Android 6.0, Marshmallow, is the latest iteration of Google’s mobile operating system, Android. It has so far been available on just a handful of devices with Google’s new Nexus smartphones shipping with it out of the box and the older Nexus devices getting it moments later. Several new devices like HTC’s iPhone-like A9 smartphone have been introduced into the market running Android Marshmallow directly while other devices like LG’s G4 smartphone are already receiving the update in some parts of the world. Still, that was not enough to earn Marshmallow, which just received a minor update (version 6.0.1) today enough share of the Android pie.
Android 6.0 only accounted for half a percentage point while the two-year-old Android 4.4 KitKat takes the lion’s share accounting for 36.6% of all devices running Android that accessed the Google Play Store in the seven-day period ending December 7th. Android Lollipop, Marshmallow’s predecessor, is third in the pecking order with 29.5% share. Older versions of Android dating from 2011 going backwards (Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread and Froyo) now account for less than 7% of Android devices. With Android 2.2 Froyo hitting the 0.2% mark, it could be gone by the time Google releases these stats again in January 2016.
Marshmallow’s share of the pie is not expected to grow exponentially as OEMs and their partners keep dragging their feet over updates and keep on making endless promises on delivery of the same with nothing to show for it. Probably the end of the first quarter of 2016, Android 6.0 will enter the double digits.
