The mobile software market saw the release[1] of the final build of Android P[2] or Android Pie[3] earlier this month, but availability is currently limited to only Google's Pixel range of smartphones and tablets, as well as the Essential Phone[4]. The Android[5] distribution dashboard from Google[6] has been updated and the numbers for August 2018 are out. Good news is that Android Oreo (8.0 and 8.1) increased its market share from 12.1 percent in July[7] to 14.6 percent in August. The market share of Android 7.0 and 7.1 Nougat continued to fall, as did that of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and most previous Android versions.
According to the official chart for August[8], share of Android smartphones running Android Pie was less than 0.1 percent, but is expected to rise in the coming months with several handsets from OEMs like Sony, Xiaomi, and Asus slated to get the update soon. Let's get into the exact numbers now.
Android Nougat, as combination of Android 7.0 and 7.1, now holds a total market share of 30.8 percent making it the most popular Android version in August 2018. On the other hand, the increasing share of Android Oreo in the second consecutive month owes mostly to the barrage of Android smartphones, from Xiaomi, Asus, Oppo, Vivo, etc, in the market running Android 8.0 Oreo and above.
Android Marshmallow fell slightly to 22.7 percent, compared to 23.5 percent in July this year. As for Android Lollipop, the yesteryear Android version continued to drop compared to last month, however, retained a sizeable 19.2 percent market share despite having been first released in 2014.
Finally, Android Jelly...