Smartphone Users Rely On Location-Based Services

A majority of smartphone owners use their phones’ location-based services, and a growing number are adding location information to their online posts, according to a new report about the role location-based services play in our daily digital lives.

The report, released Thursday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, was based on a survey of more than 2,000 adult smartphone users, which found that 74 percent use their phone to get directions or other information based on their current location.

The survey also revealed significant growth in the number of social media users who set their accounts to include location in their posts. Among adult social media users, 30 percent said that at least one of their accounts is currently set up to include their location in their posts, up from 14 percent who reported doing so in 2011.

The survey also found a decline in the number of smartphone owners who use “check in” location services, with 12 percent of adult smartphone owners saying they currently use a geosocial service to “check in” to certain locations, or share their location with a friend. In early 2012, 18 percent of adult smartphone users reported using “check in” services.

Among geosocial service users, 39 percent said they check into places on Facebook, while 18 percent said they use Foursquare and 14 percent use Google Plus, among other services.

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