Android fragmentation is a big issue that despite Google's best efforts hasn't been fixed. It has gotten better, but it's far from sorted. Apple frequently flaunts how most of its iPhones are running the latest version of iOS, and Google, understandably tired of being dunked on, just made these market share graphs harder to access. They can still be accessed through Android Studio, but they're quarterly rather than monthly. The latest numbers, though, are showing promising growth for Google's latest OS, Android 13, with numbers doubling over a quarter.
The latest Android distribution numbers are out (via 9to5Google), and they show Android 13 is running on a considerable 12% of all active Android smartphones globally. By contrast, in January — the first month Android 13 had a presence on the chart — the OS was running on 5% of smartphones. It's a considerable leap, especially considering how Android 12 is only slightly ahead, at 16.5%. It should be noted that it went down from 18.9% in January. Undoubtedly, many Android 12 smartphones updated to Android 13, explaining the reduction, but many of the phones contributing to the growth in the chart are also new phones.
You could probably attribute a big chunk of the growth to Samsung. The company has done well keeping its older phones updated to Android 13. Not only that, but the recently-released Samsung Galaxy S23 series also features the new OS, with sales reportedly surpassing those of the Galaxy S22 series. The numbers also indicate that Android 13 adoption could ramp up faster over the coming months, especially as the OS keeps making its way to the best phones, as well as mid-range and budget smartphones.
It's good news for Android 13 adoption and a nice change of pace from the usually-depressing Android distribution numbers we're used to seeing. Earlier this week, Google revealed Android 14 beta 1 so the next stage of Android software is right around the corner.