At Stellenbosch University there is a drive to integrate the development of graduate attributes and the use of emerging technologies in the curriculum. With the aim of discovering the role of emerging mobile technologies in learning a qualitative research project was undertaken with a senior‐student cohort. An inductive thematic analysis was done using Ng's () mLearning literacies framework (cognitive, socio‐emotional and technical), and situating it within the field of graduateness (Barrie ; Bozalek & Watters, ). This paper reports on the research which informs the literature on graduateness with regards to the potential role of critical mobile learning literacies and expands the application of the mLearning literacies framework as part of the digital literacies debate. Resulting themes were: (1) a critical awareness of 21st century learning; (2) an underdeveloped mLearning literacy (with criticality as indicator); and (3) multidimensional expectations regarding the development of mLearning literacy. To support the notion of lifelong learning and graduateness, we call for the development of particularly criticality in mLearning literacy skills at a cognitive, socio‐emotional and technical level with mobile devices in both formal and informal learning. This has implications for curriculum design, pedagogic approaches and a focus on interactions with new forms of knowledge.