iPhone owners more likely to play audio aloud in public

Research by Uswitch suggests iPhone owners are more likely than Android users to play audio aloud in public, with the gap reaching two to one for some behaviours.

The survey found that 16% of iPhone users watch videos or social media clips out loud in public at least once a month, compared with 8% of Android users. It also found that 10% of iPhone owners leave voice notes playing aloud, versus 5% of Android users, while 18% take calls on speaker compared with 10% of Android users.

The findings add a consumer angle to a wider debate about phone etiquette in shared spaces. They also come after Wetherspoons recently moved to stop customers using speakerphones in its pubs.

Across all smartphone users, taking calls on speaker was the most common behaviour, with 38% admitting to doing so in public during the past year. Watching videos or clips out loud was next at 35%, while playing music and leaving voice notes aloud were both at 24%.

More than half of iPhone owners, 55%, had engaged in at least one of the tracked behaviours in the past year. Among Android users, the figure was 44%.

Public annoyance

The research suggests irritation with public phone audio is widespread. Some 35% of respondents said someone playing music or videos out loud on a long journey would bother them most, ahead of a crying baby at 21% and bare feet on a seat at 19%.

Nearly two-thirds of UK adults, 63%, said they had been annoyed by someone playing music, videos or calls aloud from their phone in public. In London, that figure rose to 77%.

Yet the behaviour is not confined to a small group. Among those who said they had played music out loud in public during the past year, 58% also said they had been annoyed by somebody else doing it.

The polling also found support for tighter social rules around phone audio. A total of 60% backed a ban on playing music, videos or taking calls on loudspeaker without headphones in public places, while 18% opposed it.

When asked where people should be able to play audio from a phone or tablet without headphones, 59% chose the option that headphones should always be used in public. Only 10% said pubs and bars were suitable places for audio to be played aloud.

Generational split

The survey points to a clear age divide. Almost half of Gen Z respondents, 49%, said they had played music out loud in public during the past year, compared with 7% of baby boomers.

Views on restrictions also varied by age. Some 75% of boomers supported a ban on loudspeaker use in public, compared with 42% of Gen Z respondents.

There was broader support for what the survey described as "digital tuts", with 52% backing shared screens in places such as stations, trains and pubs that could display anonymous messages asking people to behave more considerately. Support among Gen Z stood at 54%.

The reasons respondents gave were often mundane rather than confrontational. Of those who had played music, videos or calls out loud in public, 26% said they had forgotten their headphones, while 24% said they had not really been thinking about it. Another 17% said they wanted the people they were with to hear the audio, and 17% said their headphones had run out of charge or broken.

Phone settings

Simrat Sharma, Mobiles Expert at Uswitch, said the results pointed to an unexpected divide between handset users.

"Forget cameras and battery life - the real iPhone vs Android divide is who's prepared to press play without headphones. But before anyone gets smug, half of us have had a bare-beating moment, and most offenders simply forgot their headphones.

"The good news is your phone can save you from yourself. Before you travel this Bank Holiday, take two minutes to check your setup - make sure Bluetooth is connected before you press play, switch on captions for videos, and pack a spare pair of wired headphones. Your fellow passengers will thank you."

Uswitch also highlighted practical steps users can take on their devices, including setting headphone reminders, checking Bluetooth connections before starting playback, switching on captions and limiting media volume in settings.

The survey was based on responses from 2,000 UK adults, with behavioural questions asked of 1,976 smartphone owners. In the data, iPhones accounted for 41% of respondents' most-used phones, Samsung devices 35%, Google Pixel 5% and other Android devices 14%.