Android users are flocking to the latest version of Google's mobile operating system in droves.
The number of active devices running Jelly Bean -- Android 4.1 and 4.2, combined -- rose 3.4 points to 28.4 percent in April, surpassing Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), which fell 1.8 points to 27.5 percent, according to monthly user numbers published by Google on Wednesday. Jelly Bean's growing adoption rate was not enough to overtake the declining Gingerbread (Android 2.3), which slid 1.7 points to 38.5 percent.
The numbers, which are derived from user visits to the Google Play store during a set period, reflect the impressive adoption rate of Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean, which was released in July, is gaining fast on Gingerbread, which was released in December 2010 and commanded more than 50 percent of the Android market at the end of 2012. Jelly Bean adoption is up 180 percent since that time.
The driving force behind that growth seems to be Samsung's Galaxy S3, which has sold more than 50 million units since its release in May 2012. With phenomenal sales expected for Samsung's new flagship smartphone -- the Galaxy S4 -- Jelly Bean is expected to wrest the Android crown from Gingerbread in the coming months.