Study: Users average 4.2 hours a day in mobile apps

A report from data analytics firm App Annie reveals smartphone users spend an average of 4.2 hours in apps per day — a 30 percent increase from 2019.

In Indonesia, Brazil, and South Korea, the average is above 5 hours per day.

Top categories: Trends vary between countries, but App Annie found three app segments have spurred the increase in mobile app use.

• Private Messaging — The secure messaging apps Telegram and Signal are largely responsible for the rise of app use in the U.K., Germany, France, and the United States. In the first quarter of 2021, Telegram was the fourth most popular app downloaded. while Signal was the quarter’s fastest-growing app by downloads and monthly active users.

• Investing — Trading and investing apps — such as Robinhood, Coinbase, and WeBull — also boosted mobile usage around the world. Other finance and investing apps like Binance, Upbit, and PayPay drove app engagement in France, South Korea, and Japan, respectively.

• Video sharing — While YouTube and Facebook rank No.1 and No. 2 on the overall download charts, other video sharing apps are catching up. In China, the fastest-growing apps in Q1 2021 by downloads were TikTok followed by Kwai, a social network for short videos and trends.

Game time: Gamers continue to spend the most on apps and in-game purchases. In the first quarter of 2021, gamers downloaded around a billion games every week and spent a total of $22 billion. Gamers spent $13 billion on iOS (up 30% year over year), and $9 billion on Google Play (up 35%), according to App Annie.

Advertisers are capitalizing: App Annie reports that marketers spent about $240 billion on mobile ads in 2020. The company expects that mobile ad buys will grow to $290 billion in 2021.

App spending increases: In the first quarter of 2021, consumers spent about $32 billion on in-app purchases via iOS and Google Play, representing a 40 percent increase from the first quarter of 2020. It’s the largest quarterly spend that App Annie has ever recorded. Consumers spend $21 billion on iOS, and around $11 billion on Google Play.

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Social media trends: The PEW Research Center recently released a report on social media use that found that a staggering 81 percent of Americans regularly use YouTube. That's up from 73 percent in 2019.

Boomers love Facebook: About 50 percent of Americans aged 65 and up report using Facebook and about 49 percent use YouTube. Folks between the ages 18 and 29 still dominate the highest percentage of users on YouTube (95%), Instagram (71%) Snapchat (65%), TikTok (48%), and Twitter (42%).

Head, shoulders, screens and phones: Apparently, hunching over a phone for hours isn't great for your health.

Neck and shoulder pain resulting from poor smartphone posture is increasingly showing up in health data, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS One. Back and spine experts recommend:

• Look forward while using a phone, keeping the device at eye level.
• Maintain good posture and ensure a natural curve in your low back when sitting to use your device.
• Take frequent small breaks to move or stretch your neck and back. Try chin tucks, seated lumbar rolls, and scapular retractions to stay loose.