What’s with people taking calls on loudspeaker?

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Lvivalentine@reddit

I feel soooo awkward doing it but my speaker bit doesn’t work! I’m so sorry 😔

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ANUFC14@reddit

Then don’t talk on the phone in public.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

I refuse to believe you’ve been on reddit 4 years, are active in this sub, and haven’t seen this same question posted a million times

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

When I posted it ages ago I was downvoted heavily, had a few people moan about the elderly having bad hearing and then a mod deleted it.

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bambaveli@reddit

A lot of people won’t have seen it because this question usually gets deleted within minutes

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blood__drunk@reddit

You won't get a single reply stating why they do it. Like middle lane drivers...these people don't exist.

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KillerClockWatch@reddit

I do because I'm disabled and can't lift the phone to my ear

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blood__drunk@reddit

Tbh I don't tend to make calls in public because it's annoying for everyone else anyway....before you introduce speakers.

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KillerClockWatch@reddit

If I'm in public I normally go to a quieter place to take calls and I normally turn the speaker down a bit anyway

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blood__drunk@reddit

Which i think excludes you from being "they" and thus my statement stands 😉

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Lee_MBoro@reddit

Main character syndrome? It's all about me. No-one else matters but me.

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That and the playing music this is far more annoying and affects far more people than any of the bobbins about “small boats”. I was on a bus in Manchester last week and some old geezer was playing Frank Sinatra loudly. I mean, it could have been a far worse choice but just insane and inconsiderate behaviour. Such people should definitely be deported probably to St Helena

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SaltyName8341@reddit

St Helens would do

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Elongulation420@reddit

I’d half expected autocorrect to cut in with that 🤣

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Excellent-Camp-6038@reddit

Upvote for use of “bobbins”

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TobblyWobbly@reddit

Sit next to him and start streaming bagpipe music.

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springsomnia@reddit

It does my head in. Someone on the train yesterday had their shitty music on full volume and was walking up and down the carriage blaring it out. People have no sense of self awareness.

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Jetstream-Sam@reddit

It's not on the train, but there's a guy in my town who has one of those mobility scooters PIP hand out who speeds around on the pavement blasting music from a massive loudspeaker at full volume. He came into a shop I was in and I legitimately couldn't hear what my total was because it was so loud, and he was like 5 checkouts away. It's always rave music too which is headache inducing at 8.30. People at work have various names for him but they're all a bit shit, which is a shame but I can't think of a good pun either so I can't talk

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paddsta1991@reddit

Well I haven't a name for the bloke but next time you see him you could try playing the song "Spasticus Autisticus" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, on your own loudspeaker.. 😂

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dominicgrimes@reddit

I've found as I've got older I have far less tolerance to arseholey behaviour than I used to, I simply now tell these idiotsto turn it down or use headphones, most of them are so absorbed in their shitty conversations they have no idea what is going on around them

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Jimmyj84@reddit

Would hate to live in top flat below you Aka Nightmarish neighbour that bang on your door at 22pm to complaint about noise from a washing machine

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GingerPrince72@reddit

I’d hate to share the same country as you.

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Jimmyj84@reddit

Right back at you suga

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devandroid99@reddit

22pm?

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IronSkywalker@reddit

I asked a guy to turn his phone down at the dentist because my partner was in a massive panic and the noise was stressing her out. Him and his mum started calling us pathetic and asking the dentist staff to turn the TV on

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FScrotFitzgerald@reddit

It really annoys me because I once got absolutely powerblasted by this one older guy on the Tube when my earbuds weren't doing an awesome job at cancelling noise one time and my music was *faintly* audible, but these cockflanges go full-on Trigger Happy TV and there are no repercussions.

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Lee_MBoro@reddit

HELLOOOO!!! HELLOOOO!!! IM IN THE SUPERMARKET!!! NOO THE SUPERMARKET!!!!

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mainframe_maisie@reddit

YEAH IT’S SHIT! CIAO!!

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Most_Art507@reddit

I think they do have self awareness, they want to be as annoying and antisocial as possible, it's a form of aggression and dominance.

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AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

AskUK is a "catch-all" subreddit for questions about the UK life and culture, but this does not mean we accept any and all questions or answers. We are liable to remove posts or comments which are best discussed in more specialised subreddits, or are simply not desired here because of the problems they bring. We explicitly do not allow questions or answers on or including: - politics (r/askukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/ukpolitics) - legal advice (r/LegalAdviceUK) - financial advice (r/UKPersonalFinance) - technology (r/techsupport, r/technology) - relationships (r/relationships, r/relationship_advice) - DIY (r/diyuk) - university/education (r/sixthform, r/uniuk) - visas/citizenship (r/ukvisa) - [medical advice](https://111.nhs.uk/) (including [mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/)) (r/mentalhealthuk) - ranting/venting (r/britishproblems) - surveys (r/samplesize) - advertising/solicitation (including the mention of **brands** which could be perceived as marketing) - repetitive/seen-often (just search the sub) - "does anybody else" type vent posts (as yes, someone does, be more specific or use r/britishproblems). - questions based on protected characteristics, such as race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc. subject to moderator discretion. ...and we may remove others if we believe they are liable to introduce problems for the subreddit. In some circumstances, a more appropriate subreddit may be available. Check the sidebar for other subreddits to have these discussions. Also see r/unitedkingdom's extensive list of subreddits; https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/wiki/british_subreddits

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devleesh@reddit

Someone saw Kim Kardashian’s do it once now you have to do it to be cool

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Geegee91@reddit

I don’t do it in public , however I do it in private because i have chubby cheeks that like to hang up or mute the call.

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simonsens_in_orbit@reddit

I feel like Apple have a fair bit to answer for when they took the headphone jack out of the iPhone to force people into buying airpods. Instead, people seem to just play content and/or calls through the speaker...

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squidwardsir@reddit

You realise there is a speaker at the top of the phone which is designed to be held against your ear on phone calls?

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simonsens_in_orbit@reddit

I do yes, because this is how I talk on the phone. Others don't quite seem to have grasped it mind!

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peterbparker86@reddit

This question has been posted everyday for the past 5 years

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AstroBlush8715@reddit

It's been a thing for ten years, when everyone caught cuntitis.

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MidnightRambler87@reddit

I’d say longer than that for the cuntitis.

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FiveYardFaded@reddit

Some people suck

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ImFamousYoghurt@reddit

Some people struggle to hear the frequency that some calls are at. I try my best to have it as quiet as possible, but sometimes I struggle to hear anything on max volume, I do avoid phone calls in public for this reason, but sometimes it’s essential and keep the sound as low as I can while barely hearing it

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Western_Presence1928@reddit

On the bus the other day, i was listening to Arab language videos on YouTube at full volume at 08:30. Then he takes a call on loudspeaker for the entire 30 minute journey. So fucking annoying.

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ImFamousYoghurt@reddit

Some people struggle to hear the frequency that some calls are at. I try my best to have it as quiet as possible, but sometimes I struggle to hear anything on max volume, I do avoid phone calls in public for this reason

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Nearby_Impact6708@reddit

Well if I'm speaking to them on the phone they're quite far away so I need to make sure the volumes as loud as possible. Personally wherever possible I try and take a microphone and an amplifier with me, that way I can directly feed the mic into the amp and have really fucking loud high quality crispy audio. It's imperative I hear and understand every word

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Stinkinhippy@reddit

I call it the 'real housewives effect' Stupid reality shows where they do it for storyline and people seem to think it's an acceptable way to behave.

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ThickTadpole3742@reddit

Twats been doing it for years mate

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palimpsest2@reddit

I know everyone says it's because they're stupid or whatever or have seen it on the apprentice but at home I take calls on loudspeaker all the time because I can never hear the caller on normal speaker even at full volume and I say this as someone whose hearing is otherwise fine. I'd never do it in public myself but something to consider maybe.

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Most_Art507@reddit

It's very strange to me to see people, usually holding the bottom of the phone to their ear, or even stranger, phone on loud speaker and they are holding the phone flat on the palm of their hand

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cant_think_of_one_@reddit

The best thing to do is play loud sounds of loos flushing and very loud farting/shitting sounds, next to them.

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mcskidder@reddit

instant flick in the nuts

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72dk72@reddit

It annoys the he'll.outvof me. I think it's because anyone under 25 hasn't experience holding a wired phone to their ear!

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

Funnily enough, it tends to be the older crowd who do what OP complains of. And don’t let Reddit fool you. Old people love tiktok and videos on Facebook.

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Most_Art507@reddit

Usually teens and 20' s in my experience.

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IcePleasant4306@reddit

"It annoys the hell out of me" Same here, they all seem to shout into the bloody phone as well

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Easy-Equal@reddit

The worst for me is people who type loads in public on their phone but don't mute the keyboard sound so its just tons of stupid clicking noises

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lilnic563@reddit

I’m a makeup wearer and I can’t be arsed with my makeup moving

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Equivalent_Deer_8667@reddit

Watched a teen yesterday walking along a noisy road - alternately talking into the bottom of his phone (held out horizontally in front of his face) then putting the top of the phone near (but not on) his ear to hear the response. If only they’d thought of a way of doing both at once. That said - I’m lazy about holding a phone these days - good quality Bluetooth headset every time.

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Sea_Appointment8408@reddit

Main character syndrome. They think everyone cares about their conversation.

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justdont7133@reddit

I hate this so much! I work in a call centre type environment, and so many people phone us on speaker phone, next to a busy road, or in a pub, with loads of background noise. Add in using a headset and the background noise at my end and I can't hear a word they're saying. If you ask them to take it off speaker, so many people get huffy, even though I've already said pardon 14 times at that point

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carolomnipresence@reddit

They should just hear how they sound to us, just for a minute. In any given day, I will have a call move from inside a 747 jet engine where the caller sounds like they're washing the dishes, to blissful clarity, just by the caller finally disconnecting their shitty speaker, headset, ear phones maybe a dozen times. Callers, if you want a good result, for the handler to be able to hear you and subsequently want to help you get what you want, plan your call, make it from indoors and use your phone like a phone.

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Plop-plop-fizz@reddit

OMG yes. No one wants to hear your shitty life mate. Get some earpods or hold it properly.

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Richard__Papen@reddit

Down to a proliferation of bellends.

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andrew210167@reddit

It’s been a thing for years - people obviously enjoy broadcasting their lives these days - utterly annoying

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JustAnotherFEDev@reddit

My kid does this shit, and it pisses me off a bit 😂 I see loads of kids walking past my house in a morning, on their way to school and they're all doing it. The worst is there's a bloke, in his 50s or something, he walks by a few times a day. He has one of those old folk wallet cases, and he's never off the phone, he's always holding it at stomach height, on loudspeaker. When I'm working in my garage on weekends, I always stop as I think someone is trying to talk to me as they walk by, nope, just this guy on loudspeaker, thinking he's 13 😂 Just fucking hold it up to your ear like a grown up 😂

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4BennyBlanco4@reddit

Cultural enrichment. If you notice it's not the natives doing this.

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

"the natives" probably 90% of the people I see doing it are young white teenagers... Are they not "native?"

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4BennyBlanco4@reddit

That's why it's called cultural enrichment, they've picked it up from the foreigners.

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Mr_Ham_Man80@reddit

I bought a new phone last year and have started using it on speaker at home, never did with the old one. It's just one big block of screen, it's unwiedly, sound quality isn't often great and feels weird holding it up to my face. It feels like going backwards to me... smaller phones please. Wouldn't do it in public on a train etc... as it's a shitty thing to subject others to as well as a cacophony of noise on the other end for the person hearing all the background sound.

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Alien_Goatman@reddit

Personally I do it because my phones audio ports keep clogging and it does my heading as I have to keep getting them repaired etc so speaker is just cheaper

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beeurd@reddit

No it's not a new thing, but I usually see middle-aged and older people doing it rather than young people.

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critterwol@reddit

Interesting, I have definitely seen way more ppl younger than myself do it, namely millennials and younger.

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

Many Millenials ARE middle age.

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Inevitable-Beat-4395@reddit

Younger generations didn’t grow up with phones you put to your ear

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

Every single phone is designed to be put up against your ear... what are you even smoking?

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bambaveli@reddit

What? You can put all phones to your ear!

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bambaveli@reddit

It’s been happening for many years. It tends to be foreign people talking to their family back home. I was told that they tend to call their mums more than we do in England, like men in their 30’s/40’s still have hour long conversations with their mums every dad. Why do they use loudspeaker? It’s just what they do in their countries, but yes I agree that it’s very rude. Get some AirPods and use noise cancellation when on public transportation, that’s what I do.

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Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit

Yeah , I took the overnight bus to London and people were on phone during the night to family back home.

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IntelligentMine1901@reddit

I blame Neanderthal man , if he was still in charge none of this would be happening

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Curtis74@reddit

Low IQ?

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squidwardsir@reddit

It’s gotta be, Imagine a brain surgeon going about talking on loudspeaker. I don’t think that would ever happen

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Willywonka5725@reddit

Because people are obnoxious twats.

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RepsUpMoneyDown@reddit

Because the audio quality on Bluetooth headphones / earphones is appalling, and actual phone speaker (as in, ear) isn’t all that better. Depending on season it also prevents me having to put a hot piece of glass and metal up against my ear hard for 15 minutes whislt walking through the city. I don’t take calls like that on a bus / train / building though, only if I’m outside walking (and even then, rarely)

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SpectralDinosaur@reddit

When did it become a thing? At least 5 years ago. Pretty sure Reality TV is the main culprit. That's how everyone on those shows takes calls (primarily so the audience can hear both sides) but it's annoyingly become the norm in everyday life now too. If you want to know who's to blame for all those idiots playing music over their loudspeaker, that's Apple. They were the first to remove headphone jacks from phones and everyone else followed suit.

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Ill-Trash-7085@reddit

the more interesting question is whether this is a symptom of bigger problems. Like if my wife calls and I'm on a train I'll whisper, tell her I'm on a train, and call back later. But these people are going the opposite way. Is it "not that deep" and they're just using a phone like this, or is it "I'm in a bubble, whatever" and they simply don't care what others think.

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YoungGazz@reddit

They're Life Jim, but not as we know it https://preview.redd.it/ltpit523iqsf1.jpeg?width=1120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7c8376bc43651daedcbe26600cedf1ac6cea0c5

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YoungGazz@reddit

Great Scott https://preview.redd.it/i8ifjzg5iqsf1.jpeg?width=1082&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e1b08cd0181f5f5603ed9bb2c94a4edb0dda5a3

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YoungGazz@reddit

You called? https://preview.redd.it/lq36dk27iqsf1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa58d55de945b5f364d2742d4ec3314bc6ac1a6a

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sharkkallis@reddit

When society started on its path towards disappearing up its own arsehole. I'm gonna saaaaaay...COVID or slightly afterwards?

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I_am_notagoose@reddit

Well before that, though admittedly Covid seemed to accelerate the process significantly…

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Exxtraa@reddit

Was literally thinking this today. See someone every single day holding the phone on loud speaker. Genuine don’t understand it. Mostly older generation too.

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Ill-Trash-7085@reddit

yeah we had an Irish lady, about 60, on the train the other day. "MEET ME BY NELSON MANDELA'S HEAD ON THE SOUTH BANK" "Where's that then" "THE BUST OF NELSON MANDELA" "How do you mean? Is it on the South Bank" "THERE'S A BIG NELSON MANDELA HEAD UP THE STEPS. MEET ME THERE" "Oh yes. I think I know" "YES, BIG HEAD. IT'S NELSON MANDELA" "I see it" "RIGHT. SEE YOU IN A MINUTE THEN." This when the train was still at Vauxhall into Waterloo.

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Aspect-Unusual@reddit

In my case, my ear piece speaker is broken and I'm poor and can't afford a new phone just right now lol

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BillWilberforce@reddit

Earpod+mic to USB-C/3.5mm/Lightening? Something like https://amzn.eu/d/0DmXR5v

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nwassassin12@reddit

get bluetooth headsets for like £10

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losingfocus2015@reddit

it has been like that with all age groups.. well, i noticed it started with older people first, every since smart phones became relatively common

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GeggingIn@reddit

The worst thing is the conversations are never very interesting, of juicy anyway.

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Only_Quote_Simpsons@reddit

People watched The Apprentice growing up and thought it looked cool, oblivious to the fact it makes everyone around you think you are a tosspot.

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gr33nday4ever@reddit

even at full volume i cannot hear the person on the other end of the phone unless it's on speaker or the room is 100% silent, my phone is janky

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ans-myonul@reddit

Sometimes it can be hard to hear the other person in a public place without loudspeaker

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Bum-Sniffer@reddit

Wouldn’t it being on loudspeaker be even worse? Unless you put it to your ear on loudspeaker

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