A smartphone is a mobile phone that works like a tiny computer you can carry in your pocket. Unlike the simple cell phones from the 1990s that could only make calls and send text messages, a smartphone can browse the internet, take photos and videos, play games, run thousands of different apps, and connect to other devices.

The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, appeared in 1994, but smartphones became popular after Apple released the iPhone in 2007. Before smartphones, people needed separate devices for different tasks: a camera for photos, a music player for songs, a GPS for directions, and a computer for email. Now one device can handle all these jobs.

Smartphones have transformed how people communicate, learn, and work. Students can look up information instantly for homework. Parents can video chat with relatives across the world. Doctors can access patient records anywhere. But smartphones also create new challenges: people sometimes pay more attention to their screens than to the people around them, and constant notifications can make it hard to focus on important tasks.

The “smart” in smartphone refers to its ability to run software programs called apps that let you customize what your phone can do, from learning languages to tracking your running speed to playing chess against opponents worldwide.