Which apps can’t Americans live without? [ft. Jonathan Yantz]

The latest episode of Reality checks with Brian Reitz features Jonathan Yantz, Managing Partner at M+C Saatchi Performance, covering phone usage, paid app subscriptions, why Americans download apps, and which apps people can’t live without.

"I went into this with a lot of assumptions, and now I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Yantz.  “It’s always good to check and make sure, especially from a marketing standpoint, that you’re not just going on assumption. You have to check the actual reality of your audience.”

To uncover the reality behind mobile app usage, Jonathan Yantz and the YouGov team collaborated on a five-question survey of 1,000 Americans.

How often Americans say they check their phones

Nearly a third of Americans (31%) report checking their phones more than 50 times per day, highlighting the pervasive nature of smartphone usage in daily life.

Apple phone users tend to check their devices more frequently compared to Samsung or Google/Android users, with 41% of Apple users reporting 50+ daily phone opens, versus 26% for Samsung and 24% for Google/Android users.

Gender differences are also apparent, as women are more likely than men to check their phones frequently, with 35% of women reporting 50+ daily checks compared to 28% of men.

Age also plays a significant role in smartphone usage patterns, with younger Americans checking their phones more often than older generations. Among 18-29 year-olds, 49% say they check their phones 50+ times daily, contrasting sharply with only 12% of those 65 and older.

64% of Americans have at least one paid app subscription

Following the trends in checking phones, survey responses about paid app usage follow similar generational divides.

“Depending on the generation, [this could be because some have] more disposable income versus less or are more tech-savvy versus less. I am sure there are a lot of nuances here,” said Yantz

While 77% of 18-29 year olds have at least one paid subscription accessed through a mobile app, this figure drops to 44% for those 65 and older.

Notably, the 30-44 age group shows the highest paid app subscription rate, with 15% reporting 6 or more paid subscriptions accessed through a mobile phone, nearly quadrupling the 4% of Americans aged 18-29 who spend their time and money similarly.

Why Americans download apps

The top reason Americans choose mobile apps is from doing their own research, with 29% citing “finding it on their own” as the reason they downloaded their most recent app.

Unfortunately, 21% of the survey respondents downloaded their last app out of necessity in order to complete a transaction.

Younger demographics show a higher propensity for saying they downloaded an app based on advertising, with 19% of 30-44 year-olds, the age segment identified as having the most paid apps on their phone, citing ads as motivating, compared to just 9% of Americans aged 45+.

Which apps can't Americans live without?

Banking apps emerge as the most indispensable mobile applications for Americans, with 20% ranking them as their top priority. Messaging apps follow closely, with 19% of respondents placing them at the top of their list.

Navigation apps and social media apps tie for third-most top picks, each garnering 14% of first-place rankings, though navigation apps edge out TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat when factoring in 2nd and 3rd placements (43% ranked navigation in their top 3 vs 40% who ranked social in their top 3).

Entertainment streaming apps, while popular, are not considered as essential, with only 9% ranking them as their most crucial app.

Work-related apps such as email or Slack showed the most even distribution in rankings among Americans, garnering nearly equal shares of votes at every position.

Mobile games earned the highest share of last place votes in the ranking (21%), but edge out food-related apps and fitness and health apps in average rank, suggesting strong attachment among those who play.

How men and women differ on mobile app needs

While banking apps remain the most-needed app among US men (21% ranked first), messaging apps take first place among US women (20%).

Looking at men and women, the most polarization related to the importance of app types exists around social media apps (11% of US men ranked first vs. 17% of US women) and work apps (13% of US men ranked first vs 7% of US women).

Men are also more likely to say they need navigation apps, with 16% selecting map-related tools as most important, compared to 13% of women.