Friend keeps sending long voice notes instead of messages

[GirouxSein]

A friend has started sending voice notes for everything. Some of them are 5 minutes long and I often can’t listen straight away. It then feels rude when I reply hours later.
I know it’s probably meant to be more personal, but I find it a bit overwhelming and honestly prefer a normal message I can skim when I’m busy.

I really hate voice messages. I’ve never sent one myself but I know a few people who like them.

How does she communicate with you in person?!

Joking apart, is it possible she assumes you have everything set up to transcribe anyway?

THANK YOU for this! I often receive voicenotes which can be as long as 15 minutes so I have just activated this little bit of AI magic! I hate listening to long voice notes, I usually listen on 1.5 speed, but a transcription to get the gist of the thing will be brilliant 👏

My OH does this. I hate them with a passion. I never listen to them.

Then the sender should understand that and know they have to wait for a reply.

See, I am going blind.

I think people think I’d prefer a voice note.

No, I’d rather struggle to read a text (I do tell this to people over and over. Either text me or call me, don’t leave a voice note).

But I can’t bear audio books, and I don’t bother watching TV anymore if I can’t see the picture clearly, I hate just hearing the voices. I am aware it’s a me problem, but I hate disembodied voices, I always have. I could never listen to a podcast for example.

Well, your original post was about you saying it wouldn't be more inconvenient. I explained why that isn't necessarily the case.

Whether or not the greater inconvenience is going to amount to a problem or something that needs sorting is a different point, and will depend on how important the message was.

The Apple voice to text is hilarious. The poor Occado guy wanted to drop our delivery off earlier and the message read ‘Hi there this is Sir Oliver Ricardo’ and described his tone of voice as ‘low confidence.’

I can't decide if that makes me more or less excited to download it!

It's only more inconvenient if you consider the timing of your response to be an issue. Unless a voice note is about something urgent, I don't see why when you respond WOULD be an issue.

What a lot of drama about nothing on here.

Well no, it's still more inconvenient if it requires you to move yourself to somewhere specifically to listen when you wouldn't otherwise have done, regardless of when you do it. But it looks like you do indeed agree that it may be more inconvenient, which is my entire point.

Whether one method is more or less inconvenient than another depends on how a person processes different communication styles, and the circumstances in which they receive the message. This is why it's better not to generalise. If it helps, some people find voice notes much more convenient than texts too, for those reasons.

I lipread her (I am an expert lipreader). I can speak/she can hear.

Why would she, or anyone, assume that? The voice note thing is recent. She has always sent text messages previously.

Apologies, I don’t know much about adaptations for deaf people other than I recall my Gran had a set up where lights flashed if someone rang her doorbell. I had assumed that things like transcription tools for audio might be something that deaf people routinely had access to, even before they became mainstream.

Just in case some don't realise, you can also raise the phone (well on my iphone anyway) to your ear and it plays the voicenote as if it was a private phone call rather than on loudspeaker for everyone to hear. However, appreciate some people just don't like them and that's that.

I'm not really a fan of voice notes either because honestly what people say to me goes in one ear and out the other so if I'm going to reply properly to them I end up having to re listen to their voice note which is repetitive and time consuming.

I also think you can't listen to them as easily depending on where you are.

I don't think it's rude not to reply straight away personally. Direct messaging seems so normal now but it's pretty intrusive if you think about it so don't feel like you have to reply immediately.

There are also these amazing things called headphones.

I have hearing loss so cant hear voice notes, if anyone who doesn't realise sends me one I convert it to text - not sure if its just apple and if it works on other platforms though? I haven't had one for so long I cant check but worth looking into?

Which I have to root around in my bag to find and connect. Meaning I have to stop whatever I'm doing with my hands as well as my ears.

All for something I could have glanced at and read in 5 seconds in message form.

Another one post plopper. 🙄

On the offchance you're still here @GirouxSein what on earth is your friend blathering on about for 5 minutes?! I'd be bored after the first 30-40 seconds of listening! I send voice notes sometimes, (well, maybe 2-3 a month,) as it's a bit easier than typing out a long text, but it will be like 1 minute tops!

.

It's a friend not a loved one.

My family know I rarely have time or am in a location to listen to any but the shortest voice notes.

So, kindly, take your vivid imagination elsewhere

Are your friends not your loved ones? Mine are.

In any case, I wouldn't send such a rude message to a friend either. But I suppose we're all different!

Speaking for the whole of mumsnet! 🤣
You can like both you know.

Ffs. Do you think that i have zero ability to communicate with my family and friends in an appropriate way?

Do you understand the concept of brevity and different styles for different occasions?

You can indeed. That's why it's not likely that people on MN now were amongst those who didnt like the switch to text messaging.

Not sure why it's ok for you to speak for the whole of MN but it suddenly becomes an issue when someone else does it. Laughter emoji indeed!

do this😀