As expected, Google has just released its monthly statistic regarding the Android operating system stats, according to Play Store. The data gathered by Google does not include devices powered by Android 2.1 and lower given the fact that the new Google Play Store only supports smartphones and tablets running Android 2.2 and up.

According to the latest statistic published by Google, Android 4.4 KitKat is among the most popular versions of the mobile operating system with no less than 33.9% devices.

Android Jelly Bean is still the most popular iteration of the platform with 48.7% devices, but its distribution shows that each version of Jelly Bean is lower than KitKat.

The stats confirmed by Google show that Android 4.1.x is now installed on 21.3% of devices accessing the Play Store, while Android 4.2.x Jelly Bean is powered on 20.4% devices. Lastly, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is now loaded on just 7% of devices.

Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich is now running on 7.8% smartphones and tablets, whereas Android 2.3.x Gingerbread still accounts for 9.1% market share. Android 2.2 Froyo is still included in the statistic with only 0.5% devices.

The data included in the distribution stats has been collected during a 7-day period ending on December 1, which means it is extremely fresh and relevant.

Next month Android 4.4 KitKat should improve its market share by a few percent, while Android 5.0 Lollipop is expected to make its debut with less than 1% devices running it.

Android 5.0 Lollipop did not make it into the distribution stats rankings

Speaking of Android 5.0, Google states that Lollipop hasn’t been included in the distribution rankings because any version with less than 0.1% is not shown.

Given the fact that Android 5.0 Lollipop has been officially released on so few smartphones and tablets, it makes sense to not appear in the statistic for the time being.

Unfortunately, the rollout of the new Lollipop operating system to compatible devices is much slower than anyone had previously anticipated.

Not to mention that those who already upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop complain their devices are affected by major issues and critical bugs that make their phones/tablets almost unusable.

Google is already aware of most of these issues and is already trying to deliver fixes for some of the most annoying problems, which is probably one of the many reasons that Lollipop is still delayed for many smartphones and tablets.

Here is hoping that Android 5.0 Lollipop will be bug-free in the coming months and that a higher number of devices will get the update sooner rather than later.