No Time to Talk: Americans Sending/Receiving Five Times as Many Texts Compared to Phone Calls Each Day, According to New Report

SEATTLE, March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartphone users around the world are increasing the frequency of their communications with each other but, most of the time, it's not in the form of a phone call. This is the key finding of a monthly report from Informate Mobile Intelligence that tracks and measures consumer use of smartphones in 12 countries. A full copy of the report can be viewed online at http://informatemi.com/blog/?p=133

"Our data reveals that most Americans love texting and would rather send a text than make a call," said Informate CEO Will Hodgman. "While, in many Asia Pacific and Latin American countries, the data reveals a strong preference for chat apps like Whatsapp Messenger and Facebook Messenger." 

The report measured smartphone users' engagement on calls, texting and chat/VOIP and found that: the average American makes or answers six phone calls per day, sends and receives 32 texts, and spends 14 minutes on chat/VOIP. In stark contrast, the report found that smartphone users in nine of the 12 countries measured, spent the bulk of their time on chat/VOIP and the least amount texting. Thailand came in at the highest daily use of chat/VOIP at 77 minutes per day compared to 14 minutes by users in the U.S.

"Our report finds that smartphone users in the U.S. are spending about 26 minutes a day texting. In 75 percent of the other countries we measured, it's less than five minutes," said Hodgman.

The International Smartphone Mobility Report provides marketers, telecoms, OEMs, and developers with an unparalleled look at how consumers are using their smartphones in growing global markets including the U.S., India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Thailand, Turkey and Qatar.

Each edition of the monthly report includes key usage measurements and analysis that includes: overall smartphone usage and data consumption by country; overall engagement and reach; most-popular activities including gaming, video, and texting; share of time spent on key genres including utilities, surfing, chat and VOIP, calls; top apps; top properties accessed by reach; and other relevant monthly data. 

Top Line Findings
Overall Engagement: The report reveals that, during January 2015, Americans spent 4.9 hours per day on their smartphones compared to at 4.7 hours in December 2014. Thailand, Malaysia and Qatar followed the U.S. as largest users coming in at 4.0, 3.1 and 3.1 respectively. Mexico, Brazil and Argentina spent the least amount of time coming in at two hours and under.

Data Consumption: The report also reveals the U.S. as having the highest average rate of monthly data consumption at 19 gigabytes (across cellular and WiFi). India's average consumption measured the lowest at four gigabytes per month. The report also found that Indonesia had the highest share of cellular data traffic at 54 percent (and lowest WiFi at 46 percent) and that Mexico and Brazil had the lowest cellular data traffic at 7 percent (93 percent WiFi).

Time Spent on Key Genres: During the period, smartphone users in the U.S., Philippines and Mexico spent more than 32 percent of their time on smartphones accessing utility features while users in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil spent more than 30 percent accessing chat and VOIP.

Informate has assembled consumer panels in 12 countries via the distribution of a free utility app called Data Diary.

Data Diary enables consumers to monitor and improve their data usage on smartphones and tablets by measuring both on-device and network activity. Each panelist opts-in and is ensured that all of his/her data is anonymous and aggregated to ensure that no personal information is disclosed. Data for the report was collected during January 2015 with panelists using Android devices. A complete version of the report is available to media upon request.

About Informate
Founded in 2008, Informate is a privately held mobile measurement firm with 54 employees worldwide.  Headquartered in Seattle, Wash. and with offices in Singapore and Mumbai, the company's branded product suite includes mobile metering, consumer panels in 12 countries and analytics that enable consumer-facing companies to more effectively market to mobile customers who are increasingly using their smart devices to shop and purchase online. The company's technology platform runs on Android, iOS, Symbian and BlackBerry. More information on the company can be viewed online at www.informatemi.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Dan Branley (206) 914-1231
dbranley@launchcmus.com

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SOURCE Informate