Google’s latest Android distribution figures paint an interesting picture of the platform’s adoption rates. Android 16 has taken the lead, accounting for 25.4% of active devices. Meanwhile, Android 17 is struggling to gain ground, with its adoption rate lingering at just 1%, despite arriving on eligible Pixel smartphones roughly four months ago.
Android 17 Adoption Remains Surprisingly Low
According to the latest distribution figures published by German technology outlet heise.de, Android 17 was running on only 1% of active Android devices as of October 19, 2026. The figures came from Android Studio.
Google initially released Android 17 for eligible Pixel smartphones in June. Given the time since its debut, the latest version’s limited reach is somewhat unexpected. Its adoption is so modest that even Android 8.1 Oreo maintains a larger share of active devices.
However, this sluggish uptake has a reasonable explanation. Several major smartphone manufacturers have only recently begun distributing their Android 17-based software updates.
Samsung, for instance, has started rolling out its Android 17-based One UI 9 stable release. The update recently reached the Samsung Galaxy M47. Nothing has also joined the rollout, bringing its Nothing OS 5.0 stable update to the Nothing Phone 4a and Nothing Phone 3a series.
These releases suggest that third-party manufacturers are gradually expanding Android 17’s reach. However, many newly updated smartphones may not yet be represented in Google’s latest distribution snapshot. This could partly explain why the operating system still holds such a tiny adoption share.
Even so, Android 17 has considerable ground to cover before it becomes a widely used version across the Android ecosystem.
Android 16 Becomes the Most Widely Used Version
While Android 17 is finding its footing, Android 16 has overtaken every other release. Google’s latest figures put its adoption share at 25.4%, up from 7.5% in December 2025.
This makes Android 16 the most widely used Android version in October 2026. Android 14 follows with a 15.3% share, while Android 15 sits close behind at 14.7%.
Older versions continue to account for a sizeable portion of the Android user base. Android 13 holds 11.8%, Android 11 accounts for 10.5%, and Android 12 holds 9.6%.
Here is the complete breakdown of Android version adoption as of October 2026:
- Android 16: 25.4%
- Android 14: 15.3%
- Android 15: 14.7%
- Android 13: 11.8%
- Android 11: 10.5%
- Android 12: 9.6%
- Android 17: 1%
The figures show that 56.4% of active Android devices now run Android 14 or newer. However, the remaining 43.6% still run Android 13 or older.
This gap highlights a familiar problem within Google’s mobile ecosystem: Android fragmentation. Millions of devices still run older software, even as newer releases reach compatible smartphones.
Google has also removed Android 5 (Lollipop) from its latest distribution chart. Android 5.1 remains listed, although its adoption share has dwindled to just 0.2%.
How Google Calculates Android Distribution Figures
An important detail underlies these statistics. Google’s figures do not come from a live survey of every Android smartphone currently in use.
Google no longer maintains a regularly updated public Android distribution chart. Instead, it provides adoption estimates through Android Studio, giving developers a picture of the operating system versions used across active devices.
The latest figures are based on devices that accessed the Google Play Store during seven days. As a result, they should be viewed as adoption estimates rather than an exact count of every Android device worldwide.
Android 17’s current 1% share may also change as Samsung, Nothing, and other manufacturers expand their software rollouts. The next distribution update should offer a clearer picture of whether the latest release can gain ground or remain far behind Android 16.
