There have already been studies that prove labelling icons enhances usability on desktop applications. This is why Microsoft Outlook started labelling its icons.
Does the same logic apply to mobile apps? There is limited screen space on a mobile phone. Adding labels to every icon would harm the aesthetic design. I'm thinking of designing my application without many labels, like this popular app:
My theory is that even though users don't necessarily know what all the icons do (three lines, two people, smiley face, plus sign), they will try tapping them to learn what they do. My feeling is that mobile applications are more playful and inviting than desktop applications, so users are not afraid to explore unknown icons. The desktop is a cold hard machine for serious business, whereas your phone is always with you and you interact with it every hour.
Answer
Of course it applies. Limited screen real estate does not invalidate the conclusion that labeling icons improves usability of them. It merely makes it inconvenient.
A user intimidated by desktop app icons is likely just as intimidated by mysterious icons on a mobile. The platform isn't the discerning factor here. The user is. I have seen plenty of people intimidated by their phone. What may well be the case is that the mobile audience in general is a lot younger and more used to just experimenting with an app on a phone to see what happens.
All in all, while I think that labeling icons improves usability just as much on a mobile versus a desktop platform, you are more likely to "get away with" not labeling icons on a mobile platform. Because of the audience, not because of the platform.
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