Bluetooth Speaker Pairs With Neighbor's Device Again, Plays Their Therapy Session at Full Volume

A Chicago apartment resident's Bluetooth speaker connected to his next-door neighbor's laptop Tuesday afternoon and broadcast approximately 14 minutes of what turned out to be a teletherapy session at maximum volume through a shared wall and an open window.

James Dongle, 30, told reporters he was attempting to pair his JBL Charge 5 with his iPhone when the speaker, which he describes as having 'the loyalty of a stray cat,' instead connected to an unknown device and began projecting audio he quickly realized was not his playlist.

'I heard a woman's voice say "I've been having the dream about the escalator again," and I knew immediately that was not Kendrick Lamar,' Dongle said. 'I started pressing buttons but the speaker wouldn't stop. It had found someone else's device and it was committed.'

The session, conducted over Zoom by a licensed therapist, was audible for approximately 14 minutes before Dongle succeeded in powering off the speaker by removing its battery, a process he describes as 'performing surgery on a speaker while a stranger's childhood trauma plays at concert volume.'

'The irony is that this speaker has never -- not once -- connected to my phone without a 10-minute pairing ritual involving restarts, forgotten devices, and what I can only describe as begging,' Dongle said. 'But my neighbor's laptop? Instant connection. First try. Full volume. Like they were soulmates.'

The neighbor, who Dongle has not yet had the courage to face, slipped a note under his door reading: 'I know you heard. Let's never discuss this. Ever.'

Dongle has agreed to the terms. He has also purchased a wired speaker.

'I'm done with Bluetooth,' he said. 'I would rather trip over a cable every day for the rest of my life than learn one more thing about my neighbors.'