How Many Americans Have Smartphones in 2024? 91% Do!

How Many Americans Have Smartphones in 2024? The Numbers and Trends Behind Ubiquitous Adoption

Over 85% of American adults now carry those tiny but oh-so-powerful computers called smartphones wherever they go. These devices have worked their way into just about every crevice of daily life—keeping us perpetually connected, informed, entertained, and productive with just a tap or swipe.

But even for those of us immersed in smartphone culture, it‘s easy to overlook exactly how pervasive adoption has grown across all ages and demographics. Or how profoundly these gadgets impact everything from online shopping behaviors to work collaboration capabilities to social networking habits.

Let’s explore some illuminating data points that quantify America‘s wholesale embrace of smartphones while revealing key usage trends.

Smartphone Owners Surge Past 85% of U.S. Adults

Smartphone adoption among everyday Americans has skyrocketed over the past decade, rising from just 35% in 2011 to a whopping 85% as of January 2023 according to Pew Research Center’s sweeping surveys. This equates to approximately 222 million American adults who now carry these devices daily.

The chart below illustrates the rapid market maturity based on Pew’s historical adoption data since owning a first computer or smartphone became commonplace. Note the steep hockey stick growth trajectory for smartphones since 2011 compared to computers.

[Insert chart showing adoption curves over time for computers vs. smartphones, call out 85% smartphone penetration]

Pew‘s latest survey indicates that ownership rates may be approaching saturation, with 85% adoption only marking modest gains from 84% and 81% in 2022 and 2021 respectively. Yet considering only 8 years ago just 68% of American adults had smartphones, it’s conceivable that 90%+ penetration is inevitable within the next 5 years as the remaining holdouts gradually acquiesce.

Younger Americans Approach Universally Ubiquitous Adoption

Predictably, smartphone adoption has already reached virtually universal status among younger American adults immersed in mobile technology their entire lives.

Pew found that a full 96% of 18-29 year olds reported owning smartphones as of 2021. This figure drops only slightly to 98% among 30-49 year olds. Compare that to elderly generations with 91% of Baby Boomers now adopting smartphones alongside 81% of the Silent Generation per eMarkter‘s analysis.

So while small market growth pockets remain mostly among select middle-aged and elderly demographics, smartphones have tipped long past mainstream status into ubiquity for U.S. Millennials and especially “digital native” Gen Z.

The Average User Spends Nearly 3 Hours Daily On Apps

Sure 85% of American adults may carry smartphones—but how actively engaged are they? According to 2021 analytics firm App Annie, the average U.S. smartphone owner spends 2 hours and 58 minutes daily using apps or browsing the mobile web.

That tallies up to roughly 20 hours weekly! And note the lion’s share of time is actually concentrated inside apps at over 90% rather than mobile web browsing.

Games and social networking apps dominate usage, but video streaming, messaging, photo sharing, shopping and music have also entered the mix—with short form video app TikTok the latest to join the ranks of the most popular apps by monthly active users.

So beyond just serving as an emergency tether delivering the occasional text, email or phone call, smartphones have clearly evolved into mobile media and entertainment hubs occupying over 10% of users’ waking hours.

Which Brands Are iOS vs Android? Who Leads Smartphone Market Share?

Measuring the most popular smartphone brands currently used in America requires examining market share through two distinct lenses:

1. iOS vs Android platform adoption
2. Individual device manufacturer adoption

As of 2022, 58% of US smartphone users run Apple’s iOS platform on iPhones while just 42% use Google’s Android software according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

So iOS enjoys a comfortable 16 point market share lead over Android in the United States. Compare that to global smartphone figures where Android dominates with over 70% total market share outside Apple’s iPhone fortress markets like North America.

Drilling down to specific device brands, iPhone remains America’s undisputed top smartphone model counting over 50% market share based on latest comScore data. This gives Apple more than double the U.S. installed base of second place Samsung at just 24% share, with all other Android brands splitting the residual non-iOS portion.

The chart below illustrates Apple’s commanding market share lead in the United States over major Android rivals Samsung and LG:

[Insert stacked bar chart visualizing iOS vs Android platform share in the US along with Apple vs Samsung vs LG vs other manufacturer share]

So while far more global smartphone shipments run Google’s Android outside the States, Apple’s headstart in establishing iOS network effects and ecosystem stickiness pays dividends in wealthy consumer markets like America. Particularly as the iPhone maker pushes into delivering more subscription services and doubling down on privacy.

Smartphones Become Frontline Shopping Assistants: 82% Use for Retail Research

Beyond communication, entertainment and information lookup duties, smartphones now serve as the first stop for researching potential purchases according to PayPal’s 2021 consumer behavior study.

An astounding 82% of Americans reported using smartphones to shop over the preceding year:

• 51% used phones to research products before buying online
• 50% used phones to research before purchasing in physical stores
• 36% used phones to check online prices/reviews while already shopping in-store

Plus 33% identified smartphones as the most common device used for online shopping—just slightly behind laptops at 36% share but far exceeding desktops at 13%.

This data shows how engrained smartphones have become into the entire retail journey—from initial product research, to price comparisons during trips down store aisles, all the way through payment after finalizing ecommerce carts.

Phones have essentially elevated into retail shopping assistant roles—helping consumers quickly investigate options, stretch budgets through deal hunting, validate decisions with reviews, and process transactions in just a few taps.

Adding More Context: Smartphone Shopping Assistants in Action!

To visualize smartphones supporting shopping journeys, let’s walk through a common scenario faced by everyday consumers:

Jenna sees an interesting new cosmetics product while watching YouTube beauty vlogs one evening. But before she pulls the trigger on buying, Jenna whips out her iPhone to quickly research product reviews on Influenster, confirm availability at local Walgreens stores via the app, and hunt for ecommerce discounts across her favorite beauty retailers using DealNews.

After feeling satisfied enough to purchase thanks to handy mobile research, Jenna heads to her nearby Walgreens the next day…yet still can’t resist opening the Walgreens app again to scan prices after noticing an in-store promotion seems less generous than the online offer she identified yesterday. A bit of cart tetris ensues as she toggles between physical and digital aisles trying to maximize savings.

Finally upon checking out with free curbside pickup, Jenna scans her phone’s mobile wallet loaded up with her PayPal and Chase Visa accounts alongside loyalty cards—choosing the best payment option to maximize rewards. Then she receives an automated pickup confirmation via the Walgreens app and heads home with her new cosmetics discounted discovery in hand—quite satisfied from using her smartphone to optimize the entire shopper journey!

Over 216 Million Americans Leverage Smartphones for Mobile Payments

Speaking of using smartphones at checkout, a staggering 75% of Americans have now set up options for contactless mobile payments according to recent Visa data. That equates to over 216 million adults who can pay using services like Apple Pay and Google Pay linked to mobile wallets preloaded with payment cards.

In fact, over 10 billion transactions tapped contactless payment methods in 2021 with 100 million Americans trying mobile payments for the first time during the pandemic according to Mastercard.

And according to analytics firm Populus, the average American engages contactless payments 25 times per month with millennials skewing even higher thanks to mobile pay ubiquitity. That tallies up to over 300 contactless transactions yearly!

So whether waving or tapping payment cards themselves at PoS terminals or scanning smartphones and smartwatches for frictionless checkout using services like Apple Pay or Google Pay, mobile proximity payments have become completely mainstream.

Yet contactless checkout and in-app purchasing are just the beginning. Amidst surging interest in cryptocurrencies, 20% of smartphone users already leverage mobile apps to trade or track digital assets according to Bakkt research. While juggernauts like PayPal, Square, Robinhood and Venmo have aggressively rolled out crypto exchange and spending functionality within their mobile apps to capitalize on allure surrounding decentralized finance and tokenized assets.

Smartphone Users Worldwide: Massive Runways Still Ahead in Developing Markets

Given 85% of all American adults now carry these powerful pocket computers daily—smartphone market maturity at home comes clearly into focus. Yet globally, worldwide penetration still has enormous headroom at around 61% according 2020 GSMA data.

The developing world represents a final massive frontier as rising incomes permit more consumers to purchase devices while wireless carriers enhance infrastructure reach.

India exhibits a prime example of early-stage smartphone adoption explosion with eMarketer forecasting nearly 100% user growth from 442 to 859 million over just a 6 year period by 2025. Counter that to the US market exhibiting only marginal single digit ownership gains.

Several additional stats underscore monumental global growth runways:

• China already exceeded 850 million smartphone users as of mid-2022 according to Statista—dwarfing the USA.
• Sub-Saharan Africa will double smartphone connections from 300 million to over 600 million by 2025 per GSMA
• Southeast Asia recently hit 70% penetration up from just 55% in 2019 with plenty of upside remaining

As large swaths of the developing world connect to hi-speed mobile broadband and gain enough disposable income to purchase smartphones, tech ecosystems must gear up for an influx of first-time owners. Familiar challenges may resurface around consistent education, smart regulation, data privacy and digital equality. But so will fresh opportunities to serve newly empowered consumers.

At over 85% adoption stateside and 61% globally, smartphones are certainly no longer the realm of early tech adopters. These now-ubiquitous devices have secured mainstream permeation clear into elderly demographics—yet still offer growth groups worth acknowledging like enterprise usage.

And even in maturing markets like America facing incremental adoption sluggishness, trends around mobile payments, crypto asset apps, 5G impacts and additional advanced capabilities will continually shape smartphone experiences, utility and shopper expectations.

Summing Up: Smartphones’ Clear Trajectory from Novelty to Ubiquity

It’s nearly impossible to escape someone pulling smartphones from pockets or purses these days as 85% of American adults gaze into shiny screens nearly 3 hours and over 2,500 times daily according to analytics firms. Adoption has clearly catapulted mainstream into ubiquity thanks to non-stop enhancements in mobility, connectivity, entertainment, shopping assistance, productivity, payments and information access.

Yet the smartphone revolution still contains unfinished chapters like empowering developing world consumers, driving senior adoption in aging societies, unlocking enterprise mobility, spreading crypto wallets, and exploring implications of persistent digital immersion.

But amongst the dizzying array of perpetually evolving apps and capabilities sits one certainly: the epoch-defining smartphone has cemented itself as an absolutely indispensable tool for modern life. These gadgets continue progressing well beyond novelty status into ubiquity thanks to solving real human needs around connection, convenience, discovery, education and joy.