Android Nougat now running on 2.8 percent active devices

By Karthekayan Iyer | Updated on 08-Mar-2017

08-Mar-2017

HIGHLIGHTS

Android 7.0 Nougat was officially announced on August 22 and it surpassed 1 percent market share last month. Android Lollipop and Marshmallow continue to run on over 30 percent devices

Android 7.0 Nougat, the seventh iteration of Google's mobile ecosystem has reached 2.8 percent market share. According to Android Dashboard, Android 7.0 Nougat is on 2.4 percent devices, while 7.1 is running on another 0.4 percent. The information is based on data collected during a 7-day period, ending March 6.

Google announced Android 7.0 Nougat as a beta build on March 9, 2016, before officially rolling out as an OTA update for select Nexus devices on August 22, 2016. LG's V20 was the first smartphone to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and Google's own Pixel series came with Android 7.1 update.

Android Nougat surpassed 1 percent market share back in February and its adoption has grown steadily in the past month. Android's fragmentation problem is, however, far from over with Lollipop continuing to be the most used version. Android Lollipop is currently on 32.5 percent devices ahead of Marshmallow with 31.3 percent market share.

Meanwhile, Android KitKat still powers 20.8 percent devices, while Jelly Bean continues to support 10.6 percent. The older Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich versions have diminished to 1 percent, but are still in use. In contrast, Apple's iOS 10 is running on 76 percent active devices, while 18 percent users are on iOS 9. This, of course, isn't an apples to apples comparison, since iOS caters to a lesser number of devices as compared ot Android.

The latest numbers paint a clear picture around Google's problem with Android fragmentation. With Android N Beta, Google aimed to ensure smooth upgrade for even older devices but it seems OEMs are yet to deliver updates. Earlier in the day, Samsung delayed its Nougat update for Galaxy S6 and S6 edge without offering a further date of rollout. With even two-year old flagships missing out on latest version, Android Nougat is not likely to hit double-digit share anytime soon.