- iPhone owners are up to twice as likely as Android users to be serial "bare beaters" – playing music, videos or calls out loud in public without headphones at least once a month[1] – days after Wetherspoons silenced speakerphones across all 792 of its pubs
- Bare beating is Britain's worst journey horror: a third (35%) call it the worst thing to endure on a long journey, ahead of a crying baby (21%) and bare feet on the seat (19%)[2]
- Six in 10 (58%) of those who play music out loud have been annoyed by someone else doing the same[3]
- Six in 10 (60%) would back a ban on loudspeakers in public[4] – and half of Brits (52%) support "digital tuts", anonymous on-screen nudges asking people to pipe down[5]
- The generation gap is real: half (49%) of Gen Z have played music out loud in the past year, compared with just 7% of baby boomers[1]
- Uswitch mobiles expert Simrat Sharma shares the phone settings that stop you becoming "that person" this Bank Holiday weekend
iPhone owners are up to twice as likely as Android users to regularly play music, videos or calls out loud in public, reveals new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.[1]
The findings land just days after Wetherspoons silenced speakerphones across all 792 of its pubs, in time for the Bank Holiday weekend.
Almost twice as many iPhone users as Android users watch videos or social media clips out loud at least monthly (15% vs 8%), and twice as many leave voice notes playing aloud (10% vs 5%).[1] Even counting one-off slips, more than half (55%) of iPhone owners admit to a bare beating moment in the past year, compared with 44% of Android owners.[1]
Table: The bare beating brand divide – % who do each at least once a month [1]
| Behaviour in public without headphones | iPhone owners | Android owners |
|---|---|---|
| Taking calls on speaker | 18% | 10% |
| Watching videos or social media clips out loud | 16% | 8% |
| Playing music out loud | 11% | 7% |
| Leaving voice notes playing out loud | 10% | 5% |
Britain's best-known pub chain has already shown loudspeakers the door, with Wetherspoons banning out-loud music, videos and speaker calls and putting up signs asking customers to go silent or use earphones. The public is behind the move: just one in 10 (10%) think out-loud audio belongs in pubs, and a majority (59%) say headphones should always be used in public.[7]
Taking calls on speaker is the nation's most common slip, with nearly four in 10 (38%) admitting to it in the past year.[1] London is the bare beating capital of Britain – home to both the most frequent offenders and the most annoyed, with more than three-quarters (77%) of Londoners irritated by it.[3]
The generations part ways too: half (49%) of Gen Z have played music out loud in the past year, against just 7% of baby boomers.[1] And nobody is innocent: six in 10 (58%) of those who play music out loud have been annoyed by someone else doing the same[3]. We have all, it turns out, been on both sides of the speaker.
Most offenders aren't defiant, just forgetful – a quarter (26%) simply forgot their headphones.[6] And Britain may have found its own solution: the "digital tut". Half (52%) would support screens in stations, trains and pubs showing anonymous, pre-approved nudges such as "Could we keep phone music off?", while six in 10 (60%) would back an outright ban.[5][4]
Five phone checks that stop you becoming "that person" this Bank Holiday:
- Set a headphone reminder so you never leave home without them
- Check Bluetooth is actually connected before pressing play
- Switch on live captions so videos work on mute
- Cap your media volume in your phone's settings
- Pack a spare pair of wired headphones – no battery, no excuses
Simrat Sharma, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, comments: "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."
For more phone tips and advice, head to Uswitch.com.
-ENDS-
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults between 21 and 25 August 2026. Results are weighted to be nationally representative. Behavioural questions were asked of the 1,976 respondents who own a smartphone. Phone brand is based on respondents' most-used phone: iPhone 41%, Samsung 35%, Google Pixel 5%, other Android 14%. Generations defined as Gen Z 18–29, Millennials 30–45, Gen X 46–61, Boomers 62–80. Wetherspoons announced its policy on phone audio in its pubs on 18 August 2026, and Transport for London launched its "headphone dodging" poster campaign on 26 August 2026; Uswitch's research is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by J D Wetherspoon plc or Transport for London.
1. "How often have you personally done each of the following in public without headphones in the last year?" (played music out loud / watched a video or social media clip out loud / taken a call on speaker / left voice notes playing out loud). Doing each at least once a month, iPhone vs all Android (Samsung, Google Pixel and other Android combined): watching videos out loud 15.5% vs 7.9% (2.0x); voice notes 9.9% vs 4.7% (2.1x); speaker calls 17.9% vs 10.1% (1.8x); music 11.2% vs 7.3% (1.5x). 55% of iPhone owners have done at least one behaviour in the past year vs 44% of Android owners. Across all UK smartphone owners: speaker calls 38%, videos 35%, music 24%, voice notes 24% in the past year. Played music out loud in the past year: Gen Z 49%, Boomers 7%. Londoners are the most likely to report doing each behaviour at least monthly.
2. "Which, if any, of these would bother you the most if you had to sit through it on a long journey?" Someone playing music or videos out loud on their phone 35% (Boomers 44%, Gen Z 20%); a baby crying 21% (Gen Z 25%); someone's bare feet up on the seat 19%; someone eating strong-smelling food 12%; a delayed or cancelled announcement playing on repeat 6%; tinny music leaking from someone's headphones 3%.
3. "Have you ever been annoyed by someone playing music, videos or calls aloud from their phone in public?" 63% of all UK adults have ever been annoyed (49% within the last 12 months); London 77% (61% within the last 12 months). Among those who have played music out loud in public themselves in the past year, 58% have been annoyed by someone else doing so.
4. "How far would you support or oppose playing music, videos or taking calls on loudspeaker without headphones in public places being banned?" NET support 60% (strongly support 33%); NET oppose 18%. NET support: Boomers 75%, Gen Z 42% (Gen Z NET oppose 29%).
5. "How far would you support or oppose public places such as trains, buses, pubs or waiting areas having a shared screen where people could anonymously submit pre-approved messages about considerate behaviour, with others nearby able to vote for the message to be displayed? (e.g. 'Could we keep phone music off?' or 'Please use headphones')" NET support 52% (Gen Z 54%, Millennials 47%, Gen X 54%, Boomers 51%); NET oppose 16%.
6. "Which of these best describes why you've played music, videos or calls out loud in public without headphones?" (Asked of the 890 respondents who have done at least one behaviour.) I forgot my headphones 26%; I wasn't really thinking about it 24%; I wanted the people I was with to hear it too 17%; my headphones had run out of charge or broken 17%; I didn't think anyone would mind 13%; I don't own headphones 11%; I don't think it's a big deal 10%.
7. "In which, if any, of the following places do you think people should be able to play music, videos or other audio from a phone or tablet without using headphones?" 59% selected "N/A – I think headphones should always be used in public". Parks and beaches 22%; pubs and bars 10% (Gen Z 25%, over-55s 4%); shops and shopping centres 8%; train stations and airports 8%; trains and buses 7%; restaurants and cafés 6%; GP surgeries and hospital waiting rooms 4%.