Average phone is broken or lost in 15 months, survey says

You're probably going to break, lose or have your phone stolen -- and you'll still wind up paying for it while you're stuck with an inferior phone. That's the pessimistic message of new figures revealed today.

A survey of 1,185 Britons on pay-monthly contracts by gadget insurance firm Protect Your Bubble found that the average phone goes south in 15 months -- which is a problem as many of us are tied into contracts lasting 18 months or two years.

Roughly a third of phones get broken, usually as a result of being introduced to the floor or other hard surfaces at an unfriendly pace. Sadly, after the worst happens, the majority of phone fans have to make do with a cheaper phone or a hand-me-down from friends or family rather than a straight replacement.

One in seven phones is lost or stolen, which is why it's definitely a good idea to make friends with Find My iPhone, Android Device Manager or an equivalent phone-tracking app that sniffs out your device should it go walkies -- and don't forget to register it with Immobilise, the national property register used by police forces throughout the country.

Sure, an insurance company has a vested interest in highlighting the potential for disaster, but if we extrapolate these numbers it means as many as 3.3m phone owners could be lumbered paying for a phone that didn't survive the full length of their contract.

If your phone does a Tom Daly, a watery grave isn't a certainty: here's our handy guide to saving a wet or water-damaged mobile phone. If you have butter fingers, keep a bowl of rice or a product like Reviveaphone handy, or maybe only drink through a long straw.

What's the daftest way you've lost or damaged your phone? Are you stuck with a substandard phone because something bad happened to your shiny expensive mobile? What's the shortest time you've had a phone before disaster struck? Tell me about it in the comments or drop in to our Facebook page.