82% of Indians Have Damaged Their Smartphone. Only 1 in 15 Protects It.
OneAssist–Hansa Research Study – The Great Indian Smartphone Protection Crisis Reveals India’s Deepening Device Protection Crisis
Mumbai, 19th August, 2026: OneAssist, India's highest-rated InsurTech platform, today unveiled findings from its latest consumer insights report, The Great Indian Smartphone Protection Crisis commissioned in collaboration with Hansa Research, a full-service global market research agency. The report examines smartphone usage, accidental damage and protection adoption across India.
The report highlights a growing disconnect between consumers' increasing dependence on smartphones and their relatively low adoption of protection plans, despite frequent accidental damage, rising device costs and longer ownership cycles.
As smartphones become central to how Indians work, bank, shop, communicate and entertain themselves, they have also become one of consumers' most valuable everyday assets. With smartphone prices continuing to rise and consumers holding on to their devices for longer, the financial impact of accidental damage and repairs has become increasingly significant.
Yet, accidental damage remains commonplace. The study found that 82% of consumers have accidentally dropped their smartphone at least once, while 72% have experienced accidental damage. Accidental drops and screen damage emerged among the common causes of damage, reflecting the everyday risks associated with prolonged and frequent smartphone usage. The emotional dimension of damage is equally significant: 35% of Indians panicked immediately after dropping their phone, 24% fought with someone over the incident, and 15% cancelled plans as a direct result of device damage. Among women, the panic response is sharper with 43% reported panic after a drop, compared to 33% of men. Accidental drops and screen damage emerged among the common causes of damage, with the study specifically noting that phones slipping out of pockets or bags account for 36% of all accidental damage incidents, making the most mundane, everyday moment one of the most financially costly, reflecting the everyday risks associated with prolonged and frequent smartphone usage. Despite this widespread exposure, only 36% of consumers report having used a smartphone protection plan at some point during their device ownership journey while current active protection adoption stands at just 6–8%. The gap between lifetime awareness and active coverage is striking, and points to a market where consumers try protection once and do not renew, or abandon it before a claim is ever made.
While awareness of smartphone protection plans is widespread, consumers continue to cite affordability concerns, limited understanding of product benefits and lack of trust in the claims process as key barriers to adoption. The study also reveals the lengths to which Indians go to manage damage on their own: 29% have used rice to treat water-damaged devices, and between 20–32% have used tape or other temporary fixes to hold damaged phones together, improvisations that underscore both the reluctance to seek formal repair and the normalisation of living with damage. The findings point to a significant opportunity for the industry to simplify protection offerings, improve transparency and build greater consumer confidence throughout the ownership journey.
The report also highlights notable behavioural differences across consumer segments. Women emerged as the most dependent and most vulnerable smartphone users: 79% use smartphones for social media (vs 69% of men), 94% have accidentally dropped their device (vs 80% of men), and 79% have suffered accidental damage (vs 71% of men). The emotional cost is also higher as 43% of women panicked after dropping their phone, compared to 33% of men. Damage among women is more likely to be linked to domestic settings, with child- or pet-related incidents occurring at three times the rate reported by men. Meanwhile, consumers aged 26–30 were identified as India’s most connected cohort, demonstrating the highest dependence on smartphones for communication, digital payments, shopping and entertainment.
Beyond new smartphone purchases, the research points to the growing importance of India’s evolving refurbished and pre-owned smartphone ecosystem. As consumers increasingly retain, exchange or purchase pre-owned devices, and ownership cycles continue to lengthen, warranty and protection solutions are becoming increasingly important to building trust and confidence across the broader smartphone lifecycle. The data is clear: 70% of consumers believe protection plans are more important for pre-owned devices than for new ones, and 30% say the availability of a warranty or protection plan would make them consider purchasing a pre-owned device, a significant unlocking factor for the refurbished market. Notably, 54% of non-metro consumers have purchased pre-owned smartphones, versus 30% in metros, pointing to a circular device economy that is already well-established outside India’s major cities.
The findings underscore a significant opportunity for smartphone brands, retailers, financiers and protection providers to bridge the gap between awareness and adoption through simpler, more transparent and accessible protection solutions.
Subrat Pani, Co-founder, OneAssist, said, “The research reflects an interesting consumer contradiction. Smartphones have become indispensable to how people communicate, transact, work and access entertainment, and accidental damage is clearly a common experience. Yet, a large number of consumers continue to navigate device ownership without any form of protection while constantly worrying about damage and breakdown. As devices become more valuable and ownership periods lengthen, consumers are increasingly looking for confidence and peace of mind throughout their ownership journey. This makes it important for the industry to better address their concerns around affordability, simplicity and trust.”
The findings from The Great Indian Smartphone Protection Crisis come at a pivotal moment for India’s consumer technology landscape. With over 650 million smartphone users, rising device prices, and ownership cycles extending beyond three years, the gap between device value and protection adoption has never carried a higher financial cost for Indian consumers. The report calls on smartphone brands, retailers, insurers and protection providers to collectively address the barriers of affordability, claims complexity and consumer trust and to reimagine protection as an integral part of the device ownership journey, not an afterthought at the point of sale.
About OneAssist
India's highest rated InsurTech company efficiently delivering Innovative, Technology powered, Assistance & Protection solutions for the things that matter to consumers. Founded in 2011 by Gagan Maini and Subrat Pani, OneAssist protects over 3 crore active consumers with a pan-India service network and a diverse ecosystem of over 3,000 partners spanning e-commerce, Fintech, NBFCs, Modern Trade, General Trade and Enterprise. Backed by Lightspeed ventures and Peak XV partners (formerly Sequioa), OneAssist delivers a bouquet of solutions offering complete peace of mind across personal electronics, Consumer durables, motor, financial protection, furniture and lifestyle. OneAssist is the consumer's first choice for Assistance and Protection solutions with its range of innovative research backed products, strong tech stack and best in class consumer experience.
