New research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 74% of smartphone owners use their phone for real-time location-based information, with 18% using a geo-social service to ‘check in’ or share their location.
Although smartphone ownership among Americans has risen from 35% of adults in 2011 to 46% in 2012, the overall proportion of US adults who use location-based information has increased much faster. The number using real-time location information has jumped from 23% in May 2011 to 41% in February 2012, while the proportion of adults using geo-social services has risen from 4% last year to 10% in 2012.
Kathryn Zickuhr, the report’s author, said “We’ve watched mobile phones become increasingly entwined in people’s everyday activities, and location-based services are an important part of that. Smartphones’ geolocation abilities are clearly popular with their users, who can get the information they want exactly when and where they want it. It’s fascinating to watch how quickly smartphones owners are incorporating this type of real-time, location-specific information in their lives.”
[Report]