I confronted my teenager about this. Apparently you just reply “plz resend”. And it’s like totes normal. (They didn’t say totes normal, that’s just how I imagine teenagers speak).
I got one and it said 15:11 or something and I was like “oh no do I have to listen to a monologue from this person I barely know for 15 minutes?” but then it turned out to be because it was sent at 11 minutes past three 🙄
I think it most gets me cause what if you’re in a position where you can’t listen? A short passage of written text seems like *such* an elegant solution.
People always text good news with an array of emojis and phone with bad 'to soften the blow', therefore all phone calls are bad news and should be avoided
I was in a shop and the woman had her phone on the counter and it was playing and I thought it was a bit rude when I was waiting to pay for my stuff, and she then said "my daughter just keeps leaving me voice notes so I just let it play out so she thinks I've listened to it." Fair enough.
Just me who enjoys voice messages then? It's like a phone call - I often have 3 way "conversations" with two of my friends on WhatsApp. Enables a good gossip at home without having actually being on a long phone call.
I DO hate voice messages to arrange things tho. No written record to remind me
It's not. I don't read text messages until it's convenient. I don't think a voice message is any more demanding of attention than a written message. In fact, a voice call to me usually means it's something to listen to relaxing with a cuppa - there's juicy gossip involved and it's to be savoured!
Hadn’t thought that through before. I don’t like phone conversations so if I phone it’s really because I need a quick 2 way chat. And then if I get voicemail I suppose I just follow the flow.
It feels as if people either haven't turned their ringer on in the last five years or they take all phone calls in public on max volume speaker phone, and they each think the other is crazy
Earlier today my iPhone automatically transcribed and sent me as a text a voice message *as it was being recorded.* No idea it was going to do that. Witchcraft but also *waves flag in excitement*.
I was in the chemist waiting for a prescription and a woman was listening to some evangelical Christian sermon so loud on her phone, she couldn't hear the guy calling her name.
My mum still leaves me voicemails that essentially say ‘nothing important, I’ll try you again later’ followed by a text message that basically says the same thing.
My voicemail greeting explicitly says "Don't leave a message, I don't listen to them" and I still get people leaving messages and then getting cross with me because I didn't listen to it
Seriously. I can read so much faster than anyone can talk, please don't waste my time with a voice message (and they're usually about NOTHING, voice messages are for wafflers)
The same reason I hate the forced pivot to video, it's not scannable (though TikTok does allow you to play videos at double speed). And with typing the people who waffle get to the point quicker too usually because typing is more work 🤪
All of the above. Plus I can deal with it all on public transport without having to put headphones in / put my phone to my ear. Also, and I think this is why I can't deal with pod casts etc. Writing is easier to edit.
Either way I'm sure people have their valid reasons for using it, as much as people have their equally valid reasons for absolutely hating receiving them
Yeah, for me it's just vague acquaintances that do this, which makes it worse (my friend has a fancy car which reads texts out to her and allows her to dictate texts back)
I was on the train the other day and there was a blue collar rough looking guy with his daughter who clearly should have been in school and was organising meeting family in ‘spoons by slinging whatsapp voice notes back and forth instead of typing…
I think part of the issue is there are people who can’t spell even with autocomplete or can’t type fast even on a phone that they find it easier to do voice.
Yeah. I did find out yesterday that there's a dictate function as well. Someone sent me DM's on Instagram using that and it worked out perfect for both of us (and I do think there's something to be said against this idea that you have to be fast with responding)
Yeah, how on earth did we all uniformly decide we hated voicemail only for the worst of us to go “no, voice notes, it’s totally different” most of them go on long enough to just be a really specific podcast
If it helps, I don’t think that makes you old! My experience is that boomers and older Gen X are the most likely to like recorded messages- anyone younger than that is likely to prefer text.
I remember someone asking for advice on how to manage a group chat which had people for whom literacy was hard & preferred voice & others were D/deaf & so needed text. I'm a text person. I can scan and read fast but was brought up short by someone pointing out not everyone reads faster than speech
Honestly though, even the dots when someone is typing gives me the heebie-jeebies.
I used to have a colleague who would take *forever* typing in Teams and I would stare at the dots and go “What the hell are you writing?” and it would end up being something like “Where do I find x document?”
Thankfully I don’t get too many of these. It’s mostly just tradesmen who do that with me. Plus we had one baby sitter who would reply to every text with a voice note.
Is it aaah because ummm errr some folks people humans can't get to like the precise specific and congruent point that they are seeking to convey in a timely and concise manner that is easily understood by the recipient? "Oh and would you like to go to a like kind of a pot luck on friday 6pm at St.."
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I DO hate voice messages to arrange things tho. No written record to remind me
Was just having a wibble because it’s one of very few things that give me genuine anxiety (and I meant voice notes rather than voicemail btw).
That ‘play’ button sitting in the middle of our text conversation is going to be ignored for at least a day or two.
And some (many) sales people who are badgered into phoning and leaving voicemails… part of their targets.
For me it’s nearly always sales people.
My pet peeve is making an enquiry online and getting a call & voicemail in return. Like why do you think I didn’t phone you in the first place??
I get voice notes all the time from people in their 30s and younger, just dumped mid-text conversation like a tiny aural turd.
‘We were sending each other gifs and now you suddenly want me to hear you speak?’ 🙅🏻♀️
I think I only just about got over the fact a text message can be a photo? 🫣🤭
https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-voice-message-transcripts
I used to have a colleague who would take *forever* typing in Teams and I would stare at the dots and go “What the hell are you writing?” and it would end up being something like “Where do I find x document?”
Mind you, he also once sent me this gem.
It’s the mid-text voice notes I hate.
It’s the “it’s easier for me to send a VM” - yes but it’s not easier for me to listen to them 🤣