Miami Has the Worst Phone Etiquette in the Country — And We Admit It

When was the last time you turned over your phone (or put it in your pocket) and gazed into the eyes of your beloved for the duration of an entire dinner? It might be longer than you care to admit. Or, perhaps, you've been on the receiving end of a phone faux pas — we've all suffered through strangers' intimate conversations on the Metrorail or in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

A new survey corroborates what you've probably been thinking — Miami has the worst phone etiquette in the country. It's another undesirable claim to fame for our humble city, right alongside our top ranking for sales of monster dildos.

NumberBarn, a phone number management company and marketplace, surveyed 1,509 American residents — 55 percent female, 44 percent male, one percent nonbinary or gender nonconforming, with an average age of 39 — within the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the country about their phone habits in public, social, and private settings. The respondents were surprisingly candid.

Generally, most respondents copped to talking on speakerphone in public and watching videos or playing music without headphones. A minority (39 percent) admitted to taking phone calls in quiet places like cafés and waiting rooms.
Still, our city stood out for specific behaviors. Miami respondents admitted to talking on speakerphone in public, using phones in front of significant others, watching videos and listening to music without headphones, and using the phone while talking to someone in person. Ultimately, the city took the top spot for rudest phone etiquette in the country, outpacing New York, Austin, San Antonio, and San Diego.

NumberBarn says the "findings show that while phone etiquette slips happen everywhere, certain cities stand out for particular behaviors."

The company also asked respondents which behaviors they find most annoying, and it cautioned that survey results relied on self-reporting. If you ask us, that makes Miami's top placement all the more egregious — it means locals admit these behaviors are rude but shamelessly continue doing them.