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Turns out people are downloading fewer smartphone apps than before

Almost a third of smartphone users do not download any apps for their devices, as the age of new users increases.

APPS ARE THE lifeblood of smartphones and tablets, but this position may be under threat as their importance diminishes, according to new research.

New findings from business advisory firm Deloitte has found that almost a third of smartphone users (31%) do not download any apps for their devices, with the firm suggesting that the volume of app store sales will soon reach a plateau.

In comparison, less than one in five did not download apps last year meaning the average number of apps downloaded per month fell from 2.32 to 1.82.

Perhaps more worryingly for app developers, nine out of ten smartphone users never spend money on apps or other smartphone content.

This was mainly put down to most new smartphone adopters are older and therefore less inclined to download or pay for apps.

Also, people who have owned smartphones for several months usually have a preferred collection of apps they use, and are largely influenced by what their friends download.

Recently, both Apple and Google had published studies claiming that their app stores support hundred of thousands of developers in Europe. While certain games like King’s Candy Crush Saga has experienced a decline in consumer spending, others like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has been said to be performing well with the latter expected to make $200 million this year.

Read: Think Airplane Mode is only useful when you’re on a flight? Think again >

Read: Find your phone’s bar signal too vague? Here’s how you can get a more accurate reading >

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