People are using their phones for almost everything these days - except, it turns out, phone calls.
According to a study commissioned and released by O2, calling people on your mobile is now just the fifth most popular thing to do with your mobile.
Calling people has fallen behind browsing the internet (24 minutes per day), checking social networks (17mins), listening to music (15mins) and playing games (14mins).
Meanwhile more people said they used their phone for taking photos than for making calls.
According to the study, only 71% used phones for speaking, compared to 74% who used it for photography.
But O2 claimed the total number of minutes people used to call others on their phones was static.
Interestingly, as many people said they used their phone to keep a diary (39%) as playing games (38%).
When asked what device their phones had replaced, most people said 'alarm clock' (54%) while large numbers said watches (46%), camera (39%) and diary (28%).
David Johnson, GM for devices at O2, said:
“Smartphones are now being used like a digital ‘Swiss Army Knife’, replacing possessions like watches, cameras, books and even laptops.
"While we’re seeing no let-up in the number of calls customers make or the amount of time they spend speaking on their phones, their phone now plays a far greater role in all aspects of their lives."
