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Phone calls should have a subject line, just like emails. It’s crazy that anyone can force a full-screen interrupt on my personal device with no context. If ca
by pavlov 4y ago
Phone calls should have a subject line, just like emails.
It’s crazy that anyone can force a full-screen interrupt on my personal device with no context. If call metadata included a subject line, software could automatically screen out calls where the subject is empty or spammy, just like with email.
It would be very helpful for missed calls. “Why did my wife call twice in the last 5 minutes, did something happen, should I panic?!” It also removes the need to leave rambling voicemail.
The subject line takes only 15 seconds to write but will significantly reduce receiver anxiety, both synchronously and asynchronously. Sending a text after the call is not the same because it’s not in context.
I remember proposing this to WhatsApp while I was working at FB but the WhatsApp culture seemed uninterested in feature ideas of any kind. Hopefully someone else does it eventually.
- kayodelycaon 4y agoNot sure what kind of phone you have, but my iPhone doesn’t take over the whole screen (unless locked). I have it set to only show a notification.
- amf12 4y ago> Phone calls should have a subject line, just like emails. Pixel phones have call screening feature. It can be enabled for all calls or unknown callers. It asks the caller to state the reason they are calling and notifies you with the text of the reason given and you can choose whether to accept or reject. If you want something more then you could just ask callers to text you instead.
- pedalpete 4y agoI like where you're going with this, and particularly with the increase of video calls, it's still strange to just pick up and see a person. The flow I get people into is to communicate via text (slack, whatsapp, etc depending on the nature of the environment) with a "hey, is now a good time to call", or "I wanted to discuss XYZ", and we can then hash out the best method for communication. The authors complaint is valid, but I think it is more of a UX issue, similar to what you're suggesting here. Great handle BTW
- hutzlibu 4y ago"It would be very helpful for missed calls. “Why did my wife call twice in the last 5 minutes, did something happen, should I panic?!” It also removes the need to leave rambling voicemail." Well, what is stopping your wife from also texting you, if it was something important and she did not reach you? And what would force her, to use a potential subject line? Otherwise it is an interesting idea, but I doubt it will be a killer feature, as most would simply ignore it.
- SoftTalker 4y ago> Well, what is stopping your wife from also texting you, LOL. She does. "Call me" Very helpful.
- incone123 4y agoI used to have a phone with DND but if the same caller tried twice in a couple of minutes then it would ring.
- nabaraz 4y agoIs this through Tasker or something? I would love to have this feature.
- hansel_der 4y agodefault iphone feature
- mtwshngtn 4y agodefault android feature as well [0] [0]: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9069335?hl=en#zippy=%2Cset-who-can-interrupt-you https://support.google.com/android/answer/9069335?hl=en#zipp...
- ridgered4 4y agoI guess this explains why spam calls to my home phone do an immediate retry.
- pocketarc 4y agoI think the problem there is that a lot of people just won't bother. Some people would just put "pick up" on that subject line, or leave it empty (surely you wouldn't make it mandatory, nobody would accept that), or any number of things. I personally hate unscheduled calls, and I'd love it if everyone sent a text first to check if you're free for a call, and only call after you've accepted, but... that's just never gonna happen.
- y7 4y agoI like the idea, but it will never take off. People are fundamentally lazy when it comes to these things. Look at the surging popularity of voice messages in some circles, shifting the burden of communication fully to the receiver. Even if you had the feature, I'd wager most subject lines would stay empty, or just contain the bare minimum like "hi".
- tluyben2 4y agoBut if other people are lazy, why would I entertain interruptions from them? I generally don’t do any work voice or video calls because, simply, they are an interruption. So they need to have an agenda and be scheduled. And indeed, I do not listen to voice messages; type it out or don’t send it at all.
- pavlov 4y agoThat’s ok. Metadata improves context but isn’t mandatory. Some people want it, others don’t bother. It’s like sending a calendar invite. Sure, you can send an invite with nothing but your email address and a date+time. But many people would find an empty invite a bit rude. It’s just polite to include some context about the meeting. The phone call should evolve in that direction.
- tsol 4y agoIf it's not mandatory, then what's the point? You can already send text messages if the message is important. And since it's optional, both spammers and your lazy family will leave it blank making it useless to filter out spam.
- rootusrootus 4y agoIt doesn't have to be a burden. My watch already provides me a quick-select list of responses. So when I make a call, instead of one generic send button, how about two? One of them labeled "this is a emergency" or something like that. Maybe even a little list of a half dozen of the most commonly used subjects, so I just click the one that matches. No reason to make people work any harder than they do now.
- Markoff 4y ago> Phone calls should have a subject line, just like emails. Yeah, I think it's called IM. > It’s crazy that anyone can force a full-screen interrupt on my personal device with no context. That's called DND, my phone is 100% time in DND mode. There are already filters for spam calls based on phone number. > It would be very helpful for missed calls. “Why did my wife call twice in the last 5 minutes, did something happen, should I panic?!” Maybe tell wife to write you IM/SMS or just communicate through IM as priority, if you desire text communication?
- kergonath 4y ago> Maybe tell wife to write you IM/SMS or just communicate through IM as priority, if you desire text communication? Not the parent, but Dog knows I have been trying. Some people just don’t understand how disruptive an unnecessary phone call is.
- Godel_unicode 4y agoThis feature would be super useful, since nobody I would ever willingly talk to would use it I could dump all calls with subjects to voicemail (and then not check it).
- 2000UltraDeluxe 4y ago> It’s crazy that anyone can force a full-screen interrupt on my personal device with no context. It's a _phone_. Phone calls are it's primary function. If you don't want that, wouldn't a pad be a better option than a phone? Besides, how would you handle calls from landlines and such?
- stepanhruda 4y agoHah, no it's not, I don't even have the phone app on my home screen unless I search for it.
- mikestew 4y agot's a _phone_. Phone calls are it's primary function. Not for about fifteen years or so, no. I don't even have the Phone app on the front page of my iPhone, let alone allow it to sit in the dock. Regardless, whatever the primary function of the device, there is room for improvement over "it's always worked that way".
- thereisnospork 4y ago>Besides, how would you handle calls from landlines and such? Direct to voicemail, of course, with a message saying 'text me' for automatic transcription. As they say, its a feature not a bug [to not be interrupted]. In a perfect world I'd have a secretary or AI to screen calls on my behalf, but I don't.
- TeMPOraL 4y agoIronically, you almost do. Last week I updated my S22 to Android 13, and one of the new features Samsung claims to have implemented[0] is to have Bixby pick the call for you, transcribe what the caller says, and display it on screen, giving you a choice to pick up the call, or type/select a reply that Bixby will then say to the caller. With spam call detection being an established feature for years already, the ingredients for your AI assistant are already there. Now that I think of it, I might actually try this the next time a telemarketer calls. ---- [0] - I haven't actually tested it, nor seen it in action - just saw it being mentioned when I reviewed "Tips" app after update.
- kergonath 4y agoPhone calls from unknown numbers go straight to voice mail. Same for some people who think it’s fair game to call me and bore my ears off with their life whilst I am working. Problem solved.
- xnickb 4y agoHow is it solved for someone who has to have phone calls? Since when saying "it's not a problem for me" solved any problems?
- amanaplanacanal 4y agoIf you are being paid to answer your phone, then answer your phone. I’m not, so I don’t.
- kergonath 4y agoExactly!
- bluedino 4y agoOr if you're waiting for a call from _____
- kergonath 4y agoThen I add an exception for ______. If they cannot tell you their number (happens with some companies), then they can: - arrange a call, which is great because then I am guaranteed to have the time to deal with the topic, I do that sometimes with my bank; - leave a voice mail, which is not great but then I am not responsible for their phone number policy (nobody leaves voice mail anymore); - send an email (or a SMS, a WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Skype, whatever, I am not picky), possibly to arrange a phone call, also great because I can answer written messages on my own terms and not when they feel like calling me; - (most of the time these days) have a chat over whatever IM platform they integrated into their website. My time is not theirs to use however they want. If they want me to be on call, that’s fine, but with compensation.
- dr_dshiv 4y ago“Receiver anxiety” should crawl off into the forest. It’s a youth-millennial thing that inhibits waaaay too much authentic social action. People are just too scared to be human. Just call me! I might pick up I might not. For that matter, if I don’t respond to your email in a day, treat it like a phone call and just try again. Don’t assume I’m ignoring you. It’s just e-mail.
- hansel_der 4y agoalso it's very easy to curate a public image of beeing busy if you complain about interruptions because everybody can relate to the feeling.
- vineyardmike 4y agoMy mother had no issues calling someone but her parents were upset when she started listening to that damn rock and roll. The youth thing inhibits way too much authentic music. People are just scared to listen to the oldies. /s Différent generations have different norms and it’s not right or wrong.
- dr_dshiv 4y agoWhile I didn’t understand the analogy, I will happily admit that, yes, I’m making the case that some norms are better and some are worse.
- vineyardmike 4y agoa few generations ago, there was a moral panic that the kids weren’t all right because rock and roll music was corrupting. It was loud, vulgar, etc and therefore wrong. My point was to emphasize how across generations, everyone seems to think that the youth have bad norms and it’s somehow wrong, and then they grow up and the world keeps spinning, and the cycle repeats. It’s awfully vain to think that the norms of your generation in your nation at your point in time are magically the ”better” ones. The parent comment reference a novel idea that phone calls could have a subject line. It’s novel, it’s clever, it would solve many problems beyond just “people are scared to be human”. The world moves on, and we can improve it or we can launch ad hominem attacks on the next generation.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- happyopossum 4y ago> It’s crazy that anyone can force a full-screen interrupt on my personal device with no context Is this 2018? C'mon - phone calls don't actually do full screen takeovers on your device anymore, do they?
- GaylordTuring 4y agoI've changed the settings on my iPhone so that calls are shown like notifications like everything else. So no more taking over the whole screen.