Read These Android Usage Statistics, You Should!

A long time ago in a Samsung Galaxy far, far away, Android OS changed the way we use mobile phones.

Okay, that’s not exactly true. It was only 11 years ago, it happened in California, and the Samsung Galaxy hadn’t even been invented yet. But we stick by our main point; the release of Android’s first-ever operating system did indeed change the mobile market for good, and we have the Android usage statistics to prove it.

So, how did it all begin?

Android: A Brief History

Back in 2004, Android was a startup down on its luck, desperate to attract investors. The initial idea was to develop an improved OS for digital cameras, not for mobile phones. It had never crossed anybody’s mind that Android would become not only the world’s biggest mobile OS, but the most popular operating system across all platforms (yes, even bigger than Windows).

Of course, standalone digital cameras were rapidly losing popularity around the time Android began developing its platform. In response, the company decided to make its own mobile OS. A year later, in 2005, Google acquired Android and soon started working on Android 1.0 - a competitor to Apple’s iOS, which came out in 2007.

Google wasn’t yet a consortium of intergalactic overlords, although it was definitely showing promise. Perhaps it was the acquisition of this ambitious startup that helped the search engine evolve into the de facto keeper of most of the world’s data.

During 2008, the first phone Android-phone was released. It featured a variety of integrated Google services and it sold like hotcakes. Everything else is history.

Now, just a few weeks short of 2020, Android 10 is imminent and Google, thanks to Android, controls more than 70% of the mobile operating system market share. Let’s see if the Android statistics we’ve gathered can help us understand just how deeply Android has ingrained itself into the mobile market.

Mobile OS Market Statistics

1. Mobile became the dominant platform in 2019, claiming 51.78% of the market share.

(StatCounter)

Before we start talking about Android device market share, we should take a look at the state of the mobile market in general. While desktop PCs have been the dominant platform over many years, mobile has been on a steady rise. According to StatCounter’s data, mobile became the most used platform during 2019 and now has 51.78% of the market share. Desktop has 45.42% of the market, while tablet lags way behind with 2.8%.

2. There are 3.2 billion smartphone users in the world in 2019.

(Statista)

You don’t need us to tell you that mobile usage has increased over the years. You’ve read about it and seen it in practice; you might be even reading this article on your mobile device. Still, it’s worth looking at the exact numbers in order to fully grasp the scope of these changes. Statista reports that in 2019, there are around 3.2 billion smartphone users worldwide. This number is expected to jump to 3.8 billion by 2020. With Android being by far the most popular operating system on mobile, this is very good news for Google and Android device usage if the market situation remains the same.

3. The global number of tablet users was expected to reach 1.28 billion in 2018.

(Statista)

While new data on the exact number of tablet users is unavailable, Statista’s previous predictions for 2018 might provide some insight. According to this data from 2016, the global number of tablet users was expected to reach 1.28 billion in 2018. The newest data comes from StatCounter, but does not offer raw numbers. According to StatCounter’s statistics, tablets have 2.8% of the global platform market share.

4. Android is the most popular OS across all platforms, with 40.28% of the market share in 2019.

(StatCounter)

Most of us know that Android is the leading mobile OS in the world. However, with the rapid growth of mobile use and Android market share by device, it’s now the most popular operating system in the world across all platforms. In November 2019, Android held 40.28% of the global OS market share. The runner-up was Microsoft Windows with 35.12%, followed by iOS with 13.6% of the market.

5. Android holds a 75.85% share of the mobile OS market.

(StatCounter)

iOS vs Android usage statistics show that these two are the only players of note in the mobile OS market at present. Android is, however, at a massive advantage. According to Android usage stats, in 2019, Android holds 75.85% of the global mobile OS market, while iOS isn’t even a third of the way there, with 22.87%. Other competitors, such as KaiOS and Windows, have less than 1% each.

6. 39.09% of Android users have the new 9.0 Pie version installed.

(StatCounter)

Android is by a wide margin the most popular mobile operating system in the world. But let’s not forget that the brand was bought by Google back in 2005 when it was only a startup on the brink of failure and starving for investments. The first version of Android OS was launched in 2008. Beginning with the 2009 Android 1.5 Cupcake update, Android versions are named alphabetically and the names are mostly food/dessert related. The latest version - Android 9.0 Pie, which launched in 2018 - is now used by the majority of Android users. Android phones statistics provided by StatCounter show that Android 9.0 Pie holds 39.09% of the market share on both mobile devices and tablets. The next two most popular versions are 8.1 Oreo with 14.39% and 6.0 Marshmallow with 12.1%.

7. In North America, Android Pie is even more represented, with 47.59% of the market share.

(StatCounter)

StatCounter’s Android device stats on North American Android users further emphasize the popularity of the latest Android version. In North America, Pie holds a 47.59% market share, while Oreo 8.0 has 10.95%. Although it’s reasonable to expect that the latest Android version would be used by most of its customers, this is not always the case. While the version before Pie, Android Oreo, had the majority of the market share, Android market share by country statistics show that in North America it was used by 36.48% of Android owners at its peak. And this was the baseline 8.0 version, not 8.1.

8. According to Android usage statistics by continent, 47.85% of European Android users have 9.0 Pie installed.

(StatCounter)

The situation concerning Android version usage in Europe is very similar to the North American market. According to StatCounter’s Android version usage statistics, the operating system’s European user base is divided up as follows: 47.85% use 9.0 Pie, 13.02% have 8.0 Oreo, and 9.57% rely on 7.0 Nougat.

9. In 2018, 88% of all smartphones sold to end users had Android operating systems.

(Statista)

This Android OS market share statistic shows the global mobile OS market share, in terms of sales to end-users, from 2009 to 2018. In the second quarter of 2018, 88% of all smartphones sold to end users had the Android operating system installed.

10. In 2019, Android is the installed OS in 87% smartphones getting shipped across the globe.

(Statista)

Android mobile usage statistics show that smartphones running on the Android operating system hold an 87% share of the worldwide market in 2019, and this looks set to increase over the coming years. Phones using Apple iOS make up almost all of the remaining 13%.

11. Besides the OS market, Google is also the king of browsers, with Google Chrome holding 62.25% of the mobile browser market globally.

(StatCounter)

No IT market seems to be safe from Papa Google. Not only does Google’s Android control most of the mobile OS market, but Google is also the biggest player in the browser department. On mobile, Chrome has a 62.25% share of the global market. The smartphone and mobile browser markets are, of course, closely connected; Google’s prevalence in the smartphone market translates into mobile browser market share because most Android phones now come with Google Chrome preinstalled.

12. American smartphone users check their phones 96 times a day in 2019.

(Asurion)

Asurion, an American tech-dependence research company, recently published its new smartphone users statistics for 2019. According to this newly published data, Americans check their phones 96 times a day, or every 10 minutes during waking hours. This represents a 20% increase from 2017. People ages 18 to 24 are the most dependent on their phones, but they’re also the most likely to attempt to reduce their phone usage (68% of them want to do so). The top reason Americans use their phones is to stay connected to their friends and family, across all age groups. This stat is another indicator of the ever-growing use of mobile devices and comes as yet more good news for Google.

Android App Statistics

13. The current number of Android apps on Google Play is 2,872,471.

(AppBrain)

A great indicator of health for any platform, OS, or device is the number of apps it has. This is especially true for mobile, where most of the time we spend is devoted to apps. AppBrain, a platform that provides data on app usage on a monthly basis, also publishes data on the current number of apps on Google Play, the official app store for Android systems. Statistics on apps for Android from October 2019 show there were 2,872,471 apps on Google Play at the time.

14. The total number of apps with a rating in the Google Play store is 1,299,167.

(AppBrain)

Like most app stores, Google Play relies on a 5-star rating system for user reviews. AppBrain has also gathered Android app usage statistics on how many apps have any rating at all. This published data shows that 1,299,167 (45.2%) of all apps on Google Play have a rating. While the number of total apps on Google Play is huge, the amount of applications without a rating indicates that a huge chunk of those apps are not used frequently, or at all.

15. The average number of stars for all apps in the Google Play store is 4.1.

(AppBrain)

While almost half of all Google Play apps do not have a rating, those that do seem to be well-received on average. AppBrain’s Android usage statistics on average app ratings on Google Play show that the average number of stars is 4.1 (out of 5).

16. 55.1% of all Google Play apps have fewer than three ratings.

(AppBrain)

In AppBrain’s methodology, the company states that it consider apps with three ratings or fewer to be unrated. When we look at AppBrain’s best Android app usage statistics, we can see that 1,583,680 (55.1%) Google Play apps have fewer than three ratings.

17. At its peak, there were 3.6 million apps on Google Play.

(Statista)

While there are currently around 2.8 million Google Play apps, this is actually significantly fewer than there were in 2018. Statista’s Google Android usage statistics show that, in March 2018, there were 3.6 million apps in Google’s store. There are several reasons for this drop, the main one being Google’s increasing devotion to removing (and preventing the addition of) malicious apps.

18. The most popular app categories on Google Play are Tools, Communication, and Business.

(Statista)

Statista’s researchers gathered Android usage statistics on the most popular app categories in 2019, and the difference in popularity among the three top app categories seems to be minuscule. These categories and their market reach are Tools (99.81%), Communication (99.39%), and Business (99.33%).

19. 90% of the time people spend on smartphones is spent on apps.

(eMarketer)

While mobile phones were used primarily for conducting calls in the past, we’re now much more dignified; these days, we simply stare at our phones, rather than speaking into them. A 2018 study conducted by eMarketer shows that 90% of our time spent on smartphones and 70% of time on tablets is devoted to app usage. However, this statistic might be misleading, as almost half of this time is spent using the individual’s top app and not across all apps equally.

20. The most used Android smartphones among AppBrain users are Samsung Galaxy A10 and Galaxy J7.

(AppBrain)

Among other statistics, AppBrain has also gathered data on which phones are the most represented among its user base. According to these statistics, the Samsung Galaxy A10 and Galaxy J7 are the most popular (albeit by a small margin), with both being used by 1.4% of AppBrain users.

Android Version Statistics

21. Marshmallow 6.0 was the most widely used Android OS by Android version share until June 2019.

(Statista)

Marshmallow 6.0, which was released in 2015, was the most widely used Android operating system until June 2019. Marshmallow was present on 16.9% of Android devices, while Pie 9.0 Android version market share was, at the time, only 10.4% among Android phones. Why are old Android versions so popular? Well, the updates vary by device and mobile carrier, which means some might be slower in rolling out the update. Additionally, some older models can’t support newer Android versions. In June 2019, a year after its release, Apple 9.0 Pie usage started to skyrocket. It jumped from 18.61% in June to over 39% in November. Ironically, just when Pie is starting to spread among Android users, the new Android 10 is coming out.

22. 60% of Android devices are running operating systems that are at least two years old.

(Statista)

Android might rule the market, but Apple is much better at effectively rolling out updates to most of its user base. According to Statista’s Android versions market share data, 60% of Android devices use and OS that is at least two years old, like the aforementioned Marshmallow 6.0 from 2015. On the other hand, 88% of iPhone users are running the latest version of iOS. Keeping your OS updated is essential, especially in the era of increased cybersecurity threats when new updates can make all the difference.

23. Android has a chronic problem with user penetration rates for new OS versions.

(Fortune)

As we’ve mentioned, Android used to struggle to get customers to install its newer OS versions. Back in 2016, the newest Android version at the time, Marshmallow, was used by only 7.5% of the user base. The most popular version was 5.0 Lollipop, with a 35% Android OS version market share. Thankfully, Android has improved the rate at which people upgrade to newer versions and Android 9.0 Pie is now used by 39.09% of global Android customers.

24. Fragmentation is the main reason behind low usage rates for new Android versions.

(Digital Trends)

As we’ve already seen, 88% of iPhone users have the newest iOS version installed. There’s a simple reason for this: Apple completely controls both iOS and the devices that run it. Google, on the other hand, lacks that kind of control and depends on vendors and other third parties to roll out its new updates. All of these parties have varying update speeds and usually want to modify manufacturer skins in order to make unique ones for their brand. This leads to terrible update and usage rates for new Android versions, as Android version stats have demonstrated.

The same problems will most likely persist with the new Android 10 OS. While Samsung and other major Android vendors have increased their update speeds, those are still fairly low. Relatively few phones will update to Android 10 before the end of 2019, and a lot of older phone models will never get this new version.

Android Vendor Statistics

25. The average price of a smartphone is $214.70 in 2019.

(Statista)

Statista also presents interesting data concerning the average price for smartphones in 2019. According to the company’s statistics, the average price for a smartphone around the world is $214.70. North America has significantly higher prices than the global average, fluctuating around the $500 mark. While there hasn’t been any recent research in this field, it would be interesting to see some Android usage statistics by income.

26. In 2018, the average Android cost around $200 - almost $400 cheaper than the average iPhone.

(Statista)

One of the main advantages of Android phones is that they’re significantly cheaper than iPhones, and therefore more accessible to a broad population of users. Statista’s data on smartphone prices shows that Android is, on average, three times cheaper than iPhone. While the average price for Android in 2018 was around $200, the iPhone would have cost you around $600. This price differential certainly has a positive effect on Android usage statistics compared to Apple.

27. Samsung phones account for 37% of all Android smartphones.

(Newzoo)

When we look at the most popular Android devices and vendors, Samsung is head and shoulders above the rest. Newzoo’s data from the 2018 Global Mobile Market Report shows that 37% of all Android phones are manufactured by Samsung. OPPO is second best with 11%, while Huawei comes in third at 10%. Chinese manufacturers contribute the most to global Android production; the top five Chinese brands - OPPO, Huawei, Xiaomi, VIVO, and Lenovo - account for 40% of all Android phones worldwide.

28. From 2017 to 2020, the number of smartphone users is expected to double in India and Indonesia, countries where Android controls most of the market.

(Newzoo)

India seems is booming smartphone market and will soon become the key driver of Android revenue. The number of smartphone users in India is expected to jump from 300 million in 2017 to 585 million in 2020. Furthermore, when we look at how many people use Android phones in India, the available stats show that 96% of smartphone users in that country have an Android phone. Indonesia is expected to show remarkable market growth as well, with the number of smartphone users jumping from 55 million in 2017 to a forecast 100 million in 2020.