I feel like I stepped into a time warp. I haven’t noticed this type of behavior in at least ten years. These days it’s all about the head phones or BT. From what I can tell, they stay on whether they’re talking on the phone or not.
Are you sure that all/most of these people are on phone calls and not video chats? I rarely hear/see anyone on a voice call at all, but I see a lot of people talking on the phone while looking at the person they are talking to (which requires holding the phone in your field of vision).
Pretty sure – usually the phone is perpendicular to their face, so if it was video chat, the other side would have a great view of the ceiling.
I admit I find speakerphone useful at home, but I would never think to use it that way out in public. The conversation will be louder, and more than twice as annoying (as I am less of a talker than most people). Even at that weird angle, the microphone would be further away from my mouth.
If I’m out in public, my phone has headphones. That way I can watch videos and such without disturbing others. Taking a call may mean I’ll have to talk, but I’ll have the mic as close as possible and turn away the best I can to keep it private. I’ve yet to have anyone call me who doesn’t assume the conversation is semi-private, rather than blaring out for everyone to hear.
I would guess using speakerphone comes from the same trend of not using headphones for video or music, which I think is dumb.
Here in China, folks hold the phone in the manner described in the OP because they’re usually using WeChat’s voice message function and have to hold the “talk” button on the app. It’s kind of hard to see what you’re doing when you hold the phone in a “normal” manner.
Note: I really despise the WeChat program. This particular bugaboo is just more ammunition for my hatred.
Modern smartphones typically have a proximity sensor that prevents this happening.
Annoys the [bleep] out of me in public spaces too. It’s bad enough having to hear ONE side of the conversation, which on public transit tends toward profanity-filled domestic disputes and TMI delivered at “everyone in this vehicle MUST hear ME and MY life” tops-of-ample-lungs levels. I really don’t want to hear the other half of the call blaring from a crappy tinny speaker that is not designed to sound even remotely decent more than an inch or so away.
USE EARBUDS, MORONS!!!
I got my first smart phone about 2 years ago — an iPhone 6 I believe. I would hold it to my ear and talk to people, and most people would say, “I can barely hear you.” So, I ‘d turn on the speaker function, and we could converse with no problems. Using the speaker has become the default for me.
That’s probably not why most people do it, but who knows?
Frequently they wear earplugs, so they do not need to hold the phone to their ear.
I usually use the speaker at home by myself, but not holding it in front of my face, it’s on a table nearby. I’m usually on my computer or doing something else, and I just like to have my hands free.
I would not do it out in public, that would be very strange and quite impolite.
Simple: Modern phones have gotten so dang large that it looks and feels silly to hold them to your ear.
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I mean, just look at this image and tell me it does not look (and likely feel) silly?
I don’t do this all the time, but I do do it when I’m multitasking on the phone. Like, taking notes and stuff. I view it as no different than putting your phone on speaker when you’re in a conference call. They are mini computers nowadays, phones second.
If she was walking down the street talking on that, YES
Context, dude
There are two reasons why I use the speaker phone feature.
One: because multiple people are talking. When I call my parents, my kids want to be able to talk to Grandma and Grandpa, so I put it on speaker so they can be part of the conversation. Pretty sure this is the reason why speakerphones were invented.
Two: I’m on hold. If I’m just listening to hold music, I’ll put the phone on speaker so I can do something else while I’m waiting. I spent over 4 hours dealing with Boost Mobile a while back, and most of it was on hold. I’ll be damned if I was going to hold the phone to my ear the whole time. So I put it on speaker, folded the laundry, loaded the dishwasher, etc. As soon as I stopped being on hold, I took the speaker off and used the phone normally.
There may have been a couple other random reasons why I used the speakerphone functionality, but those are the biggies. (I think once my mom called while I was breastfeeding my child, so I put it on speaker, etc.)
I can’t stand it when people sit in the coffee shop shouting on their speaker phones. I don’t care who wronged who or if your make up will end up on your phone. I’m trying to focus on what I’m doing.
I prefer speaker as well. It’s sometimes hard to hold a smartphone right over your earhole, and usually the speaker is a bit louder and easier to understand. But only in non-public places.
ah, oh.
I use speaker phone because I am usually doing something else with my hands. Washing dishes, typing on the keyboard here.
Not like the old times when you can hold the phone your shoulder and ear-also my arm gets tired of holding it up to my ear. With my cousin, its usually a long conversation. Out in public, I rarely use the speaker but I have a loud voice so people hear me anyway.
As far as not wanting your ear to push buttons, push the little button on the side where the screen darkens…no pushing the wrong buttons that way
and lastly, well almost…once in a great while I have the echo with the speaker phone but not too often. That is very annoying!
In some situations you have outside noises where its impossible to understand people on the other end.
Not sure why talking on the speaker phone would annoy people outside of the phone conversation…
I dont think cell phone speakers mess very well with land lines.
Post #4 nails it and gets no credit. 
It’s done on TV that way and people want to be cool.