Smartphone: Which is the most used Android version?

 Google has been sharing Android distribution numbers again since last year, when it was revealed that Android 10 was the most popular version of Android. The operating system was introduced in 2019 when Google stopped adding dessert names.  Android 10 surpassed Android 11, which launched in 2020.  But the latest data from May 9th this year, the operating system has gained a foothold as it is now the most popular Android version.

Smartphone companies have been rolling out devices running Android 11 for the past year and earlier this year.  Android 11 comes with new privacy and security features, including improved handling of app permissions for the camera, microphone and location, limited storage and permissions to automatically reset apps you haven't used in a while, Nearby Share and the ability to Pin apps in the share menu and scheduled dark mode, powerful media controls, seamless updates, multitasking panel, improved autofill, suggested apps, biometric authentication, among a host of other useful features. 

The chart shows that Android 11 is at 28.3% while Android 10 is at 23.9%. Android 9 Pie and Android 8 Oreo are at 16.2% and 11.6%, respectively. Android 7 Nougat, Android 6 Marshmallow, and Android 5 Lollipop round up to 5%, 3.9%, and 3%, respectively. Data on Android 12, which launched last year, is missing as developers don't necessarily find it valuable as they figure out which Android versions should be supported and what minimum API requirements should be met. Google is already planning to remove almost 900,000 apps from the Play Store. Google says apps must meet target API level 29 for Android 10. Presently, the current API target is 33 for Android 13.

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