Android (operating system)

Android is an operating system used in mobile devices. It is mostly used for smartphones, like Google's own Google Pixel, as well as by other phone manufacturers like HTC and Samsung. It has also been used for tablets such as the Motorola, Xoom and Amazon Kindle Fire. A modified Linux kernel is used as Android's kernel.^[4]

Android

Wordmark and logo used since 2023
Developer	Various (mostly Google)
Written in	Java, Kotlin (UI), C (core), C++, Rust[1] and others
OS family	Unix-like (modified Linux kernel)
Working state	Current
Source model	Open source, freeware (most devices include proprietary components, such as Google Play Services or One UI)
Initial release	September 23, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-09-23)
Latest release	Android 15 / September 3, 2024; 7 months ago (2024-09-03)
Latest preview	Android 16 Developer Preview 1 / November 19, 2024; 5 months ago (2024-11-19)
Repository	android.googlesource.com
Marketing target	Smartphones, tablet computers, smart TVs (Android TV), Android Auto and smartwatches (Wear OS)
Available in	100+ languages
Update method	Over-the-air
Package manager	APK-based
Platforms	ARM64 (previous versions were also compatible with ARMv7, x86, x86-64, MIPS and RISC-V; these architectures are still unofficially supported via third-party solutions)[2][3]
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux kernel)
Userland	Bionic libc, mksh shell, Toybox as core utilities
Default user interface	Graphical (multi-touch)
License	Apache License 2.0 for userspace software GNU GPL v2 for the Linux kernel modifications
Official website	www.android.com
Support status
Articles in the series
Android version history

Google says that over 1.3 million Android smartphones are sold every day.^[5] Most mobile phones run Android, making it the most popular mobile operating system. It is also the most popular operating system in general.

It supports multitasking and two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics.

Security updates are not provided on versions older than Android 10. Newer versions receive security updates if the phone manufacturer supports them. Phones which have Android 10 and above receive security updates (like app updates) directly from Google Play.

The current stable version is Android 15, released on September 3, 2024.

Android programs

Programs for Android, also called "apps" (short for applications), usually come from the Google Play Store. The Android programs have a file extension of .APK. On May 7, 2019, Kotlin replaced Java as Google’s preferred language for Android app development. Java is still supported, as is C++. Google states that^[6] "Android apps can be written using Kotlin, Java, and C++ languages". Other languages may also be used; such as Python and Go, and those languages and even C++ may have restrictions. Large portions of the operating system itself are also written in Java. Over 2.6 million apps are available for Android in the Google Play Store.^[7] Some apps are distributed elsewhere.

Android, Inc. began working on the Android operating system in 2003. In the future, Google bought it in 2005. The software development kit (SDK) for Android OS was launched on November 12, 2007, while the beta version was made available on November 5, 2007.

In October 2008, the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream) became the first Android smartphone to be made available to the general market.

Google revealed in August 2019 that the candy scheme was coming to an end and that future Android releases would instead use numerical ordering.

Android 10 was the first Android version to be made available in numerical order.

Android version numbers and names

Versions of Android have a number and have had a name based on confectioneries, up to and including Android 9 Pie, but since then it has mostly been a number, with the code name usually only being used internally and by Developers and manufacturers. The version numbers and names are:

Name	Internal codename[8]	Version number(s)	Release date
Android 1.0	—	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="1.0" | Old version, not maintained: 1.0	September 23, 2008
Android 1.1	Petit Four	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="1.1" | Old version, not maintained: 1.1	February 9, 2009
Android Cupcake	Cupcake	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="1.5" | Old version, not maintained: 1.5	April 27, 2009
Android Donut	Donut	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="1.6" | Old version, not maintained: 1.6	September 15, 2009
Android Eclair	Eclair	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.0" | Old version, not maintained: 2.0	October 27, 2009
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.0.1" | Old version, not maintained: 2.0.1	December 3, 2009
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.1" | Old version, not maintained: 2.1	January 11, 2010[9]
Android Froyo	Froyo	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.2 – 2.2.3" | Old version, not maintained: 2.2 – 2.2.3	May 20, 2010
Android Gingerbread	Gingerbread	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.3 – 2.3.2" | Old version, not maintained: 2.3 – 2.3.2	December 6, 2010
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="2.3.3 – 2.3.7" | Old version, not maintained: 2.3.3 – 2.3.7	February 9, 2011
Android Honeycomb	Honeycomb	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="3.0" | Old version, not maintained: 3.0	February 22, 2011
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="3.1" | Old version, not maintained: 3.1	May 10, 2011
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="3.2 – 3.2.6" | Old version, not maintained: 3.2 – 3.2.6	July 15, 2011
Android Ice Cream Sandwich	Ice Cream Sandwich	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.0 – 4.0.2" | Old version, not maintained: 4.0 – 4.0.2	October 18, 2011
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.0.3 – 4.0.4" | Old version, not maintained: 4.0.3 – 4.0.4	December 16, 2011
Android Jelly Bean	Jelly Bean	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.1 – 4.1.2" | Old version, not maintained: 4.1 – 4.1.2	July 9, 2012
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.2 – 4.2.2" | Old version, not maintained: 4.2 – 4.2.2	November 13, 2012
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.3 – 4.3.1" | Old version, not maintained: 4.3 – 4.3.1	July 24, 2013
Android KitKat	Key Lime Pie	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.4 – 4.4.4" | Old version, not maintained: 4.4 – 4.4.4	October 31, 2013
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="4.4W – 4.4W.2" | Old version, not maintained: 4.4W – 4.4W.2	June 25, 2014
Android Lollipop	Lemon Meringue Pie	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="5.0 – 5.0.2" | Old version, not maintained: 5.0 – 5.0.2	November 12, 2014
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="5.1 – 5.1.1" | Old version, not maintained: 5.1 – 5.1.1	March 9, 2015
Android Marshmallow	Macadamia Nut Cookie	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="6.0 – 6.0.1" | Old version, not maintained: 6.0 – 6.0.1	October 5, 2015
Android Nougat	New York Cheesecake	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="7.0" | Old version, not maintained: 7.0	August 22, 2016
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="7.1 – 7.1.2" | Old version, not maintained: 7.1 – 7.1.2	October 4, 2016
Android Oreo	Oatmeal Cookie	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="8.0" | Old version, not maintained: 8.0	August 21, 2017
		class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="8.1" | Old version, not maintained: 8.1	December 5, 2017
Android Pie	Pistachio Ice Cream[10]	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="9" | Old version, not maintained: 9	August 6, 2018
Android 10	Quince Tart[11]	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="10" | Old version, not maintained: 10	September 3, 2019
Android 11	Red Velvet Cake[11]	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="11" | Old version, not maintained: 11	September 8, 2020
Android 12	Snow Cone	class="templateVersion co swatch-unsupported" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, not maintained" data-sort-value="12" | Old version, not maintained: 12	October 19, 2021
Android 12L	Snow Cone v2	class="templateVersion co swatch-maintained" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, still maintained" data-sort-value="12.1" | Old version, still maintained: 12.1[a]	March 7, 2022
Android 13	Tiramisu	class="templateVersion co swatch-maintained" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, still maintained" data-sort-value="13" | Old version, still maintained: 13	August 15, 2022
Android 14	Upside Down Cake[14]	class="templateVersion co swatch-maintained" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Old version, still maintained" data-sort-value="14" | Old version, still maintained: 14	October 4, 2023
Android 15	Vanilla Ice Cream[15]	class="templateVersion c swatch-latest" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Latest version" data-sort-value="15" | Latest version: 15	September 3, 2024
Android 16	Baklava	class="templateVersion cp swatch-preview" style="color: var(--color-base, #202122); " title="Latest preview version" data-sort-value="16" | Latest preview version: 16	November 19, 2024
Legend: Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future version

Notes

1. 12L launched as part of the March 2022 security update to supported Pixel devices. The factory images for March 2022 and subsequent updates display the version as 12.1.^[12] The device's about page will still show the Android version as 12.^[13]

Related pages

• Operating system
• Linux
• Google Nexus
• Google Pixel
• Samsung Galaxy
• Androidland
• iOS