Maybe we really are glued to our phones. The latest report from App Annie finds we’re spending nearly a third of our waking hours on mobile devices.
App Annie’s State of Mobile 2022 report provides analytics on mobile usage, spending, trends, and more. App Annie saw 230 billion app downloads and $170 billion in app-store spending in 2021, but one of the biggest findings is that users spent a daily average of 4 hours and 48 minutes on their devices in the top 10 mobile-first markets: Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, India, Japan, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, and the United States. Though the US trails the pack, average usage still tops four hours per day.
That's up 30% from 2019. It’s worth noting, however, that App Annie's data only covers Android phones, so it doesn't include the millions who use iPhones. However, as TechCrunch points out, similar data from Nielsen published last year, which includes Android and iPhone user data, lines up with App Annie's numbers.
App Annie sees mobile use in the US overtaking the number of hours spent watching TV, which sat at 3.1 hours a day in 2021. Leading the way in usage are social media, photo, and video apps; seven of every 10 minutes spent on mobile were in these app categories, App Annie says. TikTok saw huge growth while platforms like Facebook and Instagram maintained high usage.