Tech Etiquette: Is it OK to Plug In and Power Up in Public?

Gah! Being a respectable member of society is hard. We constantly have to check ourselves to make sure that our tech actions are polite, cool and in-line with public opinion. And yet, here's another stick for the etiquette fire: Is it cool to plug in your cell phone in public? At a friends house? The library? At a doctors office?

It's hard enough figuring out where to use your cell phone (Hanging with friends? Out to dinner?). But once that battery's been drained, you'll need to find an appropriate spot to plug it in.

Assuming you have your cell's cord with you, any outlet in any place could fuel your phone. But where is it OK? And where is it just polite to refrain?

Here are our ideas:

At a friend's home: This seems cool to us. Just ask your friend for permission and to point you towards an open outlet.
At the library: We think this one's OK, too. As long as you don't have to unplug anything to power up your phone, it seems alright to plug in while you're studying. We'd put the same rule in place at a coffee shop or other place where you'd find hard-at-work laptop-lurkers.
At the doctor's office: Just wait. You don't know how long you'll be waiting in that waiting room. And we wouldn't want to plug up inside the examination room, even if there is an open outlet.
At the airport: Go for it! If you can find an open outlet, we don't see any reason not to fill up while you're waiting to board.
At a restaurant: Maybe. If there's an open outlet close to your table, go ahead and ask for permission from the host or waiter to plug in.

Do you agree with our suggestions? Can you think of another spot where it's OK (or just plain rude) to plug in? Tell us in the comments!

(Images: Flickr member jono dot com licensed for use under Creative Commons, Flickr member jonlesser licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Comments (20)

Here in the UK our trains have electric sockets that say it's ok to use them for laptops and mobile phones but nothing else. I love that.

I have a really small power strip in my bag. It has a cord that is only about 3 inches long and has three sockets.

(the cord wraps around and plugs into one of it's own sockets for storage).

This allows me to share any outlet I need to plug into. Then I can not only plug in anywhere but, I won't be hogging the plug.

To me, it really depends on the kind of restaurant... A coffee shop, absolutely; a self-serve, casual sort of place is much more acceptable (in my mind) than a fancier place with service and whatnot...

AnnabelVita -- you just know someone plugged in a hair dryer while running late to work to get those signs posted.

I just use one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Mobile-4400mAh-External-Portable/dp/B001BWQTOC

Laptops and tablets are a bit more problematic, of course. Then again, I don't use devices with non-user-replaceable batteries, so I just pop a spare in my Thinkpad and I'm good to go for another 7 hours or so. :)

I'm the building manager of a federal building where many members of the public come (and sometimes wait). It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine to see someone plug something into one of our outlets. We have strict energy savings mandates that affect our performance ratings! I politely tell them that charging their cell phone/laptop is not allowed.

I would say always do your charging at home unless expressly told by the establishment that charging is ok. If you find yourself running out of batteries that often, bring a backup battery.

I think most coffee shops, waiting rooms, train stations, hotel lobbies are okay. Fancy restaurants, upscale buildings: ask the receptionist... especially if it's going to be a while. 15 minutes may not kill anyone.

It really depends. In some places, like airports, coffee shops, and the library, it's understood or even explicity announced that you can plug in. But anywhere else, I'd say you have to ask first because your using electricity costs them money. Sure, your single re-charge may not cost a lot, but if everyone felt free to re-charge their devices everywhere, then it will add up, and guess who's going to end up paying more for goods and services to make up for the increase -- everyone. I don't want to pay for your inability to charge up at home. And I certainly would take issue with those who re-charge somewhere without first having been a patron, like those who charge up in a coffee shop but never even got a coffee. That's just wrong.

Also, don't forget that at many doctors' offices, devices like cell phones need to be shut off (not just silenced) on accout of certain pieces of medical equipment for which interference presents a problem.

Egads, nooooooooo! It is NEVER okay to plug into an outlet in any venue without asking.

Why? Because without explicit permission, what you're doing is essentially stealing power from the venue/business.

Besides, anyone who makes an effort of keeping their electronics properly charged will save themselves the hassle of scrounging for outlets. Sure, there are emergencies, but those should be the exception, not the rule.

Sometimes the bigger question is: do I HAVE to be connected at that moment? What happens if I shut off my phone or computer and am (gasp) TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE?

@EddFear: Atcually Being Temporarily Unavailable is actually one of the seven signs of the modern apocalypse.

Typically, I'd say places like airports, hotels, coffee shops, and libraries are a given (sure, charge away). Friends' houses, other restaurants, anywhere else really, I think it's appropriate to ask, and often kindness will pay off.

I have to say, I recently ran into this issue when on a road trip - my camera battery was about to die as I was entering KY's Mammoth Caves. We stopped in the caves' visitor's center, and I plugged in my charger while we figured our stuff out. I have to admit that I felt awkward, but I was desperate, as my road trip was all about taking pictures! So, I think there are some times when things just happen. Obviously making a habit of it is not right.

(Side note: we ended up not seeing the inside of the Mammoth Caves due to no tours being available with our schedule. Can't wait to go back and actually get in there; it looks awesome!)

I'm a high school teacher, and we have policies about when students can use electronics. If every student used the school to recharge their phones, iPods, etc., it would be a significant increase in the cost of power. That's why tis is NOT allowed, period.

Being a respectable member of society is hard.

Seriously, are you 12?

My biggest pet peeve in regards to this subject are those on multi-day sporting events (i.e. long distance bike ride) where people believe it is their right to plug in their chargers into any open plug. ESPECIALLY outlets next to a medical tent that are set up for medical equipment. Blow one of those circuits and see how much further you'll be allowed to ride.

We are told from before the event starts that there is NO ELECTICITY available in camp, but they bring power strips, extension cords and plug in where ever they can.

@RocketScientist..... you are so right/

I have NEVER plugged in somewhere other than my own home, or a friends place (or hotel) that I was staying at for an extended period of time. Going out of range? Turn your phone off, it won't use heaps of battery searching for signal. Do we really live in such a society that we freak out if our power goes below 90%?

Seriously, people? "Stealing"? Let's keep this in perspective. Even at the high electric rates we're charged in New England, a half hour's use of an iPhone's 5W charger costs about $0.0004. That's four hundredths of a cent. Charging a laptop for a half hour would cost slightly less than a penny.

To put that in contrast, the paper towel you use to dry your hands in the restroom probably costs a bit more than a cent. The cost of air conditioning to compensate for your body heat in the summer is probably about 4 cents an hour.

To take JustKathy's high school example, if every single student in a 3,000 student school charged their phone for half an hour every single day of one school year, the total cost would be less than $250. And that's a pretty unlikely scenario.

I never have a wall charger for my cell with me (I keep a car charger in my glovebox). There has been several times when I've on my laptop at a local bar and have needed to charge my battery. I ask first and there's never been an issue.

I lived in a sublet with a shared common space. The other tenants kept unplugging led night lights that cost $0.02 if illuminating 24/7/365. Turning on the lights to navigate the house in the dark cost $0.02 per day. Some people don't understand energy consumption.

From a building provider's stance, you never know if the outlet you're about to plugin to is providing the correct voltages or the circuit is overloaded. Plugging into an untested outlet could have damaging effects to both the infrastructure and your devices.

As an audio engineer, I always test the outlets before connecting. You don't want the circuit to blow at the wrong time. I also sound check at or above full SPL for the show to help determine electrical and equipment issues. I've seen an 150kw generator physically tip over from electrical miss-management.

From all this, be prepared for people to say no.

@dtremit: $0.0004, yes, but it's still $0.0004 of someone else's money, and it's still stealing unless it's without permission, whether that permission be expressed or tacit. It's the principle of the thing. Just because something doesn't cost a lot doesn't give a person the right to use or take it if it belongs to someone else.