Phones Now More Important to Americans Than Cars

It’s official: Americans say phones are now the #1 necessity in their lives – more important than their vehicles or refrigerators, according to new research from tech care company Asurion.  The online poll of over one thousand U.S. adults reveals the country’s collective sense of urgency in staying connected during the pandemic.

This shift is also driving people to get their broken and missing phones repaired and replaced more quickly. Asurion has seen a 20% jump in customers who are filing phone claims the same day they had a phone mishap. This is a big shift from before the pandemic when many customers lingered almost a month with a broken phone before filing a claim for a repair or replacement.

“Across work, grocery shopping, school and staying connected to friends and family, phones are increasingly critical for most of their day-to-day activities. This trend has accelerated during the pandemic,” said Asurion President Cindy Christy. “Asurion is leading the industry in helping customers get their devices back up and running quickly with local market services including as soon as same-day device repair and replacement to customers’ doorsteps. And customers are loving the speed and convenience.”

Last year, Asurion and its tech repair retail subsidiary uBreakiFix together helped over 1 million Americans with same-day phone repair or replacement without having to leave the safety of home.  Customers also have the option of heading to one of over 600 uBreakiFix stores or participating carrier stores or select carrier partner stores to get their device repaired, or have a replacement device shipped to them as soon as next-day.

The need for fast, same-day device repair and replacement is driven by Americans’ phone use habits and the irreplaceable information they keep in their phones. Asurion research shows at least half of Americans are using their phones more during the pandemic for entertainment or to connect with the important people in their lives. Additionally, three-quarters of Americans’ phones have irreplaceable information including photos and/or video (82%), their contact list (60%), password or login credentials (52%), documents and important notes (45%), and music (32%).

About the Research

Asurion conducted a random double-opt in online survey of 1,054 general adult U.S. population from January 20-24, 2021. The online survey was conducted in partnership by Qualtrics, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and AAPOR which adheres to ESOMAR standards, COPPA requirements, UE “Safer Internet Programme” guidelines and GDPR guidelines.