[Liam Cross]

I mostly need something for calls and the occasional face to face chat. Does the Omnihear handle phone conversations okay, or does it just amplify everything? I know it’s not a Bluetooth headset. Just wondering if I’d have to take it out to talk on the phone.

[Sophie Nguyen]

I still take mine out for phone calls, mostly out of habit. The Omnihear amplifies whatever is around you, so if you hold the phone to your ear with it in, you get this weird doubled sound where you hear the caller both through the phone and picked up by the mic. Some people probably don’t mind it but I found it annoying enough that I just pop it out for calls. For face to face chats it’s actually where it shines, that’s the whole reason I keep using it. Phone calls over speaker work a little better than holding it to your ear, but I wouldn’t say it was built with calls in mind. It’s not a headset so there’s no audio streaming or anything like that. So yeah, plan on taking it out when the phone rings unless you want to experiment with how it sounds to you.

[Jamie Kell]

Phone calls on mine are hit or miss. I end up switching to my regular ear for calls because the amplified room noise makes it hard to follow the person. For face to face stuff it’s been fine though.

[Susan Kennet]

Phone calls are actually the one thing I don’t bother with mine for. I just prefer holding the phone to my regular ear since that’s what I’m used to, and the Omnihear stays in for everything else.

[Laura Check]

I actually leave mine in for most calls and it’s fine. The person on the other end doesn’t sound amplified, just a bit clearer than without it. Maybe it depends on how loud your phone gets, but I haven’t had to pull it out.

[Tom Call]

I keep mine in for calls but usually switch to speaker instead of holding it to my ear. That works better for me than trying to jam the phone against the amplified side.

[Ben Kerr]

Mine stays in for calls without much fuss. Speech comes through fine, though I do keep the volume a notch lower than for face to face. Holding the phone right up to my ear is the only part that feels awkward.

[Gina Vale]

I don’t have one but this is my main question too. Holding a phone up to an amplified ear sounds like a mess, so I’d want to know if people actually do it or just take it out. Sounds like it depends on the person from what I’m reading.

[Dave Runner]

Mine handles calls better than I expected, but I switch to the phone’s speaker instead of holding it up to my ear. Keeps things clear without the feedback whistle. Takes a second to get used to but it’s easy enough.

[Tina M]

Phone calls are hit or miss for me. Sometimes it’s fine but other times the person on the other end sounds a bit muffled, so I end up pulling it out anyway. Depends on the day I guess.

[Tom W98]

If you want it for actual phone calls you’re better off not bothering. Mine picks up the phone’s own output and just doubles the noise, so I pull them out every time. The person on the other end isn’t the problem, it’s my end that turns into a mess. Anyone saying calls are fine is probably on speaker the whole time.

[no_sleep]

Holding a phone to your ear with these in is not the disaster people make it out to be. I just use the normal earpiece and keep volume low, works fine. You will not have to take it out every time.

[HarperL]

I actually leave mine out for calls most of the time. Not because it sounds terrible, I just find it easier to tuck the phone against my regular ear and not think about it. Takes two seconds.

[Max Connor]

The earpiece thing isn’t really an issue for me. I just talk on the phone like normal and it’s fine, though I do turn the volume down a notch first. I don’t get the whole feedback problem people keep mentioning.

[Chris Lee]

Mine works fine for calls and I don’t take it out. I just hold the phone like normal and the speech comes through clear enough. The amplification of background stuff is a real thing but it hasn’t ruined a call for me yet.

[Chris Writes]

I use mine on speaker a lot and that works surprisingly well for me. The voice boost actually helps with the tinny phone speaker sound. Keeps my hands free too.

[M_Ortiz]

Phone calls work fine for me.

[Jason Brown]

Phone calls are the one place these fall short for me. The voice comes through, but it sounds thin and a bit processed compared to just using my phone normally. I still take them out for anything longer than a quick call.

[Jenny Mel]

I don’t bother taking mine out for calls. I just hold the phone up normally and it’s fine, no weird echo or anything on my end. The other person hasn’t complained either so that’s good enough for me.

[Dave the Curious]

Phone calls are actually where mine surprised me, but not in a good way. I had a call with my sister a couple weeks back and she immediately asked what was different about my voice because apparently I was talking way louder than usual. Had no idea. I guess the earpiece was boosting her voice so much that I just naturally cranked my own volume up to match, and she got an earful. We laughed about it but it stuck with me.

So for me the problem isn’t whether the phone audio comes through. It does, and honestly pretty clear. The problem is that I stop hearing myself at a normal level and start shouting without realizing it. Never had that issue with regular earbuds or just holding the phone plain. Something about the way the device handles the call audio throws off my own sense of how loud I’m being.

Since then I’ve been pulling it out for anything longer than a quick call. Not because it doesn’t work, more because I don’t want to be that guy yelling into his phone in public without knowing it. For a two minute call to confirm an appointment or whatever, I’ll leave it in. Anything longer and it comes out.

Curious if anyone else has had people on the other end comment on their volume during calls. That part doesn’t seem to get mentioned much.

[Liam Cross]

Probably just going to give them a shot.

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