Smartphone Activities Americans Over 50 [CHART]

Seven in 10 Americans ages 50 and older own a smartphone, says the AARP in research [PDF], and those Americans are most likely to use their devices for messaging. In fact, almost 9 in 10 smartphone owners of this age send or receive instant messages or emails on their devices, per the report.

There are several other activities performed by a a majority of smartphone owners ages 50 and older on their devices. These are:

• Getting directions or traffic information (77%);
• Downloading or purchasing an app (69%);
• Visiting websites or surfing the internet (64%);
• Getting news and other information (62%); and
• Accessing a social networking site (60%).

Not far behind, almost half (45%) use their smartphone’s voice-activated assistant.

Virtually all smartphone activities are performed to a greater extent by owners in their 50s than those ages 70 and older. That’s especially true for shopping activities, whether they be comparative shopping for deals and discounts or actually making a purchase. For example, while close to half (45%) of smartphone owners in their 50s make purchases on their devices, that figure plummets to fewer than one-fifth (19%) of device owners ages 70 and up. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.com.