Users have more phone apps, use them less

NEW YORK, May 16 (UPI) -- Installed smartphone applications have increased for both Android and iPhone devices but the amount of time spent using them hasn't changed much, Nielsen says.

While the average number of installed applications per device has jumped to from 32 to 41, a 28 percent increase, the average amount of time spent in apps was 39 minutes per day, just 2 minutes more per day than in 2011, Nielsen Media Research's "State of the Appnation" survey found.

With more than half of the U.S. population now using smartphones, the top five apps are the same as the last time Nielsen conducted its survey, gigaom.com reported Wednesday.

Those apps are Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search and Gmail.

More apps but the same time spent means consumers are spending less time with each app on average, analysts said, meaning developers might be challenged when it comes to increasing application engagement.