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Android 3.0-3.2 or Honeycomb - Released in 2011, this version of the operating system was specifically for tablet devices and introduced on-screen buttons.Android 2.3 or Gingerbread - The 2010 release of this OS focused on the black and green interface as Android began to develop a distinctive look.Android 2.0-2.1 or Eclair - Version 2.0 added real-time traffic information, voice-guided navigation, and pinch-to-zoom capability to the OS.It included an on-screen keyboard and introduced the framework for third-party apps to be run on mobile devices. Android 1.5 or Cupcake - Released in early 2009, this was the first-named version of the OS.Android 1.0 to 1.1 - Google’s original mobile OS offered basic capability with integrated apps like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube.
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For much of its lifetime, the OS version was designated by a number and a codename. Here I've gathered an abridged listing to demonstrate how the operating system has been changing and evolving to provide users with advanced functionality. This helped switch Android app development from Java to Kotlin and ensured that Android developers were highly paid and quite in demand on the market. The constant support from Google developers made the system the top OS with almost 3 million apps in the Play Store. Since it’s existed, Android has had 12 versions since its humble beginning with sometimes even more than one release in a year. Google first introduced the revolutionary Android operating system as an alternative to Apple’s iOS in late 2008. But before that let’s get a quick overview of the history of Android versions.Ī Brief History of the Android Operating System So in this article, we will learn how to figure out which version your smartphone is running and how to install an Android OS update. The system provides high-performing and secure usage and comes with regular version updates with new features.īecause of this, many Android users want to know how to check their current Android version and update it to the latest one. Over the last few years, Android OS has come to dominate the mobile OS landscape with over 86% market share as of 2019.
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