A new survey has uncovered the most common modern-day tech frustrations, including tests to verify you're not a robot, being connected to the internet with no actual access, and dropping your phone on the floor. The study of 2,000 Brits found that sending messages to the wrong people or making a bad typo in an important email are enough to make many break out in a cold sweat.
Daily Tech Struggles
On average, tech users encounter tech-related frustrations twice a day, rising to three times among Gen Z and Millennials. Many respondents said having just one bar of signal triggers instant stress, as does waking up to discover their phone hasn't charged properly overnight.
A spokesperson from Samsung, which commissioned the research to mark the launch of the Galaxy A57 5G, built with water and scratch resistance and Super Fast Charging 2.0, said: "Life moves fast, and your tech should keep up. It plays a huge role in helping people juggle busy lives, so it's important to have devices you can rely on."
Age-Related Differences
Over a quarter of Boomers (27%) get their stress levels rising when they can't remember their password. But snap-happy younger adults turn red when their phone's storage reaches capacity (22%). Others admitted they dread seeing their messages left 'on read'.
In addition, 17% experience connectivity issues daily, such as no signal or painfully slow internet, despite 86% needing to be connected to the internet all the time. This goes on to cause stress for 65%, with 85% adding they value the peace of mind that comes from knowing their device will last the day and work when they need it.
The findings point to a growing shift in what people value most in their devices, with reliability a defining factor. Over eight in 10 (85%) said they value the peace of mind that comes from knowing their device will last the day and work when they need it.
The Samsung spokesperson added: "That's why so much effort goes into designing devices that work seamlessly in the background – so they support your day instead of interrupting it."
Top 30 Modern Day Tech Anxieties
- Dropping your phone and it smashes
- No Wi-Fi connection
- "Connected, but no internet" error
- Slow device performance
- Impossible CAPTCHA grids i.e. proving that you're not a robot
- Apps crashing or freezing
- Not remembering your password
- Phone battery not lasting the full day
- Getting logged out of apps/accounts unexpectedly
- Autocorrect changing words incorrectly
- Phone storage being full
- Leaving your phone at home
- Phone battery dropping below 5%
- Phone not charging overnight as expected
- Face ID / fingerprint not recognising you
- Forced software updates at inconvenient times
- Captcha grids / "I'm not a robot" tests
- Sending a text to the wrong person
- Only having one bar of signal
- Running out of mobile data
- Maps/GPS not following your direction correctly
- Phone not charging quickly when you're heading out
- Making a bad typo on an important email
- Receiving a missed call from an unknown number
- Having bad camera quality
- Headphones not connecting properly
- Being left on 'seen' with no reply
- Not being able to update your device when new updates come out
- Group chats with lots of unread messages
- Not being able to take good photos at night / in low light
