Well, it's that time again – time for the monthly update to Android's Platform Distribution Numbers. Each month, Google publishes the latest figures, letting developers know what versions of Android are currently dominating active devices.

This month, we're seeing a familiar pattern – Gingerbread is continuing its slow descent, hitting 39.8%, down from 44.2% this time last month. Meanwhile the latest and greatest – Jelly Bean – accounts for exactly 25% of the overall distribution, meaning it's finally hit one quarter of all tallied devices. That, for those interested, marks a nearly 9% jump from last month's 16.5% figure.

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Ice Cream Sandwich is still strangely climbing, hitting 29.3% up from 28.6% in February. Honeycomb, predictably, is experiencing its own descent, down just 0.1%, while Froyo has been sliced by 3.6% and Éclair and Donut holding relatively stable with tiny drops from the last update.

All of this being said, it's important to note that it appears Google has changed its data collection method, counting only those users who actually visit the Google Play Store within the collection period.

Note: Beginning in April, 2013, these charts are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store. Previously, the data was collected when the device simply checked-in to Google servers. We believe the new data more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem.

This method is more accurate for developers (the audience for whose consumption these numbers are intended), as they – theoretically – only count users actively accessing the Play Store, rather than including devices that automatically check in to Google servers for updates.

Those interested can also find screen density distributions, and the distribution of Open GL versions at the link below.

Source: Google Developer Dashboard