Smartphone Usage By the Numbers

If you spent an hour a day just sitting and staring at your phone, do you think you would enjoy it or would you get bored? You may be surprised to learn that you already do that, as a study from Experian Marketing Services’ Simmons Connect has found that on average, Americans spend 58 minutes each day on their smartphones.

According to the research, out of that time smartphone owners spend on the phone, only about a quarter of that time is spent actually talking. Another 20 percent is used for sending text messages, while the remaining time is divided between social networks (16 percent), mobile Web usage (14 percent), e-mail and gaming (9 and 8 percent, respectively). Other functions such as using a camera and GPS built in to the phone take up two percent of the daily smartphone usage.

It’s interesting to note that the average time varies between devices. The average of 58 minutes takes all devices into account, but when you look at Android and iPhone users, you’ll see that Android users spend less time on their phones (49 minutes) than iPhone users (an hour and 15 minutes). Android smartphone users tend to spend more time actually using their device as a phone, with 28 percent of their time compared to the iPhone’s 22 percent.

In a typical day, the most commonly used smartphone functions are talking and texting, although 62 percent of smartphone owners will also visit websites from their devices each day. Somewhat surprisingly, only 2.3 percent of smartphone owners watch videos each day, but that still tops reading on their devices which only half a percent of smartphone owners do. However, I would assume that the number is so small because most smartphone owners prefer to read on a larger device or an actual book.

This data reveals some interesting information about smartphone usage and the priorities of their users. For the most part, they are being put to use as actual phones, but the other apps and features are growing more popular as well. With YouTube and Netflix easily accessible, more people are starting to watch video yet it’s also being used for purposes that previously were restricted to computers alone.

Smartphones have taken over many common tasks, with multiple apps and tools at their disposal, so seeing what they continue to be used for will be interesting indeed.