Voice Assistants on the Rise: Generation Z Smartphone Users Drive Voice Note Adoption

• 1 in 3 Generation Z smartphone owners regularly communicate with voice notes
• 10% more 18–24-year-olds send voice notes, compared to three years ago
• WhatsApp and Face Time also see clear increases in usership in the same time period

From Alexa-powered devices and Google Home systems to in-built smartphone voice assistants, the move towards speech-controlled technology shows no signs of slowing down. Recent data released by online smartphone retailers, Mobiles.co.uk, shows that more smartphone users than ever are moving towards voice notes as a form of communication.

Unsurprisingly, younger users are driving this shift, with one in three (33%) of respondents aged between 18-24 saying they regularly use voice notes to communicate with friends, an increase of 10% on just three years ago. Speed and convenience are motivating the change; 59% of the age group agreed voice notes were quicker and easier to send, whilst one third noted they were more fun.

Given the shift towards voice control, it’s no surprise that manufacturers and developers are investing heavily into this technology. Earlier this month, Google announced that Android apps would be receiving a text to speech update, allowing access to 421 voices in 67 languages. Similarly, the brand’s flagship 2022 release, the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, come with a slew of speech-based features. The models look to outperform competitors in key areas such as speech recognition and transcription, as well as building on the Pixel 6’s considerable voice typing capabilities with new languages and emoji integration.

Outside of voice notes, Gen Z smartphone users also over-indexed on their use of social and messaging apps. WhatsApp saw a 10% increase in 3 years, with 75% of respondents now saying they use it regularly, whereas Facebook Messenger usage has dropped by 6% over the same time period. This could indicate that challenges around data security and privacy are key for the group. Likely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, video-call platforms are also popular with the “TikTok Generation”, with 10% more users now having regular Face Time calls.

As customers continue to move towards speech and video-based communication methods, it will be interesting to see how manufacturers and developers respond to the change, potentially by investing in better internal microphone specs, improved front-facing cameras and – as seen already – more diverse and accessible speech-based software.

For more information, please visit Mobiles.co.uk.

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