For the better part of 2016 when I covered Google’s monthly Android platform distribution numbers update, there has been one constant: Android 2.2 hanging by the thread.
Froyo, as Android 2.2 is widely known as, debuted in May 2010, over 6 and a half years ago.
It was the first Android experience for quite a number of people as Android, then leapfrogging iOS, sought to make its mark in the world. 6 years later, Android is a household name and is used in everything ranging from televisions and cars to smart home devices, not just smartphones.
It’s quite surprising how Froyo has literally managed to “hang in there” but its time is finally up as the version of Android that succeeded Eclair has finally joined its predecessor in its final resting place or wherever it is that Google’s tasty treats go to once they disappear from the monthly Android platform distribution chart.
2016 had forgotten to kill one thing: Froyo. 2017 just fixed that pronto.
While we can heave a sigh of relief that Froyo has finally hit extreme negligible levels to no longer warrant our attention, we still have to be worried about the slow adoption of Google’s latest, Android 7.x Nougat which is still in use on under 1% of all devices running Android polled by Google over the last one week.
The good news, however, is that there’s still some light at the end of the tunnel, it’s not all dull and gloomy: Marshmallow has been on the rise steadily over the last two months and there’s no stopping it.
Here’s the complete breakdown:
[Android] Version | Codename | API | Distribution |
2.3.3-2.3.7 | Gingerbread | 10 | 1.0% |
4.0.3-4.0.4 | Ice Cream Sandwich | 15 | 1.1% |
4.1.x | Jelly Bean | 16 | 4.0% |
4.2.x | " | 17 | 5.9% |
4.3 | " | 18 | 1.7% |
4.4 | KitKat | 19 | 22.6% |
5.0 | Lollipop | 21 | 10.1% |
5.1 | " | 22 | 23.3% |
6.0 | Marshmallow | 23 | 29.6% |
7.0 | Nougat | 24 | 0.5% |
7.1 | " | 25 | 0.2% |