I do it at home because I can hear better with 2 duff ears than individually with either if that makes sense. I always do it if I have to ring my GP for example because holding the phone to my ear for ages is tedious.

You can hear everything from outside a car. I’ve heard lots of patient info, gossip etc from speakerphones in cars. Through the car speakers I mean.

I wouldn't do it in public but I do at home for two reasons. I can carry on with whatever else I am doing usually cooking or crochet and secondly my ears seem to kill the call if I hold the phone closer.