Be app smart

Kate Scheer discusses the use of smartphones in practice.

In an age when people’s smartphones have become extensions of who we are, it’s almost impossible to imagine what a life without apps would be like. Indeed, estimates suggest that in 2019 there were 55.5m smartphone users in the UK. This number is forecast to rise even further by 2025, when it is believed that smartphone ownership will be at 64.9m – a significant margin of the UK population (which currently stands at 68.3m).

As you can see from these figures, smartphones are now an essential part of everyday life for the vast majority of people, and this makes sense for many reasons. Technology has made us more connected than ever before, and while we’ll undoubtedly not use every app on our devices, certain apps have become essential to our way of living.

The average user checks their smartphone at least 58 times a day. We use our phones for weekly shopping, buying clothes, banking, organising social events – basically, there’s an app for everything, and this has meant that people are glued to their screens more than ever before. What makes apps so useful is that they are incredibly convenient – by using an app you’re no longer tied to a desktop computer or the need to use a telephone, meaning that you can sort out your finances, add some food to your weekly shop or treat yourself to something new, with access to everything in the palm of your hand.