In Q3 2016, mobile users spend an average of 36.9 minutes each day using the top 100 apps alone, according to an Opera Mediaworks study, equivalent to a total 18.4 hours per month – an increase of 20.5 per cent over the past six months.

“The average iPhone user opens their phone 80 times a day, and a study of Android users showed a similar number – 76 phone sessions a day,” said Falguni Bhuta, VP of global communications & engagement marketing at Opera Mediaworks. “That means during waking hours, mobile users open their phone about once every 13 minutes.

“These mobile breaks might last a few seconds, or they might last a few minutes or more; it all depends on the user, the time of day, which types of apps they are using.”

Its not just the number of sessions – 4.1 daily, up 12.6 per cent over the past six months – which is increasing, but their length too. The average app session in Q3 lasted 550 seconds for the top 100 apps – up 7.8 per cent – though its worth noting that, outside of the top 100, this figure is closer to five minutes – with social networking and eCommerce on the low end, according to Opera.

Its worth noting that the study is based solely on apps on the Mediaworks platform, which may skew figures slightly. The biggest category for impressions on its platform is News & Information (28.5 per cent), followed by Games (27.7 per cent), which isnt representative of the wider market.