The latest version of the operating system is rare on smartphones, and it is partly the fault of the manufacturers.
Android 13 has been available since August 2022, but smartphones equipped with the latest version of the system can almost be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Android 13 barely exceeds 5% market share, far behind Android 11 and 12
Google has released for the first time the first adoption figures for its latest mobile OS, compared to previous versions. The last study available was from August 2022, just before the official release of the update.
To date, only 5.2% of active smartphones or tablets are running Android 13 today. It is still Android 11 which remains the most used version of the system today, with nearly 25% of terminals equipped. Android 12 follows in close second, with 18.9% of devices equipped with the penultimate major update.
We can also note the resistance of versions dating back several years such as Android 10, with 19.5% of terminals equipped, or Android Pie, released in 2018 and still installed on 13.2% of devices regularly connecting to the Google Play Store. . Android Oreo has just (finally) dipped below 10%, and older versions of Android, like KitKat, continue to appear at, it must be said, ridiculously low rates.
Drip-feed updates for older devices
How to explain that Android 13 still does not take off? The answer is once again to be found on the side of the manufacturers. While the latest premium smartphone models come with Android 13, models released before August 2022 are still a long way from being updated.
In addition, it is not certain that devices over two years old have the right to this new version, and the deployment on the most recent models has only just begun. OnePlus is a good student in the field with OxygenOS 13, already available on a good part of its catalog. Samsung has adopted Android 13 for the Samsung Galaxy S20 and above.
Users are now keeping their smartphones longer, and manufacturers have incorporated sustainability into their development process. Many brands now guarantee major updates for 3 years instead of 2. Android 13 could benefit from this new policy to reach more and more users over the coming months.
Source : 9to5Google
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