Wetherspoons has banned customers from playing music or videos out loud and taking calls on speakerphones.
The rule will apply to mobile phones, tablets and other devices at all 792 pubs owned by the chain, with new signs to be put up asking customers to switch devices to silent or to use earphones.
Wetherspoons already has a no-music policy in its pubs, with only the 44 braches that trade under the Lloyds name ever playing music even in the background.
The company has said noise from smartphones and tablets has become an “increasing problem” in recent years, with customers complaining that they were being driven “nuts” by the sound of other people’s video calls and music.
“In a world dominated by other people’s music and amplified sound, Wetherspoon pubs are an oasis of tranquility and contemplation,” the chain’s founder Tim Martin has said.
Staff will be instructed to use “common sense” when applying the new rule, although customers who initially ignore it will not automatically be removed.
“We are not looking to ask anyone to leave a pub if they go against the ruling, but it is an option for managers if they refuse to do so,” the company said.
The British Beer and Pub Association has welcomed the move. “We’re yet to hear of anyone who relishes having a pint against the backdrop of a speakerphone call of someone loudly playing a video, so we expect this move will be greatly welcomed,” it said.
Research from YouGov in 2025 found that 79 per cent of British people were bothered by people playing music or videos through their phone speakers.
Wetherspoons has previously faced opposition from musicians over its relationship with live music. In 2013, the company acquired Edinburgh’s Picture House venue and announced plans to convert it into a pub, prompting Frank Turner, Amanda Palmer, Frightened Rabbit and others to support a campaign for concerts to continue on the site.
Lucia & The Best Boys, meanwhile, told NME in 2018 that they planned to visit a Wetherspoons on every stop on their UK tour, with bassist Chris posting carpet photos on the band’s Instagram along the way.