While smartphone use is rising, fewer phones are suffering damage that requires repairs or replacement.
Good thing, because users can hardly part with smartphones long enough to get them fixed.
In its latest Mobile Mythconceptions Surveys, Allstate Protection Plans found that 49% of American smartphone owners report spending more time on their phones than a year ago, with 45% spending five or more hours a day glued to their screens. Over half (54%) of smartphone owners report watching more videos, TV shows and movies on their phones than on TV, while 39% take six or more photos daily and 31% capture more than six videos daily.
Yet the frequency of smartphone damage saw a slight decrease from previous years. In the past 12 months, 78 million Americans reported damaging a device compared to 87 million during a comparable period in 2020. About 31% of smartphone owners surveyed report having damaged a smartphone in the past year.
Damage from liquid was once the most frequent culprit for smartphones, but designs are made more water-resistant. Now, damaged screens are number one, with the money spent on screen repairs surging to $8.3 billion in 2023, nearly tripling the amount paid in 2018 ($3.4 billion).
Last year, the most frequent accidents and malfunctions reported were:
- Damaged screens (67%)
- Wi-Fi or connectivity issues (28%)
- Touchscreen problems (24%)
- Loose or damaged charging port (22%)
- Water damage (21%)
- Battery not working correctly (21%)
- Chipped corner/sides (20%)
- Speaker issues (17%)
- Dented corner/sides (15%)
- Camera(s) not working correctly (14%)
- Microphone(s) not working correctly (11%)
Many people consider repairs impractical, with 38% of respondents who damaged their smartphones saying they replaced their devices. The top reason given for avoiding or delaying repairs was the cost (39%), with others citing time away from their phone (21%), waiting for an upgrade (15%), and sustainability concerns (12%).
About a third (32%) said they would continue using a device despite the damage.
Conversely, 36% say they would wait a day or less to repair their phone. A few reported attempting DIY fixes (17%), but 23% used professional repair services.
What are users doing with old phones? Many find it hard to let go of old devices, with 40% keeping them as backups. Other users reported trading in for credit on a new phone (35%), recycling (27%), giving them to friends or family (22%), 19% selling them (19%) and discarding them (14%). With sustainability in mind, 38% of American smartphone owners are likely to purchase refurbished devices.
Only 8% of those surveyed reported they had permanently lost their device, and 5% were stolen.
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