One-third admit to spying on their partner’s phone

One-third of Irish people check their partners’ smartphones for photos, videos, suspicious dialled numbers, and texts.

According to a survey by Meteor, we are a suspicious bunch, with half of the women and 40% of men surveyed admitting to having taken a sneak peak at someone else’s phone while that person was out of the room.

Over one-third admitted to checking their partner’s phone for suspicious content like photos, videos, and texts. Women were far more suspicious in this regard, with 40% admitting they had done such snooping compared with just 24% of men.

However, over half of men said they regularly clear their browsing history compared with just 34% of women — suggesting that the men of Ireland may have more to hide than the women.

The most suspicious were 18-to-24 year olds, of which half admitted to checking their other half’s phone for dodgy content. Over 35s were the most secure in their relationships with 70% claiming they don’t check their partners’ phones.

The study found 35% of women self-diagnose illness though their phone as opposed to 25% of men. Smartphones were also being used as a form of entertainment or as a social crutch. For example, some 80% admitted to falling back on their smartphone to avoid boredom and to avoid looking awkward while waiting for people.

A further 10% admitted to using their mobile phone to stop strangers from making conversation with them.

Director of mobile at Meteor Niall Dorrian said the survey highlighted just how dependant Irish people were on phones.

“These survey results show just how important mobile internet is to us now — we want to be always on, always connected. Our reliance on mobile now permeates every facet of Irish life, and 4G is about to become integral to that,” he said.

Earlier this month, as part of a €330m mobile investment, 4G from Meteor was launched in Dublin, Carlow, and Athlone last month, the first operator in Ireland to do so, and will soon be in Cork, Limerick, and Galway.

Vodafone Ireland have also announced that it will switch on 4G Mobile Broadband services next week in six cities and 23 towns across the country. The company will also have a 4G smartphone offer for Christmas, with details to be announced shortly.