Google's latest Android KitKat is picking up speed and powering almost 21 percent of Android smartphones globally.
Google's Android KitKat is scaling up the charts by powering 20.9 percent of Android smartphones. The latest statistics on Google's Platform Versions page shows market shares of various Android versions such as Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread and KitKat based on Google Play check-ins. The new data was collected during a seven-day period ending Monday, August 12.
The updated Platform Versions page by Google shows Jelly Bean has taken a plunge in the Android market share as new handsets run KitKat. Jelly Bean and Gingerbread are Google's two most popular Android versions, but the trend is changing as KitKat is steadily gaining dominance.
By The Numbers
According to the figures, Jelly Bean continues to hold its dominant position in powering more than half of the Android smartphones. Different versions of Jelly Bean, 4.1.x, 4.2.x and 4.3, collectively account for 54.2 percent of Android smartphones, which is a 7.2 percent drop since June 5. Individually, Jelly Bean's 4.1 version powers 26.5 percent of Android smartphones, while the 4.2 and 4.3 runs on 19.8 percent and 7.9 percent of Android devices, respectively.
These numbers show a significant growth for Google's latest Android OS version, which was previously behind Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich. Android KitKat 4.4 powers 20.9 percent devices, up from 13.6 percent in June. KitKat started off on a slow note, powering just 1.4 percent in January and 5.1 percent as of June 4.
KitKat's steady growth is impacting the market share ruled by Jelly Bean. The reason for this could be the upgrade on high-end smartphones. But as more companies launch new phones, Android KitKat adoption rate is bound to spike in the coming months. The popularity of KitKat will likely slip with the launch of Android L, which is just a few months away.
As for other versions of Android OS, Gingerbread has lost its second rank since June. The OS version 2.3.3 to 2.3.7 Gingerbread collectively powers 13.6 percent of the handsets, down from 16.2 as of June 4. Ice Cream Sandwich comes third with 10.6 percent, down 2.8 percent since the last report in June. Froyo is constant at 0.8 percent in the last two months.
