Android is the most widespread OS in the world. About 71% of smartphones use one version or another of the mobile OS created by Google. It is an asset, as much as a defect, because this heterogeneous park prevents a rapid evolution of the ecosystem.
We frequently talk in our columns about the great new features that Android 14 will soon offer us. Native support for passkeys, location of the smartphone even when it is off, or the possibility of making emergency calls by satellite. The fact is that only a minority of users will actually be able to take advantage of it. The latest available version of the operating system, Android 13 is only installed on 15% of smartphones worldwide, a growth of 25% compared to April 2023, but this is still not much.
Google has updated the Android version distribution statistics shown in Android Studio to reflect the latest data as of May 30, 2023. Here’s how the % of (GMS Android) devices has changed since January 2023 when the stats were last publicly updated.
– Android 13: 5.2% – 15%
-… pic.twitter.com/ruaGZhgd6y— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 5, 2023
Journalist Mishal Rahman published the android distribution statistics for the month of may, visible in Android Studio, the free development environment offered by Google. His tweet tells us that Android 10, released in October 2021, occupies second place in the ranking, with 17.8% installations, while Android 11 remains firmly anchored in first place, with 23.1% of adoption in the global smartphone fleet. Android 12 takes third place, with 16.3%.
Android 13 adoption will remain stuck around 15% as Android 14 is coming soon
Android 13 fails at the foot of the podium, in fourth position. Other OSes then share the crumbs, but it’s probablyolder, less capable devices. The adoption of Tiramisu, its code name, is unlikely to progress further. Android 14 is around the cornerand smartphone manufacturers will not fail to offer an update to this new system, on their most prestigious smartphones, those who will be able to take full advantage of it, at least.
To read – Android: smartphone autonomy will soar in 2023, here’s why
We see him, despite all his qualities, Android remains a very fragmented operating system. This is one of the thorniest issues faced by app developers, as it is extremely difficult to provide a uniform experience across all devices running Android in its various iterations. The sworn enemy Apple does not have this problem. The Cupertino company strictly controls the deployment of iOS.
