Smartphone ownership in the United States is most common in the younger age groups. 97 percent of adults aged 18 to 49 own a smartphone, while the penetration rate of smartphones amongst adults 65 years and older is only 76 percent.

In 2020, 41 percent of Germans aged 65 years and older used a smartphone, compared to 87 percent of those aged between 16 and 64 years. The graph shows the use of mobile phones and smartphones among senior citizens in Germany in 2020.

In 2018, most elderly in Norway used smartphones with internet access in contrast to mobile phones without any internet access. For the youngest age group among the elderly, ** percent of the respondents had a smartphone with online access, while ** percent used a mobile phone without internet connection. However, for the respondents between 81 and 100 years of age, ** percent preferred the mobile phone and ** percent had a smartphone with internet access.

In 2018, 76 percent of elderly Norwegians used their smartphone to call someone every day, while another 59 percent were texting on a daily basis. Furthermore, 37 percent accessed the internet via their smartphones, and 29 percent logged into social media every day. During this year, 60 percent of the elderly did not use the payment method Vipps at all.

Percentage of smartphone users by selected smartphone use habits in a typical day.

Smartphone usage in the United Kingdom has increased across all age ranges since 2012, most noticeably among those aged 55-64 years of age. Whereas just nine percent of mobile phone users aged 55 to 64 years used a smartphone in 2012, this number rose to over 90 percent by 2023 and reached 93 percent in 2024. Smartphones are becoming more accessibleAs well as becoming more ubiquitous, smartphones are also becoming more accessible. In terms of price, the global average selling price of smartphones has fallen from 336.8 U.S. dollars in 2010, to 276.20 U.S. dollars in 2015. However, estimates available from 2019 predicted that the average selling price of smartphones worldwide will increase again and reach 317 U.S. dollars by 2021. The average selling price for smartphones in Europe was at around 373 euros in 2019. Smartphone usage in the UK    Smartphones are the Swiss army knife of digital devices, with their capabilities limited by the creativity of developers as much as it is the technology contained in the phone. In 2017, communications were the most popular ways to use a phone, however, 87 percent of users report using camera apps frequently, 85 percent report frequent use of browser apps, and 68 percent report frequent use of navigation apps.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2023, almost ** percent of respondents in their late sixties answered that they owned a smartphone. With increasing age, the possession rate of smartphones dropped significantly.

This statistic shows the share of seniors who own a smartphone or a cell phone in the United States in 2016. About half of respondents aged between 70 and 74 years owned a smartphone.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2023, more than ** percent of respondents in their late sixties answered that they used a smartphone. Despite more seniors owning a smartphone, the usage rate declined by up to 12 percent among respondents in their late seventies.

The most common problem for elderly smartphone owners in Norway in 2018, amounting to 25 percent of the respondents, was that the phone had too many funtions. Other common issues was that the keyboard was too small (22 percent) and in terms of updating the smartphone (21 percent). During this year, 16 percent of the elderly found that the screen was too small.

Over ** percent of people in their thirties in Japan used smartphones to access the internet as of August 2024. Smartphones were used to access the internet by a majority of people across almost all age groups. Mobile internet usage in JapanMobile internet usage has become much more common in Japan mainly due to the spread of smartphones and tablets during the 2010s. Today, smartphones are the leading internet access devices. Mobile internet connections are used for a variety of purposes, such as communicating with friends via social media and messaging apps, watching entertaining shows via streaming services, or playing mobile games.Insecurity while using internetDespite a high internet penetration rate across almost all age groups, most Japanese respondents reported to feel insecure when using the internet. This tendency was more common among older age groups. A ranking showing the leading reasons why people feel insecure when using the internet was led by a possible leak of personal information or one's access history. Other worries that were shared by a majority of respondents were computer viruses as well as false billings or frauds.

As of December 2021, Chinese netizens aged 60 years and above amounted to around *** million, accounting for about **** percent of its total internet userbase. By the end of 2021, around **** percent of elderly internet users in China had used a smartphone to go online.

In 2018, ** percent of elderly Norwegians used the payment method, Vipps, on a daily basis, while ** percent used it monthly or less often. During this year, ** percent did not use Vipps on their smartphone.

As of 2023, in France, ** percent of teenagers aged 12 to 17 years old and of individuals aged 25 to 39 possessed a smartphone, whereas ** percent of respondents between 18 and 24 years old had one. Moreover, over ** percent of seniors aged 70 and older owned a smartphone in the European country in 2023.

The statistic shows the important aspects of the usage of technology among elderly people in Italy in 2017. According to the survey, ** percent of respondents considered important the possibility of a timely alert in case of need/SOS in case of emergency.

As of 2022, the penetration rate of smartphones in China reached almost 72 percent. According to the forecast, almost 83 percent of people in China are going to use a smartphone by 2027. The total number of smartphone users in 2022 exceeded one billion.

The master key

In Chinese everyday life, there is no way around not using a smartphone. Over the past decade, the smartphone has evolved from a communication device into not only a multi-tool but also the key to accessing everyday services. From paying for groceries and the restaurant bill to booking train tickets and managing personal finances. As more and more services are only available online, life without a smartphone has become increasingly difficult.

Technology exclusion and social isolation

Because of the growing significance of the smartphone, people without access to them or those unable to use them are at risk of being excluded from vital services and social interactions. These may include the elderly population, finding it difficult to adapt to the new technology. It could also be online applications without sufficient accessibility for persons with disability, and those who cannot afford to purchase a smartphone or live in regions without a comprehensive internet connection. Therefore, as the country moves online, inclusion must be a part of the development.

With a rising penetration of accessing the Internet through different types of modes in Fance, accross all age groups, the source wanted to analyze the proportion of people aged over 60 using a smartphone to connect to the Internet in France in 2018. Thus, the majority of French seniors, i.e. 44 percent of them, were not equipped with a smartphone in 2018, while more than a third of seniors said they used a smartphone to connect to the Internet.

To a lesser extent, 21 percent of respondents (although they did have a smartphone) did not connect to the Internet through it.

This statistic shows the number of smartphone users in the U.S. from 2009 to 2040. For 2022, the number of smartphone users in the United States is estimated to reach 307 million.

Smartphone users - additional information

Advances in telecommunication technology have been significant in recent years. These advances have led to a level of connectivity never seen before. The number of smartphone users in the US has risen steadily over the last several years and forecasts estimate that smartphone penetration in North America will also continue to rise steadily into the future. The United States is one of the leading countries in the world with respect to adoption of smartphone technology.

In America the most popular smartphone brands are Samsung and Apple, while the most popular smartphone operating systems / platforms with respect to market share are none other than Google Android and Apple’s own operating system, iOS. Other operating systems, such as Symbian, Blackberry OS, Bada and Windows have struggled to maintain a foothold in the market as iOS and Android clearly dominate the field.

The first official smartphones came onto the market in the early 1990s. Initially a smartphone was classified by its ability to offer features like e-mail capability, internet access, QUERTY keyboards, personal digital assistant functions and perhaps a built-in camera. As of today, smartphones have progressed even more and we typically classify smartphones as having a high definition touchscreen, various apps, navigation tools and high-speed internet on the go. More recently sales of smartphones have even exceeded that of traditional feature phones as smartphone usage has continued to rise.

With a rising penetration of accessing the Internet through different types of modes in France, especially the older generation benefits from help setting up these technologies. This graph illustrates the proportion of elderly people who received help or training in the use of a smartphone, a computer or the Internet, in France in 2018. Thus, nearly two-thirds of French seniors declared that they had not received any help or training in this area.

However, to a lesser extent, around one in five older people would have received close assistance from their child or grandchild. Nine percent of seniors also stated to have received help from another family member.

According to a December 2021 survey of mobile users in the United States, it was found that 58 percent of smartphone users aged 18 and 34 years, were using iPhone as their main device. U.S. users between 35 and 54 years, on the other hand, preferred using an Android phone, as 53 percent of respondents of this age group stated using a smartphone operated by Android such as a Samsung or a Google smartphone.