Social Networking is one of the top activities for smartphone users in India, fueled by the simultaneous growth of social media and smartphone adoption in the country. Social networking apps offer seamless integration with other phone functions enabling instant photo sharing, updates, and website links and more.

Nielsen Informate analysis of social networking usage trends for Android smartphone users in India uncovered the following insights.

1. Social Networking properties (apps/sites) are the most accessed, second only to search
2. Facebook leads the list, Google+ comes in second
3. One in three Facebook users does not use any other Social Networking property
4. The Facebook app is very sticky with an average user logging in 17 days a month
5. While Facebook is used throughout the day, engagement levels peak late night

A whopping 93% of Android smartphone users in India use social networking on their smartphones.

Facebook is the dominant Social Networking property with a reach that’s more than 5 times higher than its nearest competitor - Google+.

A sign of Facebook’s domination is that one in three Facebook users doesn’t use any other Social Networking property on the smartphone.

The more preferred way to access Facebook is through the app. Integration with other Social Networking properties and with phone features (eg., camera, browser) make the app a convenient one stop solution.

A high share of Facebook users access the app throughout the day. The engagement levels, however, peak late at night.

About Nielsen Informate

Nielsen Informate leverages innovative smartphone metering technology to provide insights into evolving consumption patterns of mobile device users. Nielsen Informate maintains opt-in smartphone panels to generate syndicated reports, in addition to building custom panels and conducting custom surveys for clients.