Search engine giant Google has posted its Android distribution numbers for the month of August. According to the data, the latest Android Marshmallow is now running at 15.2 percent, an increase of 1.9 percentage points compared to last month’s 13.3 percent.
KitKat is still at the helm of things powering 29.2 percent of smartphones running Android. Though it won’t be long until Lollipop and Marshmallow take the lead as both saw an increase in numbers. Android 5.1 Lollipop saw an increase of 0.6 percentage points which is now running on 21.4 percent of all active Android devices.
On the hand, the latest Android Marshmallow witnessed an increment of 1.9 percentage points. While this may not be a huge increase, as Marshmallow saw a more generous 3.2 percentage point gain last month, things seem to be headed in the right direction for Google.
Android 4.1-4.3 Jelly Bean was next with 16.7 percent, followed by Android 2.33-2.37 Gingerbread at 1.7 percent and Android 4.0.3-4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich at 1.6 percent. Surprisingly, Android Froyo is still running on 0.1 percent of all Android devices.
The next version of Android – Android 7.0 Nougat, is expected to launch as soon as later this month. And Google is expected to follow the same trend, with Nexus handsets to be the first ones to get updated. However, several reports suggest that the Nexus 5 will not be receiving the update implying that Nexus 6 and above are slated to get the upgrade.
Android 7.0 Nougat will most likely be unveiled on August 5. As According to Evan Blass aka @evleaks, the next Android OS will be rolled out with 8/5 security patch, which suggests the release of the new Android platform on the given date.
The upcoming Android Nougat will focus on graphics and improved performance. The new Vulkan 3D graphics API consumes lesser resources. In addition, it allows developers to add more graphics detail into frames. Even though Android M has integrated Doze functionality, the new Android 7.0 Nougat will feature an enhanced Doze mode.
In terms of security, upcoming Android N will offer file-based encryption. While the Multi-window feature is the most anticipated feature for Android smartphone users. Although we’ve already seen the Samsung Galaxy Note series smartphones with the multi-window feature but not all of us can afford them. We do have exposed modules to get the multi-window feature. However, you need to root your phone to get it working.
