Maybe you don't possess the natural ability to break the world record in athletics, and you probably don’t have extreme physical features that would allow you to claim the title for something like 'World’s longest nose' but guess what? You can break records with your smartphone! 17 November is Guinness World Records Day, so it's the perfect opportunity to try and get your name in the record books! Here are some options. 

Fastest texting on a smartphone

The Guinness World Record for fastest text message was set by a 17-year-old Brazilian boy who typed a 25-word message in just 17 seconds.

Marcel Fernandes Filho broke the record for the fastest time to type a text message on a touchscreen mobile phone in November 2014 after typing the standard Guinness World Records texting passage on an iPhone 6s in 17 seconds. He used a special Fleksy keyboard layout. 

If you want to practise for your attempt, the message you have to type is: 

The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.

Most selfies taken in three minutes

The most selfies taken in three minutes is 168 and was achieved by James Smith from the USA aboard the Carnival Dream cruise ship in January 2018. James is an avid cruiser, and completed the attempt on the deck of the ship on one of his many cruise vacations. 

Longest mobile gaming marathon

 

If you love locking yourself in a room and playing video games for hours then this is probably one for you to try out. The current record for the longest video game marathon on a phone stands at 24hrs and 10 minutes. This was achieved by four gamers - Paul Dahlhoff from Germany and Martin Fornleitner, Hans Peter Glock, and Stefan Reichspfarrer from Austria - in August 2011 in Vienna. All the gamers used a Sony Xperia handset, and each played a different game. 

World’s longest phone call

Eric R Brewster and Avery A Leonard both fought off the urge to sleep as they held a phone conversation that lasted for 46 hours, 12 minutes, 52 seconds, and 228 milliseconds - setting a new world record in 2012.

How to submit your record 

In order to receive a Guinness World Record you must first register on their website, and submit an application. Once your application is accepted (between four to six weeks), Guinness World Records will send you three packets of information: the General Info pack, the Record Guidelines, and the Evidence Required pack, which will explain how to prove that you set a new Guinness World Record.

Once you believe you have set a new record, and have everything you need to prove it, you send out your evidence to the Guinness World Records main office in London, UK, where a Record Adjudicator will verify your attempt. If confirmed, you’ll get a certificate proving that you are now a Guinness World Record holder. 

Set your own records

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