Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Chinese mobile users now spend over 6 hours every day online – that’s almost 2 full days a week

Chinese mobile users now spend over 6 hours every day online – that’s almost 2 full days a week

As China hits saturation in the growth of its mobile internet population, the time users are spending on their devices continues to climb. Online mobile engagement is driven by smart devices, digitisation in the offline retail industry and live streaming, according to research firm QuestMobile

Chinese mobile users are spending more time than ever online on their devices, according to a report published by research firm QuestMobile on Thursday.

From the beginning of 2019 to the end of last November, each user spent an average of 6.2 hours of day – or 1.8 full days a week – online on mobile devices, 11.3 per cent more than the same period last year, data from QuestMobile showed. The average number of apps they used per month also increased from 21.3 in 2018 to 23.6 in 2019, according to the report.

A separate report by research firm eMarketer in May last year estimated that the average US adult would spend three hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices a day in 2019.

China’s technological growth in the past decade has been largely mobile-driven, giving it a head start in the booming global app industry and changing the way people in the country live, work and play. The mobile internet population grew five-fold within 10 years, reaching more than 847 million by June 2019, according to government agency China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).



That growth seems to be reaching a saturation point, according to the QuestMobile report: mobile internet user growth fell below 1 per cent for the first time in 2019, registering an anaemic 0.7 per cent increase year-on-year.

Online mobile engagement in the country shows no sign of slowing, however. This is mainly driven by the proliferation of smart devices, the digitisation of the offline retail industry as well as the popularity of live streaming and its integration with social, shopping, music and video platforms, the report said.

The number of users for apps related to smart devices – such as smart speakers and wearable technologies – jumped 16.8 per cent to nearly 120 million last November, from 100 million in the same month the year before. With the roll-out of commercial 5G in China starting last year, the industry will see more growth opportunities, according to the report.

Bricks-and-mortar retail outlets such as Chinese milk tea and coffee chain stores also play an important role in the growth of mobile internet use, according to the report.

Drink chains LuckinCoffee, Heytea and Starbucks, which allow consumers to submit takeaway orders via “mini-programs” on super app WeChat, have all seen their mobile user numbers grow by at least 200 per cent year-on-year in 2019, QuestMobile reported.

Another strong driver of mobile internet growth is live streaming, QuestMobile said. With the world’s largest internet population, China had 433 million live streaming users as of last June, according to CNNIC data.

Combining entertaining content with real-time interactivity, live streaming is now integrated with many platforms, from online shopping platform Taobao, owned by the Post‘s parent company Alibaba, to music and streaming apps such as Douyin and Bilibili. These platforms use the feature to enhance user loyalty, foster key opinion leaders and monetise their huge traffic, according to the report.

Consumers elsewhere are also big on mobile, with app analytics firm Sensor Tower finding that worldwide spending on mobile apps across the App Store and Google Play hit US$277 million on Christmas Day last year.

This was 11.3 per cent higher than 2018, thanks to new device sales, first-time mobile users and consumers flush with gift card credit, the Sensor Tower report said.

The largest proportion of this spending, US$210 million or 76 per cent of revenue across both major app stores, was on games. PUBG Mobile, created by Chinese tech giant Tencent’s TiMi studio, led in-game spending with US$8.5 million on Christmas last year, up 431 per cent from the US$1.6 million that players spent in the game on Christmas 2018.

Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with.

Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×