Number of Mobile Calls Drops For the First Time (bbc.com) 40
The number of voice calls made on mobile phones in the UK fell for the first time ever in 2017 -- despite the fact we seem hooked on our devices. From a report: That is according to the latest report from telecoms regulator Ofcom, which charts what it describes as a decade of digital dependence. A total of 78% of all adults now own a smartphone. On average, people check them once every 12 minutes during their waking hours, the study claims. Two in five adults look at their phone within five minutes of waking, while a third check their phones just before falling asleep, according to the report. A high percentage (71%) say they never turn off their phones and 78% say they could not live without it.
Need a better word than "smartphone" (Score:4, Informative)
The number of voice calls made on mobile phones in the UK fell for the first time ever in 2017 -- despite the fact we seem hooked on our devices.
Why should this be surprising? Smartphones are really not primarily phones and they facilitate a wide variety of forms of communication. Smartphones really should be called something else because they really are handheld computers that just happen to be able to make calls as one of their added features. If you are anything like me the phone capability accounts for 1-2% of the actual use of the device.
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Crackberries then.
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The number of voice calls made on mobile phones in the UK fell for the first time ever in 2017 -- despite the fact we seem hooked on our devices.
Why should this be surprising?
Not surprising at all. Right now, I get about three spam robocalls for every one (voice) phone call that is actually for me.
Most of the people I know don't answer their phone any more. They use their smartphones for data, not voice.
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You can say "handset" if you like. For most people, if it is connected to the telco network then it is a phone, whether you make calls on it or not.
Not many people under 30 (Score:2)
actually calls anyone for the most part.
It's all about texting.
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actually calls anyone for the most part.
It's all about texting.
Or sending photos and videos to each other.
How Magical (Score:1)
Robocall hellholes get raided and shutdown, and now the total number of calls drops? I wonder what kind of sorcery this is.
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Robocall hellholes get raided and shutdown.
I wish.
Wait... (Score:1)
Hello? I hope all is well I am Microsoft. (Score:1)
You have wirus, can I to connecting you to Microsoft Java Specialist?
Voice communication is seen as rude (Score:1)
It's a matter of digital etiquette, I guess.
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We have an intern here, 19y or so. She does not want to talk on the phone except with immediate family. Mind you, constantly checking the smartphone and typing stuff on it, but calling is queer and more for emergency situations. Answering the landline (without knowing who is calling) or calling strangers for business purposes is freaking her out. According to her, it's not universal in her age group but not rare either.
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Talking to someone using your voice? That's a micro aggression.
Entirely spam calls (Score:4, Insightful)
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I think 95% or more of calls to my cell are spam. Why would I answer the phone with such odds?
This. Most of my calls are "Hi, this is someone you briefly had an email exchange with 18 months ago, we want to see if we can use you to drum up more business". Usually a recruiter.
Companies I like receiving offers from know that they don't have to cold call.
Add to this the cacophony of non carrier based communications options, I don't think we have fewer people calling each other, we've got fewer people using their minutes to call each other. I recently switched from a main UK provider (E.G. Vodafon
Data contract (Score:3)
Calls through messaging apps way up ... (Score:1)
In other news, free calls made through Facetime, Whatsapp, Line etc have greatly increased in the last year.
Voice calls are as high as ever, it's just that some people aren't paying their mobile networks for them any more.
Due to spam calls my ringer is permanently off (Score:3)
The number of legit voice calls I get is almost zero. The only reason I have a phone number at this point is to call my bank, and some types of SMS 2FA that don't support google authenticator or yubi keys yet.
Also for WhatsApp. You need to have a phone number to use WhatsApp. This is probably my most important use, as I use WhatsApp for all my voice/video calls these days. Number of voice calls I make and/or receive in a month can be counted on one hand.
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Maybe those spam calls are due to giving out your phone number for 2FA and Whatsapp (which then benefits from using it because of all the spam calls they get because they sold your phone number for 10 cents)
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And I still get several spam calls per day.
Does VoIP count? (Score:3)
Or FaceTime or whatever app they're using for calls and video chat that aren't technically phone calls?
What's wrong with people? (Score:3, Interesting)
1. In the morning (silencing the alarm clock)
2. At 8:50am (fetching 2FA codes for the day)
3. At 12:52pm (news while chewing on my sandwich)
4. At 6:32pm (at the gym, logging my progress)
5. At 7:51pm (stopwatch while cooking)
I also get no nuisance calls. I only give my number to friends and use a burner phone for everything else.
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So you are an outlier who asks what wrong with majority? They are...normal humans?
Not that the majority is better off or in the right doing what they do, urban lemmings and all...just they seem to be the norm.
Not me (Score:1)