Phone/devices on train - without headphones

[rosemarble]

I don't know why the sound from a phone or other device when someone's watching YouTube or films drives me batty.
I'm on a fairly busy train, trying to read. People are talking and laughing and I can tune that out, but I can't tune out the device noise. It doesn't bother DS at all. Is it just cos I didn't grow up with it? Maybe I am harbouring feelings that it's antisocial to force your own entertainment on others?

The Eurostar asks people to wear headphones so I don't think it's just me being uptight.

Hear, hear to everything that’s been said!

Drives me nuts and makes me sad, angry and anxious. I’ve tried some of the above - leaning over to look at what the person’s watching, playing a track on my own phone at full volume, asking staff or the person themselves to address the problem - with limited success.

I now wear noise-cancelling ear pods and it’s bliss. Until I read the other day that cancelling out all sound is not good for the brain, which needs aural stimuli in order to calculate various things eg imminent danger.

I find it extraordinary that modern life requires people who don’t want to listen to loud recorded sounds to invest in more technology to cancel them out. Win, win for the tech companies, I guess.

The cabin crew would have dealt with that for you if you’d nipped up to the back and had a quiet word.

I was thinking of writing to the bus/train operators to ask them to add to their announcements / posters about this. Maybe we should all do this? There are, or have been, posters on buses asking people not to eat smelly food / not put feet on seat, so why not something about headphones / devices on silent.

It is some of the worst behaviour that society is allowing IMO.

Right up there with taking a child to a restaurant and playing videos on iPads for them with full sound on for all neighboring tables to be bothered by. I work in one - it happens daily and I'm astonished by the cheek of it. If you really can't cope outside your house without your eyes glued to a tiny screen watching mindless shit then at least stick some headphones in. No one else wants to listen to YouTube gamers and Peppa Pig whilst their eating their expensive dinner. We aren't allowed to say anything either, but we do end up having to play musical chairs when people (quite fairly) insist on moving which causes all sorts of hassle.

If you are worried about missing announcement then don't watch videos on trains.

They have it on the Eurostar.

I think it will creep in, in the same way as I've seen an increase in signs telling ignorant people dog owners that their dogs should be on a lead in shops and not bother other customers.

Why on earth are you not allowed to say anything? What is your management’s thinking on this?

Most people who use their phones on loud speaker don't tend to be the type to heed the posters, let alone actually abide by them. Feet up on seats is a norm on the buses I use Wish we had official bus conductors who'd monitor behaviour and kick off those who don't want to behave, but who'd want to do that job?

I do think one big reason for the increase in people not using earphones is that it's actually a bit of a hassle buying ones to fit the newer iPhones. I've accidentally bought the wrong sort of usb ones TWICE from the local high street, and had to find more expensive ones online. Tried cheap earbuds off eBay but they've lasted about 2-3mths each time. Not an excuse, mind - I've zero sympathy for someone blasting their TikTok/convo with mum out loud, but it's a factor I've considered.

You have misunderstood. I never said I wanted to listen to anything. But even if I did, a headphone in one eart doesn’t solve the problem as I’d still be being disturbed by inconsiderate people in the other ear.

True. I think announcements might help though. It might work on some people at least. I'm sure you're right about the fact that people need specific types of headphones - I think the problem has worsened since everyone needed blue tooth headphones or some kind of attachment.

People are behaving in an antisocial, way I've noticed. Just walked past the blood test waiting area in Guy's Hospital cancer centre, and someone was playing a podcast loudly with no headphones.

Whilst they may not be the type to heed the notices, at least it gives people the ‘authority’ to say it’s not allowed. Eg I’ve asked people to take their feet off the seats before and pointed out the notice where it says not to put feet on seats. At the moment there is no ‘rule’ as such about not playing noise out loud, other than common courtesy.

@Mnetcurious Do you use trains? There is actually a rule! I only know about it because someone on Twitter actually witnessed another passenger told (by staff) they'd get a fine if they didn't turn off their loudspeaker.

7. Music, sound, advertising and carrying on a trade
1 except with written permission from an operator no person on the railway shall, to the annoyance of any person:
1 sing or
2 use any instrument, article or equipment for the production or reproduction of sound
www.gov.uk/government/publications/railway-byelaws/railway-byelaws#conduct-and-behaviour-1

I really feel when someone is doing this, we should normalise taking their device from them and chucking it out the nearest window.

Yes, I’m a daily commuter! Never seen any signs or heard any announcements. They’d be more useful than pointing someone towards the small print in the byelaws.

People that do this should have their device taken off them and destroyed in front of them. It's the only language they understand.

My point about missing announcements was that I don’t want to have to wear headphones to drown out inconsiderate people because I might miss announcements.

My point about missing announcements was that I don’t want to have to wear headphones to drown out inconsiderate people because I might miss announcements.

Yes, or earplugs.
There's no valid argument for people not using earphones (or a headset if they want to do a zoom meeting, so they can talk at a natural volume). I'd take a bet there are far more people with sensory issues who can't tolerate other peoples unecessary din vs those who might have a problem wearing earphones.

Ooooh, I like this. I might make my own official looking flyers, wear a lanyard (any lanyard) and hand these out.

you have my vote - when do you take over?

Yeah I can’t risk it as tubes get rerouted or no longer call at a station due to an issue . trains might have to get slowed down and arrive later , so Id need to notify someone when I’m getting picked up . Guess my point is we shouldn’t be forced to drown out inconsiderate people .

Yep, definitely need to add hospital waiting rooms - I've spent this morning in and out of a waiting area between different tests and scans and there's a couple sat in one corner who only take time out from watching Open All Hours at full volume on his phone to have loud arguments about how much and where he's scratching 😆 Anyone asking him to turn it down has been given a mouthful by the pair of them.

HQ rule. If someone writes in a complaint or review saying the table next to them was annoying, and we assisted them in moving table, that reflects mostly badly on those individuals, rather than us as a team or company. If someone writes a complaint or review saying we 'rudely demanded they stopped using their phones' 'were told we weren't allowed to use a tablet to soothe our ND child' 'told we couldn't use our OWN property at the table' 'the noise was barely audible but we were told to turn it off, spoiling our family meal out as triggered a tantrum' etc etc we come across as absolutely terrible - even if the table who were annoyed by the noise is happy. Not that anyone who works there would rudely demand etc but we all know how things get twisted in a retelling of a story.

I find it very frustrating.