Voice notes - Annoying or Convenient?
Voice notes - Annoying or Convenient?
Author
Discussion

Al Gorithum

Original Poster:

5,230 posts

237 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Full disclosure: I'm a Boomer so prone to occasional grumpiness and Ludditedness.

Voice notes left on my messaging apps give me the right hump. Reason being is that I would have to endure listening to someone's (often whiny) voice for 10 seconds or more, whereas scanning a written message can be done in a couple of seconds.

I think it's disrespectful of the recipient's time, although I appreciate that it's easier for the sender.

I never listen to them.

What say you?


BigGingerBob

2,165 posts

219 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Annoying and selfish.

Only convenient for the sender

breamster

1,173 posts

209 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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I know one person with learning difficulties. Voice notes for them are a godsend. If they were to try and type it, it would take a long time and have only a slim chance at actually making sense!

Blue_star

1,213 posts

45 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Only acceptable if driving

p4cks

7,481 posts

228 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Never acceptable. They literally double the time needed to have an actual conversation

Brainpox

4,311 posts

180 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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I’m lucky in that none of my mates use voice notes. We all hate them. If you’re feeling lazy just use dictation. If it’s a long message it needs to be a phone call.

One colleague showed me a 2+ min voice note she got from a friend. It was just a rambling rant. Had to memorise key points and respond to each. I think I would just ignore

Frimley111R

19,156 posts

263 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Good, useful and convenient.

I used one yesterday to leave a message for my BiL about the death of his brother. I am sure he'd had enough of the same conversations about it and so I just said my piece and he didn't have to have another difficult conversation. Much better than a text based message too.

Hoofy

79,992 posts

311 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Convenient. I send them all the time, never read other people's though.

I'm kidding. I would only listen to it if I felt there was a good chance I would benefit from it, otherwise it will get listened to at some point between now and my death. Maybe. For the reasons everyone mentions. Just don't open them unless they're really, really, really important. Like from a client or your wife who will cut your nads off.

Ambleton

7,253 posts

221 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Sending a message puts the effort on the point of the sender.

Sending a voice note puts the effort onto the recipient.

Cutting out all but essential news/contact at all saves the most time/effort.

StevieBee

15,284 posts

284 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Al Gorithum said:
Full disclosure: I'm a Boomer
Me too.

Voice Notes serve the occasional purpose but agree they're become over-used.

I'll adopt the default Boomer view and say there's a wider malaise amongst the younger generation (and increasingly, some of our own); that being the unwillingness to hold a phone conversation with people.

I work a fair bit with younger people and see often them attempting to resolve a complex issue using text based messaging. I asked one recently why he doesn't just call the other person to discuss whatever it was they were trying arrange and he looked at me like I'd suggested he perform a dance or something other random.

And I have clients and colleague not that much younger than me rather go through the faff of setting up a Teams meet than pick up the phone.

All very odd.





Linksmas

3,274 posts

244 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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I am a Millennial, voice notes are annoying and inconvenient. I can't read or re-read the bit i need to quickly, I have to listen to the entire thing.

Funk

27,636 posts

238 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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You do realise that you can have your phone transcribe it so you don't have to listen...?

Ed Boon II

382 posts

10 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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My brother is an arrogant, condescending prick, he loves a voice note rolleyes


AC43

13,593 posts

237 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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My wife will sometimes leave me and/or others with long, quite rambly voicemails. I find them infuriating and delete them once I've passed the 5 second mark or whatever it is.

If I want to speak to someone and they're not there I'll message them along the lines of "can you call me about x".

Huzzah

28,936 posts

212 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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What's a voice note?

Al Gorithum

Original Poster:

5,230 posts

237 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
quotequote all
Ed Boon II said:
My brother is an arrogant, condescending prick, he loves a voice note rolleyes
LOL - same! My brother is a Preacher (has his own church) and absolutely LOVES the sound of his own voice. I would rather eat my own eyeballs than listen to his messages.

gotoPzero

20,652 posts

218 months

craigjm

21,381 posts

229 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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I find that certain groups of people i know love them and some of them hate them. My south african friends love them and think nothing of sending a voice note that is 2 mins long!

AlunJ

166 posts

192 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Can’t bloody stand them, millennial if it helps.
My wife often has her friends send them one after the other. Drives me crazy having to listen to her listening to them. Stfu banghead

skyebear

1,293 posts

35 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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Safer when driving. Means I don't need to take my eyes off Instagram.