Brits 15 biggest 'phone-pas' revealed

The majority of us use a smart phone in our day-to-day life (unless you've been living under a rock) so we have all experienced a "phone-pas" at some point.

Now researchers have polled the nation to figure out which mishaps leave us Brits with a pounding heart and sweaty palms.

The most common answer among the 2,000 Britons surveyed was dropping your phone and smashing the screen (55 percent) - a lot of us know that feeling.

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Clicking on a video on full volume in a public place came in second (31 percent) while the unideal scenario of starting a long journey with just three percent (27 percent) was third.

On average, us Brits are all too familiar with "phone pas," experiencing as many as 36 "phone pas" a year according to the survey by Nokia to launch the new, more robust XR21.

Some of more popular answers include risking the wrath of their partner by looking at their phone in bed (23 percent), while one in five (20 percent) have rushed to recall an email which has been sent to the wrong person.

Accidentally putting a kiss on a text to your boss (14 percent), liking an ex’s Instagram post (12 percent), adding a kiss on a work email (12 percent), matching with a colleague on a dating site (11 percent) and dialling 999 by mistake (11 percent) also leave us panicked.

Dropping your phone and smashing the screen was the most common answer participants gave in the research iStockphoto by Getty Images

It turns out we're a nation of butterfingers as more than half admit to smashing their phones within two and a half months of owning it, it’s no surprise that devices suffer an average of four drops a month.

Some of the ways it happens include slipping down the back of the couch, hitting the pavement and the back of the bus an average of three times a month and dropping in the oven, the sink and toilet bowl as well as in the road, twice a month.

As a result, we end up living with their smashed screen for up to three months afterwards, with two-thirds (66 per cent) of those polled admitting they are currently using a mobile with a cracked or broken screen.

Adam Ferguson, Head of Product Marketing at HMD Global, the home for Nokia phones, who commissioned the study said: “It is clear that our mobile phones go through a lot in their lifetimes.

"With people changing their phones an average of every four years, our devices need to survive as many as 144 drops, scrapes and slips.

“Our new Nokia XR21 solves every consumer’s phone fears from cracked screens to low battery and then some - imagine the smartphone version of the indestructible Nokia 3310 and this is it.

He added: "It is drop, dust, and waterproof and can withstand everything from tumbling out of your trouser pocket and hitting the ground screen first to hiking in torrential rain for 72 hours.

Phone mishaps are an inconvenience so it's no surprise that 39 per cent get annoyed when it happens, with 29 per cent feeling anxious and having heart palpitations (28 per cent).

Seven in ten (72 per cent) agree that phones should be built to last, with four in ten (42 per cent) confessing they have a backup phone in case their main phone breaks.

The nation changes their phones an average of 4.75 years with a long-lasting battery (75 per cent), durability (62 per cent) and a good camera (60 per cent) must-haves when choosing a new one.

Brits top 15 ‘phone-pas’

1. Dropping your phone and smashing the screen - 55 per cent
2. Clicking on a video with full volume on in a crowded space - 31 per cent
3. Starting a long journey with three per cent battery - 27 per cent
4. Forgetting to put your phone on silent at the cinema - 26 per cent
5. Clicking on a spam link - 24 per cent
6. Dropping your phone down the loo - 23 per cent
7. Waking your partner by looking at your phone during the night - 23 per cent
8. Sending an email to the wrong person - 20 per cent
9. Putting a kiss at the end of a text to your boss - 14 per cent
10. Liking an ex’s Instagram’ post - 12 per cent
11. Putting a kiss on an email to a client -12 per cent
12. Accidently dialling 999 when trying to get into your phone - 11 per cent
13. Uploading a pic to social media you didn’t want anyone to see - 11 per cent
14. Putting your phone in the washing machine - 7 per cent
15. Driving off with your mobile on top of the car - 4 per cent

Nokia XR21 is available today (3 May) in Midnight Black for £499.99 in 6/128GB configuration from Nokia.com/phones. Pine Green colourway will be available in June.

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