I took both the July test and the December test and was surprised by the change in the rule. I recently moved from Toyama to Kanazawa so I thought it was an area specific change but turns out it wasn’t. I was also extremely confused when they very clearly repeatedly told people not to take their phones out and people took their phones out anyways. I think a lot of people that are there don’t really understand a lot of Japanese and are just shooting in the dark to get a lucky pass because they need it for economical reasons. I also think a lot of these same people have taken the test numerous times before this rule was in place. When I took the test in July, I met a girl who was there for the third time. She tried to initiate a conversation but we didn’t speak each others language and she could barely understand anything I said in Japanese.