User adoption of Android Jelly Bean has been rising consistently since Google released the new firmware last year, and the past month might have been the best yet. It's expected that Google will officially unveil Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie next month at its I/O Developer Conference, but until that happens it looks like Jelly Bean adoption will continue to climb.
According to the latest statistics in Google's Developer Dashboard, Jelly Bean 4.1 is being used by 23 percent of all Android devices, while Jelly Bean 4.2 made nests in about two percent of them. Combined, Jelly Bean now makes up 25 percent of Android devices. That's pretty good for something most people were worried about just a month ago.
Then again, Google also announced that it has changed the way it's collecting data now. Before this month's statistics were made available, Google tallied the percentages based on when Android devices checked in to the company's servers.
"Beginning in April, 2013, these charts are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store ...We believe the new data more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem."
In a sense, it's not a surprise that Jelly Bean's numbers are up, then. While many more devices are finally getting the Jelly Bean upgrade, it's fairly obvious (and it makes sense) that those who've already gone ahead and installed the firmware would be the most active in Google's ecosystem.
As CNET notes, too, "Google likely changed up the way it tracks the data to better serve its developers, who are keen on seeing more information about users who are active in the Google Play Store, and correspondingly more likely to download and purchase apps."
Even so, Jelly Bean still has a way to go if it wants to become a major Android presence before Key Lime Pie 5.0 comes out. Ice Cream Sandwich still makes up 29 percent of Android devices, which is virtually unchanged from the last couple of months. Gingerbread, meanwhile, continues to fall, but it still maintains a commanding 39 percent share.
