Smartphone Users Addicted to Checking In

A report in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing said many people look at their phone's menu screens, news, email and apps throughout the day, and the more they check their phones, the more addicted they become.

Apps that offer "informational rewards" only feed smartphone addiction, the report says. Looking at a person's Facebook status with real-time updates about location, for example, contribute to the cycle.

With users downloading millions of apps every year, smartphone users find they have plenty to do on their phones. Most smartphone users don't use their phones for making calls, but for the apps they include.

Despite the plethora of engaging apps, however, the journal report suggests many habitual users aren't even staying on their phones long enough to use these apps to their fullest potential. Smartphone addicts generally check their devices for less than 30 seconds, the report said, just long enough for them to open their phone's screen lock and glance at a single app.

Apps that don't give such instant gratification may change checking habits, the study suggested. The journal examined two different types of phones -- Nokia for Finnish subjects and Android for American. When apps were more complex and involved, such as on the Android model, users stayed on the phone longer. However, with the Nokia phone, which is not app-centric, users came back for quicker checks more often.

If developers take the journal's report seriously, smartphone users may soon see more apps that allow them to make such checks even more quickly.