© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Nowadays, in mobile communication, smartphone is one of the modern progress and emergent phenomena for business as well as social networking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate an intention to adopt smartphone apps among the entrepreneurs of a developing country. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative methods based on cross-section data are employed for examining an intention towards adopting smartphone apps. The data are collected through a survey questionnaire. In the initial stage, 500 questionnaires were randomly distributed among the businessmen of a developing context. The value of the return samples is 280. The response rate has remained at 56 per cent. Findings: By applying the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression show a positive and significant relationship of perceived usefulness, ease of use, perceived enjoyment and satisfaction with an intention to adopt smartphone apps. On the other hand, a positive and non-significant relationship between social needs and the intention to adopt smartphone apps is investigated. Practical implications: The present study may provide valuable insights into the use pattern of smartphones among entrepreneurs and contribute for nurturing an intention to adopt smartphone apps in the developing context. Moreover, such a study may contribute to the literature of the developing country context, especially in the perspective of developing an intention and attitude towards smartphone apps. Originality/value: This paper offers the factors which may be supportive of the actual usage of smartphone applications. The study is original containing data from a developing country.