According to a survey released by the IT industry association Bitkom, the average German smartphone user has 46 installed applications, not including any pre-installed ones. This number represents an increase from the previous year, when the average was 42. Regarding overall usage, nearly half of respondents (49%) carry 50 or more apps on their device. Another 19% use between 30 and 49 apps, while 13% manage between 20 and 29 apps; notably, only 4% reported having zero extra applications installed.
When determining the most crucial functions of their smartphone, users rated short news apps as the most essential at 83% importance. This was followed closely by applications for finance and payments, cited by 80% of respondents, and email apps, which were deemed important by 70%. Among other highly valued tools are photo and media galleries (69%), weather apps (68%), and news feeds (all three of social media, navigation/maps, and general news ranked at 66%).
Furthermore, several lifestyle categories are deeply integrated into the digital routine. Health, fitness, and nutrition apps were cited as crucial by 63% of users. Online shopping (61%) and connectivity for mobility and travel (56%) are also major components of daily use. Less dominant, but still significant, are calendar and organizational apps (54%), streaming services for music, video, and podcasts (50%), and artificial intelligence applications, such as ChatGPT, voice assistants, or image generators (47%). Even basic utilities retain high importance, with the calculator rated essential by 44% and the notes application by 43%.
The data was gathered by Bitkom Research through telephone interviews with 1,006 people in Germany aged 16 years and older, including 861 individuals who use their smartphones for private purposes. The survey was conducted during the first five calendar weeks of 2026.
