Deloitte: Mobile usage shifting from “addiction” to “etiquette”

Mobile device usage patterns are jelling into a natural “etiquette” for device use that includes heavy use and frequent checking of devices — but some usage appears to have plateaued, according to Deloitte’s 2017 survey of consumer mobile usage trends.

About 264 million Americans use their phones 12 billion times per day in the aggregate, Deloitte concluded, and “the mobile ecosystem remains one of the most important enablers of the way we live and work in 2017.”

But there have been some interesting shifts in usage patterns, Deloitte noted. “The number of times we look at our phones each day has not increased over the past three years, and the urgency with which we reach for our phones has plateaued as well. … Even the number of apps consumers download and install on their devices has more or less plateaued. The average number of apps installed has increased only marginally to 23, from last year’s 22. Asked for their reasons for not installing more apps, 57 percent of respondents said they didn’t see the need for them, while 25 percent maintained they did not have enough space on their phones for more.”

Deloitte also found some slight year-over-year decreases in phone usage during specific activities, such as while eating in a restaurant or while talking to family and friends. So consumers aren’t giving up their smartphones, not by a long shot — but they are concerned that they’re probably using them too much.

“It may come as no surprise that some consumers believe that they may be using their smartphone too frequently,” Deloitte wrote in its report. “And which age group expresses the highest levels of concern? Seventy-five percent of those ages 25 to 34, and 72 percent of those ages 18 to 24 report that they “definitely” or “probably” use their phone too much. … Almost half (47 percent) of all ages said they try to reduce or limit their smartphone use. Again that trend is led predominantly by the two youngest age groups.”

Among Deloitte’s other findings:

- Use of all communications services was on the rise — and voice usage, after four years of decline, saw an increase in usage.

- Overall smartphone penetration reached 82% in the U.S., with the younger generation scoring the highest penetration rate of 93%. However, Deloitte noted, the the fastest growth of smartphone ownership is actually among users age 55 and older.

- After two years of double-digit growth, wearable growth rates have slowed slightly.

- Tablet penetration was at more than 60%.

“Even as smartphone use begins to mature, we may be on the precipice of the next generation of mobile, as IoT applications and services capture consumer interest and the global race to 5G takes hold,” Craig Wigginton, vice chairman and telecommunications sector leader for Deloitte.

This is Deloitte’s seventh annual mobile consumer survey and is based on a study of about 2,000 U.S.-based consumers between the ages of 18 and 75.