Google did not disclose Android adoption numbers for June. There was no explanation as to why that was, but now it has released new numbers for the period ending 3 August 2015. Since the last time these adoption numbers were released, there has bee a 5.7 % increase in Lollipop adoption.
In June, Lollipop was sitting at 12.40 % and now it has jumped to 18.1 %. Android Lollipop 5.0 is present on 15.5 % devices whilst 5.1 is only present 2.6 %.
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Google’s Android Lollipop roll out was quite slow in the beginning and even though it has been picking in the last few months, it is nowhere near the fast adoption of iOS 8. Manufactures like LG who were quick to upgrade to Lollipop 5.0 have not upgraded as quickly to 5.1, choosing to wait instead for Android M, leaving Android users to struggle with battery and freezing issues on their devices, issues that can be sorted with an upgrade.
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While the new adoption numbers are encouraging, old Android versions are still popular with users. Android 4.4 KitKat, for instance is installed on 39.3% of Android devices. It is showing no signs of slowing down, increasing 0.1% from last month’s 39.2%. These numbers are not hugely significant but they do show a reluctance from users who still will not upgrade to the latest versions.
Thankfully, older versions are starting to go into decline. Jelly Bean declined from 37.4% to 33.6%. Ice Cream Sandwich is at 4.1% while Gingerbread (Android 2.3) has move down to 4.6% from 5.6%. Froyo (Android 2.2,) remains stubborn, staying at 0.3 %
Android M, the Android version that is rolling out sometime in October 2015, promises to be a significant upgrade for the Android OS. Android has promised some really nifty features. Android will have to get its distribution strategy thoroughly thought out for this version to have a faster adoption.
As to where Lollipop will be by the time Android M comes out is anybody’s guess. It will be hard for Lollipop however to reach a 100 % adoption or even close to that once Android M comes out with its features especially if manufactures take to it in a big way.
