Why Do Some People Play Their Phones Out Loud on Buses and Trains?
Posted2 months agoActive2 months ago
rte.ieOtherstory
heatednegative
Debate
70/100
Public EtiquetteTechnology UseSocial Behavior
Key topics
Public Etiquette
Technology Use
Social Behavior
The article explores why some people play their phones out loud on public transport, sparking a discussion about the annoyance and frustration this behavior causes among commuters.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Active discussionFirst comment
8m
Peak period
12
0-2h
Avg / period
5
Comment distribution25 data points
Loading chart...
Based on 25 loaded comments
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Oct 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM EDT
2 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Oct 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM EDT
8m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
12 comments in 0-2h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Oct 31, 2025 at 9:46 AM EDT
2 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 45763082Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 12:20:30 PM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
But when some asshole on the bus is yammering his sex life at high volumes, I think we've swung too far in the other direction. There's a time and place for public shaming, and being on a commute-time bus meets those requirements.
Obvious /s
I mean, a couple of people and I are in this situation, more or less. Corded headphones were cheaper, didn't require pairing and didn't have rechargeable batteries; they either worked fine or didn't work.
Your point about corded headphones being cheaper could mean that this is just a result of poorer people using public transit
I don't understand how can you even think this is ever acceptable.
However, same as the 54% mentioned in the article I won't ask them, but for a different reason: noise canceling headphones means unless someone is playing a concert, it won't bother me.
As long as you talk at an appropriate level, there is no need to feel bad.
But the sharp, piercing tone of tin(n)y (and somehow super-amplified) phone speakers, playing particularly grating videos or loud video calls, all at max volume, seems optimized for maximum irritation. And it's often adults, who presumably would not usually shout but are nonetheless talking very loudly into their max volume facetime calls.
I would probably find it annoying if everyone walked around listening to sports games on small radios, but it is a rare occurrence so I tend to be more surprised that sports radio (not to mention AM radio itself) still exists.
0. From TFA: In the UK, the Liberal Democrats proposed legislation that would make playing content out loud a fineable offence of up to £1,000.
I am moving to Ireland immediately.
Wait, are they also banning loud FaceTime calls? Please say yes.
It sucks that 90% of our rules are made to control < 3% of the population.
And I suppose that’s neat for hypothesis generation but I think a few minutes thought could come up with all of these. Perhaps next time I will try to politely ask. Wish me luck. Hope I don’t get stabbed.
Here’s my extra hypothesis: some people actually don’t know what’s going on - they stop at the top of the escalator and look around; they stand in the middle of the aisle with their shopping cart blocking it; and they don’t have a clue that the TV volume is high