Android distribution numbers: 6 months later, is it dead?

For years, Google has released monthly data on the distribution of Android versions. How many Android phones in the world used an Android version released many years ago? The answer was often "a lot" and this distribution dashboard was where you would find this information. Six months later, is this publicly available data flow done? …

We – and most other sites in and around the Android space – have covered monthly updates of this data. Then, last fall, after months of inconsistent publications, Google decided to stop providing it. The last update arrived almost 6 months ago, October 26, 2018.

Before speculating a bit, Google's official word about it is pretty simple. Last October, Google had written that an "update" was "coming," adding that the data feed was "under maintenance." That's good, and for a moment we had no reason to doubt it. But six months later, we have to ask ourselves if "maintenance" is not the reason why it was stopped.

"Interview?"

It is clear that Google expands the definition of "soon", and even if I would be happy to see this "maintenance" completed so that we can return to – if only for our curiosity obsessed with Google – by separating the numbers of months, it seems less and less likely that it is the "maintenance" that killed this dashboard.

As reported by our Abner Li last fall, the latest public version of Google's Android operating system, 9 Pie, was still missing from the numbers. 3 months after starting to deploy to select devices. "Versions whose distribution is less than 0.1% are not displayed" in the data, says Google, so that Android 9 Pie does not seem to have reached this target.

Released on August 6th on Pixel and Pixel 2, Android 9 Pie is still not listed in Android distribution numbers. Since then, Essential Phone, OnePlus 6 and Nokia 7 Plus have been upgraded. Let's hope it's coming up next month, when more people get the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL.

And if you followed those numbers, you know it was about average every month. That's true in all the blogosphere covering Android, but here's a sample of them on our site:

As you can see, the numbers that look lamentable every month have the side effect of creating a not so great mini news cycle every month for Google – a cycle that often goes beyond Android sites. It's hard for me not to think of titles like "The latest version of Android still has not changed" or "Google still struggling to update Android phones," repeated monthly, might have to be played a role in his judgment.

Comparisons of apples to googles

The drastically rapid uptake of iOS updates in the Apple ecosystem has been a constant source of shade and has led to many unfair comparisons of apples to oranges. Apple regularly boasts of installing the latest versions of its mobile operating system, and the numbers in the Android distribution dashboard juxtaposed against them seemed … bad. Of course, despite efforts such as Project Treble, Google has long been trying to push OEMs and operators to update their phones with the latest version. Meanwhile, Apple controls the whole process.

I agree that it's a weakness of the Android platform that most phones do not see the latest features for a year or more after they arrive on Google's flagship products, but I also find that it is misleading for Apple to systematically use this data – without context – in its annual presentations to boast its impressive base of iOS installations. It may also be part of Google's feeling very little pressure so that this dashboard is operational again.

Is it dead?

Of course, in theory, bad publicity could be totally irrelevant. As far as I know, Google could really work on a 6 month long update of the data feed of the Android distribution number (?). But what if I were Google and I noticed that the data I was providing voluntarily had the side effect of generating a cycle of negative news going on? Especially if the availability of these data was not absolutely essential to achieve the desired goal? I would pull the plug on it without hesitation.

Speaking of which, the data here had a purpose – and this has nothing to do with Google obsessed with the analysis of the state of the Android installation base or by its unfair comparability compared to the rapid adoption of Apple by Apple. The developers have a real reason to know how many users are using different versions of Android because they develop their applications in the hope of reaching every possible client or user.

Although a high-level, publicly accessible overview of Android's position as a platform may be paused, app developers can still see many statistics on the Google console. Play to understand the devices and operating system versions on which users are located. run their applications. I guess the data is much more relevant for application developers, and it should also be noted that in 2019, the Google Play console requires applications to target the latest API level anyway.

My hypothesis: yes, it's dead.