Wetherspoons has banned customers from playing music or videos out loud on phones, tablets or other devices, and from taking calls on speakerphone, across all 792 of its pubs. New signage will ask customers to switch devices to silent or use earphones, with the chain saying such noise has become an "increasing problem" in recent years. The move reinforces Wetherspoons' existing no-music policy, which sees background music played only at its 44 branches trading under the Lloyds name.

Staff will use "common sense" when enforcing the rule, and customers who ignore it initially will not automatically be ejected, though managers retain the option to ask persistent offenders to leave. Founder Tim Martin described the chain's pubs as "an oasis of tranquility", while the British Beer and Pub Association welcomed the change. YouGov research from 2025 found 79% of Britons are bothered by people playing music or videos through phone speakers in public.