Mobile phones, particularly smartphones, have become invaluable in day-to-day life.  I will be the first to admit I am incredibly attached to my iPhone and its apps.  But a mobile phone can quickly go from being a helpful tool to a distracting nuisance.  Therefore, I’ve put together 8 tips for anyone looking to use their phone more responsibly and respectfully.  If everyone followed these, the world would be a slightly better place…

1: Avoid Gaudy Ringtones & Ringback Tones Unless you are in the throes of puberty, you should never have a ringback tone.  It is tacky, immature, and unnecessary.  The same rule applies to flashy ringtones.  The point of a ringtone is not to call attention to yourself, but to call your attention to your phone.  Therefore, keep it simple please; I really have no interest in hearing the latest Ke$ha song every time someone calls you. Correction: There is actually one acceptable ringback tone, but you should never have it for longer than a week.  Use it wisely.

2: Receiving & Leaving Voicemails Your voicemail should be set as a “custom greeting” where you simply state your name and that you will return the call.  That keeps it professional, courteous, and short.  Don’t leave it as the default setting, which is usually for a robotic female voice to read out your whole phone number.  Since it doesn’t state your name, the default message can be off putting for people who are contacting you for the first time. Leaving work-related and personal voicemails are obviously going to be a bit different.  But these apply to both: know what you’re going to say before the beep, give your number slowly if you don’t think they have it, and keep it under a minute.  Because no one likes a confusing message from a person they can’t call back that takes all day to listen to.

3: Use Vibrate-mode Religiously Like I said, no one wants to hear your phone go off.  So unless you’re by yourself, outside, or in a place loud enough that your ring will go unnoticed, switch it to vibrate.  And while this may seem like pretty standard etiquette, I can’t tell you how many times cell phones have gone off in lectures, movies, presentations, and meetings.

4: Abide By “The 10-foot Rule” Never talk on your phone if you’re within 10 feet of people.  Because there’s nothing more annoying than the guy right next to you babbling into his phone without the slightest idea of how annoying he is.  Some key places where this rule almost always applies: on the bus/subway, waiting in line, restaurants, airplanes, in the car with others, museums, and elevators.  If you are in the company of others, it is best to ignore calls.  But if you must answer it, excuse yourself, and then answer the phone once you are 10 feet away.

5: Abstain in the Car As an automotive enthusiast, I want address specifically mobile phone use while driving.  First, you should never text and drive at the same time.  Taking your eyes and attention off the road to send a text is unnecessary and dangerous.  That message can wait the 20 minutes until you get to your destination or a red light.  Talking on the phone while driving is not something I do.  But if you must, be sure to use a bluetooth headset or equivalent so you can keep two hands on the wheel or operate the shifter (for those manual drivers).

6: Be Aware of Texting Preferences Everyone has slightly different preferences when it comes to texting of which you should try to be cognizant.  For instance, my mother doesn’t use them at all and conversely  one of my friends is always furiously tapping out a text.  My rule of thumb is that if the number of back-to-back texts exceeds 3, I’m just going to call you.  This has changed since I got to London where calling minutes cost money and texts are free, however.

7: Don’t Split your Attention Either excuse yourself to send that text/email/tweet, or focus to the people in real life.  If you try to split your attention by sending a message and listening to people, you’ll just end up looking disinterested.  You don’t need to leave the table, but excuse yourself to disengage from the conversation for a moment to send something.

8: Stop Yelling Mobile phones today have extremely sensitive microphones.  And while they can perfectly pick up your regular volume voice, most people feel the need to speak much more loudly into them.  I urge you to try lowering your voice as a courtesy to others.  My bet is that the people on the other end will still be able to hear you just fine. Got any tips or rules to add?  Post them below!