Unlike iOS, Android is known to have a serious problem of fragmentation. Many Android smartphones often have a very surprisingly short software support lifespan from their manufacturers. Most of them will be stuck with whatever Android version that comes with the device at first. After two years, Android 7.0/7.1 Nougat finally becomes the most popular version of Android.
According to a recent update from Google, Android Nougat’s market share is now sitting at around 28.5%, combining 7.0’s 22.3% and 7.1’s 6.2%. This overtakes Android 6.0 Marshmallow‘s 28.1%, which was released in 2015. The latest Android 8.0/8.1 Oreo is at 1.1% currently. For comparison, Apple has confirmed that 65% of the devices are using iOS 11, and 28% in iOS 10.
Overall, there are still about 42.3% of devices using Android 5.0 Lollipop or lower versions, which are relatively outdated. Little to none updates will be provided to fix any software issues or security flaws.
It is rumoured that Google will try to fix the Android fragmentation problem on the next version (9.0) later this year. For example, more system features will be in the Google Play Store for faster and easier updates.
For more information, you can visit Google’s Developer Portal.
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