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Jul

Android Internal Version Distribution Updated; Fragmentation Dissipating

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News

Right on schedule, Google has yet again updated their Android version distribution charts.

Immediately one notices that Android 2.1 now controls 53.1% of the Android device population. This is in stark contrast to mid-May; when 2.1 accounted for little over 30% of the operating system distribution. The major changes, summarized below:

Android 1.5 and 1.6 have shrunk to a combined 44.8% of the Android population; Android 2.1 and 2.2 devices now represent the majority of the distribution.
Android 2.0.1 has all but evaporated in the wild.
Android 2.1 is run on 53.1% of Android devices.
Android 2.2 adoption hovers around 1.8% (this includes non-standard 2.2 ROM’s that can access the Market)

Fragmentation has long been the buzzword of Android critics and users alike; but it appears that the combined effort to upgrade 1.5 and 1.6 devices to 2.1, in consort with increasing sales of new Android devices worldwide, has provided 2.1 a massive boost in the Android OS share.

Jun

Android Platform Version Chart Updated, Android 2.1 Continues To Grow

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, News

Ever since they promised to help developers and slow the growing problem of Android fragmentation, Google has been quite consistent in updating their platform version chart, which shows how many phones are running each version of Android. Just over a month ago, the chart was used in the argument that fragmentation is a major problem for Android, as Android 2.1 was running on a much smaller percentage of phones than previous versions Android 1.6 and 1.5. However, last month, Eclair finally took over, becoming the most used single version of Android (1.5 and 1.6 still accounted for a larger total share).

Jun

Google Update Platform Versions Chart, Call Fragmentation A ‘Bogeyman’

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Android OS, Devices By Manufacturer, News

Yesterday, Google Open Source & Compatibility Program Manager Dan Morrill (his business cards have to be 10 feet long to fit that title) wrote a pretty interesting blog post over at the Android Developers blog, where he called the idea of fragmentation a ‘bogeyman’.

He tries to diffuse a lot of the controversy that the idea of Android fragmentation has stirred up – indeed, it’s probably the biggest argument used against Android by its detractors.

He doesn’t directly address the fact that there are still a lot of devices in the wild that are running legacy versions of the operating system, and are unable to take advantage of some of the new APIs the newer versions have introduced, but instead implies that it doesn’t necessarily matter anyways.

May

Doomed To Eat Donuts Forever – The Behold II Won’t Be Upgraded Past 1.6

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Behold II, Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Samsung, T-Mobile

Fragmentation is often brought up as one of Android’s bigger flaws, and despite Google’s promises, it doesn’t look like it will be going away any time soon. Google has said that Froyo is supposed to help bridge the gap between OS versions, and help stem fragmentation, but I haven’t been able to track down exactly how that’s supposed to happen.

Not that any of that matters for owners of the Samsung Behold II – it doesn’t look like they’ll be seeing anything past 1.6, let alone version 2.2. Much to the chagrin of Behold II owners everywhere, Samsung has officially stated their position regarding the upgrade path…and it’s not pretty:

To All:
Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA are planning to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 which provides access to Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search capability and quick search box for Android.

May

Google Updates Platform Version Stats Yet Again, 2.1 Finally In The Lead

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, News

Once again Google has updated their platform version chart, and this time OS Version 2.1 has something to celebrate.

If you haven’t been keeping track, Google has a chart that illustrates the breakdown of Android versions on devices currently in the wild. This is done primarily so developers will know what version to develop for, but has also been used as ammunition for Android’s detractors who like to bring up fragmentation as one of Android’s biggest flaws.

Until April, the chart would go several months with out any new updates, but since the fragmentation argument started gaining ground, Google has switched to a more consistent update schedule, posting new results every few weeks.

May

Latest Android Fragmentation Numbers Are In - Android 1.5 Still Leading The Pack

Posted by Ian Douglas in News

Google has updated the two-week survey of Android devices connecting to the Android Market again, ending yesterday, May 3, 2010.

According to their graph, 99% of users are using platform versions 1.5, 1.6 or 2.1 with the final percentage being split among some very minor releases. More than one third of Android devices are still using a build of the Android OS which is several versions old - 1.5.

With the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment 2.1 updates rumored (for the 7th time) to go out this week, this will hopefully be the last time we see 1.5 ahead of the pack.

Apr

Google Updates Fragmentation Statistics - 70% Still Stuck With Android 1.5 And 1.6, 23% Secretly Cry About It Every Night

Posted by John Thompson in News

Today the official Android fragmentation chart was finally updated by Google to show the most up-to-date breakdown of various versions of Android out in the wild. The data was collected from devices which accessed the Android Market between March 29th and April 12th.

Fragmentation of Android is my main concern for the future of the platform. With Google’s rapid release schedule, phone manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the latest versions and some new, low budget phones are being released with Android 1.5 or 1.6 instead of 2.1. Hopefully, this will be corrected in the next version of Android.

Mar

Editorial: Why Google Could Not Avoid Android Fragmentation And What It Plans To Do About It

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News

Android Fragmentation

If you currently own an Android phone, chances are you are running one of the four major release versions: 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, or 2.1.

Each version has its own set of supported features and a separate SDK (software development kit) which makes developers' lives a living hell - they have to develop and test on 4 different major operating systems or face users' wrath in the cruel world of application reviews.

Furthermore, there is a very high chance your phone manufacturer spent months customizing the OS with its own applications and UI: for example, HTC has Sense and Sony Ericsson's version is called Rachael.