Categories
Close
Menu
Menu
Close
Search
Search

Featured Articles

Mobile users would rather drop calls than miss messages, says Ofcom research
News

Mobile users would rather drop calls than miss messages, says Ofcom research

Mark

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app among UK adults

Share:

Print

Rate article:

No rating
Rate this article:
No rating
UK communications regulator Ofcom has published a report looking at the use of online communication services (OCS), comparing their usage with conventional mobile phone calls and text messages. The report reveals that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app among UK adults, with 76% of respondents having used it in the past three months. Facebook Messenger and Instagram were the second and third most popular messaging apps, with 53% (Messenger) and 22% (Instagram) of respondents using them in the past three months.

Between 2012 and 2022, the total number of text messages sent annually in the UK fell from 151 billion to 36 billion (SMS and MMS). Over the same period, the number of online messages sent in the UK rose from 100 billion a year to over 1.3 trillion.

Around two thirds of UK adults (65%) say WhatsApp is their main online communication service, followed by Facebook Messenger (18%) and Apple iMessage (6%).

58% of UK adults said they would rather go without mobile phone calls for 24 hours than go without their favourite messaging apps.

However, mobile phone voice calls remain a popular way to keep in touch. Between 2012 and 2022, the amount of time spent making mobile phone calls increased from 132 billion minutes to 170 billion minutes, with 83% of UK adults having made a mobile call in the last three months.

[Ofcom news release]

Comments

Collapse Expand Comments (0)
You don't have permission to post comments.

Opinion Articles

ExclusiveIan Brown, CEO of Axell Wireless, talks about underground mobile phone coverage

Mark Bridge writes:

Just a few weeks ago WiFi was made available on a number of London Underground stations - yet mobile coverage still stops when you go down the escalator.

So why is it taking so long for us to get mobile phone service on the Tube?

For an insight into some of the challenges and the possible solutions I spoke to Ian Brown, CEO of Axell Wireless. The company is a leader when it comes to providing additional wireless coverage in confined spaces - from tunnels to sports stadiums - and is currently involved in the project to install mobile phone service on the Channel Tunnel.

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 9th July 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

It was a good week for technology stories hitting the mainstream news, thanks to the apparent appearance of a Higgs boson, Sir Alan Sugar’s YouView online TV service and football goal-line technology.

Mobile-related news hasn’t been quite so big, although plenty of well-known names have turned up in the headlines. What’s also been turning up – rather more than usual – is the presence of WiFi.

Last week at The Fonecast: 25th June 2012

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 25th June 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

Microsoft started last week with news of an own-brand rival to the Apple iPad. The new Windows-based Microsoft Surface tablets will start to appear later this year, although full details of the specifications – including whether or not there’ll be cellular connectivity – remain unconfirmed.

ExclusiveAdding a little extra to every mobile sale will make a big difference

Mark Bridge writes:

Is there any product that offers as much potential for additional sales as the mobile phone?

When I visit a coffee shop to buy a coffee, I’m often asked “would you like any pastries or muffins with that?”

On the one occasion that I bought a new car, I was offered the option of paying extra for different colours, for floor mats and for a fancy stereo. When you buy a DVD player or a games console, it’s pretty obvious you’ll be paying extra for entertainment.

Yet, when you consider the variety of add-ons available in the mobile industry, I’d say smartphones were in a league of their own.

ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 18th June 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

Oh, how cheerful we were last Monday. Apple previewed iOS6, which will bring mobile tickets (and 200 other new features) to the iPhone and iPad this autumn. Vodafone cut the cost of using your phone in Europe with its flat-rate £3-per-day EuroTraveller deal and a few days later Three came up with its own ‘unlimited’ European data roaming.

Yet by the end of the week there were fewer smiles in the mobile industry.

RSS
First3637383941434445Last

Recent Podcasts

ExclusivePodcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

ExclusiveLooking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

ExclusiveA month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Archive Calendar

«June 2026»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

Archive