Android 16 accounted for 23.64% of worldwide Android mobile and tablet pageviews in June 2026, one year after its June 2025 release, according to StatCounter. Android 15 sat second at 17.03%. This post collects the verified Android version distribution figures published through July 2026, keeps each measurement method separate, and notes where the numbers disagree.
Android Version Distribution: Key Numbers
Android Version Distribution Worldwide in June 2026
StatCounter publishes the six leading Android releases by share of sampled pageviews. For June 2026, Android 16 topped the list at 23.64%.
Android 13 outranked Android 14 by 1.44 points despite shipping a year earlier. StatCounter measures browsing activity, not installed devices, so a version common on phones whose owners browse often will read higher than its device count alone would suggest.
| Android version | API level | Share of pageviews |
|---|---|---|
| Android 16 | 36 | 23.64% |
| Android 15 | 35 | 17.03% |
| Android 13 | 33 | 14.18% |
| Android 14 | 34 | 12.74% |
| Android 12 | 31 | 9.83% |
| Android 11 | 30 | 8.06% |
Source: StatCounter GlobalStats, mobile and tablet Android version market share, worldwide, June 2026. API levels from API Levels.
A second dataset points the same way. AppBrain, which reads the OS version of devices running its SDK across more than 100 million monthly unique users, recorded Android 16 as the most common version in July 2026 at 24.1%.
These are separate populations counted in separate ways, so the figures are not interchangeable. Two independent methods landing under a point apart still makes the low-to-mid 20s a reliable range for Android 16.
Mobile Only Versus Mobile and Tablet
StatCounter splits its Android version distribution by device scope, and the two slices differ slightly. Phones alone put Android 16 at 23.83% in June 2026; adding tablets pulls it to 23.64%.
Source: StatCounter GlobalStats, worldwide, June 2026.
Android Version Distribution by Region
The United States runs newer Android than the worldwide figure. Android 16 took 39.89% of US Android pageviews in June 2026, roughly 16 points above the global reading for the same month.
India tells a different story. Android 15 led there at 26.85% in April 2026, with Android 16 second at 15.76%. StatCounter refreshes country snapshots on separate schedules, so the periods below are not identical.
| Android version | Worldwide (Jun 2026) | United States (Jun 2026) | India (Apr 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android 16 | 23.64% | 39.89% | 15.76% |
| Android 15 | 17.03% | 10.45% | 26.85% |
| Android 14 | 12.74% | 8.53% | 13.21% |
| Android 13 | 14.18% | 12.49% | 14.16% |
| Android 12 | 9.83% | 6.97% | 10.28% |
| Android 11 | 8.06% | 5.55% | 9.89% |
Source: StatCounter GlobalStats, mobile and tablet Android version market share; worldwide and United States June 2026, India April 2026.
India’s spread is flatter than the American one. Its six leading versions run from 9.89% to 26.85%, a range of about 17 points, against roughly 34 points in the United States. That regional pattern sits underneath Android’s wider position in the mobile OS market, where India is among the highest-penetration countries.
Android Version Distribution by API Level and minSdk
Developers care less about individual version shares than about cumulative reach. API Levels publishes that calculation, running StatCounter’s April 2026 worldwide mobile and tablet data through a public script; the figures were last refreshed on May 28, 2026.
Setting minSdk to API 30 reaches 86.9% of the measured base. Raising it to API 33 drops that to 68.9%, an 18-point cost and the steepest single step on the table.
| minSdk | Android version | Cumulative reach |
|---|---|---|
| API 36 | Android 16 | 22.3% |
| API 35 | Android 15 | 41.0% |
| API 34 | Android 14 | 54.5% |
| API 33 | Android 13 | 68.9% |
| API 32 | Android 12L | 78.8% |
| API 30 | Android 11 | 86.9% |
| API 29 | Android 10 | 91.1% |
| API 28 | Android 9 | 93.5% |
| API 26 | Android 8.0 | 96.1% |
| API 23 | Android 6 | 98.0% |
| API 21 | Android 5.0 | 99.8% |
Source: API Levels, cumulative usage computed from StatCounter GlobalStats April 2026 data, updated May 28, 2026.
The bottom of the table returns almost nothing. Moving minSdk from API 26 down to API 21 adds 3.7 points of reach and pulls in devices from 2014.
Google Play sets a floor from the other direction. Existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher by August 31, 2026 to stay available to new users on newer devices, with extensions available to November 1, 2026, per Play Console Help. New apps and updates submitted from that date must target API 36.
How Release Dates Shape Android Version Distribution
Google moved its major release from autumn to early summer, and the version shares follow. Android 16 shipped to AOSP and Pixel devices on the same day, June 10, 2025.
Android 15 took a slower path. Its source landed at AOSP on September 3, 2024, and Android Authority reported the Pixel rollout starting October 15, 2024.
| Version | API level | Stable release | Worldwide share (Jun 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android 15 | 35 | Sep 3, 2024 (AOSP) | 17.03% |
| Android 16 | 36 | Jun 10, 2025 | 23.64% |
| Android 17 | 37 | Jun 16, 2026 | Not in leading six |
Source: Android Developers Blog, release announcements 2024 to 2026; StatCounter GlobalStats, June 2026.
Android 17 reached Pixel 6 and later on June 16, 2026, holding the mid-year slot for a second cycle. It had been out about two weeks when StatCounter closed the June measurement and does not appear among the six leading versions.
Delivery after release is the other half of the picture. Command Linux’s comparison of patch release times across operating systems records Samsung shipping security patches two to four weeks behind Google, with smaller manufacturers running 60 to 90 days late or skipping them.
Older releases keep working, which is part of why they persist. Kernel-side memory management work such as MGLRU cut low-memory kills and improved app launch times on Android hardware, and Android’s userland still ships mksh as its default shell.
Developer-side interest has moved too. Stack Overflow’s opt-in survey showed Android personal-use adoption among respondents rising between the 2024 and 2025 editions, and much of the tooling around it runs through adb on the command line.
FAQs
Which Android version has the largest share in 2026?
Android 16 leads at 23.64% of worldwide Android mobile and tablet pageviews in June 2026, per StatCounter. AppBrain’s SDK-based measurement recorded 24.1% for July 2026 across a different device population.
Why do Reddit threads quote different Android version distribution numbers?
Reddit posts often cite Android Studio’s distribution dialog, which counts devices checking in to Google Play. StatCounter counts sampled browser pageviews. Different populations, different collection methods, different results.
What minSdk should a 2026 Android app use?
API 30 reaches 86.9% of the measured base and API 33 reaches 68.9%, according to API Levels using April 2026 StatCounter data. That 18-point gap is the sharpest tradeoff on the cumulative table.
Is Android 17 in the distribution tables yet?
No. Android 17 reached Pixel 6 and later on June 16, 2026, roughly two weeks before StatCounter closed its June reading, and it does not appear among the six leading worldwide versions.
Do Reddit users see Android 16 as the most common version?
Reddit anecdotes are not measured data. The two published datasets that do measure it, StatCounter for June 2026 and AppBrain for July 2026, both place Android 16 first.
Sources
https://gs.statcounter.com/android-version-market-share/mobile-tablet/worldwide
https://apilevels.com/
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/06/Android-17.html
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878
