Android Distribution Numbers Finally Show Lollipop

Now that we're in February, we've got new Android distribution numbers. Typically not exciting fare, Google is finally telling us how many Android Lollipop devices there are in the world. After being announced and released in the Fall of 2014, Google has kept a tight lid on distribution numbers for their latest operating system. According to Google's very-official numbers, 1.6% of Android devices run Lollipop. Though Google says it takes at least 0.1% to make a showing on the list, we've not seen Lollipop just yet.

That's not to say Lollipop somehow earned 1.5% of Android handsets in a months time, but it is strange Google wouldn't share their distribution numbers until now.

The rest of the Android version crowd is down, as expected. KitKat is up slightly, but Ice Cream Sandwich and earlier iterations all dipped in February.

Again, it's not clear why Google didn't release their Lollipop numbers until now. Considering the troubles Lollipop is having, and the slow rollout compared to KitKat, it's very likely Google simply didn't want to make an issue of the trouble their latest OS was having.

At this point, we can look to these numbers as a rough benchmark for how many Nexus 6 and Moto X devices are in the wild. There are some other handsets that have Lollipop, and the Galaxy S5 for Verizon was just updated, but it's likely nothing to substantially raise these numbers for March.

Source: Google