In light of recent events, Google has decided to disclose data on the fragmentation of its operating system, similar to Apple. As expected, updating Android devices to newer versions lags far behind iOS, and at the moment Android 13 is not even in the top three most popular builds.
The current situation with Android versions
Based on data as of May 30, 2023, Android 11(R), released in 2020, is still the most popular version of Android, with 23.1% of all active Android devices using it. In April, this figure was 23.5%. In second place was Android 10 (Q) with a share of 17.8% (down from 18.5% in April), and third most popular was Android 12 (S) with 16.3% (down from 16.5%). Android 13(T) only ranks fourth with 14.7% of all devices running Google’s operating system. In April, 12.1% of devices were installed on Android 13.
Reducing the share of older versions
Statistics show that the share of almost all older versions of Android also continues to decline:
- Android 9 Pie: 12.3% → 11.9%
- Android 8 Oreo: 6.7% → 8.3%
- Android 7 Nougat: 3.3% → 3.0%
- Android 6 Marshmallow: 2.5% → 2.3%
- Android 5 Lollipop: 1.9% → 1.8%
- Android 4.4 KitKat: 0.6% → 0.5%
Interestingly, in addition to Android 13, Android 8 Oreo, released in 2017, also increased its share by as much as 1.6%. However, the reason for this increase remains unclear.
In general, the fragmentation data of the Android operating system shows that although Android 11 is still the most popular version, Android 13 is slowly gaining momentum, notes NIX Solutions. Google will continue its efforts to reduce fragmentation to provide users with the best experience and security on their devices.