New numbers on version distribution: Android 16 with 7.5 percent market share

The major update to Android 16, released on June 10, 2025, is not the most used operating system from Google with a distribution of 7.5 percent. The most widespread version is Android 15, released in 2024, with 19.3 percent.

Android 15 most widespread

For years, Google has not released officially available numbers on Android version distribution. To calculate these, one must install the Android Studio development environment for developers and calculate the distribution from the cumulative data published there at irregular intervals. The new data – first discovered by 9to5 Google – shows active devices that have contacted the Google Play Store within a seven-day period.

The new numbers are unlikely to represent the most current distribution status, as they are from December 1, 2025. However, at that time, both Google with its Pixel models, as well as Samsung and several other manufacturers like Oppo, OnePlus, and Nothing, had upgraded the majority of their compatible smartphones and tablets to Android 16.

Compared to the last published figures from April 2025, the distribution of the new Android version appears to be progressing a little faster. Because back then, the share of the current version Android 15 was 4.5 percent. This is likely largely due to Samsung releasing the One UI 7 based on Android 15 for the majority of its devices only in early April 2025.

Android Version	API	Cumulative Share	Version Market Share
Android 16	36	7.5 %	7.5 %
Android 15	35	26.8 %	19.3 %
Android 14	34	44.0 %	17.2 %
Android 13	33	57.9 %	13.9 %
Android 12	31	69.3 %	11.4 %
Android 11	30	83.0 %	13.7 %
Android 10	29	90.8 %	7.8 %
Android 9	28	95.3 %	4.5 %
Android 8.x	26–27	97.6 %	2.3 %
Android 7.x	24–25	99.2 %	1.6 %
Android ≤6.x	≤23	99.9 %	0.7 %

It is also noticeable in the published figures that while Android 15 is currently the most widespread Android version with 19.3 percent, this value is lower compared to the previous measurement in April 2025, when Android 14 was Google's most used operating system with 27.4 percent. Furthermore, older Android versions 11 to 14 also appear with over 10 percent each, even though Google no longer provides them with security patches: Google officially stopped support for Android 12/12L at the end of March 2025).

Android Development Restructured

While the share of Android 16 is expected to grow not only through software updates but also through the market launch of new devices, the next version is just around the corner: Android 17 is expected in June, similar to Android 16. However, the company has significantly restructured its Android development, making major version updates seem less relevant.

With the update to Android 16 QPR2, released on December 2, 2025, Google opened a new chapter for the functionality of Android updates. According to the company, “more frequent releases will be provided instead of just a single annual operating system update.” This means that new Android features will be released in the future when they are ready.

This development has been apparent for several months, as the major redesign of the user interface Material 3 Expressive was not released with Android 16 in June, but only in September with Android 16 QPR1. Google is also taking different paths in development: Since early 2025, development is no longer public, and the developer previews that the company used to release about six to nine months before the final release for Android 15 are also a thing of the past. Instead, new features have been tested in the so-called Canary channel since summer 2025. It remains to be seen whether and how Google's restructuring of development will affect the operating system.

(afl)