Google has released the latest Android distribution numbers on its developer dashboard. It reveals that the latest iteration of its mobile operating system, Marshmallow 6.0 now powers 0.7 percent smartphones globally. Compared to December figure of 0.5 percent, the adoption is a mere 0.2 percent jump. In coming months we can see these numbers going up as many leading mobile manufactures announced Android M for their flagship phones by Q1(2016)
Android Marshmallow was made official on October 29, 2015, and even after two months, it barely has made its presence felt. However, as handset makers start pushing out the Marshmallow update for its smartphones, the percentage share is expected to climb further. From the roadmap we�ve come across so far, a number of compatible smartphones are expected to receive the update in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, Android Lollipop has gained additional three percent marketshare in total adoption to 32.6 percent, compared to 29.5 percent in December. To further breakdown the numbers, Android 5.0 and Android 5.1 adoption stands at 15.7 percent and 16.9 percent, up from 16.3 percent and 13.2 percent.
However, Android 4.4 KitKat, which was launched two years ago, still rules the Android marketshare with adoption rate of 36.1 percent. The older Android versions have seen a slight decline, with Jelly Bean standing at 24.7 percent (from 26.9 percent last month) and Ice Cream Sandwich at 2.7 percent (from 2.9 percent last month). While Gingerbread still runs on 3 percent devices (down from 3.4 percent last month), Froyo remains unchanged at 0.2 percent.
