Checking in to locations with geosocial services like Foursquare is the least popular activity among smartphone users, finds a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.

While more than half of the smartphone owners in the survey of 2,277 adults report accessing social networks, sending photos and viewing email, just 12% of smartphone owners say they use checkin services.

Geotagging updates to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are also fairly uncommon. Just 9% of Internet users and 14% of social media users say they include their location with their social posts.

Smartphone users are much more likely to find directions or search for recommendations, with 55% of respondents saying they use similar services.







The relatively shallow market penetration of checkin services is not surprising. In November, Pew released survey results showing 4% of online adults use location-based services and only 1% use these services on a given day.

Even though the new study focused exclusively on mobile checkins, as opposed to including online checkins that may occur without a mobile device, the percentage of users didn't jump. Five percent of mobile owners (including smartphone owners) say they check in.

Checkin services are not mainstream, but does that make them all hype? Or could there be a twist — like location-based gaming — that could win them a spot on the average smartphone?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Images courtesy of Flickr, Ed Yourdon