History Main / ObligatoryEarpieceTouch

TruthInTelevision for two reasons: the earpiece makes a very convenient place to put the activation button (look at a Bluetooth earpiece or watch the drive-thru employee at a fast food joint) and pushing lightly on an earpiece both pushes the speaker closer to your ear and makes for a tighter seal, which could mean the difference between hearing or missing a vital message.

-->-- '''James Bond''', ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'''

* Used by the players (and regularly lampshaded) in the first campaign of ''Critical/Role'', to signify that the characters are talking via their magical communication earrings rather than out loud.

* ''Video/MetalGear'': The standard cue for Snake using the CODEC is him kneeling and touching his ear.

->''"It's a game where numbers go up!!!"''
-->-- '''The game's description'''

->''"Stop touching your ear!"''
-->-- '''James Bond''', ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}''

* The [=NSA=] agents pursuing videographer Zavitz from ''Film/EnemyOfTheState'' all have earpieces, mainly to receive updates from spy satellite pics taken by MissionControl. One agent, in particular, expects the target to emerge on his street and fingers his earpiece because he's on a busy, noisy midtown Baltimore thoroughfare. He gets the brotherly counsel from MissionControl: "Turn around, you idiot." Ah, teamwork.

* The [[TheMenInBlack Agents]] in ''Film/TheMatrix'' do this whenever they receive new orders from the mainframe. Since they don't communicate much except vague menace, this cue is important to signal that they are going to try something new next.

* One assassin from ''Film/FairGame1995'' sent to eradicate attorney Kate [=McQuean=] and her squad of bodyguards knows that his surviving targets are aware they're in mortal danger, and he needs to know Detective Kirkpatrick's location from his cohorts, who are using thermal imaging to track their victims. This assassin repeatedly asks, "Where is Target Three?" while holding his earpiece, because this intel is critically needed. The response is "He's right in front of you!" Sure enough, the assassin looks up to see Kirkpatrick firing bullets into him.

* At the night club scene in ''Film/{{Collateral}}'', hitman Vincent is able to spot a security guard in the crowded room thanks to that guy having his hand on his ear.
* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar:'' Several characters, including Falcon, Black Panther, Cap and Wanda, do this [[spoiler:during the battle in Wakanda.]] It seems to be a bit of an AuthorsSavingThrow toward the ''first'' film, where people would just talk and be heard by others miles away with ''no'' clue as to how. Either ''everyone'' has super hearing or ''some'' kind of CommLinks ''must'' be in use; later films confirm the latter with gestures suggestive of (very, ''very'' well-hidden) earpieces. Eventually we do see one, small enough to let you tell yourself it was there all along. (If you wonder how it's done in the comics: their ''keycards'' do way more than unlock the front door.)
* Played for laughs in ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' when Red Guardian does this trope until he's informed that he's not actually wearing an earpiece, as they were one short.
* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' has [[spoiler: the [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy three]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries iterations]] [[Film/SpiderManHomecomingTrilogy of Spider-Men]] communicating this way in the climax.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''[[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Peter-2:]]]]''' [[spoiler:Guys, comm check! Hello?]]
* Spoofed as you'd expect in ''Film/SpyHard'', where the only way to know our hero is communicating is via this gesture, [[KungFoley accompanied by a beeping sound.]] "Ear buttons. They put the receiver right in your head now."
* You can just barely catch it during the Death Star attack in the original ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''. When Luke turns off his targeting computer, there's a quick cut to three older men listening as the base commander asks him about it; when he says he's all right, cut back to the group again and one of them is listening intently and touching his earpiece.
* Nathan Drake does this in ''Film/Uncharted2022'', but Sully tells him it's unnecessary and he looks stupid.

* Done in an episode of ''Series/LawAndOrder'' (S20E11 "Fed") when Lupo and Bernard are interrogating a [[TheParanoiac paranoid]], ConspiracyTheorist suspect, to play on his fears that "Big Brother" is behind his being brought in.
* Lampshaded in ''Series/{{Treadstone}}'' when a reporter is wired up by the CIA for her meeting with a North Korean general--he wordlessly touches his ear to indicate he'd like to speak without anyone else listening and she removes the microphone which is actually hidden under her jacket lapel.
* Also lampshaded in the pilot of ''Series/TheBoys2019'' when Hughie Campbell offers to be "the [[SpiesInAVan guy in the van]]" [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection relaying instructions]], and makes an ObligatoryEarpieceTouch when saying this.
* Serves as a WhamShot in the episode "Lip Service" of ''Series/InsideNo9'' as it's the first sign we get that [[spoiler:Iris is part of an apparent GovernmentConspiracy to set Felix up for murder]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Defiance}}'': Quite often, when you're receiving communications, your character puts one hand up to their ear.

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': In cutscenes, Aloy will often touch her Focus (which sits right in front of her ear) to activate it. She never does this in gameplay, however, so it's unclear if it's optional or GameplayAndStorySegregation.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': Characters communicating via linkpearl reach a hand up to their ear. This is our only clue as to how linkshells work mechanically; the implication is that the pearl is set into the ear cavity and treated like an earpiece from there.

** Played for laughs in ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' when Red Guardian does this trope until he's informed that he's not actually wearing an earpiece, as they were one short.

* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' has [[spoiler: the [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy three]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries iterations]] [[Film/MCUSpiderManTrilogy of Spider-Men]] communicating this way in the climax.]]

* ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'': In ''Infiltrating the Airship'', this trope naturally shows up when you select the "earpiece" at the start of the game.

* Several the clone troopers in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' put their fingers to the side of their helmets when they're communicating over their radios, either to push a button to initiate the call or simply to show the audience what they're doing.

Alternately, can be considered TheCoconutEffect as a viewer might now understand with whom a character is speaking without an earpiece touch as a reminder.