As a monthly ritual, Google releases Android distribution numbers which tell developers which versions of Android are in circulation and what percentage they hold vis- -vis the total pie. The details also provide insights into the problem of Android fragmentation.

For the month of January 2014, the numbers divulge certain interesting details. Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.X, Android 4.2.X and Android 4.3.X) has jumped to near 60% of devices (59.1% to be exact) from 54.5% last month. Gingerbread (Android 2.3.X) and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.X) have both dropped down in absolute percentage points as devices got updated to Jelly Bean. Gingerbread is at 21.2% in January, which is drop of close to 3% points from December 2013, when Gingerbread was on 24.1% devices. Ice Cream Sandwich was at 18.6% in December and has dropped down to 16.9% in January 2014 – a drop of close to 2% (approximately).


The latest iteration of Google's Android OS – Android 4.4.X Kit Kat – has seen a slight rise to 1.4% this month from 1.1% last month. We have not seen many of the older devices getting updated to Kit Kat; however Kit Kat updates would be rolling out to most flagships and other devices in the next couple of months, so definitely we will be seeing the Android 4.4 Kit Kat numbers rising soon.

The older versions of Android – Froyo (Android 2.2.X) and Honeycomb (3.X) have been on a steady decline and we would definitely expect them to be phased out in a few short months. For the foreseeable future, we would speculate that Android 4.1.x to 4.3.x Jelly Bean would remain the reigning king, until last year devices start getting official updates to Android 4.4 Kit Kat. Click here to see the numbers for December 2013.


Has your beloved Android been updated to Android 4.4 Kit Kat yet? Or have you chosen a custom ROM to get Kit Kat? Or are you planning to? Let us know in the comments below.