  This paper examines inequalities in the usage of smartphone technology based
on five samples of smartphone owners collected in Germany and Austria between
2016 and 2020. We identify six distinct types of smartphone users by conducting
latent class analyses that classify individuals based on their frequency of
smartphone use, self-rated smartphone skills, and activities carried out on
their smartphone. The results show that the smartphone usage types differ
significantly by sociodemographic and smartphone-related characteristics: The
types reflecting more frequent and diverse smartphone use are younger, have
higher levels of educational attainment, and are more likely to use an iPhone.
Overall, the composition of the latent classes and their characteristics are
robust across samples and time.
