Nougat gets a big boost in March 2017 Android distribution numbers

Android Nougat is finally gaining some steam among devices that use Google’s mobile OS. The latest official distribution numbers for March 2017 show that Android 7.0 and 7.1 have a combined total of 2.8 percent share of the Android pie. That’s more than double compared to what those numbers showed in February 2017, which only recorded the combined versions of Nougat with a 1.2 percent Android share.

In retrospect, it’s not that big of a surprise to see a larger rise for Nougat’s share. We have seen more and more older smartphones get updated over the air to the latest version of Android. That includes the popular Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, along with the HONOR 6x (in beta) the Moto G4 and G4 Plus and more. We can not only expect more older devices to get the Nougat update in the coming weeks and months, but we will also see a growing number of new devices that will have Nougat installed out of the box.

Nougat was not the only version of Android that got a higher share. Android 6.0 Marshmallow went up from 30.7 percent in February to 31.3 percent in March. Android Lollipop’s combined share went down slightly from 32.9 percent in February, to 32.5 percent in March. It’s looking like Marshmallow is on a pace to overtake Lollipop’s share and claim the number one spot in the next couple of months.

KikKat claims 20.8 percent of Android’s distribution in March, compared to 21.9 percent in February. Jelly Bean’s combined share was down from 11.3 percent in February to 10.6 percent in March. Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread stated the same from February to March, with both at 1.0 percent.

Are you one of the 2.8 percent that have an Android Nougat smartphone or tablet? Let us know your impressions of the OS in the comments!