:O Emojis are killing our phones

The Blancco Technology Group has released its State of Mobile Device Performance and Health:Q4 2015 report, which found nearly three in four mobile devices returned to manufacturers in Europe and North America were found to have no problem. The report showed user behaviour was the more likely cause of mobile issues, and the sudden increase in mobile failures in Europe was triggered by the increased use of emoji apps.

Some 85 percent of issues found on smartphones were on Android devices

The quarterly trend report is based on data collected from millions of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets that underwent diagnostics testing on the SmartChk platform. The report highlighted some other significant findings.

Some 85 percent of issues found on smartphones were on Android devices, compared to just 15 percent for iOS devices. The Android manufacturer with the highest failure rate was Samsung at 27 percent, followed by Lenevo at 27 percent, Motorola at 18 percent, Xiaomi at 11 percent and Asus at eight percent.

The top culprits for device failures worldwide were camera, touch controls, battery charging, microphone and performance. In Asia, the causes for failure were the frequent use of social networking apps and messaging application, such as Facebook, WhatsApp WeChat and Line. The increasing use of emoji and productivity apps in Europe played a contributing role in the increase in device failure rates during the second half of 2015.

Pat Clawson, CEO of Blancco Technology Group said: “Being able to detect with certainty the causes and types of device problems is important. For mobile network operators and manufacturers, it allows them to automate and scale the device diagnostics and repair process to deliver a consistent customer experience. It also helps enterprise businesses support the needs and increase the productivity of their mobile workforce.”