A recent article from TechCrunch discussing Android fragmentation got us thinking about the increasing number of challenges mobile app developers are facing. The article highlights some research done by OpenSignalMaps tracking 681,900 separate Android devices in 195 countries. The results likely aren’t surprising, but they clearly tell a story of fragmentation, or “differentiation” as stated by Google chairman Eric Schmidt. While this makes it tough for developers, OpenSignalMaps points out in their research that there is a clear benefit for device consumers – “Fragmentation allows users to take their pick from thousands of devices… It's a triumph for Android that as a single OS it can target so many markets.” It may be a triumph for Android, but it’s nearly impossible for most developers to test their apps on all 3,997 distinct Android devices (as found by OpenSignalMaps).
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