Half of Active Androids Run Jelly Bean

Google's latest Jelly Bean version of Android is on the brink of being installed on half of all active Android devices worldwide, according to data released by the company today.

Google's updated Android dashboard figures show that the ratio of devices running one of the three versions of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.x, 4.2.x and 4.3) has reached 48.6 percent. However, that is 48.6 percent of all devices with the new Google Play Store app, because Google only tracks those with the app, as opposed to the 1 billion plus Android devices activated to date.

Gingerbread is the next most used version of Android - on 28.5 percent - while Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3 - 4.0.4) is third, accounting for 20.6 percent.

Comparing this data to September's stats: Jelly Bean is up by 3.5 percent, Ice Cream Sandwich down 1.1 percent and Gingerbread down 2.2 percent.

The stats paint a more positive picture than what we often hear about the state Android, which is much-maligned for the fragmentation of its various flavors - however just 1.5 percent of devices are running the latest Android 4.3 build. It's also worth pointing out that Google has created more versions of Jelly Bean than with any of its previous flavors - no doubt grouping the stats for the three versions of Jelly Bean under one name helps it account for a larger percentage, and thus appear less fragmented.

A new version of Android - the controversially named KitKat - is on the horizon, and that will add a further layer of fragmentation when it is released.

More immediately, Android 4.3 is just beginning its mainstream rollout so we can expect its percentage to jump up next month.

➤ Android Dashboard

Headline image via Garry Knight / Flickr