Google’s Android Dominance Has Its Limits

Android mobile operating system remains a distinctive case of haves and have-nots.

Version 6.0 (Marshmallow) will be released in the fall with a full-blown tool kit available for developers. The update will include new features for Google’s digital assistant as well as a new mobile-payments service and greater support for fingerprint scanning on capable devices. Some of these sound like efforts to catch up with Apple.

Still, the fact that Android has lagged behind the iPhone’s software on some features hasn’t dented its commanding lead in market share. Android accounted for about 83% of smartphones sold in the second quarter, according to IDC. Apple’s iOS had about 14% share in the period. But Android still trails in one important area: cohesion. More than 4,000 different devices use the software. And those span a wide range of capabilities, which makes it challenging for Google to unify its users on a single version of its platform.