Fun vs Functional

Social apps like Facebook are the most popular on smartphones - but not so much on TabletsSocial apps are the most frequently used type of app on smartphones, according to research from Lightspeed Research. 73 per cent of smartphone users access social networks through apps on a daily basis, and a further 19 per cent do so at least weekly. Coming in second and third place on smartphones are news apps and weather apps.

On Tablets, however, it's a very different picture - the top three types of apps are games, business, and finance and banking. Ignoring the popularity of games for a moment, that suggests a more functional usage of apps on Tablets. 63 per cent of Tablet users access business apps on a daily basis, and 56 per cent finance and banking apps, compared to 32 per cent who use social apps daily.

“With the different content usage and take-up rates on smartphones compared to Tablets, brands and marketers need to ensure that they are providing apps that meet the different needs of consumers when using those two devices, be that business, gaming or social," says Ralph Risk, marketing director, Europe, at Lightspeed.

48 per cent of smartphone users reported having paid for apps, a figure that's significantly higher on iOS (71 per cent) and lower on Android (35 per cent). Of those who have paid, however, 69 per cent have never paid more than £3 for an app. Tablet owners spend more on apps than smartphone - 19 per cent had spent more than £30 on them in the past six months.