iOS Public Speakerphone Ban

If you’ve ever spent time in a major metro area, you’ve likely run into people on the phone. Most people have their phone near their face or communicate via AirPods… but there are a few of us who prefer a more flexible approach. Yes, I am referring to using speakerphone. On the subway, the sidewalk, and in line, it’s not uncommon to see (and hear) someone using speaker settings for phone calls.

This feels like a behavior we could easily avoid with the right technology. What if Apple could detect proximity to other phones and disable the speaker audio option in these contexts? Yes, we encounter issues like being stuck in traffic or living in small apartments, but there has to be a solution for these edge cases.

I’m mostly joking when I talk about this feature, but I also feel like there’s a non-zero chance that humanity would benefit from something like this if it were applied correctly. Food for thought at the very least.

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