Android Nougat now runs on about 7.1 percent of active smartphones powered by Google’s mobile operating system. Distribution of Android Nougat continued to grow last month, with Android 7.0 Nougat reaching 6.6 percent of users and Android 7.1 Nougat users reaching 0.5 percent. The new data is based on an updated Android dashboard showing the Android user base based on data collected during the 7-day period ending May 2, 2017.

Android Nougat grew by more than 2 percent last month, up from 4.9 percent reported in April. It is noteworthy that the distribution showed a similar increase last month which increased from 2.8 per cent in March to 4.9 per cent in April. The main reasons for this increase may be the launch of new Nougat-powered devices and the rollout of Nougat updates to older devices, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S7 series. The data also reveals that 32 percent of users are still running Android 5.0 Lollipop and 31.2 percent of smartphones are running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Android 4.4 KitKat accounts for 18.8 percent of users, more than double Nougat’s market share, while older versions like Android Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread still power 9.1 percent, 0.8 percent and 1 percent devices, respectively. In contrast, Apple’s latest iOS 10 is installed on 79 percent of active devices where iOS 9 is used by 16 percent of users. Apple’s App Store distribution numbers reveal that earlier versions are being used on less than 5 percent of devices.

To recall, on March 9, 2016, Android 7.0 Nougat was announced as a beta software for selected Nexus devices. The software was officially launched on August 22, 2016 as an OTA update for Nexus devices, and the LG V20 was the first device out of the box with new software. Google then unveiled Android 7.1 Nougat with its Pixel range smartphone launch. Google has recently launched a rollout of Android 7.1.2 for the Pixel and Nexus range of smart devices.

Over the years, Google’s main problem with Android has been its fragmentation and most users have lost the latest release. As shares of Android Nougat continue to rise compared to its predecessors, Google may be hoping to break Xenox and acquire double-digit shares next month. Google recently announced Android O Developer Preview to help developers and OEMs develop their own iterations closer to the official rollout.