This article was published on June 17, 2011

Want to become part of the largest Android study ever? Here’s how.


Want to become part of the largest Android study ever? Here’s how.

If you have ever wanted to get a complete overview on how you use your Android smartphone but didn’t know how to go about it, a new study being carried out by PhD student Daniel Wagner at the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory will be able to provide all the answers, and allow you to become part of the largest Android study ever.

Launched six weeks ago, the study is already gaining participants, with users having to download Device Analyzer, a small Android application from the Android Market to get started.

The app will provide Cambridge Univeristy researchers with access to data on how people use their phones:

Users opting into the Device Analyzer study agree to give Cambridge University researchers access to data about certain aspects of their mobile phone usage, including how often they charge their phones, numbers and lengths of phone calls and texts, which applications they use, which networks they are connected to, their usage of Wifi and Bluetooth devices, as well as choice of operating system settings.

Participants are able to access information about their own usage on a continuous basis. This provides them with information they can use to optimise their battery use and make the best choice of payment plan. They are also able to contribute to an exciting project that will lead to further sharing of knowledge and information.

The data will be publicly available three months after the app is installed, completely free of charge and only if the participants agree. All submitted statistics are anonymous  and will not be traced back to the user it was collected from.

There is no fixed tie-in, meaning users are able to opt-out of the study at any time and have their data deleted from the University’s servers.

Android owners from over 81 countries are already involved and the numbers are “rising on a daily basis”. Daniel Wagner, the PhD student who invented Device Analyzer notes:

The <3 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

“People are taking part because they find it both fascinating and helpful to see an analysis of their own phone usage, and also because they also like the fact that they are contributing to research that helps to build a bigger picture right across the world.”

If you want to get involved, head over to the Device Analyzer website, read over documentation and then download the application. With headlines dominated by smartphone privacy leaks and other privacy concerns, why not join a study on your own terms and become part of the biggest study of its kind?

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with