Wetherspoons has banned customers from playing music or videos aloud and taking phone calls on speakerphone across all 792 of its UK pubs, saying unamplified sound from smartphones and tablets had become an "increasing problem in recent years". Chain owner Tim Martin framed the move as protecting the pubs' atmosphere, describing them as "an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation" in a world dominated by amplified noise, and asked phone users to "pipe down". Customers interviewed at two of the chain's London pubs broadly welcomed the change, arguing loud calls and videos were antisocial and intrusive on others trying to enjoy a drink.

The policy was announced on a Tuesday and follows other recent restrictions introduced by the chain, including a ban on Meta's camera-equipped "spy glasses" being worn inside pubs. At the Moon Under Water in Leicester Square and the Montagu Pyke near Tottenham Court Road, patrons largely supported the ban, with several saying they already took calls outside or used headphones, though one customer noted someone had been flouting the rule with a loud speakerphone call shortly before being interviewed, suggesting enforcement may prove inconsistent in practice.