Majority Of iOS Users Are Not Taking Advantage Of AirPlay, Says Study

Despite AirPlay being the most popular screen-sharing technology, not many iOS users seem to be taking advantage of this screen mirroring feature on their devices, according to a new study from the NPD Group (via AppleInsider). The study, which looked at 2,600 U.S. smartphone and tablet owners during the first quarter of 2013, reveals that only 7% of users had ever used the screen-sharing feature on their devices.

According to NPD’s “Inception of Screen Sharing” report, almost 40% of respondents were aware of the mirroring functionalities of their devices. 75% of screen-sharing respondents had used their devices to mirror videos, while roughly 50% had mirrored photos. The study also reveals that Apple’s AirPlay technology was the most recognized among respondents, followed by Samsung’s AllShare and Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass. Even AirPlay though, had only 3% of respondents having used it to share content to a television screen.

The report attributes the wide disparity between awareness and actual use to two factors. The first is the relative newness of the technology:

“Screen sharing solutions are somewhat new,” said NPD Director of Devices John Buffone, “many only launched in 2012, so we don’t expect a lot of consumers to be using the technology yet. The awareness number is a positive indicator and will help build the foundation to engage more customers with second screen experiences.”

Likely equally important is the hardware requirement for screen-sharing features. AirPlay requires an Apple TV in order to work, and Samsung’s AllShare requires a Samsung-specific box and mobile device.

The report concludes that in order to bring sharing experiences to a larger consumer base will require simplifying hardware requirements and also increasing the value of being able to share content across screens.