Text messages remain the most popular mobile app in Austria, despite a rapid rise in use of other services including e-mail and web browsing.
An annual survey by Telekom Austria subsidiary A1 reveals that 90% of Austrians regularly send and receive text messages compared with 37% accessing Facebook and Twitter on their mobile, and 22% e-mail. However, text message use grew just 2% year-on-year, compared to an eight percentage point rise in the number accessing e-mail, and a seven percentage point increase in social network usage.
The survey - conducted among 1,210 mobile users by research institute GfK in June and July - shows that use of mobile applications grew 18 percentage points year-on-year to 25%. Games, news and social media are the most popular apps, however local news and information is also rated highly by subscribers – with 65% of respondents showing interest in localized apps.
While Apple’s iPhone garners the highest satisfaction ratings among smartphone owners, devices running Google’s Android are the top sellers in the market, accounting for 38% of smartphone sales compared to 30% for Apple’s iOS and 13% Symbian.
Despite software becoming a key factor in consumer’s purchasing decisions, A1’s survey reveals that price remains the most important element influencing their decisions. That factor could account for the fact that Nokia is still the most popular handset brand in Austria, owned by 42% of respondents compared to the 20% of second-placed Samsung.