30 May Be The Ceiling For Regularly Used Apps

Amazon Apps L7While more and more time is spent on apps by consumers, there seems to a be a ceiling for how many apps people will use regularly.

A report by Nielsen shows that while time spent using apps each month had risen over 65 per cent in the past two years, from 18 hours, 18 minutes in Q4 of 2011 to 30 hours, 15 minutes in 2013, the average number of apps used per month had risen only slightly, from 23.3 in Q4 2011 to 26.8 in Q4 2013. The report suggested that while there may be an upper limit to the total number of apps users access in any given month, the amount of time they are spending on those apps is continuing to grow, with no signs of slowing.

Breaking down the results by age group, Nielsen found that while smartphone owners aged between 25 and 34 had the greatest number of regularly used apps, with 29.5, 18-24 year olds spent the largest amount of time in apps, with just over 37 hours a month. While both apps used and time spent dropped off as users got older, apps still play a big role in the lives of all smartphone users, with those over 55 accessing 22 apps per month and spending 21 hours, 21 minutes using them.

Looking at how time was broken down between app types, search and social networks still dominate, with people spending almost 11 hours a month using these apps. Entertainment (covering video, audio and gaming apps) saw the most rapid growth however, rising 71 per cent between 2012 and 2013, to reach second place behind social media.

“As mobile consumption habits evolve, its imperative that app developers continue to add functionality and robustness to their offerings,” said Monica Bannan, vice president of product leadership at Nielsen. “Although there does appear to be a limit to the number of apps people are willing to access on a monthly basis, theyre spending 31 per cent more time than they were last year, proving that its content that counts.”