Binge watching with subtitles fixed a habit I had for 15 years

I used to watch everything with the volume low and my phone in my hand, thinking I was following along fine. Then last month I put on a British crime show, and I realized I had no idea who the killer was because I missed half the dialogue. It hit me that I had been half-watching every series for years, just getting the broad strokes. So I started turning on subtitles and putting my phone in another room, and it was like the shows finally snapped into focus. Now I catch little details, like the name of a suspect or a clue in the background, that used to fly right past me. The funny part is I remember being smug about people who needed subtitles in English. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were ruining your own viewing experience without knowing it?