A fourth of all Android devices are now powered by KitKat

Android 4.4 KitKat has bitten off almost 25 percent of all Android devices. Revealing the latest stats for its mobile OS on its Android Developers Dashboard page on Wednesday, Google pegged KitKat’s share at 24.5 percent. That number includes all devices recorded at the Google Play store over the seven-day period that ended September 9. The latest percentage shows a steady rise for KitKat from 20.9 percent in August, 17.9 percent in July, and 13 percent in June. But the effort to achieve a 25 percent share hasn’t been easy. Mobile carriers have been working hard to roll out Android 4.4 KitKat, which launched in October 2013. But the Android update process is fraught with roadblocks. A new update requires the initial work from Google, then moves onto testing and customization by the mobile phone makers. Finally, the wireless carriers have to chime in with their own testing and planning before they can dole out the update to their customers. That complex process is a major reason why the Android world is so fragmented with so many different versions still found on a variety of phones and tablets.