Study: Teens use voice search most, even in bathroom
For teens, voice search comes as naturally as checking social media and they're getting very creative about how (and where) they use it, including in the bathroom, according to a study released by Google.
More than 50% teenagers use voice search every day and 56% of adults say using voice search makes them feel "tech savvy," Google reported in its Mobile Voice study.
How do they use it? Most use it while watching TV (38%) and wish they could use it to help them find their remote control. And 22% use it in the bathroom.
Among teens 13-18, 55% use voice search every day, 56% of adults said it makes them “feel tech savvy,” and both age groups are talking to their phones while watching TV (38%) - and wish voice search could help them find the remote control (41%).
“Voice search is a key feature of the Google app that's becoming ever more important as people spend more time on their mobile phones,” said Scott Huffman, Google's Vice President for Conversational Search. “We wanted to learn more about how people of all ages use Google hands-free on their phones. We found that for teens, voice search comes as naturally as checking social media and they're getting very creative about how (and where) they use it. The study gives us great ideas about new ways we could help people - maybe even help them find their keys and other elusive objects.”
The Mobile Voice Study asked participants to give their opinions about voice search (the most popular examples of which are Google, Siri and Cortana), and to explain how, where and why they use the mobile feature. Respondents prioritize voice search for activities that require safety and efficiency. For example:
• 40% use voice search to ask for directions.
• 39% use the feature to dictate a text message.
• 32% do so to make a phone call.
• 23% of adult Americans use voice search “when I'm cooking.”
• 51% of teens (and 32% of adults) use voice search “just for fun.”
• 27% use voice search to check the weather.
Teens Most Active Users of Hands-Free Search (Even in the Bathroom)
The majority of U.S. teens (55%) use hands-free search every day, and that figure rises to 75% among teens who are wedded to their smartphones (using it 11+ hours per day).
While hands-free search is growing more common across all age groups, some self-consciousness remains: 45% of adult Americans admit to "feeling like a geek" when they talk to their smartphone. Despite this, all age groups agree that voice search will be "very common" in the future (89% of teens and 85% of adults agree).
More than 75% of all Americans think voice search is great for multitasking. 59% of teens and 36% of adults use the their phone's voice search while watching TV and 22% of teens claim to use it "when I'm in the bathroom". Overall, two-thirds (64%) think voice search is cool and nearly as many (58%) say they feel tech savvy.
U.S. Teens: I Want My Phone to Send Me Pizza
When asked to "pick one thing you wish you could ask your phone to do for you," 45% of American teens selected "send me a pizza." More pragmatic adults wished they could ask their phone to "tell me where my keys are," though "send me a pizza" was also popular among 36% of adults. A nearly equal number of teens and adults (34% and 33%, respectively) want their smartphones to one day tell them where to find their TV's remote control. With Oct. 31 just a few weeks away, 16% of teens wish their phone could tell them what costume to wear on Halloween.