How Many People Use Android? And 4 Other Facts You Didn't Know

It’s one of the world’s most popular operating systems, but there’s more to Android than you might think. Here are some interesting facts that might surprise you.

1. Google didn’t create Android. Android was conceived in 2003 by Android, Inc. and was originally meant to be an operating system for digital cameras. It wasn’t until 2005 that Google acquired Android, Inc. and began paving the way towards victory over iOS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian.

2. Android had a smartwatch way back in 2010. Apple managed to convince many people that the Apple Watch was the first smartwatch on the market, but Sony Ericsson had released the LiveView smartwatch five years prior. But to be fair, the LiveView was way worse than the Apple Watch.

3. Play Store revenue may soon overtake App Store revenue. From 2014 to 2015, Google apps generated around $7 billion while Apple apps generated around $10 billion. While Apple still leads, Google’s revenue is growing at a faster rate than Apple’s revenue, which suggests that Google may catch up in a year or two.

4. There are over 4,000 different types of Android devices and these devices are all created and maintained by over 400 different manufacturers. This is great for diversity and widespread adoption, but it’s one of the key reasons why your device takes so long to update. Fragmentation is a double-edged sword.

5. Over 1 billion people use Android all over the world. In 2014, the market share numbers were in heavy favor of Google over Apple. When Android users were breaking past the 10-figure threshold, the number of iOS users hovered somewhere around 470 million.

Got any other cool Android facts? Drop a comment and share with us down below!

Image Credits: Held Android Phone by Twin Design via Shutterstock, Smartwatch by LDprod via Shutterstock, Pile of Android Phones by Maxx-Studio via Shutterstock