Welcome to Ask Jerry, where we delve into the myriad questions surrounding the smart technologies that enrich our lives. I’m Jerry, a seasoned tech enthusiast with over 15 years of experience in the Android and Google realms, backed by a solid foundation in engineering and R&D.
In this column, we aim to address your pressing inquiries about Android and technology, drawing on my extensive background as a long-time editor at Android Central. My passion for research and helping others is at the core of our mission here, so if you have tech-related questions, I’m eager to engage with you.
Apple claims it has two billion devices. Are these numbers credible?
This is an intriguing question, one that resonates with my love for both Android and the world of numbers. The short answer is yes, those figures are indeed real. Major players like Google and Apple understand the importance of maintaining their reputations; fabricating statistics would lead to significant backlash, even if only temporarily.
However, it’s essential to clarify what these numbers actually represent. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that they refer to devices rather than users. The method of counting devices is somewhat nuanced.
Monthly Active Devices
To grasp the full picture, we must first understand what Android is. Android is a trademarked operating system owned by Google, built upon the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is freely available for anyone to use. This open-source nature allows developers to download the code and create their own versions.
Due to licensing agreements, many modifications made to the original AOSP do not need to be open-sourced or shared with the public. Essentially, Android is software developed from open-source code, enhanced by Google, and further customized by manufacturers like Samsung. To utilize the Android name, companies must adhere to Google’s guidelines, one of which mandates access to the Google Play Store.
This requirement ensures that software meets specific interoperability standards, allowing apps to function consistently across devices of the same type. It’s crucial to note that Android devices encompass more than just smartphones; they include wearables, tablets, media streamers, and even Chromebooks, all of which contribute to the impressive count of over three billion devices.
Your Android devices maintain regular communication with the Play Store, provided they are connected to the internet. This connection facilitates updates and enhances security through Google Play Protect. A device is classified as active if it communicates with the Play Store at least once every 30 days. Thus, even an old phone gathering dust can be counted as active for any month it is powered on.
This counting method means that a single user can have multiple devices contributing to the overall statistics. For instance, I personally own two Android phones, an Android tablet, two Nvidia Shield Pro TV boxes, three Chromebooks, and a smartwatch. While I am just one user, my eight devices collectively inflate the count.
If everyone had a similar setup, it would imply that the three billion devices are utilized by only 375 million distinct individuals. However, the reality is more complex; some users have only one device, while others possess many more. Currently, I lack verifiable data on the actual number of users versus devices. Estimates range from four to seven billion people, but without transparent methodologies, these figures hold little value. What I can assert is that there are not three billion individuals with an Android phone.