Summary
- Google has discontinued Play Service updates for Android Lollipop, ending a decade-long support for this OS.
- Android 13, 12, and 11 are still the most used versions in 2023, accounting for 60% of total users.
- Modern Android smartphones now receive around seven years of promised security updates, with Google Pixel 8 phones guaranteed updates until 2030 and 2031.
Getting 10 years of software updates is the hope any no-frills smartphone owner has if they don’t care about getting the latest and greatest tech available. Year after year, the previous three versions of Android seem to be the most utilized across the entire user base. As of Oct. 1, 2023, just before Android 14 was released for the masses, Android 13, 12, and 11 users accounted for almost 60% of the entire data set. Android 11 came out in 2020; Android Lollipop, which accounted for less than 1% of Android phone owners in October, came out in 2014, 10 years ago. While official updates for Lollipop ended years ago, Google has now killed off Play Services updates for Android 5.0 and 5.1 APIs.
Related
Android 13 is now the most popular version of the OS, a year after its release
2020’s Android 11 comes second with a 21.6% share
Google today discontinued Play Service updates for Android Lollipop devices, ending a decade-long reign of support from Google’s app marketplace (via 9to5Google). Lollipop consists of both Android 5.0 and 5.1, the latter of which was last given a security update in March 2018. Play Services updates differ from security updates in that they bring new APIs, security fixes, and compatibility features with the latest Play Store apps. This means that compatibility with certain Play Store apps will potentially break in the near future for Lollipop smartphones.
The Android graveyard
Android 4.4 KitKat was the last operating system to get thrown into an open plot in the Play Services graveyard. In July 2023, also around 10 years after it was released, KitKat’s final Play Services breaths were taken. Keeping in line with Lollipop, KitKat’s final security update came six years before its Play Services plug was pulled, while also accounting for under 1% of all Android smartphones. Fans of Android Marshmallow should savor their remaining moments with their smartphones having any semblance of modernness, because it’s next in line to get the ax.
Nowadays, Android smartphones are getting around seven years of promised security updates, even if that doesn’t mean they’ll get all the latest features. Nonetheless, it sure beats the paltry four years seen for Lollipop, KitKat, and pretty much every other Android version up until recently. The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have guaranteed Android OS and security updates until October 2030, which was the longest of any previous Pixel phone. The Google Pixel 8a, which launched this year, will receive updates until 2031.