One in six Brits can't cope without Facebook - but we're too embarrassed to admit to watching porn and using Tinder

One in six adults in the UK admit they couldn't live without Facebook, new research has revealed.
What do you use your phone for?What do you use your phone for?
What do you use your phone for?

The study by mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse also uncovered the average number of apps installed - and the apps we’re most embarrassed about, including watching porn and using dating apps such as Tinder.

Nearly half (44%) of UK adults access a smartphone application within 15 minutes of the alarm going off - the national average is 32 minutes after waking up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Brits aged 18-24 were revealed to be the most 'appy' with more than 30 installed on their devices, versus an average of 20 for the remainder of the nation.

Facebook topped the table of apps that the nation uses first each day, and couldn’t live without.

The first app I use is

1. Facebook (22%)

2. Weather

3. News

4. Email

5. WhatsApp

The app I couldn’t live without is

1. Facebook (18%)

2. WhatsApp

3. Weather

4. Email

5. Sports news apps

Brits admitted to being most embarrassed about dating apps such as Tinder, followed by period trackers, porn and Pokémon Go.

Men were found to be almost three times as likely to bet or gamble using an app (29%) compared to women (11%). On the other hand, women are almost twice as likely to monitor their diet through an app (19%, compared to just 10% of men).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The research also revealed how different generations use apps within their everyday lives.

After social media, smartphones are primarily an entertainment device for younger users, with 18 to 24-year-old using their handset to listen music via Spotify/AppleMusic etc. (71%), and watch TV and films via NowTV/Netflix etc. (52%).

In comparison, those aged 45+ are more practical, with common app uses including reading the news (74%), checking the weather (69%) and managing money (40%).

An expert at Carphone Warehouse, said: “The proliferation of apps has completely transformed our relationships with our phones and this research demonstrates how we are happy to rely on apps to help us manage so much of our personal lives.”

For more information about the most popular apps in the UK, please visit: http://lowdown.carphonewarehouse.com/feature/the-most-popular-apps-of-our-time/38895/