Every time a new version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system is released, both the media and the ardent Apple fans are quick to point out how quickly the vast majority of iPhones and iPads upgrade to the latest version of the software. They usually hold up a chart that shows just how few Android devices are running on the latest version of Google’s OS which sufferers from so-called Android fragmentation problem.

I just wish they’d all shut up already because, for the most part, it doesn’t bloody matter which version of Android your phone is running because Android is different to iOS in several important ways.

We’ve already covered the fact that Android applications are able to run on almost any version of the platform with the only real limitations being specific hardware and features introduced after the version in question.

In my opinion the more important distinction between the two operating systems is that Android, unlike iOS, doesn’t need a version update to add features to the core operating system.

Google has removed all of the key components of Android from the main body of the software and turned each of them into standalone apps within the Google Play store. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Chrome and even the standard Google Camera app have been sliced off of Android and can each be updated independently of the main operating system.

In contrast, when iOS wants to add new features to Apple Maps, Mail or Safari users have to wait until the annual iOS version update to get new features.

So yes, Android fragmentation is real and yes, Android is a mess of smartphones, tablets, and almost everything else that has a battery… but it means almost nothing.

[Image – OpenSignal’s awesome data visualisation]