Android Lollipop passes 30% adoption, Marshmallow still under 1%

Almost one in three Android devices is now running Lollipop, but that’s not even the biggest disappointment for Google’s mobile operating system. The company released its monthly update to the Platform Versions page for Android today, and the latest version still hasn’t hit 1 percent.

Android Marshmallow debuted just over three months ago on September 29 with the launch of Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. But the devices didn’t start shipping until October, meaning Marshmallow has had about three months of availability.

A 0.7 percent adoption level after three months is terrible. We are once again reminded how few Nexus devices Google is able to sell, how long it takes for mobile device makers to ship new smartphones and tablets with the latest Android release, and how long it takes Android updates to roll out to the masses.

Here are the changes between December and January:

• Android 6.0 Marshmallow (October 2015): Up 0.2 points to 0.7 percent
• Android 5.0/5.1 Lollipop (November 2014, March 2015): Up 3.1 points to 32.6 percent
• Android 4.4 KitKat (October 2013): Down 0.5 points to 36.1 percent
• Android 4.1/4.2/4.3 Jelly Bean (July 2012, November 2012, and July 2013): Down 2.2 points to 24.7 percent
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (December 2011): Down 0.2 points to 2.7 percent
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (December 2010): Down 0.4 points to 3.0 percent
• Android 2.2 Froyo (May 2010): Flat at 0.2 percent

As with any update courtesy of the Platform Versions tool, we have to point out that the data is gathered from the Google Play Store app, which requires Android 2.2 and above. This means devices running older versions are not included, nor are devices that don’t have Google Play installed (which includes many Android phones and tablets in China, Amazon’s Fire line, and so on).

For the sake of comparison, here’s the Android adoption chart for December:

The Android adoption order is still unchanged: KitKat in first place, Lollipop in second, Jelly Bean in third, Gingerbread in fourth, ICS in fifth, Marshmallow in sixth, and Froyo in seventh. Over the next few months, we’ll see Lollipop take first place, but Marshmallow likely won’t assume the crown until 2017.