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Android 2.1 aka Eclair is eclipsing other flavors of the Google-designed operating system to become the dominant version on Android phones.

50 percent of Android phones now run Android 2.1, compared to about 37 percent a month ago and 27 percent in April. The rest of Android devices are split between almost evenly between Android 1.5, aka Cupcake, and Android 1.6, or Donut.

The data comes from Android Developers, the official Android developers’ community website, and is based on operating system data reported by devices accessing the Android Market during a 2-week period ending June 16.

The rapid rise of the Android 2.1 indicates that the fractured nature of the platform–a major concern among Android developers and users–may no longer be an issue by the end of the year. In the 16 months since the first Android phone hit the market, Google has made four major upgrades to the operating system.

So far, smartphone makers seemed to be unable to keep up with that pace. Android smartphones running different versions of the OS also make it more expensive for developers to create apps since they have to ensure it runs on multiple versions.

But in the last few months, companies such as Motorola and HTC have been steadily updating the operating systems on their older phones. For instance, HTC confirmed Thursday that it will upgrade the Android 1.5-powered HTC Hero to 2.1 by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Google Nexus One, Motorola Droid and HTC Incredible users among others can look forward to the next Android update called Android 2.2 or FroYo. FroYo updates will flow this summer.

See Also:

• Sprint, HTC Unveil First 4G Android Phone
• Android Fragmentation Declines, But Older Versions Still Rule
• Android Comes of Age at Google Developer Conference
• Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market

Data: Android Developers