6 facts about Americans and their Smartphones

• Smartphones have become an important way for Americans to communicate, go online, and access and share information.

Here are six key findings from the report:

1. The share of Americans who own a smartphone has substantially increased since 2011, when Pew Research first began examining smartphone adoption.
2. Some smartphone owners – particularly younger adults, minorities and lower-income Americans – depend on their smartphone for internet access.
3. While texting, talking, emailing and going online dominate, a majority of Americans also use their smartphones for social networking, taking photos or videos, and catching up with the news.
4. Smartphones serve as an access point for navigating a wide array of important life events, from health conditions to new jobs.
5. Fully 46% of smartphone owners say their smartphone is something “they couldn’t live without.”
6. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of smartphone owners have canceled or suspended their cell phone service because the cost was too expensive.

Via: Pew Research Center