Smartphones (SMPs) play a vital role in the lives of young people and in the university classroom. There are few studies of the use of SMPs by university students, and the existing knowledge is inconsistent and lacking consensus. This article shows the validity of a theoretical model of the use of SMPs in higher education, in the context of the theory of uses and gratifications, and the knowledge gained from previous studies on the use of SMPs by adolescents. The results suggest the existence of a specific educational function for the use of SMPs in university classrooms. Despite the emergent nature of this function, the educational use of SMPs in higher education presents potential consolidation as a source of gratification and satisfaction of educational needs. Their inclusion in the everyday activity of university classrooms will require considerable effort to adapt the educational system, and the training of students and teaching staff must be improved in order to reduce possible interference in learning the communicative and expressive play functions of SMPs.