FaceTime Survey: Few Smartphone Users Would Switch Carriers Because of App Restrictions

More and more consumers have begun using online video chat services like Skype in recent years. But as consumers become more reliant on smartphones and mobile technology, apps like Apple’s FaceTime have become more prevalent. But now mobile carrier AT&T has begun restricting access to the app for certain customers due to data usage on AT&T’s network. How do smartphone customers feel about this type of restriction on apps? And how many consumers will really be affected?

Smartphone Customers

In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 16% of consumers said they have an iPhone. 28% have Android smartphones. 6% have other types of smartphones. And 51% do not own a smartphone.55% of smartphone owners said they have an unlimited data plan. 31% said they have a limited data plan, but they never come close to their limit for data usage. And just 6% said they have a limited data plan and they often come close to or surpass their monthly data limit.

FaceTime

Just 8% of smartphone users said they often use video chat apps like FaceTime. Another 23% said they sometimes use video chat apps. And 70% said they never use video chat apps like FaceTime. iPhone users were much more likely to use video chat apps.Of those who use video chat apps, 23% said they would switch carriers if their carrier limited usage of such apps. 55% said they would just look into different types of apps or options. And 15% said they wouldn’t do anything if their carrier limited their usage of video chat apps.

Video Chat

Overall, 12% said they often use online video chat services such as Skype. Another 32% said they sometimes use online video chat services. And 57% said they never use online video chat. Smartphone users were 11% more likely to use online video chat than the survey panel as a whole.Photo Credit: Facetime Frankie Roberto + Evan Roberts from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.