Did you know that the average person checks their phone up to 110 times a day, and as often as every six minutes a night? We depend on our mobile devices for just about everything these days, from ordering groceries to Instagramming the new puppy, chatting with friends half the world away and otherwise. We need our devices to run efficiently because when our phones stop working, it can feel like everything grinds to a halt.
The topic of our dependency on smartphones and other similar technologies is a hot one lately, and there’s no shortage of reasons to consider using these highly convenient, powerful handheld communications devices. That being said, consumption is a problem, as evidenced by little ones spending more time staring at screens than is good for them. We as adults tend not to realize just how much time we spend on our phones throughout the day – it’s quite the habit!
Of course, that’s not to say that using a smartphone is a bad thing – far from it, in fact! The key is striking the right balance and keeping your usage under control. That way, you can benefit from the many perks of using the latest smartphone – or even a refurbished model that’s a couple years old – with no downsides. Today, let’s explore this subject in more detail.
The Smartphone Era
Our dependence on mobile devices seems only to increase over time. Just ten years ago, a mobile phone really was only a device for calls and occasional texting, along with listening to music on the bus or browsing YouTube. In the smartphone era, it’s a multimedia station in the palm of your hand. As more and more information is stored on our phones, we naturally end up depending on them not only for connecting to and staying in touch with others, but for staying on top of the latest news, our businesses, our banking and even our driving, as well as unwinding with games and videos now and then.
This dependency really kicked off with the advent of touch interfaces, doing away with plastic keyboards and postage stamp-sized screens. Today, smartphones have everything from vivid OLED display panels of over six inches in size on average to processors that enable for video editing on the fly. Technology has rapidly evolved and improved in the past decade, and it’s been quite an exciting ride!
Breaking Down the Statistics
Whether it’s to contact someone, write an email or simply browse the web, staying connected and up-to-date is vital in this day and age. Most mobile users tend to be active more frequently during the evenings. During peak hours between 5 pm and 8 pm, over 75% of people unlock and use their phones. At these peak evening times, the average user checks their phone approximately nine times each hour.
Even during off-peak hours around 3 am to 5 am, 24% of people are actively using their phone during those wee hours of the morning. The average person at this time checks their mobile device approximately four times an hour.
Make it a Tool, Not an Addiction
Of course, while smartphones are wonderful and powerful devices that can help us get a lot done, they can also be rather intense, addicting distractions if we don’t control ourselves. Again, the key here is balance, monitoring your personal use habits and developing a deeper understanding of what you actually need your phone for. This can help to inform your purchasing decisions as well, such as sticking to a device with a smaller display so that you’re less tempted to doom-scroll social media and YouTube.
There’s a misconception that smartphones are inherently “bad” for you, but in actuality, it’s well and truly up to our individual usage habits and self-discipline to know when to set the phone down and get back to everyday life. This can be tougher for some than others, especially if they’re used to spending a lot of time on their phones. Any technology available today, from video games to smartwatches and phones, has the potential of becoming addictive to use. The trick is to treat it like a tool and find ways to reduce the number of times you need to interact with it.
Screen-On Time
What do you think the ideal amount of screen-on time is for an average phone user on a daily basis? Five hours? Maybe four? The answer is two. Less than that, actually.
Modern smartphones, most notably iPhones, include screen on-time tracking to help you understand which apps are hogging the most battery and display usage. Not only that, but these are excellent for gauging whether you’re spending too much time on a certain app or your phone altogether. Another indicator of excessive phone usage is constantly having to run to the charger when your battery isn’t degraded (meaning it can hold a charge for almost as long as when it was new). This indicates that you’re constantly draining your battery and need to throttle back on your usage.
Notification De-Cluttering
By far, the most significant cause of excessive smartphone usage is picking it up every ten seconds to check the latest notification from social media or otherwise. From audible chimes interrupting your workflow and focus to visual pop-ups that light up the display, this can be especially problematic if you have dozens of apps active in the background, including Wi-Fi camera systems on your home’s exterior, multiple social media accounts with a lot of activity, email accounts, and much more. You may even get pinged if your streaming service of choice has a new movie or album available!
The best thing you can do for yourself is to close the floodgates by limiting the number of apps that can send notifications. You can also decide how certain apps will notify you, if at all. Begone, Google Nest camera updates at three in the morning!
Protecting What Matters Most
Even if you manage to bring your smartphone use and screen-on time under control (a major kudos to you if so, as this is a huge achievement!), your device will still undergo a lot of wear and tear. When you rely on something this much, it’s crucial that it’s in good working order and that the battery, screen, and other internal components don’t slow you down.
That’s where we come in. Our professional repair technicians and network of stores across Canada are here to help make sure that your phone runs smoothly and efficiently. Visit a professional smartphone repair location near you to get the phone performance you need and deserve.