Apple's iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone among teens, according to data shared today by investment firm Piper Sandler in its biannual teen survey. 87 percent of teens surveyed own an iPhone, while 88 percent expect the iPhone to be their next phone.
Teen iPhone ownership numbers have not shifted since last year, but over the last decade, interest in the iPhone among teenagers has soared. Back in October 2013, 55 percent of teenagers reported owning an iPhone, while 24 percent had an Android device.
Apple Watch ownership is also growing, albeit more slowly. 34 percent of teens surveyed own an Apple Watch, up from 31 percent last year. 10 percent of teens said they plan to buy an Apple Watch in the next six months, down from 16 percent in fall 2022. Apple was the favorite watch brand, beating out Rolex, Casio, Garmin, and Cartier.
Apple Pay was the top payment app for teens, with 42 percent reporting using the service in the last month. Apple Pay beat out Cash App (27 percent), Venmo (20 percent), and PayPal (10 percent).
Apple did not dominate in the streaming music category, coming second to Spotify. 70 percent of teens surveyed said they use Spotify as their music service, while just over 30 percent use Apple Music. 46 percent of teens that pay for a service pay for Spotify, while just 30 percent pay for Apple Music.
Piper Sandler has also been asking teens about iCloud Private Relay, and usage has jumped in the second half of 2023. 37 percent of teens said they use iCloud Private Relay, while another 17 percent said they're interested in using it in the next six months. Earlier this year, just 24 percent of teens were using iCloud Private Relay, which does require an iCloud subscription fee.
Teen surveys are conducted twice per year, with Piper Sandler putting out these reports for over 10 years. For this fall's report, 9,193 teens with an average age of 15.7 were surveyed across 49 states.
