Is it possible that Google “only” sold 1 million Pixel devices?

We’re about 8 months removed from seeing the launch of the Pixel and Pixel XL and have yet to hear any solid sales numbers regarding the devices. However, the Play Store may have just given us a slight tip as to how many devices have been sold as the Pixel Launcher has crossed the 1,000,000 download threshold.

Why is this important and how can we determine sales numbers from an app download? Well, that’s because the Pixel Launcher has been largely limited to Pixel devices aside from the ability for rooted devices to bypass Google’s download restrictions.

This leads to more questions than there are answers, but even if the Pixel Launcher provided a solid indicator of devices sold, this spells bad news for Google. With devices such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S8 obliterating these numbers in just weeks, the Pixel is just too far behind right now. Granted, this was Google’s first foray into acting as an OEM and providing its own phones, but, there’s still cause for concern.

However, it seems that Google isn’t slowing down as of yet, with more and more rumors appearing regarding the Pixel lineups successor. In fact, Google recently hired one of Apple’s lead processor architects as it looks to keep more of its manufacturing processes in-house.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see the Pixel 2 lineup offered through more carriers other than Verizon, which would definitely help sales numbers for the next devices. Regardless, it’s still a bit unsettling to see so few devices being sold by Google, in spite of the shipping and manufacturing issues it has experienced.