Data Monday: What Are People Doing on Mobile?

by May 28, 2013

The head of Major League Baseball's digital efforts was recently quoted as saying: "Reality’s the second screen, and [mobile] is the first screen." But what's on this first screen? In other words, how are people spending their time on mobile? Turns out its mostly by killing time...

A 2013 analysis of mobile app use on iOS and Android found a total of 64% of all time spent on mobile devices was dedicated to games, social networking, and entertainment.

A 2012 analysis of mobile app only use on iOS and Android found a total of 79% of time spent in mobile apps was dedicated to games, social networking, and entertainment.

A 2012 diary study of over a thousand US smartphones found that excluding email, SMS, and calls left about 70% of all mobile interactions focused on entertainment & socializing.

  • 46% is "me" time: relaxation & entertainment. (source)
  • 19% is socializing with others. (source)
  • 12% is shopping. (source)
  • 11% is accomplishing: managing finance, health, productivity. (source)