Press Release: Using multiple messaging apps loses friends and influence

One in four in UK suffering ‘App Fog’ communication confusion 

 

26th January 2022, LONDON.  YouGov research for Element, a secure messaging app, shows that people risk losing touch with friends as the amount of different messaging apps they use increases.

The phenomenon, known as ‘App Fog’, is caused by confusion when multiple apps are used to send or receive messages. People forget which friends use which app, and consequently, struggle to stay on top of conversations.

 

Of the 1,966 British smartphone owners sampled, one in four (26%) admitted experiencing App Fog. This feeling of App Fog increases by 15% when users go from using two to three apps (23% versus 38% respectively), which is the number of messaging apps most people (32%) use on their smartphones. Once people use five or more messaging apps, two in five (43%) suffer from App Fog. This is a widespread phenomenon. 

 

“Having five or six different messaging apps adds stress to our busy lives,” says Amandine Le Pape, co-founder of Element. “There are too many pings going off all the time for people to manage. It’s frustrating to check multiple apps and jump between them to message different friends.”

App Fog is descending

• App Fog increases in line with usage. Three in ten (30%) heavy users with five or more apps experience App Fog at least once a week.

• Over a third of those affected (34%) have missed a night out with friends or an important event because they missed a message.

• App Fog is also having a negative impact on maintaining relationships, with two in five of all smartphone owners (41%) forgetting to reply to a friend who uses different messaging apps, causing one in ten (9%) to lose touch with a friend(s).

• Those with the fewest apps have the fewest problems. Only 9% of those using just one messaging app have forgotten to reply to a friend and 6% missed a social event.

Using multiple messaging apps affects young people’s relationships more than older generations. 57% of 18-34-year-olds have forgotten to respond to a friend, which significantly decreases for respondents aged 55+, 28%. This has resulted in almost one in five 18-34-year-olds (17%) losing touch with a friend, compared to only 5% of those aged 55+.

 

“App Fog is one of the reasons we developed bridges in Element,” Le Pape explained. “This secure messaging app connects to other apps - initially WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. Smartphone users can be in their Element, while talking to their friends in traditional apps and never miss a ‘hatch, match or dispatch’ event ever again.”

 

The problem is caused by the main messaging apps operating in silos. Almost one in three, 32%, of people would rather use just one messaging app if it was able to connect with others. For heavy app users (5+ messaging apps), this increases to 47%.

 

Le Pape adds: “Too many apps mean people end up missing messages and neglecting friends. Element means people can use just one app while messaging those in others via bridging services. It makes messaging quick and easy again.” 

 

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2,065 adults, of which 1,966 own a smartphone. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd - 3rd November 2021.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

 

About Element

Element is unique in providing decentralised, end-to-end encrypted messaging and collaboration. It delivers data sovereignty and privacy across an open (as opposed to a closed, walled garden) network. 

The free Element app is available for Web, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows & Linux. Element protects privacy by giving individuals and organisations the ability to choose where their data and messages are stored (rather than being stored on the servers of a centralised service provider, such as WhatsApp or Slack).  There are many free hosting options, including the Matrix.org server, as well as subscription-based offerings from Element Matrix Services.