iOS 11 Now Installed on 76% of iOS Devices, While Android 8 is Installed on 4.6% of Android Devices

[urtules]

Not from my experience.
My Mi A1 gets monthly security patches and it's in line to get Android P.
I payed 190$ for it and it's a great phone, 64GB + 4GB RAM + 5.5" 1080p Screen for that price is a bargain.
Not to mention that after I installed Gcam, it takes splendid pictures.
[doublepost=1524738312][/doublepost]
There aren't generally many system level features and improvements to take advantage of so I don't understand why you try to make such a big deal out of it. The performance and stability of an app can be improved without needing a new API and the same thing is true when adding new features.

Google can add features and improve apps without needing to do an entire OTA OS update. That's quite and advantage.

Apple could do it too, but instead they actually made it harder for themselfs by implemented integrity protection. Integrity Protection is a good thing for security.

Let me tell you about system level improvements and API changes:

- Dynamic Type for global control of font size
- Smart inversion of colours when images preserve original colours and the rest becomes black
- Layout improvements with Stack views
- Rich notifications with content and actions
- Widgets
- Phone extension which allows other apps like Skype and WhatsApp or call blockers to integrate with system calling feature
- overall making app sizes smaller
- adding new hardware support like Touch ID
- safer Safari view controller for integrating web views into apps
- metal for improving animations and reducing battery impact
- energy saving mode when app can use less energy when this mode is active
- transparency reduce mode
- spotlight search integration
- media playback improvements
- new video player UI (Android doesn’t even have system wide player), AirPlay 2...
- improved sounds, haptic feedback
- all private code improvements and refactoring which closes security holes, fixes bugs and improves performance, apps don’t just work on their own they run on top foundation and when foundation updated apps benefit

 

[KanosWRX]

I really think the more accurate comparison would be how many Pixel devices have the latest Android version. If your comparing manufacturers of Apple vs Google. Android is an Open OS so anyone can build a phone with it, it’s a trade off vs a closed OS like IOS, both have the pros and cons. But just lumping in every android device isn’t really a good comparison of two manufacturers.

 

[convergent]

This is a bit of a meaningless debate. The average user doesn't care what version of OS is on their phone. Only people hanging out on tech sites do. My wife uses an iPhone and gets quite annoyed (with me) when her phone gets a version update. She uses it for a phone and camera. She doesn't care about whatever new crap Apple has added, and she HATES having to learn something new to use her phone. I think the majority of the population doesn't care.

The positive of this chart is that it speaks to the longevity of Android devices. I'd also like to what the raw numbers are. Market share for Android dwarfs iOS, with a lot of that being what used to be feature phones in the past.
[doublepost=1524743486][/doublepost]

At least that is a very good reason and a reason to stay away from Android where manufacturers leave you standing in the rain with insecure devices unless you buy a new phone every two years.

When is the last time you heard of an Android phone getting exploited because of an old OS or lack or a security patch? I've never seen that reported... genuine question. This is a frequent way to bash Android on this site.

 

[MacBergin]

Maybe android should stick with OS numbers to identify the version instead of letters disguised as cute names of sugary fatty snacks that just leave you empty of substance and then you crash...hmmm maybe now i get the naming convention. Anyway people can more easily identify with numeric IDs.

 

[dilbert99]

Apple keeps on bugging to update the device, I'm not surprised of these stats.

 

[Radon87000]

Wrong: 2 years of OS updates and 3 of security (concurrent). e.g. The Nexus 6P was released September 2015:the last OS update was September 2017, and the last security update is scheduled for November 2018. 3 years of support then nothing,munless you go the extra mile very few do and install a custom ROM.

Meanwhile updates are still being made available (albeit for probably the last time) for Apples 5s/5e models released TWO years earlier.

They changed that with the Pixel. Its 3 years of updates for Pixel 2 XL and 4 yeaars of security

 

[TiggrToo]

I really think the more accurate comparison would be how many Pixel devices have the latest Android version. If your comparing manufacturers of Apple vs Google. Android is an Open OS so anyone can build a phone with it, it’s a trade off vs a closed OS like IOS, both have the pros and cons. But just lumping in every android device isn’t really a good comparison of two manufacturers.

I'm not so sure that there's any manufacturer breakdown, that said, as at February Google had flogged around 4 million Pixel phones - so being very very generous, let's assume they've got 5 million now and that every single last one is running Oreo . In January is was report there were 2.3bn Android devices out there in active usage - up from 2bn last January. So, again being generous, let's say there's now 2.4bn out there. 4.6% of that 2.4bn is 110 million - so they'd account for just around (back of the napkin math) 5% of the 4.6% - again assuming every single last one is running Oreo.

Doesn't answer your initial question per se, but it further highlights the minuscule market that the Pixel has (when talking Apples to 'Apples/(Pixels)'.

 

[Blaze4G]

Maybe android should stick with OS numbers to identify the version instead of letters disguised as cute names of sugary fatty snacks that just leave you empty of substance and then you crash...hmmm maybe now i get the naming convention. Anyway people can more easily identify with numeric IDs.

The alphabet is not a difficult concept to grasp...atleast I didn't think it was.

 

[TiggrToo]

They changed that with the Pixel. Its 3 years of updates for Pixel 2 XL and 4 yeaars of security

Pixel release date: October 2016, last guaranteed OS update October 2018, Security October 2019 (as per https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705?hl=en#pixel_phones) so no, they didn't change it with the Pixel line as that's the same as it was for Nexus.

The Pixel 2 XL however DID have an extra year added on - but ONLY for OS updates: Released October 2017, last OS Update will be October 2020 - and the SAME for Security.

Either way, it's still WAY behind Apple's current support.

 

[Regime2008]

Apple could do it too, but instead they actually made it harder for themselfs by implemented integrity protection. Integrity Protection is a good thing for security.

Let me tell you about system level improvements and API changes:

- Dynamic Type for global control of font size
- Smart inversion of colours when images preserve original colours and the rest becomes black
- Layout improvements with Stack views
- Rich notifications with content and actions
- Widgets
- Phone extension which allows other apps like Skype and WhatsApp or call blockers to integrate with system calling feature
- overall making app sizes smaller
- adding new hardware support like Touch ID
- safer Safari view controller for integrating web views into apps
- metal for improving animations and reducing battery impact
- energy saving mode when app can use less energy when this mode is active
- transparency reduce mode
- spotlight search integration
- media playback improvements
- new video player UI (Android doesn’t even have system wide player), AirPlay 2...
- improved sounds, haptic feedback
- all private code improvements and refactoring which closes security holes, fixes bugs and improves performance, apps don’t just work on their own they run on top foundation and when foundation updated apps benefit

For a second, I swore you were listing what you can do with Android.

- Dynamic Type for global control of font size - Android has this...
- Smart inversion of colors when images preserve original colors and the rest becomes black - Android has this too
- Layout improvements with Stack views - ...
- Rich notifications with content and actions ... this is old news for Android, been there done that. Superior Notifications since forever.
- Widgets - ... really? seriously? lol?
- Phone extension which allows other apps like Skype and WhatsApp or call blockers to integrate with system calling feature - Loooong time feature for Android. Pretty much all apps can integrate with each other, like sharing a picture through Discord, from my Google Drive for instance.
- overall making app sizes smaller - Android Delta updates, since 2012 or earlier.
- new video player UI (Android doesn’t even have system wide player), AirPlay 2... - Ever heard of using your own media player? Mx Player, VLC, etc? You know, media players that can play video and audio files that Apple devices cannot play? Casting > Airplay....



No offense dude, but you seem to be very uninformed about Android in general. Maybe a little research on Android and batteries.

 

[ROGmaster]

Wrong: 2 years of OS updates and 3 of security (concurrent). e.g. The Nexus 6P was released September 2015:the last OS update was September 2017, and the last security update is scheduled for November 2018. 3 years of support then nothing,munless you go the extra mile very few do and install a custom ROM.

I was taking about Pixel 2 which looks like will have 3 years of OS updates and 3 years of security updates.
Anyway at the end of the day you can install Oreo 8.1 on a Nexus 4 if you choose to but to be honest I don't know anybody that would like to use such an old phone and those that do, I doubt they care about updates.

Meanwhile updates are still being made available (albeit for probably the last time) for Apples 5s/5e models released TWO years earlier.

Yeah the only difference is that Android 8.0 performs great on the 6P and you don't get the impression that the phone can't handle the latest OS.

 

[waquzy]

With 13 releases of iOS 11. It's kind of hard not to be on it, since your Apple device gets cranky and asks you to upgrade non-stop. Unless your device does not support it.

Plus there is WatchOS 11.3, or HomePod which requires iOS 11. So the more deeper you are in the ecosystem, you can't avoid it.

Actually it only asks once

 

[jlc1978]

The trouble with that idea is that to the extent Android is open source, Google doesn't have the ability to prevent a fork.

Exactly. Google doesn't have the ability to ensure compatibility with all devices and leaves it to the OEM to handle upgrades. If you are a device manufacturer who is looking to keep cost done spending money to test a new release on older models isn't in the picture. Apple, with it's closed system, can ensure the latest release works on as many hardware versions as it wants since it knows the configurations and capabilities. They are not dealing with a large set of different processors, modems, etc. How well the upgrade will work is another story.

 

[TiggrToo]

Exactly. Google doesn't have the ability to ensure compatibility with all devices and leaves it to the OEM to handle upgrades. If you are a device manufacturer who is looking to keep cost done spending money to test a new release on older models isn't in the picture. Apple, with it's closed system, can ensure the latest release works on as many hardware versions as it wants since it knows the configurations and capabilities. They are not dealing with a large set of different processors, modems, etc. How well the upgrade will work is another story.

So why did Google only give all it's more recent Nexus devices and the first Pixel just 2 years of O/S updates? This was, to all intents and purposes, their 'hardware' (albeit built by differing manufacturers). Even the Pixel 2 only gets 3 years (compare to Apple's current 5 years).
[doublepost=1524746263][/doublepost]

Actually it only asks once

Not so for me, my iDevicen have whined multiple times about wanting me to do 11.3...

 

[Radon87000]

Well, with later you aren't deciding not to install, you are deciding to install, just later instead of now.

Why is there no cancel button?

 

[RickInHouston]

I'm perfectly fine with the version of android I run. In two, or three years - when I purchase a new phone - hardware and software will be the latest and the greatest. I don't have to worry the software will cripple my device. Can apple phone owners say the same thing? I found that out years ago and is why I left apple phones.

 

[Regime2008]

I'm perfectly fine with the version of android I run. In two, or three years - when I purchase a new phone - hardware and software will be the latest and the greatest. I don't have to worry the software will cripple my device. Can apple phone owners say the same thing? I found that out years ago and is why I left apple phones.

This is what the majority of people trying to bash Android do not understand. They think that Apple adding a new feature is ground breaking, when in reality, Android phones have been able to do it for many years now. Not just flagship phones, but even the sub $200 ones.

 

[sracer]

Seriously in today's landscape of privacy and security issues, why the hell would anyone want to use an Android device??

A security hole is one thing. The conditions under which that security hole can be exploited is another. In day-to-day usage, how many people are actually affected by those security holes? Since the claim is that Android is so prone to being easily compromised and exploited, where are all the stories of the Android apocalypse?

Or perhaps maybe, just maybe, the severity of the situation has been subjected to a bit of hyperbole.

I don't operate out of fear. I know that makes me a bit of an oddball.

 

[jona2125]

Yes. watchOS and iOS work together, for instance Health sync. So if there’s new Health improvement, it won’t work just on a single device. And every watchOS version is big performance and UX improvement, so make sure you have the latest.

That's disappointing, thanks for the info though.

 

[tcgjeukens]

The iOS 11 operating system is installed on 76 percent of devices as of April 22, according to statistics Apple shared today on its App Store support page for developers.
That's up 11 percentage points since January 18, when iOS 11 was installed on 65 percent of devices, and 24 percentage points since November 6, when iOS 11 was installed on 52 percent of devices.

If upgrading was a choice based on a positive emotion, I would consider the new stats good news.
What really puts me off is the update-terror. Apple pushes the update to your device and then bugs you daily to update. You can only delay by 24h.
I do like SW-vendors that send a push notification when there is a new version, in combination with a checkbox "skip this version"

To reduce the Apple-update-terror I've blocked the apple download server on my router for the MAC addresses of my iPhone and iPad. This quick-and-dirty measure is bypassed when I move around with my device and stumble on an open network. Then I have to go to storage settings and remove the installation file.

Apple: please revisit your update push mechanism.

 

[jaisin]

Android does improve constantly but your scenarios isn't only unrealistic it's totally absurd and a waste of space and time.
It's reminds me of a guy that claimed iOS is the best because he installs over 80 games on his phones. But that's all he does, there is no logic or practical reason for installing so many games.

I for example constantly uninstall apps that I don't use often enough to find them relevant or needed so why keep them on my phone constantly wasting space?

It’s not really that absurd. If you want access to stuff that may get removed from store easiest way is to keep them installed. It’s a test to see how many can be kept installed while maintaining stability.

The top 100 websites on desktop almost all have apps on mobile and many people do not want to use a web browser on mobile when there are superior native app experiences.

By installing top 100 apps or more on Android or iOS can easily see which OS has superior multitasking and process management. Every year the amount of apps the average person installs slowly increases. It’s only a matter of time before people on Android start running into the issues I saw during experiment.

It’s nice to know for most part can install a crazy amount to iOS and phone will stay stable... Android apologists somehow see that as a bad thing lol.

If grandma or your kids wanna click download everything they see... it’s clear which phone is going to fail first and it’s not the iPhone. Happens a lot more than you think cause you refuse to observe or consider any use cases other than your own where you only use a minimal amount of apps and services.

Just because there are “80” things out there you like and want to install doesn’t mean there is no logic... especially when these days for many people they phone is their primary device. It’s their computer, their TV, their game console, their “GameBoy”, their digital camera... etc ... list goes on.

My iPhone has replaced almost every device I used to carry and many I regularly used at home. It’s not some crazy scenario to install a lot of anything on a device that can be a decent substitute for every other device you, app, and service you ever used to own.

Also if you install suites, that a lone will increase App count. On computer there is on Facebook site, but on phone it’s broken out into multiple... Facebook, Messenger, etc... you are completely clueless as to how people use their phones if you think is crazy someone would want to save 80 games on it.

Was it crazy for gamers to collect huge amounts of discs or cartridges in previous years? Why collect anything... we should all be like you apparently and collect nothing cause clearly there is no reason to have more than a few of anything according to you.

 

[Crazy Badger]

You know full well that this only part of the story. Most Android users don't have a choice at all whether to be on the latest OS or not because there is no way for them to install it (without some serious hacking).

I don't know which is worse? Constantly pushing users to upgrade to versions they don't want and not allowing them to downgrade to older versions, or not providing regular updates at all.

 

[roderickv]

I think this metric is totally meaningless. Like others have already stated, Apple persistently nags you to update until you do. If you have to restore your IOS device for any reason, you have to restore to the latest IOS version. They make it next to impossible to go back. So Apple bragging about something they are forcing you to do and then comparing their numbers to the competition (who doesn't force you) seems disingenuous to me. The larger question is, why does this even matter to us? Does this measurement somehow make Apple's products better because it has forced more user to the latest OS? This just makes me yawn.

 

[Crazy Badger]

Actually it only asks once

I might not mind if it only asked once, but it's more like once a week

 

[ROGmaster]

Apple could do it too, but instead they actually made it harder for themselfs by implemented integrity protection. Integrity Protection is a good thing for security.

Integrity Protection? Interesting, I don't see many tangible advantages for system apps.

Spoiler: Let me tell you about system level improvements and API changes:

- Dynamic Type for global control of font size
- Smart inversion of colours when images preserve original colours and the rest becomes black
- Layout improvements with Stack views
- Rich notifications with content and actions
- Widgets
- Phone extension which allows other apps like Skype and WhatsApp or call blockers to integrate with system calling feature
- overall making app sizes smaller
- adding new hardware support like Touch ID
- safer Safari view controller for integrating web views into apps
- metal for improving animations and reducing battery impact
- energy saving mode when app can use less energy when this mode is active
- transparency reduce mode
- spotlight search integration
- media playback improvements
- new video player UI (Android doesn’t even have system wide player), AirPlay 2...
- improved sounds, haptic feedback
- all private code improvements and refactoring which closes security holes, fixes bugs and improves performance, apps don’t just work on their own they run on top foundation and when foundation updated apps benefit

Aka Security, Google services etc. updates on Android.
And apps can still be updated individually and Google has a solid roadmap in this regard.