The Reasons Behind the Hanging Up Sound
When you end a call on your smartphone, you’ll often hear a simulated sound effect of a phone hanging up. This familiar “click” or “ka-chunk” sound is designed to provide auditory feedback that the call has ended properly. There are a few reasons why phone manufacturers include this sound effect:
Confirmation of Call Ending
The main purpose of the hanging up sound is to confirm to the user that the call has been disconnected. On older landline phones, when the receiver was placed back in the cradle, it would physically trigger a hook switch that would disconnect the call. This would produce a clicking noise that became associated with ending a call.
Mobile phones don’t have a physical hook switch, but the hanging up sound simulates that experience. The sound provides certainty that the call has ended, which is preferable to silence which could leave the user wondering if they actually hung up successfully.
User Experience
The hanging up sound improves the overall user experience by providing satisfying auditory feedback. Pressing the “End Call” button triggers an instant reaction, reassuring the user their action was registered. This is similar to how clicking sounds are used widely in user interfaces to confirm that a button press was recognized.
The familiar hanging up sound also evokes nostalgia for old telephones. This can create a pleasant user experience and make the smartphone feel more intuitive.
Brand Recognition
The classic hanging up sound effect has become associated with ending phone calls. It is so ubiquitous that it has become a form of brand identity for smartphones. Even though the sound is artificial, it has come to be expected as part of the call ending experience. If a smartphone didn’t make any sound on call end it might feel odd and less satisfying.
Call Disconnect Process
There is some functionality behind the scenes that contributes to the hanging up sound occurring:
- When the user presses the end call button, this triggers the phone to send a disconnect signal to the cell network.
- The network releases the connection which drops the call.
- Once the phone detects the network connection is released, it plays the hanging up sound.
So the sound actually coincides with the phone registering that the network has disconnected the call. It provides confirmation that the entire process has completed, not just the user’s button press.
Variations Between Phone Models
While the hanging up sound effect is standard across smartphones, the exact sound clip used does vary between phone manufacturers and models. Here are some of the differences:
iPhone
iPhones use a quick “click” sound effect reminiscent of a receiver being placed in the cradle on a landline phone. It is very brief but distinct.
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy phones have a longer “ka-chunk” sound with more bass to it. There is a clear sound of metal sliding or clicking into place.
Google Pixel
Pixel phones have a similar “ka-chunk” sound to Galaxy phones but slightly more muted. There is less resonance but still evokes the sound of hanging up a physical phone.
LG Phones
LG smartphones have a much more subtle, quieter hanging up sound. It is a brief muted “click” similar to but not as sharp as the iPhone sound.
Motorola Phones
Most Motorola phones have a moderately loud and distinct “click” sound simulating a receiver hook switch trigger. It is crisp and pronounced like the iPhone but louder.
| Phone Model | Hanging Up Sound |
|---|---|
| iPhone | Brief click |
| Samsung Galaxy | Longer ka-chunk |
| Google Pixel | Muted ka-chunk |
| LG | Subtle, quiet click |
| Motorola | Louder distinct click |
As shown in the table, while the style varies between phone brands, they all use a brief click or chunk sound rather than silence to signify hanging up.
Changing or Disabling the Sound
If you find the hanging up sound effect unpleasant or unnecessary, there are ways to change or disable it on most phones.
iPhone
On an iPhone go to Settings > Sounds (or Sounds & Haptics) and select “None” under End Call to disable the sound. Alternatively, you can change it to a different built-in sound option.
Samsung Galaxy
Go to Settings > Sounds and Vibration > Sound Effects. From here you can change the “End Call” sound or select “None” to disable it.
Google Pixel
Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced > Other sounds and notifications. Tap on “End call” to change the sound or select “None.”
LG
Under Settings > Sound > Sound effects, tap on “End call” to change or disable the hanging up sound.
Motorola
On Motorola phones, go to Settings > Sound > Additional audio effects to change the “End call” sound or select None to disable it.
So on most Android and iOS phones, you can customize or mute the hanging up sound through the sound settings if desired. However, take note that completely disabling it will remove that confirmation that your call has disconnected.
Conclusion
The hanging up sound when ending a call on smartphones is an intentional experience. It provides auditory feedback, improves user satisfaction, and relates back to landline telephone experiences. Phone manufacturers design their own variations of the sound to match their brand identity. While the sound can be customized, it remains a standard element of the modern smartphone call experience. So the next time you hear that familiar click or chunk after a call, you’ll know why your phone still makes a hanging up sound in the digital era.