How many times a do you check your cell phone?

[helena]

According to a J.Crew ad I have here (:D), "the average woman checks her phone almost 40 times a day". I've been thinking about it all weekend... does that sound like a lot of checking?

 

I'm going to count tomorrow. Watch it'll be something like 74. :lol:

 

It's 2:30 in the morning here and I just grabbed my phone to read in bed. I saw that a girlfriend texted me an urgent message around 3pm (just now saw it). I'm starting to think I'm irritating my friends by not promptly answering voicemail and texts (much less just picking up the phone when they call).

 

I think I'm making a point with out realizing it, to not check the phone over and over through out the day. I don't enjoy the feeling of having to be available to everybody all the time. And, I really don't want to have my kids remember me as being preoccupied by my phone.

 

Sooo... How many times a day do you check your phone? Do you think it's rude (I can live with irritating :001_smile:) to not text or phone back quickly? Is responding the next day (or the next day :001_huh:) rude or weird?

 

Hmm, lots of smilies. I should put myself to bed!

 

ETA: Sorry! The title should have been How many times a day do you check your cell phone. For what? Anything.

Edited July 23, 2012 by helena

[Mama Geek]

I don't have a smart phone and I don't text. I do use it as a substitute for a watch. There is no way I check it that many times in a day.

[jengjohnson]

I have the reputation of being hard to get in touch with. I can easily go a whole day without even knowing where my phone is. I know it's annoying to a few people. When my kids are away from the house though, the phone is in my pocket and always answered. It doesn't bother me when my friends don't get right back with me, though it drives me crazy when my husband doesn't answer back quickly.

 

In general though, I don't like talking on the phone and haven't since high school. Texting is more convenient and efficient, doesn't interrupt lessons, etc.

[ChristyB in TN]

Mine is constantly with me and I check it, hear it, respond immediately. I have a son away at college (soon to be two) and I want to know he can contact me and I will respond. The biggest part of my job is communicating, I own a real estate company. We get calls about property at the strangest hours...we call it 'emergency house buying' ;) Responding immediately to texts and emails keeps me from HAVING to talk on the phone.

[Kelly1730]

I just recently got a cell phone with texting abilities ( I know, I'm probably the last person in the free world ;)). Before I really couldn't be bothered but my 20yo daughter has been away all year, she will continue to be away for an undetermined length of time and I want to be able to communicate with her. She texts my dh all the time and then he relays the message to me but I want her to be able to contact me directly. My 25 yo son texted me last week asking for "prayers and positive mom thoughts" :) about a job interview he had coming up and then texted "love you, mom". Yeah, I'll be checking my phone on a regular basis;).

[Sara in AZ]

I just got an iPhone, sooooo a lot. Before that I could go a day without knowing my phone was in the car or dead or under the bed.

[Night Elf]

I'd say about half a dozen, if even that much. I love having a cell, but I don't use it a great deal. And quite often, I forget to take it with me when I leave the house which drives my family batty. :)

 

Then again, I only have 4 people that contact me by my cell: my DH, my mom, and my daughters. I'm sure I would use it more if I had more people to talk to. Pitiful, isn't it?

[bpskowski]

I have a prepaid one that I use for when I travel. We're waiting for my car to die. I don't even know what the number is and/or if I could check messages.

 

I'm actually traveling to NE PA today. Maybe I could call amo_mea_filiis if I break down.

[dm379]

I check mine constantly and it is always with me. Dh is overseas and I hate missing calls from him. Plus I text a lot.

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't text. I check my phone about once a week, mostly to see if it needs charging.

[Soror]

I only carry mine once in a blue moon, currently it is with dh as his run out of minutes and I hardly use mine anyway. Really only if I go on a trip without him(rare) or it is food co-op day, so customers can get ahold of me- once a month. Otherwise, anyone who knows me, knows not to call my cell phone. I'm surprised that the number isn't higher because it seems that most people I see these days are constantly checking their phone, while ignoring the people they are around, it drives me batty.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I guess I don't see a reason you'd need to check it when it will make noise if someone is trying to get ahold of you (a ding for email, a text sound for text, a ringtone for a call).

 

Now, I *do* check it for the time sometimes.

And I have a couple friends I text with quite a bit.

And I sometimes get into a game (right now it is Matching With Friends).

 

But mostly, I figure it'll call me if someone is trying to get ahold of me.

[Mommyfaithe]

I check mine a few times a day. I am not compulsive about it....but, do carry it with me when I leave the house.

[The Girls' Mom]

Only when it rings, usually :confused: It is almost always near me, and I have a dumb phone...so I have no reason to check it unless it is ringing.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I just got an iPhone, sooooo a lot. Before that I could go a day without knowing my phone was in the car or dead or under the bed.

 

:iagree: i text, check email, come here, all from my phone.

 

I have a prepaid one that I use for when I travel. We're waiting for my car to die. I don't even know what the number is and/or if I could check messages.

 

I'm actually traveling to NE PA today. Maybe I could call amo_mea_filiis if I break down.

 

Sure, just please wait until my car is cleaned or i can't fit any extras. I would prefer a text. :tongue_smilie:

[catz]

I have a basic cell no texting plan. 95%+ of the calls I get on there are from my DH. I check it if it makes noise. Which is rarely more than once or twice a day.

 

Definitely check my email regularly though.

[ThisIsTheDay]

I got a smart phone two weeks ago, and my kids have been out of town for the past 12 days. I've barely talked to them but texted a LOT. I carry my phone in my pocket on vibe when I'm at work. I'm sure I've been checking it far more than 40 times a day, but I expect that to decrease significantly once my kids get back home.

 

I haven't worn a watch in 25+ years because I was addicted to checking it (and not remembering 5 seconds later!). I don't use my phone much for a watch, because I've long been used to the idea that if my time is that short, I shouldn't be wherever I am.

 

Do I think it's rude not to text or call back quickly? No, but I do feel an obligation to respond more quickly than I did via hard line phone (no longer have) or email.

 

I also worry now about emailing people at odd hours, after a friend mentioned that my comments on her FB beep her phone at 4am her time. Otoh, my kids have texted me after I'm asleep, and even with the phone on my nightstand, I haven't heard the tone. I feel like I'm adjusting to a new "normal." It's neither good nor bad, just different.

[Gentlemommy]

A lot. It's my camera, map, my reminder (medicine, appointments, ect) alarm clock, music (some for pleasure and some for schooling purposes), audio book (again, both for pleasure and school), grocery list (or any other note taking), portable google (can't tell you how many times we've found a cool insect at the park and wanted to google it, or dd has asked me a question I can't answer so we google), watch, my timer (for school and therapy stuff), my metronome (again, for therapy), it has a few games on it that I use for vision therapy (those are the only games on it tho, I don't buy kid games just for the sake of having them), and I let the toddler scroll through the pictures to keep her busy and quiet while I teach lol.

My dh has a career that can be dangerous plus he travels quite a bit, so I keep it close for that reason. I almost never talk on the phone, only to 3-4 people, I usually text, so as not to get caught up in a long conversation and be distracted from teaching. it's easier to text an answer to a question than chat on the phone for a while, kwim? I don't answer the phone while I am doing school, but if I'm waiting for dd to finish her etc page, I can shoot someone a text.

I know I use it a lot, but I don't think it's a distraction away from the kids. I'm always available to them. ;)

[Parrothead]

Check it how? If I have a text, email or call it makes noise so I don't check to see if I missed something or check to see if it is working.

 

If I need information from it I might otherwise use it a handful of times a day. I'll check the weather if there is a sudden change. Sometimes I'll use the internet option but it is difficult to type on such a small device. So not something I do often.

[GailV]

I just recently got a cell phone with texting abilities ( I know, I'm probably the last person in the free world ;)).

 

Mine has texting abilities, but no QWERTY keyboard, so it's fairly unusable for texting. And that's okay with me.

 

Honestly, my first thought was "does the average woman even HAVE a phone (cell phone implied)?" Because I'd think the answer world wide would be "no".

 

And I'm not sure about the answer for the U.S., although I'd guess it to be less than half of all women. Depending on how we define "women" -- according to age?

 

I'm obviously a wet blanket when it comes to breezy ads like this. I'd rewrite it to something along the lines of "Among females ages 18 and older who own a phone with [XYZ capabilities], the average female checks her phone almost 40 times a day".

 

And in response to the OP, plenty of people take a while to answer texts -- I can tell by the group texts I sometimes get from dd's voice teacher, which are followed up by repeat texts days later because not everyone answered the first time.

[Julie Smith]

I have the reputation of being hard to get in touch with. I can easily go a whole day without even knowing where my phone is. I know it's annoying to a few people. When my kids are away from the house though, the phone is in my pocket and always answered. It doesn't bother me when my friends don't get right back with me, though it drives me crazy when my husband doesn't answer back quickly.

 

In general though, I don't like talking on the phone and haven't since high school. Texting is more convenient and efficient, doesn't interrupt lessons, etc.

 

Never. I don't give out the number because I'm so bad at checking it. I think it's sitting in a drawer somewhere now. It's a prepaid phone.

 

I hate talking on the phone.

 

This is basically me. I'm happy when it's charged and can be found.

 

The only people who text or call me are my husband when I'm out of the house and one friend every few weeks sends me a text.

 

Now don't ask about checking the hive mind . :blushing:

[bpskowski]

Sure, just please wait until my car is cleaned or i can't fit any extras. I would prefer a text. :tongue_smilie:

 

Text! What's that?

 

Well, I'm off.

[Mom in High Heels]

I guess I don't see a reason you'd need to check it when it will make noise if someone is trying to get ahold of you (a ding for email, a text sound for text, a ringtone for a call).

 

.

 

I have my notifications turned off (except the ringer) because people in the States often email or post on my fb in the middle of the night my time and the phone charges by my bed. I keep it in my room because we don't have a phone in there. I figure if I have an emergency in the middle of the night I have a phone.

 

I don't know how many times I check my phone a day, but it's a ton. I have all my accounts hooked to it and it's way easier than pulling up my computer. James Bond works long, long hours in Afghanistan (8pm-10am) and sleeps most of the day, but if he's awake he'll shoot me an email to tell me he's awake and to get on skype or when he'll be available to skype. I don't want to miss that, so my phone is always on me. I could turn my notifications on during the day so I don't have to keep checking, but I know I would forget to turn them off and night and it would wake me up.

[Ellie]

Check it for what? Don't people's phones notify them when there are messages?

 

My phone is not the boss of me. I assume it isn't the boss of my friends, either.

[whitestavern]

Almost never. I'm not a big cell phone user. Often days go by without using it. I just have a standard old cell phone though; no texting or internet.

If you asked me how often I check email, that would be a completely different story :tongue_smilie:

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Text! What's that?

 

Well, I'm off.

 

Good luck! We're going to NY tomorrow and my poor car has over 200,000 miles and needs a new valve cover gasket and losds of other things.

[Kelly1730]

Check it for what? Don't people's phones notify them when there are messages?

 

My phone is not the boss of me. I assume it isn't the boss of my friends, either.

 

 

I don't carry my phone around with me when I'm at home. I leave it in the kitchen, unless we're out at the pool then I take it out with me, so I'll check it when I come back into the room. I texted my dd this morning concerning her flight arrangements, I love that I have almost instant contact with my older kids.

[HSMom2One]

I check fairly often, but not nearly as many times as 40 per day! Holy cow, that seems obsessive. I do admit though, that I check more often lately since I got an incredible deal on a smart phone. Those games....oh, those games! :D

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[mlktwins]

I don't have a smartphone -- I know I would be on it too much :tongue_smilie:. I always have my cell phone with me when I'm on the road and/or out with my kids. I don't usually have it with me in the house (unless my kids are at a playdate or camp). I use it mostly to check the time -- LOL. I don't get many calls or texts though. I will usually text back pretty quickly. I may or may not call back quickly depending on who is calling and what it's about. I used to be tied to a blackberry for work before I became a SAHM. I didn't like it much!

[Tarreymere]

Mine sits on the end table. I'll check it if I hear it make a noise, so that means i usually forget about it for days at a time. Sometimes I remember to take it with me when I leave the house, sometimes not. We recently switched from a landline to this cell, so it is different mindset to me. I'm not enthralled with texting, either.

[cin]

I check mine way too much. :D I have scrabble games on it and if I get bored with whatever is going on, I'll check them. And if I'm away from the girls, I check it periodically for missed calls/texts. I swear sometimes it'll show that I have a missed call, and it's been sitting next to me the whole time. So I do check for that if we are away from the kids.

 

how did our parents leave us with babysitters with NO cell phones?!?!??!:eek:

[Amy in NH]

I think I'm making a point with out realizing it, to not check the phone over and over through out the day. I don't enjoy the feeling of having to be available to everybody all the time. And, I really don't want to have my kids remember me as being preoccupied by my phone.

 

 

:iagree: This is why I keep my phone turned off and put away unless I am expecting a call from a kid or I really need to make one myself.

[lea1]

I just recently got a cell phone with texting abilities ( I know, I'm probably the last person in the free world ;)). Before I really couldn't be bothered but my 20yo daughter has been away all year, she will continue to be away for an undetermined length of time and I want to be able to communicate with her. She texts my dh all the time and then he relays the message to me but I want her to be able to contact me directly. My 25 yo son texted me last week asking for "prayers and positive mom thoughts" :) about a job interview he had coming up and then texted "love you, mom". Yeah, I'll be checking my phone on a regular basis;).

 

No, you're not. I don't have one.:001_smile: I had one but sent it back and started using my old phone again. I don't like texting. I find it frustrating to type so slowly like that when I can type very fast on my laptop.

 

Also, I used to have a job where I had to be johnny-on-the-spot-available every second of the day and night. I will not do that in my personal life. There is very seldom a reason that anyone would need my response quickly. I like it this way, especially when we are in school.

[Lady Florida.]

I have no idea how many times I check my phone, but I check it often.

 

1. It's my watch, so I use it to check the time.

2. We don't have a landline, so I often check to see if anyone called (or texted). It does notify me, but I don't always hear the notification come through, so I check anyway.

3. My to-do list and calendar are apps on my phone. I don't know if that counts as checking it, or if you only mean check it for calls or texts.

 

I carry it from room to room at home, so if someone calls I don't have to run to another room to answer the phone.

[TrixieB]

If my cell rings (rare) and I hear it because it's within earshot (rarer) then I check to see who's calling.

 

I also check the battery level about twice a week.

 

So I have a long, long way to go before I hit that 40x/day mark!

[ChristyB in TN]

Other than on this board, I don't know a woman who doesn't have a cell phone with her all the time. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't have a smart phone. I can't even begin to imagine what being a woman has to do with it. :001_huh: I have a sweet neighbor who just started having to check hers all the time because of her job, it has been hilarious attempting to get in touch with her. I would forget that she didn't text and it would take her days to respond to something. She is a TALKER so I avoid calling her if at all possible. ;)

[tabrizia]

I just got an iPhone, sooooo a lot. Before that I could go a day without knowing my phone was in the car or dead or under the bed.

 

:iagree:. I actually try to only check it a few times a day, unless it beeps or rings in which case I check it when I hear the beep or ring. I however do end up checking it on occasion, just because I am not doing anything else, so I might as well.

[Guest]

What are we "checking" for? As a clock, yes, I do check it a couple times a day if I am out. At home, I look at the microwave. For calls and texts -

 

I guess I don't see a reason you'd need to check it when it will make noise if someone is trying to get ahold of you (a ding for email, a text sound for text, a ringtone for a call).

 

:iagree:

[jrn]

I last checked my prepaid cell phone on tuesday when sitting in the library and needed to check the time. I should check it today, it might need to be charged.

[justamouse]

almost never

[bpskowski]

Good luck! We're going to NY tomorrow and my poor car has over 200,000 miles and needs a new valve cover gasket and losds of other things.

 

How funny is that. I left NY and am now in NE PA. I only have 106,000 miles but my transmission is acting weird and we suspect and expect the worst. But we made it here. So good luck to you too.

[TravelingChris]

If I am at home and everyone else is too (like not traveling), I maybe check it once or twice a day, if that much. When traveling, I do check the phone more often, maybe about 15 times a day.

[helena]

Thanks for all the replies. :001_smile:

 

I definitely have times where I'm more aware of checking my phone, like when hubby is out of town or the kids are out and about.

 

I think one of the problems for me is that hubby and BF do a lot of work from their phones and they forget that I don't use it as much as them. It's an important tool in their lives. Not so much for me. I appreciate that I have a nice phone, I just don't want to focus on it all through the day.

 

I think this year I became a bit grossed out by phones because every time we go to Disneyland (annual passes) so many folks in line are on their cells! Not just teens either, moms and dads in line with their kids, texting away.

I'm sure many people have perfect reasons to do so, and it's not my business anyway. I just trip out on how the dynamics of socializing is changing. I'm not convinced it's for the better.

Some people are so obsessed, they check their phone and laugh at a text, while you're mid-sentence in a conversation with them. Ugh.

 

Having said that, the J.Crew ad, where I saw the "statistic", had the cutest phone covers!! :tongue_smilie:

[besroma]

Sooo... How many times a day do you check your phone? About 5. Maybe? I do have a smart phone, but do not like the feeling of being tied to it, so I don't carry it around with me. Sometimes it's upstairs in my room, sometimes downstairs in the kitchen.

 

Do you think it's rude (I can live with irritating :001_smile:) to not text or phone back quickly? No, I do not.

 

Is responding the next day (or the next day :001_huh:) rude or weird? Not to me!:tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

If DH and I text, we do return texts the same day. If I text others or they text me, I treat it more like an e-mail.....respond when convenient.

[fhjmom]

I guess my phone habits added to the bulk of you on this thread ho rarely check their phones must be how they came up with an average of 40 times a day!:blush:

 

I have had a smart phone for probably close to 10 years (I had one of the very first Windows phones that came out for consumers). I usually have it with me all the time. I text more than talk and I check email on my phone (all four accounts). I also check my internet boards (like this one) and Facebook, use the map app several times a week, live by the calendar, and use the notes and reminders to remember everything. I have an app to keep track of my blood sugar and a Bible app I reference a lot. It is my only camera right now since my D-SLR was stolen. I use the flashlight app a ton. My phone is both my alarm clock and my watch. I read the news using a local news station app and I keep all my loyalty card bar codes in an app for that. I have an app for figuring tips and I use the weather app occasionally, but not daily. I do use the calculator a lot. There is also an app to access my university's online classroom portal. There are a few apps for the kids, but I don't have many games. DS plays Words With Friends with me (he's the only one I play with) and he will text me, even when he is at the other end of the house. I don't think I have all that many apps, but the ones I do have, I tend to use quite a bit. I check my phone way more than 40 times a day. :tongue_smilie: