Platform usage
Charts in this section provide breakdowns of Android versions, based on devices accessing the Google Play Store in a seven-day period ending on June 11, 2016. Therefore, these statistics exclude devices running various Android forks that do not access the Google Play Store, such as Amazon's Fire tablets.
Since May 2016, more than half of devices have OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher.
| Version | Code name | Release date | API level | DVM/ART | Distribution (as of July 2016) | First devices to run version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 – 6.0.1 | Marshmallow | October 5, 2015 | 23 | Unknown | 13.3% | Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P |
| 5.1 – 5.1.1 | Lollipop | March 9, 2015 | 22 | Unknown | 20.8% | Android One |
| 5.0 – 5.0.2 | November 3, 2014 | 21 | ART 2.1.0 | 14.3% | Nexus 6 | |
| 4.4 – 4.4.4 | KitKat | October 31, 2013 | 19 | ART 1.6.0 | 30.1% | Nexus 5 |
| 4.3 – 4.3.1 | Jelly Bean | July 24, 2013 | 18 | Unknown | 2.6% | Nexus 7 2013 |
| 4.2 – 4.2.2 | November 13, 2012 | 17 | Unknown | 8.8% | Nexus 4, Nexus 10 | |
| 4.1 – 4.1.2 | July 9, 2012 | 16 | Unknown | 6.4% | Nexus 7 | |
| 4.0 – 4.0.4 | Ice Cream Sandwich | December 16, 2011 | 15 | Unknown | 1.7% | Galaxy Nexus |
| 2.3 – 2.3.7 | Gingerbread | February 9, 2011 | 10 | DVM 1.4.0 | 1.9% | Nexus S |
| 2.2 – 2.2.3 | Froyo | May 20, 2010 | 8 | Unknown | 0.1% | Droid 2 |
Marshmallow (13.3%)
Lollipop (35.1%)
KitKat (30.1%)
Jelly Bean (17.8%)
Ice Cream Sandwich (1.7%)
Gingerbread (1.9%)
Froyo (0.1%)
Definition
Android has the largest installed base of all operating systems of any kind.[b] Android has been the best selling OS on tablets since 2013, and on smartphones it is dominant by any metric.[14][15]
Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google bought in 2005,[16] Android was unveiled in 2007 along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance – a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[17] As of July 2013, the Google Play store has had over one million Android applications ("apps") published – including many "business-class apps"[18] that rival competing mobile platforms[19] – and over 50 billion applications downloaded.[20] An April–May 2013 survey of mobile application developers found that 71% of developers create applications for Android,[21] and a 2015 survey found that 40% of full-time professional developers see Android as their priority target platform, which is comparable to Apple's iOS on 37% with both platforms far above others.[22] In September 2015, Android had 1.4 billion monthly active users.[23]
Android's source code is released by Google under open source licenses, although most Android devices ultimately ship with a combination of open source and proprietary software, including proprietary software required for accessing Google services.[3] Android is popular with technology companies that require a ready-made, low-cost and customizable operating system for high-tech devices.[24] At the same time, as Android has no centralised update system most Android devices fail to receive security updates: research in 2015, concluded that almost 90% of Android phones in use had known but unpatched security vulnerabilities due to lack of updates and support.[25][26] Its open nature has encouraged a large community of developers and enthusiasts to use the open-source code as a foundation for community-driven projects, which deliver updates to older devices, add new features for advanced users[27] or bring Android to devices originally shipped with other operating systems. The success of Android has made it a target for patent (and copyright) litigation as part of the so-called "smartphone wars" between technology companies.
