The speakerphone paradox

[u/NeighborhoodJust1197]

I was at the pool today when a woman started having a conversation on her phone using the speaker.

I politely asked her if she could not use the speaker and pointed to my headphones.
She said, “I don’t have headphones.”
So I said, “You can just hold the phone next to your ear.”

She looked at me with a completely blank expression and said, “I’m on speakerphone.”
I said, “Well… that’s the problem.”

Apparently, we had reached the limits of modern technology.

[u/SirDomiku]

But like, it's an *extra step* to engage speakerphone. You make a call or answer a call, and it defaults to the earpiece.

[u/wallybinbaz → u/SirDomiku]

I definitely find it more comfortable not having a hot phone on my ear, especially for work where I can have two hands for notes or typing. That said, I work from home. Alone. So I'm not bothering anyone.

[u/SousVideDiaper → u/wallybinbaz]

If your phone gets hot, there is something wrong with your phone

[u/elecow → u/SousVideDiaper]

Or it's just a very hot day. My phone will just shut down some functions when I'm driving my car 😅

[u/brainparts → u/wallybinbaz]

I don’t like holding an iPhone to my ear because it’s flat and not actually phone-shaped but I can’t stand the way speakerphone sounds (also, it’s rude af). I just keep wired earbuds and airpods in my bag and use one of those if I’m on the phone for more than a minute.

[u/Naud1993 → u/wallybinbaz]

Phones shouldn't get hot unless you're playing games or using the camera.

[u/Xerothor → u/wallybinbaz]

You know you don't actually have to press it to your ear right? Speakers are loud enough that close is enough

[u/ElPared → u/SirDomiku]

You can actually set your phone to default to speaker iirc. Granted that is also an extra step, but it’s an extra step that precludes you from having to turn on speaker manually every call.

[u/Noughmad → u/SirDomiku]

Only if you use the actual "phone" app. Most others, like WhatsApp, often default to the speaker.

[u/Ifailmostofthetime → u/SirDomiku]

My phones mic is actually broken :( I have to put it on speaker for people to hear me

Edit: also its like 180 usd to replace the bottom mic. Board alone is 40 bucks. Feel free to send me the cash and I'll get it fixed with receipt if it bugs you guys so much

[u/plug-and-pause → u/Ifailmostofthetime]

Speaker changes the output... that's why it's called a speaker. Unless your phone has multiple microphones for some reason, and uses a different one in speaker mode for some reason, then none of that makes any sense.

[u/thefranchise23 → u/plug-and-pause]

Speaker probably uses a different mic. It picks up your voice much farther away from the phone than when you are doing a normal call without speakerphone

[u/Ifailmostofthetime → u/plug-and-pause]

My phones has 3 mics. Bottom for calls, top one for speaker, rear one for camera. Most phones have multiple mics. Iphones have between 3 and 4 mics.

Edit i have an s21 5g. Look up the phone specs.

[u/plug-and-pause → u/Ifailmostofthetime]

TIL. I'll take your word for it, and it honestly makes total sense. Recording audio from an inch away vs a few feet away probably can't be done (with good results) with the same hardware.

[u/Ifailmostofthetime → u/plug-and-pause]

I thought i maybe the mic hole was clogged so I tried cleaning it with 91% alcohol or maybe I just had bad signal but it only works on speaker. Next year I'll buy a new (refurbished) phone

[u/SuperBuffCherry → u/plug-and-pause]

Unless your phone has multiple microphones for some reason

Literally every single smartphone made in the last 10 years has 3, or at the very least 2 microphones.

[u/ElPared → u/Ifailmostofthetime]

Bullshit. If that were true speaker wouldn’t work either.

[u/Old-Rhubarb-97 → u/ElPared]

I can confirm this can happen. I have a relative who was driving me crazy with this for months.

I thought surely it was something they were doing wrong, nope. 

[u/Ifailmostofthetime → u/ElPared]

I have an s21 5G. Has 3 mics. The bottom one next to the usb doesn't work. The rear camera one and top one (used by the speaker phone) does work. Thats also why I almost never answer my phone and just text. I also have like 300 unread texts at a time though

[u/aitch-zed → u/Ifailmostofthetime]

You can use headset/earphones with a mic