Aussies reveal top pet peeves when using mobile phones – are you guilty of them?

Do you take more than a day to reply to someone’s text message, or only reply with just a thumbs up? If you do, you could be guilty of one of Australia’s top five mobile phone pet peeves.

Comparison site, Canstar Blue has surveyed more than 3,000 Australians finding 40% rank people listening or watching something on their phones without headphones as the worst mobile manner. 

Whether it’s blasting TikToks, tunes or playing mobile games on speaker, Aussies agree – use headphones!

What are Aussies’ biggest pet peeves when communicating on the phone?

• Volume up – 40% think it’s the most annoying when someone watches or listens to music in public without headphones.
• Delayed response – 30% find it rude to take more than a day to reply to a message.
• Toilet talking – 18% don’t think it’s okay to talk to someone while you’re on the toilet.
• Messaging over kill – 17% don’t like receiving too many messages at once.
• Lazy sending – 16% think it’s lazy to just respond to a message by ‘liking’ or giving a thumbs up.
• Cool with it – 14% of Aussies are totally fine with all of these habits.

How are Aussies communicating and using their devices?

Every day, Australians make and receive millions of phone calls and text messages. However, communication isn’t just happening through traditional calls or SMS messaging anymore. 

A recent report from ACMA reveals that 75% of Australians use, on average, at least four websites or apps to communicate, including the likes of Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram.

Research from Canstar Blue shows 18% of Aussies who recently purchased a new smartphone prioritised the picture quality because they planned to share a lot on social media, while 22% upgraded to a new device as their previous one had become outdated.

How could someone improve their bad mobile manners?

If anyone is guilty of any of the pet peeves listed above, help could come in the form of the latest range of devices that offer AI and intelligence to help keep you on track.

Canstar Blue utilities editor, Tara Donnelly, says, “The increasing use of AI and intelligence in the newest smartphones could put some, but not all, of these bad habits to rest. 

“While you still have to put in some of the work, taking advantage of AI or intelligence in your phone could really help you day-to-day.

“If some of your phone faux pas involve disorganisation and procrastination, AI assistance can help you draft messages and emails, set reminders, summarise and translate text and plan your daily schedule.

“While AI is primarily offered in Apple, Samsung and Google’s high-end devices, it’s slowly trickling down to more affordable models, such as the iPhone 16e and Samsung’s new Galaxy A Series. 

“Google’s Pixel 9a, which was announced today, also incorporates Gemini AI features, making the tech a little less out of reach for buyers with a tighter budget.”

What are some of the devices that could help better your bad phone habits?

• Samsung Galaxy S25: With the Galaxy AI, this device has AI Select, which prompts actions based on what you’re doing with your phone, or the Now Brief, which can brief you on the important info you need – including, perhaps, when to reply to a friend.
• Apple iPhone 16: With Apple Intelligence, you could get priority messages highlighted for you or have your writing proofread before hitting send.
• Google Pixel 9 Pro with Gemini: Gemini is the intelligence that could power your to-do list, help keep track of your messages or even map out your day, literally.

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Source: Canstar Blue

Visit Canstar Blue to view customer satisfaction research and ratings for more than 1,800 brands across 300 consumer products and services categories.