Who are Britain’s app addicts?

YouGov
September 30, 2020, 2:50 PM GMT+0

Around one in ten Brits have more than 50 apps on their smartphones or tablets – but one in twenty have none at all

A new YouGov study reveals that a sizeable number of Brits (9%) are app addicts and have over 50 on their smartphones or tablet devices.

The majority (58%) of us have 20 apps or fewer, with the most common number being split between the 10 to 12 range (12%) and the 15 to 20 range (12%).

One in twenty (5%) Brits say they have no apps on their phone at all, and use only the software that came with the device. One in eleven Brits (9%) however, has over 50 apps on their phone, with 5% having over 75.

Those with over 50 apps on their smartphones are most likely to male (61% of the group) than female (39% of the group). They are also more likely to be young, but not the youngest adults. A third (34%) of adults aged between 25 and 34 have over 50 apps, making them the most likely age group to fall into this category, despite making up just 25% of the general population.

Only 17% of adults under 25 have more than 50 apps, the least likely of the age brackets used. Only one in five (20%) of the over 55’s having a high number of apps, compared to 38% of the general population who are of this age.

Does branding make a difference? Half (51%) of those who go heavy on the apps are Apply iPhone users, compared to 37% of the general population who use Apple handsets.

The next most popular brand is Samsung, with 28% of Brits who have over 50 apps using their devices, followed by 6% who use a Huawei handset.

Unsurprisingly those who love to have a high number of apps are more concerned about phone memory when they are considering the importance of different phone features. Two thirds (67%) of Brits with over 50 apps said smart phone memory size is important when choosing a smartphone compared to 45% of the general population who say the same.

Over a third (38%) of those with over 50 apps also said that the range of apps available on a device was an important feature to consider, with only 19% of the general public agreeing with them.

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