Today, Android is one of the most popular operating systems in the world. Outside of the United States, Android dominates the market. Inside the United States, it battles rival Apple IOS for marketshare. But its nonetheless popular.
But how long has Android been around? What type of updates has it experienced over the years?
Well, that’s a lot to unpack.
History of Android
Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google. It was initially developed by Android, Inc., a company founded in Palo Alto, California in October 2003. Android, Inc. was later acquired by Google in 2005.
The first version of Android, Android 1.0, was released in September 2008. It was initially developed as an operating system for digital cameras, but it was eventually adapted for use on smartphones and tablets.
Android Updates Over The Years
Over the years, Google has released several updates to Android, with each new version bringing new features and improvements. Some of the major releases of Android include:
- Android 1.0: The first version of Android, released in September 2008.
- Android 1.1: An update released in February 2009 that introduced support for live wallpapers and the ability to save MMS attachments.
- Android 2.0: Released in October 2009, this version introduced support for multi-touch input and the ability to sync with Google Calendar.
- Android 3.0: Released in February 2011, this version introduced a new “Honeycomb” interface designed specifically for tablets.
- Android 4.0: Released in October 2011, this version introduced a new design language called “Ice Cream Sandwich” and support for facial recognition.
- Android 5.0: Released in November 2014, this version introduced a new design called “Material Design” and support for multiple SIM cards.
- Android 6.0: Released in October 2015, this version introduced support for Android Pay and the ability to grant permissions to apps on a per-use basis.
- Android 7.0: Released in August 2016, this version introduced support for split-screen multitasking and the ability to reply to notifications directly from the notification shade.
- Android 8.0: Released in August 2017, this version introduced support for picture-in-picture mode and improved battery life.
- Android 9.0: Released in August 2018, this version introduced support for gesture navigation and improved privacy controls.
- Android 10: Released in September 2019, this version introduced a new design and improved privacy controls.
- Android 11: Released in September 2020, this version introduced improved privacy controls and support for chat bubbles.
Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems in the world, with over 2 billion active devices as of May 2017. It is available on a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and television sets.
And there is no end in sight for Android’s potential growth. It continues to chip away at IOS in popularity and people tend to enjoy Android’s open system whereas you can download more diversity in apps.
