Wetherspoons has banned loud music and speakerphone calls across all 792 UK pubs

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Vaishnavi Pandey

 –  Staff Writer

 ·  August 25, 2026

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If you’ve ever tried to enjoy a quiet pint while someone nearby watches TikToks at full volume, Wetherspoons has some welcome news.

The pub chain has announced that customers will no longer be allowed to play music or videos aloud from their phones and tablets, or take calls on speaker.

The new rule applies across Wetherspoons’ 792 UK pubs and bars, with customers asked to keep their devices on silent or use headphones instead.

A quieter pint, please

Wetherspoons said it had introduced the measure after receiving increasing complaints about noisy devices, with the sounds of speakerphone calls, videos and playlists proving a source of frustration for other pub-goers.

The company said staff will be expected to use “common sense” when enforcing the policy. Managers are not expected to immediately ask customers to leave if they break the rules, but the chain confirmed that refusing to comply could ultimately lead to being asked to go elsewhere.

It is a move that will probably strike a chord with plenty of Londoners who have endured the peculiar public-space soundtrack of loud voice notes, videos and FaceTime calls.

A Transport for London survey of 1,000 people last year found that 70% viewed loud music and phone calls without headphones as a nuisance. Other research has similarly suggested that most people would rather not hear the contents of a stranger’s phone while travelling, eating or having a drink.

Wetherspoons has banned its customers from playing music out loud or taking calls on speaker

Wetherspoons’ decision is not quite as severe as the famously strict rules at Sam Smiths pubs. The rival chain has long banned the use of phones and other technology altogether, alongside its no-swearing policy.

Mark Evans, manager of the Black Horse Inn, a Sam Smiths pub in Bradford, described the result as a “digital detox”, saying that people who arrive as strangers can begin chatting with one another within minutes.

Wetherspoons is taking a gentler approach: customers can still use their phones, just without turning the pub into their own personal listening room.

There is one slightly modern contradiction, of course, many customers will still be able to pay for their drinks with their phones.

The ban feels particularly on-brand for Wetherspoons, whose standard pubs do not play background music. Chief executive Sir Tim Martin has previously described them as “an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation” in a world filled with amplified sound.

The company’s 44 Lloyds bars are the exception, with music played in the evenings. But the new rules on customer devices will apply there, too so even where there is a proper soundtrack, customers will not be adding their own competing audio.

Sir Tim summed up the policy in typically colourful fashion, saying the change was intended to stop customers being “driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound”.

Will other pubs follow?

The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents Wetherspoons and other pub businesses, welcomed the decision. It said clear policies help staff manage difficult situations and make sure customers understand what is and is not acceptable.

And, frankly, it is hard to imagine many people mourning the loss of a nearby speakerphone conversation while they are trying to catch up with friends over a pint.

Whether the rule inspires other chains to follow suit remains to be seen. But for anyone who considers a pub a place to talk, switch off and enjoy a drink without hearing a stranger’s algorithm, Wetherspoons’ quieter-pub policy may be a very welcome round indeed.

Wetherspoons in Birmingham:

1. The Briar Rose, 25 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, West Midlands, B2 5RE
2. The London and North Western, Birmingham New Street station, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham, B2 4QE.
3. The Soloman Cutler, Regency Wharf, Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2DS
4. The Figure of Eight, 236–239 Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2HG
5. The Square Peg, 115 Corporation Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 6PH
6. The Dragon Inn, Hurst Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4TD.
7. Joe’s, University of Birmingham Guild of Students, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2TU
8. The Elizabeth of York, 12a St Mary’s Row, Moseley, West Midlands, B13 8JG.
9. The Arthur Robertson, Walsall Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands, B42 1AA
10. The Hornet, 991 Alum Rock Road, Ward End, Birmingham, West Midlands, B8 2LY
11. The Charlie Hall, 49 Barnabas Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, B23 6SH
12. The William Tyler, 140 Church Road, Yardley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B25 8UT.
13. The Spread Eagle, 1146a Warwick Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, West Midlands, B27 6BL
14. The Navigation Inn, 1 Wharf Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B30 3L
15. The Bishop Vesey, 63 Boldmere Road, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 5XA
16. The Black Horse, Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, B31 2Q
17. The Bottle of Sack, 2 Birmingham Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B72 1QG
18. The Mare Pool, 294 Lichfield Road, Mere Green, West Midlands, B74 2UG
19. Wetherspoons, Birmingham NEC, Birmingham, West Midlands, B40 1NT.
20. Wetherspoon, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, B26 3QJ