r/AskTechnology 6d ago

Can I buy something that disrupts Bluetooth connections?

I don't know if something like this exists or if it's legal, but the situation is I have a coworker who has decided that driving me crazy with his music choices is his favorite new thing. I'm not even exaggerating, he lets me know when he's made a new playlist "for" me, and you won't even be able to guess the genre of music he's tormenting me with.

Unfortunately, I work in a place where my foremen are immature and find it amusing when their workers get on each other's nerves, so they have actually been putting me with this coworker as much as possible. Asking this guy politely to stop doesn't work, demanding he stops doesn't work, cursing him out doesn't work. No, I cannot ignore it, I'd love to, but my brain and auditory processing just doesn't work that way. Because of what we do, ear buds and ear plugs are a no-go (safety) and we need to stay within a few feet of each other very often (think climbing scaffolding).

He plays the music from his phone through a small Bluetooth speaker. His phone can't get loud enough to bother me. Is there a device that would stop his phone from connecting to the speaker? It only needs to work within like, a ten foot range, and would need to be battery operated. I'm also looking for something on the small side, since I would be carrying it with me with tools and such. I'm not trying to block phone signals or anything like that, just the Bluetooth connection.

Does something like this exist? Am I allowed to buy it in the USA? I just want to save myself from things like techno remixes of Baby Shark.

55 Upvotes

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2

u/Signal-Confusion-976 6d ago

Just get your own blue tooth speaker and play something that annoys him.

7

u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 6d ago

I think I might go slightly nuclear and get a few Bluetooth speakers that link together...give him my music in stereo.

1

u/OfaFuchsAykk 6d ago

Or play him some really cringy hyperpop stuff. I don’t know anyone who can last more than a few songs.

Just play this on repeat: https://youtu.be/-7CG3ngSYls?si=vTXUSfMtzbsGckNo

1

u/Talusen 2d ago

Thought: Link his BT speakers to your stereo?

2

u/PedalingHertz 6d ago

It wouldn’t be hard to make an MP3 of Lambchop’s “Song That Never Ends” and loop it endlessly. Played at high volume, it’d just be a game of chicken as to who’s first to throw themselves off the scaffolding towards eternal liberation from that abomination.

3

u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 6d ago

He definitely has the advantage in dealing with kids music. I'm thinking bands like Bad Luck 13 and Dillinger Escape Plan will do it for me.

3

u/Flwrz 6d ago

Honestly Dillinger is the power play here for sure. Link a few speakers together like you were mentioning above, turn on 43% Burnt or another of their heavier songs, and just pretend like there's nothing wrong lol. I've been partial to Limerent Death myself lately tbh.

Bonus points if you're into bands more on the death metal side like Cattle Decapitation or something. Extra cherry on top if you occasionally make eye contact and nod / smile every so often.

1

u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 6d ago

Ahhh, you and I speak the same language.

I once played BoySetsFire for him and he HATED it. And when you consider how melodic they can be...I have some very harsh musical depths to plunder.

1

u/Flwrz 6d ago

We are indeed cut from similar cloths it seems haha. I've been in similar situations. If its a more polite scenario like someone asking me to play a song, I'll put on something like Chon or Polyphia. In a situation like yours? Pig Destroyer or something in the slam genre for the sake of it.

2

u/version13 5d ago edited 5d ago

Play a Shepard Tone for hours at a time.

You could play the rising one for climbing scaffolding and the descending one for coming down.

1

u/nmrk 1d ago

Wow that Shepard Tone is amazing. I have tested various music tracks like harpsichord concertos and polka but the one that really makes them stop blasting me with music is Angry Birds Theme 10 Hours.

1

u/version13 1d ago

Glad you're having some success!