Time spent on smartphones in Germany has risen again. A Bitkom Research survey, carried out by telephone in the first five calendar weeks of 2026 with 1,006 respondents aged 16 and older (861 of whom own a smartphone), found that users average 180 minutes a day on their devices-this up from about 150 minutes in 2024.
Younger adults use the phone most. Those aged 16 to 29 spend an average of 216 minutes a day on their smartphone, well above older cohorts. The 30‑to‑49‑year‑olds average 192 minutes, the 50‑to‑64‑year‑olds 177 minutes, and people 65 and older see a sharp drop to 113 minutes a day.
When looking only at talking, the daily usage falls significantly. Phone calls amount to just 26 minutes per day on average, a small fraction of the total 180 minutes. Calls remain relevant, but the smartphone is mainly used for other purposes. Call durations are less age‑varying: up to age 64, daily talking stays around half an hour (∼30 minutes), but for those over 65 it falls to 18 minutes a day.
The way people talk on smartphones has also changed. Only 56 percent still hold the handset like a classic telephone. “Hands‑free” using headphones or headsets is almost as common (48 percent). A large portion also uses the speakerphone or speaker function (42 percent), while 37 percent typically hold the phone vertically against their mouth.
This data provides a detailed snapshot of how German smartphone usage varies by age and how the functions people use have shifted over time.
