Google study: over half of teenagers use voice search daily

Searching on a smartphone just by using your voice is a feature that is still in its infancy, and it's not exactly a shock to learn that teens are using and embracing it more than their elders. This is one of the many findings about voice search in a new survey commissioned by Google.

The study, based on results obtained by 1,400 US residents, showed that 55 percent of teens use some kind of hands-free search on their smartphones every day, such as Google's own solution, along with Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. While voice search use is growing among older smartphone owners, 45 percent of adults in the survey claimed to fee "like a geek" when they talked to their smartphone.

59 percent on US teens and 36 percent of adults use voice search while watching TV and 22 percent of teens admit to using it while in the bathroom. Here's a few more interesting stats:

  • 40% use voice search to ask for directions.
  • 39% use the feature to dictate a text message.
  • 32% do so to make a phone call.
  • 23% of adult Americans use voice search "when I'm cooking."
  • 51% of teens (and 32% of adults) use voice search "just for fun."
  • 27% use voice search to check the weather.

Are you more comfortable using voice search on your smartphone or do you also feel "like a geek" when using it?

Source: Google via PR Newswire

John Callaham