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Welcome back to another round of Android platform usage statistics to help you prepare for testing an app on Android in 2025. Despite the popularity of the iPhone, Android still maintains a significant foothold on the global smartphone market. In fact, as of December 2024, the Android user base makes up a staggering 3.3 billion and based on trends from the past couple of years, we can assume that this number will continue to grow over the course of the coming year.
If you’ve ever wondered which Android devices or OS versions should be prioritized during testing, leveraging usage statistics is one of the best tools available. These provide a high level view of how Android platform usage is spread across different types of devices and OS versions. This way, you can make an informed decision on your test coverage and not waste valuable time and resources testing on devices that your users don’t have access to or are no longer supported by modern applications.
But how did Android device and OS usage change in 2024? And what does it mean for testing in 2025? Get ready to dive in and learn more.
Android OS Version Market Share
Throughout 2024, the Android user base was primarily distributed across 4 major OS versions - Android 14.0, 13.0, 12.0, and 11.0. What’s interesting, however, is that the only OS version which experienced a major decline in usage was 13.0; which went from 32.27% in January 2024 all the way down to 18.85% in October 2024 but has remained steady at or around that percentage since.
Android 14, being the newest of the four versions above, experienced rapid growth throughout last year: starting at 9.3% in January 2024 and climbing all of the way to 37.08% by January of 2025. This is generally expected considering that when Google releases a new version of Android, it can sometimes take several months after the fact until it is made available on non-Pixel devices. This is because other OEMs may have to first verify compatibility with their own hardware, want to add additional software features, or customize the user experience to align with the unique attributes of their product lineup
Android 15, having only been released in September 2024, is not explicitly represented in the chart data but it can be assumed that it makes up some percentage of the ‘Other’ category. Based on the trends observed for Android 14, we can also assume that its market share will increase as 2025 progresses and more OEMs make the release available to their supported devices.
What does this data tell us?
Test managers should plan to focus testing on primarily Android 14 OS versions with additional compatibility testing for the previous three OS versions (13, 12, and 11.)
As Android 15’s market share inevitably increases later in the year, Android 15 devices can then start to be prioritized for testing. In the case that a test application is not planned for release until later in 2025, it would then make sense to prioritize Android 15 testing alongside Android 14 now.
Android Device Market Share
The Android device landscape is vast which means that the global market share statistics are spread out amongst several brands. This is due in large part to the difference in popularity between brands depending on the region of the world where users are located.
For example, in North America, brands like Samsung and Google dominate with regional device market share percentages of 23.74% and 12.9% respectively while in non-US markets like Europe, Asia, South America or Africa, brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei make up a much larger portion of the Android user base
This helps provide context for worldwide Android Mobile Vendor Market Share statistics from January 2024 - January 2025. Across markets, brands like Samsung are ubiquitous and this is clearly reflected in its steady 23-24% market share for the period. Behind that is Xiaomi, averaging between 10-12% and after that is Vivo and Oppo, both averaging around 6% market share.
What can we learn from this?
Android device test coverage should prioritize Samsung and Google devices if the target audience for an application is the US market. If an application is designed to serve a global audience, then including newer devices from Xiaomi, Oppo and/or Huawei in a test plan will help guarantee comprehensive device compatibility.
Android users tend to upgrade their devices more often than iPhone users which means that the test coverage should generally include newer devices from each manufacturer as well as a few versions back.
What’s New in Android 15?
Android 15 was made generally available starting on September 3rd, 2024. For this release, Google primarily focused on enhancing security and privacy while introducing new features to help its users be more productive on their devices. Here are some of the notable features and improvements that this new major release introduced.
Improved Theft Deterrence
This new feature leverages AI to detect when a device has been grabbed by a thief and will automatically lock itself; preventing access and making it more difficult to obtain sensitive information. In Android 15, additional protections have been added which help deter thieves from cracking a device’s password and potentially resetting it to be sold to another person without the owner’s permission.
Hide Sensitive Applications
In Android 15, users can create new ‘private spaces’ which allow them to organize applications that contain private information (such as banking, social media, dating apps, etc.) into groups that require authentication first before accessing. Users are also able to hide a private space from view on their device making it even more difficult for any unauthorized person to access the applications contained within.
Enhanced Productivity on Foldables and Tablets
For users who own a foldable phone or tablet device, Android 15 now adds the ability to pin or unpin the task bar from the bottom screen. This helps users access their favorite or frequently used applications or frees up valuable screen space for enhanced productivity.
Multi-tasking also gets easier on Android 15 with the introduction of ‘app pairs’ - user defined app combinations that can be saved to their home screen and, when tapped, will open more than one application at a time. This is great for those who frequently use more than one application together at the same time and want to save time on having to launch each instance separately.
Android 15 Accessibility Features
When it comes to accessibility, Android 15 contains a host of useful improvements that make it easier for a user with a permanent, situational or temporary disability to be able to access and enjoy their device without barriers. Here are just a few examples of what was added:
Hearing-Aid Support Using Bluetooth LE
Bluetooth LE is the latest version of the ubiquitous wireless connection technology and with it brings welcome enhancements to audio quality, stability, and most importantly, energy efficiency. Hearing aids are all-day use devices which means that they must be able to last on battery for long periods of time and the ‘low-energy’ nature of the latest Bluetooth standard helps accomplish this.
Android 15 also makes hearing aid support via LE Audio standardized so that manufacturers can depend on their products being compatible with more Android devices.
Talkback 15.0
Talkback is Google’s screen reading technology that is native to the Android platform. In version 15.0, new features have been added to make it easier for screen reader users to interact with and understand content more effectively on their device. For example, leveraging generative AI technology, Talkback is now able to provide more detailed descriptions for image content, helping users have a richer experience with photos and graphics on the web.
There’s also new features that improve the reading experience while using Talkback, such as giving users control over the verbosity of punctuation in a read sentence or letting them read from a currently focused item.
For users of a braille display or on-screen braille keyboard, Talkback now also makes it easier to select text from the start to the current position (or vice versa) while editing.
Support for HID Braille Displays
Speaking of braille display users, in Android 15 Google added support for devices that connect via bluetooth and use the Human Interface Device (HID) standard. This means better compatibility for braille displays and more robust feature support.
The Top Devices for Android App Testing in 2025
Now that we know how the market share for Android OS versions and device manufacturers was distributed in 2024, we can start to make some recommendations on which devices should be supported for testing. Here are the top devices for Android app testing in 2025:
1. Samsung Galaxy S24/S25
2. Samsung Galaxy S24/S25 Ultra
3. Google Pixel 8/9
4. Xiaomi 14 Ultra
5. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Supporting Legacy Android Devices
The very first Android device was released all the way back in 2008, and since then, has exploded in popularity worldwide. Knowing the upgrade frequency of Android users, we can assume that there are a ton of legacy devices out in the market which should be considered while testing.
Compatibility testing is one of the easiest ways to validate that an Android app will perform as expected across generations and configurations of devices. The diversity of models and device manufacturers across the Android ecosystem means that no two devices are alike and cannot simply be evaluated based on the OS version it is using. Testers must also consider unique hardware features and device attributes such as the screen size, battery life, camera, sensor capabilities, cellular connectivity, or anything else that must be compatible with an app experience in order for it to function properly.
Since 2008, we have built a library with 800+ real iOS and Android devices, making it one of the largest and oldest device libraries in North America. This means we’re ready to test compatibility across a plethora of device configurations.
Conclusion
With this data in mind, we hope that you feel more confident on which devices to prioritize for Android app testing in 2025. If you’d like to learn more about Android testing stats from previous years, consider checking out our blogs from 2024, or 2023 and contacting us today for help with testing on Android.