So you are hanging out with friends, and one of them has to use the facilities. While in there, their cell phone rings and it’s on the table next to you. Is it etiquette to leave it alone or should one answer it? What if it’s your spouse’s phone? Should you ignore or pick up?
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In the Pink 
i would answer it & ask to take a message just as i would with a regular “old fashioned!” phone!!
Definitely don’t answer it. It’s not your phone. That’s what voice mail is for.
If it’s your spouse, however, there’s a case to be made for answering it, but there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for that. Each husband and wife need to know how their spouse feels about them answering their cellphone.
Batya,
I think a cellphone is treated differently socially than a house phone.
In any case, these days, with answering machines & voice mail, who answers someone else’s house phone when they’re a guest in theie house anymore? It’s just not done, unless you’re expecting a call & have explicit permission from the host.
ok, i guess if it were not my spouse’s cellphone i wouldn’t answer if w/o explicit permission from the owner but if it were my spouse’s phone i would have no reason not to answer it. if my spouse does not want me to know who’s calling him, then our marriage needs help but thank G-d that is not the case & i know that my husband has nothing to hide from me & i in turn would have no issues with him answering my phone b/c i have nothing to hide from him either…
I would answer it if it was my husband’s phone and I knew the person who showed up on his caller ID (and it wasn’t anyone at his job). otherwise I would not answer someone else’s cell phone..that’s just weird.
i will only answers someone’s phone if they have told me to do so. is – “i have been waiting for a call back from my mom, can you answer if she calls while i run to the restroom?”
my best friend will often have me answer the phone for her when we are in the car, but that again is her saying “can you get that?”
though, i wouldn’t mind if my husband answered my phone 90% of the time. he just doesn’t b/c he doesn’t want to talk to my family and friends 😉
I answer the spouse’s when it’s someone I know calling, and I know he’s been expecting. Otherwise, we don’t answer each other’s phones without permission
A mobile phone is a PERSONAL communication device which is much different than the good old fashioned home phone. Therefore, you do NOT pick up someone else’s phone, that’s why voicemail was invented.
Obviously ones spouse is an exception and is a different case, however if the spouse’s phone is a “business” phone (i.e. one that is used for only business calls or for both business and personal calls), you don’t answer calls on it to avoid appearing unprofessional.
Another reason not to answer someone else’s mobile phone is because it can scare the cr@p out of the person calling. Usually the first question out of their mouth is “Where is X? Is he/she okay?”
I’m in TOTAL agreement with the Mark dude!
IF my husband is busy and I recognize the number I will occasionally answer the phone, but I prefer to ignore it. As for a friend’s phone- no way. It is “off limits”.