At the beginning of every month, Google does two things. First is, releasing monthly security patch for Android. And second, releasing Android distribution numbers. Well, the December security patch has been released and rolled out along with Android 8.1 Oreo update for Nexus and Pixel devices. However, like last month, Google has been a bit late in sharing Android distribution numbers. But, the Android distribution numbers are now out, and we know which Android versions have gained more share in the chart and which ones have dropped.
According to the latest Android distribution numbers, Android Marshmallow which was released back in 2015 is at the top spot with its share of 29.7%. However, Marshmallow has seen a drop in its share from last month when it had a total share of 30.9%.
Having said that, Android Nougat, which was released last year, has seen a growth of 2.7% from last month. Besides, Android 8.0 Oreo, which was released this August, has also grown by 0.2% from last month. The Android 8.1 Oreo which was released this month hasn’t been included in this distribution chart, because of course, it’s too early to include it, and, only those versions that have a share of more than 0.1% are included in this chart.
So for this month, Android Marshmallow tops the chart with its share of 29.7% which is followed by Lollipop with 26.3%, Nougat with 23.3%, Kitkat with 13.4%, JellyBean with 5.9%, Ice Cream Sandwich and Oreo with 0.5%, and, lastly, Gingerbread with 0.4%.
We expect Android Nougat and Oreo’s share to increase in the coming days as we expect more and more entry-level and budget smartphones to launch with Android Nougat, and, the flagships and mid-range smartphones to receive their Android Oreo update soon.
Which version of Android do you have on your smartphone?
