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Nearly half of UK smartphone users unlock their phone 4,000 times a year for no reason at all

<em>Nearly half of people unlock their phones out of impulse (Rex/stock photo)</em>
Nearly half of people unlock their phones out of impulse (Rex/stock photo)

Smartphone addiction is nothing new but nearly half of Brits unlock their phones around 4,000 times a year – for no reason.

While it may be a little excessive to check Facebook or WhatsApp every spare second you get in the day, there is at least a point to it.

But more than 40% of the 10,000 times people check their phones throughout the year is for no other reason than being “compulsive”, according to a new survey.

<em>Facebook proves to be the most popular app for smartphone users (Max Pixel)</em>
Facebook proves to be the most popular app for smartphone users (Max Pixel)

Researchers found that people unlock their smartphones 28 times a day – with over a third of this time being totally unnecessary and purely impulsive.

The survey, conducted by online casino casumo.com, also found that the average user spends nearly an hour a day on their phone, while a third admitted to being addicted to checking their phone.

The most popular app is, unsurprisingly, Facebook, followed by WhatsApp, Gmail and Instagram.

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Greg Tatton-Brown, spokesman for casumo.com, said: “Our smart devices have become an essential part of modern life, and checking them regularly is second nature for most users.

“However the instances of compulsive checking are much higher than we would have imagined, showing our phones are as much a habit as they are an aide to our busy lifestyles and an immediate source of entertainment, from wherever we are.”

TOP 20 MOST POPULAR APPS

1. Facebook
2. WhatsApp
3. Gmail
4. Instagram
5. Google Chrome
6. Facebook Messenger
7. Twitter
8. YouTube
9. Google Maps
10. Ebay
11. Amazon
12. Snapchat
13. Spotify
14. Google Play
15. Skype
16. Apple Music
17. Google Play Music
18. Google Hangouts
19. Netflix
20. Google Play Newsstand