80% of phones shipped in 2014 were based on Android

Among the the slew of interesting stats mentioned by Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Products, during the opening address of the Keynote at Google I/O 2015 showcasing the growth of various Google services, particularly impressive was the continued growth, and dominance, of Android around the world.

Only in the last year, since Google I/O 2014, over 600 millions users around the world have been first time smartphone adopters, and with 8 out of every 10 smartphones sold based on Android, you know what the platform of choice for most of that large number was. Over a billion users also use various Google services including Google Search, Youtube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Chrome, and of course, Android. When it comes to Android, over 400 manufacturers around the world result in more than 4000 distinctive devices currently available, with a connection to close to 500 network carriers as well.

Android’s growth is of course, not just restricted to mobile, with a lot of headway being made with Android Wear, Android Auto, Android TV, and Google Chromecast, to mention a few. Android Wear has grown from two reference-type models, which has grown to 7 models thus far, with many more to come. The software experience itself has seen a lot of improvements along the way, and continues to become even better with every update.

Android Auto, that was announced just last year, can now be found with the Hyundai Sonata in the US right now, with 13 Chevrolet models arriving with Android Auto in 2016, with Volkswagen announcing recently the availability of Auto with every car in their 2016 lineup for Europe and North America. With close to 35 car manufacturers on-board, Android Auto is set to see an impressive growth over the next few years.

Android TV was released last year with a reference model, the ADTV-1, and is now available from companies such as Sony, Sharp, and Phillips, with many more models coming soon. Also worth noting is the fact that Google has sold over 17 million units of the Google Chromecast, and with over 20,000 applications now coming with support, it’s no surprise that the cast button has been pressed around 1.5 billion times.