Ice Cream Sandwich On 21% Of Android Devices

10 Ways To Get More From Your Android Device

The latest statistics from Google show that Android 4.0 grew by leaps and bounds in recent weeks. Ice Cream Sandwich is now installed on 20.9% of all Android phones and tablets, and is the second-most deployed version of Android at the moment.

Google compiles this data based on what devices access the Google Play Store over a 14-day period. The two-week period over which Google is providing a snap shot ranged from Aug. 20 to Sept. 4.

Android 4.0 has increased its share for several reasons. In the last two weeks, several new Android 4.0 devices have hit the market, including the Motorola Photon Q for Sprint and the Pantech Marauder for Verizon Wireless. Add to these a bunch of device system software updates from 2.3 to 4.0, and that defines the relationship between Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread.

[ Related: Want Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? Be Prepared To Wait. ]

Android 2.3 Gingerbread is still installed on the majority of Android devices, though, with 57.5%. That soundly trounces Ice Cream Sandwich's share, but has edged down a bit compared to the previous two-week period.

By the end of 2012, the percentage of Gingerbread phones should be less than 50%, if not lower. Motorola announced a slew of new Android 4.0 devices yesterday, as have other vendors in recent weeks. Even better, some Jelly Bean devices will arrive soon. Last, there are still plenty of 2.3 devices waiting on 4.0 updates, which are due to arrive before the close of 2012.

Android 2.2 Froyo is still installed on 14% of Android devices. Given the age of this version of Android, it's surprising that so many consumers have stuck with their Froyo phones. Android 2.1 Eclair accounts for just 3.7% of all Android devices; Android 1.6 Donut accounts for 0.4%; and Android 1.5 Cupcake accounts for 0.2%.

The older tablet version of Android, 3.x Honeycomb, is still poking along on 2.1% of devices. Several tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and Motorola Xoom, have recently been updated to Android 4.0, so there aren't that many devices left running Honeycomb.

Wondering about Jelly Bean? Android 4.1, the newest version of Google's smartphone operating system, has improved its status to 1.2% of all Android devices. For the moment, it is confined to the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus S.

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