A history of Android

The mobile operating system powering over 2.8 billion devices

Here's a timeline of how Android started and where it is now:

Android 1.0

• September 23, 2008: Android 1.0 releases - The first version of Android is available to the public and the only version to not have a known codename.
• February 9, 2009: Android 1.1 releases - Internally known as 'Petit Four', adding a slew of new features, although only initially available for the HTC Dream.
• April 27, 2009: Android 1.5 releases - Also known as 'Cupcake', this version introduced support for third-party keyboards, video recording using the camera app, copy and pasting and of course, started the trend of giving each new version a sweet nickname. Other new features included an auto-rotate option, the ability to favorite contacts, uploading to YouTube and Picasa and the biggest one of all: widgets.
• September 15, 2009: Android 1.6 releases -Nicknamed 'Donut', this version was visually similar to 1.5. Many improvements could be seen (and not seen), including app screenshots in the Android Market, voice to text support and support for higher quality WVGA screens.

Android 2.0

• October 27, 2009: Android 2.0 releases - Eclair marked the next major Android release at 2.0. It added support for synchronising contacts across devices, many new camera features, a dictionary for the virtual keyboard and support for pressure-sensitive screens, although no technology was capable of using this yet. The new camera features included flash support, digital zooming and the ability to change white balance, color effects and macro focus. Lastly, the big new standout feature for 2.0 was live wallpapers, backgrounds that unlike normal wallpapers, were animated and could respond to touches.
• December 3, 2009: Android 2.0.1 releases - Still using the name 'Eclair', 2.0.1 brought small improvements and bug fixes.
• January 11, 2010: Android 2.1 releases - The last version of 'Eclair' released, again only bringing small improvments and fixes.
• May 20, 2010: Android 2.2 releases - Froyo was released to the public, still looking somewhat similar to 2.0 - 2.1, hence the version still being a subversion of 2.0. Otherwise, many new features were implemented, including WiFi hotspot and USB tethering support, the ability to change the virtual keyboard language with a tap, an improved app launcher and support for 720p screens. Additionally, many new features and improvements could be seen in the browser, such as Javascript support, file upload field support and the introduction of Adobe Flash Player. The Android Market could also now automatically update installed apps.
• December 6, 2010: Android 2.3 releases - While looking vastly different to previous versions, Gingerbread continued the use of version 2.0. It brought support for reading and writing NFC tags, a download manager, support for much larger screens (such as tablets) and support for sensors such as the gyroscope and barometer if available. The camera app also saw support for multiple cameras, such as a rear and front camera. This was also the first version to include an easter egg hidden in the settings app, consisting of an image of a gingerbread man standing next to the Android droid.
• February 9, 2011: Android 2.3.3 releases - Gingerbread's second main release included voice and video calling support using Google Talk, as well as fixing many bugs, mainly found in the Nexus line.

Android 3.0

• February 22, 2011: Android 3.0 releases - Honeycomb was the first version only released for tablets, as it boasted better support for large screens and a new taskbar, similar to the one found on Windows PCs. The taskbar included navigation controls that would usually be found as physical buttons, such as Back, Home and Recents, as well as the time and WiFi and battery icons in the bottom right. Browser windows were replaced by tabs, bringing tablet feature parity closer to that of a PC. Additionally, this version allowed for the use of multi-core processors, hardware acceleration and other small tablet optimisations for apps.
• May 10, 2011: Android 3.1 releases - The second release of Honeycomb brought support for USB accessories, gamepads, external keyboards/mice, FLAC audio files and HTTP proxies for WiFi access points.
• July 15, 2011: Android 3.2 releases - The last tablet-only version of Android improved support for a wider range of tablets, as well as allowing developers more control over display appearance. Additionally, a compatibility mode for apps optimised for phone screens was introduced, along with many small bug fixes and support for 3G and 4G on tablets.

Android 4.0

• October 18, 2011: Android 4.0 releases - All the smaller improvements that didn't require a large screen were included in this version, since it was made available to phones again. Ice Cream Sandwich also saw a new interface based on the one used in 3.x, including the software navigation buttons, Roboto font family and the light blue shade of certain text elements. Other new features included pressing the power and volume down buttons to take a screenshot, facial recognition unlocking, the ability to view current data usage and force shut down apps in the Recents screen. Once again, the camera saw multiple improvements, including zero shutter lag, a time lapse option, 1080p video recording (also allowing for video zooming), a built-in photo editor and a new gallery layout. VPNs also saw official support, no longer needing a rooted device.
• December 16, 2011: Android 4.0.3 releases - A subversion of Ice Cream Sandwich that saw many performance improvments and bug fixes.
• July 9, 2012: Android 4.1 releases - A small refresh over Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean improved many parts of the Android interface, making it much more consistent and smoother to navigate. Smaller screened tablets were allowed to use an expanded phone-sized home screen in order to fit more widgets and app icons. The biggest features were audio related, as support for external DACs, multichannel audio and gapless playback was added.
• November 13, 2012: Android 4.2 releases - Jelly Bean saw another release under 4.2, bringing a handful of new features. These included: widget and camera support on the lockscreen, quick settings in the notification panel, multiple profiles on tablets, screensavers that appeared while the device was charging and support for action buttons on notifications. Several smaller subversions were later released, fixing another handful of Bluetooth and USB related bugs.
• July 14, 2013: Android 4.3 releases - The Nexus 7 tablet was the first device to ship with the last major version of Jelly Bean. It continued the Nexus line, with the number 7 referencing its screen size of 7 inches. The version itself brought BLE support, separated volume controls, a reworked camera UI, support for 4K resolutions and support for more languages, including languages that were read from right to left.
• October 31, 2013: Android 4.4 releases - Although still under 4.x, KitKat saw one of the biggest visual changes to the Android interface so far. Blue elements became white, the navigation bar saw support for a transparent bakground, a Dialer interface refresh and the ability to choose a default messaging and home application. Additionally, users could now print wirelessly, the OS ran a lot better on devices with less RAM and many backend browser related systems were updated.
• June 25, 2014: Android 4.4W releases - The 'W' in 4.4W stood for Wearable, as this version was exclusive to Android Wearables.It was the first release for Android Wear, a platform for Android smartwatches that was later moved to its own version of Android.

Android 5.0

• November 4, 2014: Android 5.0 releases - Lollipop saw another huge change to the main Android interface. Material Design was the biggest addition, as it was Google's attempt to make interfaces across Android more consistent. It laid out rules for how elements should look and feel, also being adopted across many third-party apps and websites, some of which were not available on Android. The notification panel now had a transparent background, emoji were updated to look more modern, buttons had a ripple effect and the lock screen looked much cleaner at the cost of widget support being removed. Many more improvements relating to performance and battery life could be found, as well as the 'Tap and Go' feature that allowed for quickly setting up a new device using NFC.
• March 2, 2015: Android 5.1 releases - A small update to Lollipop, 5.1 brought numerous improvements to notifications and calls. These included: support for WiFi calling, HD calls when calling with 4G, official support for multiple SIM cards and small changes to the notification priority system. The quick settings also became more useful, allowing users to join WiFi networks or connect to Bluetooth devices right from the notification panel. This was later removed in Android 10 but re-added in 13.

Android 6.0

• October 2, 2015: Android 6.0 releases - Marshmallow was another version that looked quite similar to its predecessor, although introduced a fair amount of new features. A native file manager could be found in storage settings, Doze mode put apps to sleep while the device was in standby and support for automatic full backups was added, allowing new devices to retain information from an old device by signing into a Google account. Various new hardware also saw support, including USB-C charging ports, external MIDI devices and fingerprint sensors. 6.0.1 would later also allow the user to choose how connected USB devices behaved, as well as how the device behaved when connected to a PC or other device.

Android 7.0

• August 22, 2016: Android 7.0 releases - Nougat continued the use of Material Design, although slightly updated to look cleaner while still looking similar to Lollipop and Marshmallow. New features included picture-in-picture support for Android TVs, more options in the quick settings, a slightly redesigned notification panel and lock screen and many other small fixes and improvments to storage handling and screen calibration. Additionally, 7.0 also saw the introduction of the Daydream VR platform, a headset you could place your phone inside for head-tracked virtual reality. This feature didn't do much yet, seeing a better release and announcement with 8.0 and the Pixel.
• October 4, 2016: Android 7.1 releases - Another welcome improvement to the already great Nougat, 7.1 (up to 7.1.2) focused more on making improvements behind the scenes while still giving users a couple new features. A 'Restart' option was added to the power menu, the fingerprint sensor could be used to toggle the notification panel with a swipe and apps could show a handful of shortcuts when held down.

Android 8.0

• August 21, 2017: Android 8.0 releases - Oreo was another attempt by Google to make Android look even cleaner and more consistent in design. Adaptive icons brought more customisability to the end user, allowing them to use different shapes for their app icons. Developers had to update their apps to support this feature, but app icons that supported it helped make home screens and app drawers look a lot more consistent. This version also asw support for many new HD audio Bluetooth codecs, such as LDAC and AptX, while printing was now built into Android and Google Play Protect was introduced, helping keep users safe by scanning apps for viruses. One of the biggest hidden additions was Project Treble. It wanted to streamline updates across Android devices by breaking up new updates into parts, allowing manufacturers to deliver updates quicker.
• December 5, 2017: Android 8.1 releases - Improving upon the original Oreo release, 8.1 introduced new APIs, the ability to see the battery level of certain Bluetooth devices, new light and dark themes and visual changes to the power menu. Android Go also saw its first release, an OS tailored for budget devices with less RAM, restricting which apps could be downloaded, while overall performing better on these lower-end devices.

Android 9.0

• August 6, 2018: Android 9.0 releases - Pie saw yet another refresh of the lock screen and notification panel. The clock in the status bar was moved to the left, quick settings were placed in their own circles, making it easier to view their status and 'Screenshot' and 'Lockdown' options were added to the power menu. Many UI elements now had rounded corners, the volume slider saw a welcome redesign, full conversations could now be seen within a notification and a new gesture-based navigation bar let users swipe to perform the traditional three navigation actions. Smaller additions included Shush to Sleep, muting the phone when placed face down and adaptive brightness that changed the screen brightness based on the environment and user habits. No new features were introduced until Android 10, the only updates up to this time being security updates.

Android 10

• September 3, 2019: Android 10 releases - Android 10 was the first version to ditch the sweet nicknaming of previous versions. Google stated this was because the nicknames did not always translate well to other languages, whereas a simple number was easier to understand. Otherwise, 10 saw support for foldable phones, such as the recently released Samsung Galaxy Fold and bubbles that allowed any messaging app to open Facebook Messenger-like chat heads, appearing above other apps. 10 also marked the introduction of an official system-wide togglable dark theme and Project Mainline, similar to Treble in that it wanted to deliver updates faster, although this time being done through Google Play. Again, this was a version with more updated behind the scenes, including support for more Bluetooth codecs, WiFi protocols, TLS 1.3 and better biometric authentication in apps. Similar to Pie, 10 didn't see any big feature updates until 11 came around the next year.

Android 11

• September 8, 2020: Android 11 releases - By this time, many messaging apps had added support for Android's new chat bubbles, just in time for the feature's main stable release. A screen recorder could now be found built in to the quick settings panel, notification history could be viewed with a button press and devices with 5GHz WiFi support could now connect to their Android Auto displays wirelessly. Project Mainline also saw the number of updatable core components increase from 12 to 21, plus users could now allow apps permissions one a one-time basis to improve privacy. Once again, not many new features were added on non-Pixel devices until Android 12 the following year.

Android 12

• October 4, 2021: Android 12 releases - Google gave the Android interface another visual overhaul, leaving behind the Material Design released with Lollipop 5.0 for Material You - called this because of the added ability to theme the device's interface based on colours found in the user's wallpaper. However, this update was largely controversial because while it boasted new customisation features, it also removed many, including the ability to change icon shapes, status bar icon styles, font families and lowered the number of accent colours from 12+ to 4 (8 if you include the basic colours). While this version annoyed many users, it also saw the release of many new features, including sharing WiFi passwords with a QR code, a microphone and camera usage indicator (and toggles for both) and other performance improvements.
• March 7, 2022: Android 12L releases - This version was the second to include a letter after its name, the first being 4.4W for wearables. The added 'L' referenced folding devices, since it included a large number of improvements for them as well as tablets, chromebooks and other large screen devices. Pixel phones were also able to install this release, seeing minimal changes to the previous version of 12.

Android 13

• August 16, 2022: Android 13 releases - Later in the year, Google released Android 13 that has probably been their smallest major update to date. It focused on privacy and security again, allowing the user to deny notifications being sent by newly installed apps upon opening them for the first time and a new area in the quick settings panel that showed all currently running apps, removing the need for consistent notifications. Additionally, support was added for the Bluetooth LE audio codec, although not many devices support this codec at this time, along with other performance improvements (although many people probably won't notice these). Lastly, the gesture navigation pill increased in size slightly and adaptive app icons could now follow Material You theming (once the developer added support).

Visit the Android Wikipedia entry to learn more.