If you use your phone on loudspeaker when in public, can I ask why?

[Eastie77Returns]

I’m genuinely interested in understanding the mindset behind people who do this.

Yesterday on a packed train I stood next to a woman who conducted multiple calls on loudspeaker over the course of about 20 minutes.

The entire carriage got to hear her conversation with someone about an appointment to treat a Verrucah, problems with the cat, Gary’s laziness as he hasn’t moved the barrels yet and they’ve been there since yesterday…and various other things. She was shouting as the line was bad, redialling when the phone cut out and bellowing “I’m on a TRAIN…I keep cutting out when I go under a TUNNEL..can you HEAR me”

I find the whole thing beyond baffling. Why would you want strangers to hear your business. So, if you make or answer calls and go on loudspeaker when you’re on public transport is there a specific reason you do this?

The hearing aids aren't really relevant to disturbing others. No one minds a quick chat but if there's no option other than having a call at high volume on speakerphone, I wouldn't be having long conversations on public transport unless totally necessary. It's a basic courtesy to other passengers and the calls I hear are not urgent, they're whiling away the journey chatting to a friend.

It's not being ableist. I have a disability and my parents are very hard of hearing. We still have courtesy for those around us and blasting your conversation to 30 people in your vicinity for extended periods of time isn't.

I have an appointment in the pipeline but it's not for a few months 😔

I agree. Some of the comments on this thread are embarrassing and plain rude.

How do you know that they are not profoundly deaf? Hearing aids do not help everyone who is HoH/deaf, not everyone is eligible for them and even headphones will not help some people.

Just to add that there are different types of hearing loss too, conductive, sensineural and mixed. Not everything can be addressed with a hearing aid, and hearing aids do not restore your hearing, they amplify sound, that includes background noise as well, so you may pick up bits of conversation but you will also pick up every other little noise to.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

You do you, though.

Disabled people on a train are entitled to a reasonable adjustment. How do you think it will help a person with hearing loss to go and stand in the bit between the carriages?

How should they go outside on public transport? Jump off the train or the bus?

People with disabilities get an "automatic pass" from all sorts of things - why should deafness be any different?

They don't need a reasonable adjustment. There is a perfectly viable technical solution for people who can't hear their mobile phones in public and aren't able to move to somehwere more private 'use WhatsApp/text to communicate while in a public place.'

And this thread wasn't started about the few people who say they do this because they have hearing loss, it was about the practice of lots and lots of people doing it because they want to, not becauss they have a disability.

Not every phone call is possible to switch to Whatsapp.

For example, how was I supposed to swap a call from my doctor to whatsapp?

The op asked

So, if you make or answer calls and go on loudspeaker when you’re on public transport is there a specific reason you do this?

They did not mention disability in the OP.

And yet you are upset when people answer with the specific reason they do this.

My friend does this for no other reason than she prefers it. I very rarely call her because I don't want others hearing our conversation if she's not alone.

I miss people using these... Blissful times

My understanding of profound deafness is that you cannot hear any speech at all and only extremely loud sounds?

This is why I am confused by the comments that a loudspeaker might be used by someone who is profoundly deaf. How does it help someone who cannot really hear anything? Even if the volume is turned right up, a profoundly death person would presumably just hear muffled sounds at best.

I understand the use of loudspeaker for someone who has a degree of hearing loss but still the ability to hear speech.

But if you’re hard of hearing why not use headphones?

Headphones don't help all types of deafness.

They wouldn't help my family member.

Nor would hearing aids.

And they are not a candidate for a cochlear implant.

But someone shouting out of a tinny mobile phone not designed as a hearing aid with distorted sound because it's on speakerphone does?

Yeah but they would help loads of others

They might do.

I can't comment on that.

Hearing aids won't help my family member.

They use speakerphone (occasionally - when it can't be avoided).

They mostly text, due to the level of their deafness, but there are some phone calls they have to answer.

They can't use headphones well at all - they are more successful with over ear ones, as they can't use in ear ones (not recommended by specialist) but with over ear ones, the sound can still be heard as they need it so loud to be able to hear that the sound leaks out of the headphones.

They also speak loudly, due to being deaf.

Even people with hearing difficulties can now get blue tooth hearing aids. I've got some and it's literally changed my life as I don't need speakers and don't need to constantly take the hearing aids in and out to listen to earphones. Being able to hear the phone call over the hearing aids is a life changer.

Not all people with hearing difficulties are suitable for bluetooth hearing aids.

They do it because they lack self awareness and have no manners. They also are entitled.

I don’t do it but I think it’s a dominance thing, like man-spreading, or taking ages to choose your drink when at front of a ling queue.

I think this is right. Playing music videos in public without headphones is almost always done by young men, IMO (often while manspreading).

No idea why the thread has been derailed by an argument about deaf people - I don't think any of us have any problem with someone with hearing problems briefly taking an important call on speakerphone. It's the long rambling conversations we're objecting to.

Why don't people if hard if hearing or mic phone doesn't work use earphones or link their hearing aid into their phone. That way I and others could have their journey in peace-thank you.