The generation that’s never had to say ‘Hello?’

Now that there is rarely any mystery to who is calling, Gen Z has adopted a range of custom phone greetings — including no greeting at all. ILLUSTRATION: SHIRA INBAR/NYTIMESPublished Sep 13, 2026, 11:50 AMUpdated Sep 13, 2026, 11:50 AMYounger generations often skip saying "Hello" when answering calls, using informal greetings or silence due to caller ID and concerns about scams.Smartphones and constant digital communication make formal phone greetings less necessary, creating a continuous conversation thread across platforms.Studies show younger people speak fewer words daily and use fewer polite expressions, reflecting changing social habits and trust issues with unknown callers.NEW YORK – When Avigail Sharon answers a phone call from one of her closest friends, it is not with “Hello?”“I always go ‘Bello’,” Sharon, 21, said. “And we’ll talk in Minionese at first.”See more on