Android 13 reaches five percent of Android devices in five months

[Daniel Sims]

The big picture: Android 13 made its debut on the distribution charts this month. While Google has made it somewhat more difficult to track changes in version market share in recent years, its latest OS seems to be enjoying a healthy start thanks to platform partners.

Google's latest chart showing the distribution of Android versions across devices is the first since it released Android 13 last August. The company's latest mobile operating system is already on just over five percent of Android phones. Version 12 also increased its share in the last five months.

Originally, Google periodically and publicly released its data comparing Android version market share to inform developers deciding which versions their software should target. However, in 2018, the company restricted that information to its internal development platform, where the updates became irregular. Since 2020, 9to5Google has accessed the updates and released them through AndroidDistribution.io.

Another element to consider is that, unlike iOS devices, Android phones don't uniformly upgrade to new versions as soon as Google releases them. Manufacturers like Samsung and Sony update their systems based on their own scheduling, which reflects in Google's distribution data.

When Android 13 launched in August, it was exclusive to Google's Pixel phones. Samsung released its Android 13-based OneUI 5 soon after. OnePlus, Sony, and other manufacturers also released phones supporting Android 13 last year, helping the OS's relatively rapid growth.

Android 12 first appeared on Google's charts in the previous update last August — right before Android 13's launch — with 13.5 percent of the overall Android market share. Since then, that number has grown to 18.9 percent, while Android 11 has fallen from 27 percent to 24.4 percent. Versions 10 and 9 also still retain significant user bases.

The Android team has introduced numerous features and updates since 13's debut, with more to come. Support for the popular Backbone One mobile gaming controller arrived on Android late last year, and Google recently gave Android Auto its first major overhaul. Additionally, Google and Windows partnered to expand the connectivity between Android and Windows 11.

Qualcomm is working to bring significant advancements to Android as well. In November, the company unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with support for Wi-Fi 7, enhanced AI performance, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Unreal Engine 5, and more. Qualcomm is also introducing a satellite-based communication service to Android phones to answer Apple's SOS system for iPhones.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97336-android-13-reaches-five-percent-android-devices-five.html

 

[scavengerspc]

Sometimes bad things sell well.

People think Windows is bad, but Android is the ultimate OS spyware platform.

 

[trparky]

People think Windows is bad, but Android is the ultimate OS spyware platform.

Been saying that for a while, yet people keep buying them. Granted, Apple isn't a saint but Android sure makes them look like saints by comparison.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

I was browsing through the linked Android Distribtion site, and it's pretty nifty. But gone are the days when two or three versions would dominate the Android world, when after a year of an update releasing it would take 33% marketshare. Now it's the five most recent updates that make up 75% of distribution. Painfully slow software release distribution by manufacturers is one of the main reasons I switched to iOS, which lets phones half a decade old get the latest software update on day one.

I hope this changes with Android. Supporting old phones with the latest updates is one part of it, but timely releases is another. I'm not so sure it's phone manufacturers that should be in charge of this either. They've been doing this for a while and are barely any better. Maybe it's time for them to outsource this work, or for Google to get more involved in making their updates more hardware-agnostic. Windows doesn't have the same problem for instance.

 

[scavengerspc]

Been saying that for a while, yet people keep buying them. Granted, Apple isn't a saint but Android sure makes them look like saints by comparison.

Couldn't agree more. I used to rotate between the two, but when I found out Google was peaking into our emails for ads, I had enough. I even dropped Android TV (Except one Nvidia Shield).

For quite some time now and forever on, I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the Apple TV hardware.

 

[Superconductor]

You can't really blame Google for being corrupt ... People let them in willingly!

 

[nismo91]

So.... it looks like Google doesn't need to use the "your device is too old" route to get people to use the latest OS. less than 10% marketshare for really old OS up to Nougat.

so far I haven't seen any major setback using older OS such as Android 10. never have I think oh my phone is stuck on Android 10 I need to get a new one soon. I also have another phone which runs Android 12 and I found the differences (mostly on permission related stuffs) are minimal, in windows it would have been called a feature update instead of new OS.

as newer phones get faster and faster, the devs are getting lazy with the optimization. who cares if the OS is not optimized if you have 16gigs of fast LPDDR5X RAM.

 

[kiwigraeme]

Couldn't agree more. I used to rotate between the two, but when I found out Google was peaking into our emails for ads, I had enough. I even dropped Android TV (Except one Nvidia Shield).

For quite some time now and forever on, I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the Apple TV hardware.

You know Apple is making Billions in advertising - you have a unique Apple ID - that it listens to your private conversations, everything you do , checks all your photos for sexually explicit stuff - Trying to make it harder for Google of Meta is solely so they can charge them to target you , or use that info themselves .
They want your house, car, medical spending - You are the product
So you need a Pixel phone with google booted off

Or just like the rest of us accept these big companies spying on us - with the watch Apple knows your health , your sex life , if you cheat on your partner , when you have sex ( if wearing it ) , your sleep patterns .

You can get android without Google - But with Apple you can do very little .
Maybe you think Apple does not sell you for money and it's just them wanting you to solely exploit . Do you think Apple does not work with 3rd party advertisers??? 31 Billion in advertising revenue in 2021.
Just be thankful the EU will crack down on Google and Apple eventually

 

[Nobina]

What if Google stopped calling every update they release a new Android OS? We'd all have the latest software! There is also very little they can do with supporting older devices, that comes down to Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei etc.. and considering Xiaomi releases a new phone every single second, doubt many of them will get support for more than a couple of years.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I'm just happy to be on 11. Does everything I need and then some with the help of MIUI. My banking app only requires Android 7, so I won't be chasing OS or security updates for a while. That might be foolish, but I haven't been properly convinced otherwise.

 

[bviktor]

You know Apple is making Billions in advertising - you have a unique Apple ID - that it listens to your private conversations, everything you do , checks all your photos for sexually explicit stuff - Trying to make it harder for Google of Meta is solely so they can charge them to target you , or use that info themselves .
They want your house, car, medical spending - You are the product
So you need a Pixel phone with google booted off

Or just like the rest of us accept these big companies spying on us - with the watch Apple knows your health , your sex life , if you cheat on your partner , when you have sex ( if wearing it ) , your sleep patterns .

You can get android without Google - But with Apple you can do very little .
Maybe you think Apple does not sell you for money and it's just them wanting you to solely exploit . Do you think Apple does not work with 3rd party advertisers??? 31 Billion in advertising revenue in 2021.
Just be thankful the EU will crack down on Google and Apple eventually

Cool story bro.

 

[Threadcount]

You know Apple is making Billions in advertising - you have a unique Apple ID - that it listens to your private conversations, everything you do , checks all your photos for sexually explicit stuff - Trying to make it harder for Google of Meta is solely so they can charge them to target you , or use that info themselves .
They want your house, car, medical spending - You are the product
So you need a Pixel phone with google booted off

Or just like the rest of us accept these big companies spying on us - with the watch Apple knows your health , your sex life , if you cheat on your partner , when you have sex ( if wearing it ) , your sleep patterns .

You can get android without Google - But with Apple you can do very little .
Maybe you think Apple does not sell you for money and it's just them wanting you to solely exploit . Do you think Apple does not work with 3rd party advertisers??? 31 Billion in advertising revenue in 2021.
Just be thankful the EU will crack down on Google and Apple eventually

So with the billions they make from selling your "info", you would expect to see a royalty check in the mail.

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

In the end they all suck, they all have big positives and big negatives. We pick the one that suits us best, and endeavor to ***** about the rest.

I switched to iOS because of this very issue with Android, lack of updates. I was liking Apple for a couple years but then their usual BS started to tick me off, and Siri just keeps getting worse with each iOS update. Hell, each iOS update keeps getting worse it seems. But at least I'm still getting updates on my oldest six year old phone.

 

[kiwigraeme]

Cool story bro.

As an Anti-Apple ranter - which is worse?
Google an amorphous behemoth who wants to sell you adverts

Or the super super secret Apple who wants shear all your money spending .
It's hilarious anti-govt people loving Apple - The ultimate Nanny State - just purchase apps in our safe space at our prices - no you can not purchase elsewhere.
Use our standards - not international stds .
Use all our products not others which we make hard to work unless they pay us mega bucks in your home , car etc
Yes we are investing billions in medical - hey we monitor you with your watch etc

Yes we do sell you off packaged to advertisers /3rd parties - they have to come throught us so we protect you .

You know you can't leave us Icloud, media , all your apps are ours

So to original point if you care not to be tracked , velvet ropes and all that - then you have to buy a phone that can be rooted - apparently the best are Pixels .

Personally I can not be bothered - Google and Microsoft seem much more benign to me than Apple - I'm a free spirit - Apple is too controlling for my liking - remember itunes back in day - you must go through that - no SD cards , no C&P , no drag and drop on their iphones in any easy manner - that was 15 years ago - I saw the obvious - Windows Xp - easy to hook up anything - Apple - you only get things we approve - Ugh no where near close to spirit of tech people like us .

I understand for Grandma and others like Insanegamer want safety - so go Apple & pay the tax and believe the illusion

 

[PEnnn]

You know Apple is making Billions in advertising - you have a unique Apple ID - that it listens to your private conversations, everything you do , checks all your photos for sexually explicit stuff - Trying to make it harder for Google of Meta is solely so they can charge them to target you , or use that info themselves .
They want your house, car, medical spending - You are the product
So you need a Pixel phone with google booted off

Or just like the rest of us accept these big companies spying on us - with the watch Apple knows your health , your sex life , if you cheat on your partner , when you have sex ( if wearing it ) , your sleep patterns .

You can get android without Google - But with Apple you can do very little .
Maybe you think Apple does not sell you for money and it's just them wanting you to solely exploit . Do you think Apple does not work with 3rd party advertisers??? 31 Billion in advertising revenue in 2021.
Just be thankful the EU will crack down on Google and Apple eventually

I stopped reading at the "apples listens to your private conversations"....

And furthermore, you don't think EVERY company, tech or otherwise, has a unique ID for each customer??

Is that a huge secret? It's called CUSTOMER ID!! Ask anyone who works as system admin in any company, large or small.

TechSpot Paranoia is upon us now. Sheesh!

 

[Nobina]

Couldn't agree more. I used to rotate between the two, but when I found out Google was peaking into our emails for ads, I had enough. I even dropped Android TV (Except one Nvidia Shield).

For quite some time now and forever on, I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the Apple TV hardware.

You ditched spyware OS for......another spyware OS!

 

[NumberSix]

Couldn't agree more. I used to rotate between the two, but when I found out Google was peaking into our emails for ads, I had enough. I even dropped Android TV (Except one Nvidia Shield).

For quite some time now and forever on, I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the Apple TV hardware.

You can turn that off in the Gmail settings should you wish.

 

[NikoBB]

I have consistently watched Google update Google Play on my old Android 7.1 smartphone. Six years ago, everything flew on it with the Snapdragon 8 series. Now everything slows down. Has my comfort improved? No. Despite the fact that there were no new opportunities for me. I rolled back the firmware in TWRP to the original one - and everything again flew even on the NAND memory worn out for 6 years ...

Google and other software vendors deliberately slow down the code to force everyone to switch to new hardware, adding little to no valuable functionality.

Firmware Android 7.1 easily allows you to record all conversations from the line, firmware from Android 10+ does not allow this. Despite the fact that in the modern world it is necessary to ALWAYS record all business and official conversations, and clearly according to the rules - all unfamiliar income calls numbers and all marked in the book as mandatory to record.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg of limited features of new versions of Android...