Android Versions

Introduction

The first Android versions was launched with the T-Mobile G1 aka HTC Dream which ran Android 1.0 out of the box and went against Apple’s iPhone OS 2. So everyone will get soon the Android 10 updates in Android mobile.

The versions of the Android mobile operating system began with the public release of the Android beta on November 5, 2007. The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released on September 23, 2008. Android is continually developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), and it has seen several updates to its base operating system since the initial release.

In the year 2005, Google bought Android, which was making OS for phones as well as digital cameras.

Keep in mind, Google names all the Android version in Alphabetical order which means that after Google 9.0 Pie and the next Android name with start from the alphabet Q. Furthermore, apart from Android 1.0 and 1.1 every other Android version has been named after either sweet treats or desserts.

In this article we will look at the all the Android versions.

Android versions 1.0 to 1.1: The begin

It is very old release and no special name also. Android was released on September 23, 2008. The software contained a suite of Google apps like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube, all of which were integrated into the operating system.

Android version 1.5: Cupcake

It is the third version of Android developed by Google, a major platform releases deployable to Android-powered handsets starting in April 2009, that is no longer supported.

The release included new features for users and developers, as well as changes in the Android framework API. For developers, the Android 1.5 platform was available as a downloadable component for the Android SDK.

Cupcake introduced numerous fine-tuned to the Android interface, including the first on-screen keyboard and it provided the platform’s first-ever option for video recording.

Some Key Points

• Auto-rotation option and New stock boot animation.
• Ability to upload videos to YouTube.
• Ability to upload photos to Picasa and ability to check the phone usage history.

Android version 1.6: Donut

It is the 4th version of the open source Android mobile OS developed by Google that is no longer supported. Among the more prominent features introduced with this update were added support for CDMA smartphones, additional screen sizes, a battery usage indicator, and a text-to-speech engine.

Some Key Points

• Ability for users to select multiple photos for deletion.
• Support for WCGA screen resolutions.
• Speed improvements in searching and camera applications.
• Expanded Gesture framework and a new Gesture Builder development tool.
• Ability for users to select multiple photos for deletion.

Android versions 2.0 to 2.1: Eclair

The fifth OS for Android, and for the no-longer supported versions 2.0 to 2.1. Released on October 26, 2009, Android 2.1 builds upon the significant changes made in Android 1.6 “Donut”.

Android Eclair inherits platform additions from the Donus release, including the ability to search all saved SMS and MMS messages, improved Google Maps 3.1.2, and Exchange support for the Email app.

Some Key Points

• Numerous new camera features, including flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect and macro focus.
• Addition of live wallpapers, allowing the animation of home-screen background images to show movement.
• Support for more screen sizes and resolutions, with better contrast ratio.
• Bluetooth 2.1 support.

Android version 2.2: Froyo

It is the sixth version of Android and is a code name of the Android moble OS developed by Google, spanning versions between 2.2 and 2.2.3. Those versions are no longer supported. It was Released on May 20, 2010, during the Google conference.

One of the most important feature in the Froyo released was USB tethering and Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality. Other changes include support for the Android Cloud to Dvice Messaging (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications, additional application speed improvements, implemented through JIT compilation and displayed within applications as top-of-the-screen banners. Here is how you can recover deleted message from your Android mobile..

Some Key Points

• Speed, memory, and performance optimizations.
• Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications.
• Support for file upload fields in the Browser application and Support for installing applications to expandable memory.
• Adobe Flash support and Support for high-PPI displays (up to 320 PPI), such as four-inch 720p screens

Android version 2.3: Gingerbread

It is the seventh version of Android, a code name of the Android mobile OS developed by Google and released in December 2010, for versions that are no longer supported.

Gingerbread introduced two important support,

1. Near Field Communication(NFC)—used in mobile payment solutions
2. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)—used in VoIP internet telephones

Gingerbread’s user interface was refined in many ways, making it easier to master, faster to use, and more power-efficient. A simplified color scheme with a black background gave vividness and contrast to the notification bar, menus, and other user interface components.

Some Key Points

• Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed.
• Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)
• New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost.
• Support for multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available.
• Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers.

Android 3.0: Honeycomb

It is the code name for the 8th version of Android, designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets.

Honeycomb debuted with the Motorola Xoom in February 2011. Besides the addition of new features, Honeycomb introduced a new so-called “holographic” user interface theme and an interaction model that built on the main features of Android, such as multitasking, notifications and widgets.

Some Key Points

• The Email and Contacts apps use a two-pane UI.
• The Gallery app now lets users view albums and other collections in full-screen mode, with access to thumbnails for other photos in a collection.
• A redesigned keyboard to make entering text easier on large-screen devices such as tablets.
• A Recent Apps view for multitasking and Customizable home screens (up to five).

Android 3.1: Honeycomb

• UI refinements.
• Connectivity for USB accessories (USB On-The-Go)).
• Resizable Home screen widgets.
• Support for external keyboards and pointing devices.
• Support for joysticks and game pads.

Android 3.2: Honeycomb

• Improved hardware support, including optimizations for a wider range of tablets.
• Increased ability of applications to access files on the SD Card, e.g. for Synchronization.
• Compatibility display mode for applications that have not been optimized for tablet screen resolutions.
• New display support functions, giving developers more control over display appearance on different Android devices

Android version 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich

It is the fourth major version of the Android mobile OS developed by Google. Unveiled on October 19, 2011, Android 4.0 builds upon the significant changes made by the tablet-only release. Android Honeycomb, in an effort to create a unified platform for both smartphones and tablets.

Android 4.0 was focused on simplifying and modernizing the overall Android experience around a new set of human interface guidelines. As part of these efforts, it introduced a new visual appearance code named “Holo”, which is built around a cleaner, minimalist design, and a new default typeface named Roboto.

Some Key Points

• Soft buttons from Android 3.x are now available for use on phones.
• Separation of widgets in a new tab, listed in a similar manner to applications.
• Improved visual voicemail with the ability to speed up or slow down voicemail messages.
• Face Unlock, a feature that allows users to unlock handsets using facial recognition software.
• New gallery layout, organized by location and person.
• Support for the WebP image format and Hardware acceleration of the UI.

Android version 4.0.3: Ice Cream Sandwich

• Numerous bug fixes and optimizations.
• Improvements to graphics, databases, spell-checking and Bluetooth functionality.
• New APIs for developers, including a social stream API in the Contacts provider.
• Calendar provider enhancements.
• New camera applications enhancing video stabilization and QVGA resolution.
• Accessibility refinements is improved content access for screen readers
• Better camera performance
• Smoother screen rotation.

Android versions 4.1 to 4.3: Jelly Bean

It is the code name given to the tenth version of the Android mobile OS developed by Google, spanning three major point releases (versions 4.1 through 4.3.1). Among the devices that run Android 4.3 are the Asus Nexus 7(2013).

The first of these three releases, 4.1, was unveiled at Google’s I/O developer conference in June 2012. It focused on performance improvements designed to give the operating system a smoother and more responsive feel, improvements to the notification system allowing for “expandable” notifications with action buttons, and other internal changes.

Two more releases were made under the Jelly Bean name in October 2012 and July 2013 respectively, including 4.2—which included further optimizations,

Like as multi-user support for tablets, lock screen widgets, quick settings, screen savers.

In Version 4.3—which contained further improvements and updates to the underlying Android platform.

Some Key Points of 4.1: Jelly Bean

• Enhanced accessibility and Bi-directional text and other language support.
• User-installable keyboard maps.
• Expandable notifications and Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam.
• Tablets with smaller screens now use an expanded version of the interface layout and home screen used by phones and Improved camera application.
• Multichannel audio and Ability for other launchers to add widgets from the application drawer without requiring root access.

Some Key Points of 4.2: Jelly Bean

• Lock screen improvements, including widget support (removed again in 2014) and the ability to swipe directly to the camera.
• Notification power controls (“Quick Settings”) and Multiple user accounts (tablets only).
• New clock application with a built-in world clock, stop watch and timer.
• SELinux support and Premium SMS confirmation.
• Group Messaging support.

Some Key Points of 4.3: Jelly Bean

• Bluetooth low energy support.
• Restricted access mode for new user profiles
• Filesystem performance improvement by running the fs trim command while a device is idle
• 4K resolution support and Background Wi-Fi location still runs even when Wi-Fi is turned off.
• Developer logging and analyzing enhancements.
• Added support for five more languages and Native emoji support

Android version 4.4: KitKat

It is the code name for the eleventh version of the Android mobile OS, representing release version 4.4. Unveiled on September 3, 2013, KitKat focused primarily on optimizing the operating system for improved performance on entry-level devices with limited resources.

Some Key Points

• Refreshed interface with white elements instead of blue.
• Ability for applications to trigger translucency in the navigation and status bars.
• Restriction for applications when accessing external storage, except for their own directories.
• Wireless printing capability. Relevant, details about how wireless charging.
• Expanded functionality for notification listener services.
• New framework for UI transitions.
• Sensor batching, step detector and counter APIs
• Audio tunneling, audio monitoring and loudness enhancer
• Disabled access to battery statistics by third-party applications.
• Settings application no longer uses a multi-pane layout on devices with larger screens.
• Wi-Fi and mobile data activity (TX/RX) indicators are moved to quick settings.

Android versions 5.0 and 5.1: Lollipop

It is the fifth major version of the Android mobile OS developed by Google and the 12th version of Android, spanning versions between 5.0 and 5.1.1.  

Unveiled on June 25, 2014 at the Google conference, it became available through official over-the-air (OTA) updates on November 12, 2014, for select devices that run distributions of Android serviced by Google (such as Nexus and Google Play Edition devices).

One of the most prominent changes in the Lollipop release is a redesigned user interface built around a   design language known as Material Design, which was made to retain a paper-like feel to the interface.

Other changes include improvements to the notifications, which can be accessed from the lock screen and displayed within applications as top-of-the-screen banners.

Android Lollipop was succeeded by Android Marshmallow, which was released in October 2015.

Some Key Points of 5.0: Lollipop

• Open GL ES 3.1 and Android Extension Pack (AEP) on supported GPU configurations.
• Recent activities screen with tasks instead of applications, up to a configured maximum of tasks per application.
• Refreshed lock screen, no longer supporting widgets and notification tray & quick settings pull-down.
• Audio input and output through USB devices and Updated emoji.
• Pinning of an application’s screen for restricted user activity.
• Recently used applications are remembered even after restarting the device
• A flashlight-style application is included, working on supported devices with a camera flash

Some Key Points of 5.1: Lollipop

• Device protection: if a device is lost or stolen it will remain locked until the owner signs into their Google account, even if the device is reset to factory settings.
• Improvements and bug fixes to the Overview screen.
• Ability to join Wi-Fi networks and control paired Bluetooth devices from quick settings.
• Official support for multiple SIM cards.
• High-definition voice calls, available between compatible 4G LTE devices running Android 5.1
• Improvements to the notification priority system, to more closely replicate the silent mode that was removed from Android 5.0.

Android version 6.0: Marshmallow

It is the sixth major version of the Android OS and the 13th version of Android. Marshmallow was officially released on October 5, 2015, with the Nexus devices being the first to receive the update.

Marshmallow primarily focuses on improving the overall user experience of its predecessor, Lollipop.

It introduced a new permissions architecture, new APIs for contextual assistants (first used by a new feature “Now on Tap” to provide context-sensitive search results).

A new power management system that reduces background activity when a device is not being physically handled, native support for fingerprint recognition and USB-C connectors, the ability to migrate data and applications to a microSD card, and other internal changes.

Some Key Points

• Application search bar and favorites.
• Direct Share feature for target-specific sharing between apps
• Larger Application folders with multiple pages.
• Automatic full data backup and restore for apps
• App permissions now granted individually at run-time, not all-or-nothing at install time
• No screen rotation during touch.

Android versions 7.0 and 7.1: Nougat

It is the seventh major version and 14th original version of the Android OS. Nougat introduces notable changes to the operating system and its development platform, including the ability to display multiple apps on-screen at once in a split-screen view, support for inline replies to notifications.

An expanded “Doze” power-saving mode that restricts device functionality once the screen has been off for a period of time.

Additionally, the platform switched to an OpenIDK-based Java environment and received support for the Vulkan graphics rendering API, and “seamless” system updates on supported devices.

Some Key Points of 7.0: Nougat

• Support for file-based encryption and Ability to switch to the last opened app by double-tapping the overview button.
• Added the “Clear All” button to the Overview screen.
• Multi-window support, which supports floating apps on a desktop layout.
• Redesigned Overview screen and Redesigned notification shade, featuring instant access to certain settings.
• Replaced notification cards with notification sheets.
• Settings app navigation drawer
• Redesigned notification shade, featuring instant access to certain settings.

Some Key Points of 7.1: Nougat

• Rearranged notification shade.
• Touch/display performance improvements.
• Moves (Fingerprint swipe down gesture – opt-in

Developer Features of 7.1: Nougat

• Shortcut manager APIs.
• Circular app icons support.
• Keyboard image insertion.
• Fingerprint sensor gesture to open/close notification shade.
• Manual storage manager Intent for apps.
• Improved VR thread scheduling.
• Enhanced wallpaper metadata.
• Multi-endpoint call support.

Support for Various MNO requirements in 7.1: Nougat

• PCDMA voice privacy property.
• Source type support for Visual Voicemail.
• Carrier config options for managing telephone videos.

Android version 8.0 and 8.1: Oreo

It is the eighth major release and the 15th version of the Android mobile OS.

Oreo contains a number of major features, including notification grouping, picture-in-picture support for video, performance improvements and battery usage optimization, and support for auto filters, Bluetooth 5, system-level integration with VoIP apps, wide color gamuts, and Wi-Fi Aware.

It is also introducing two major platform features: Android Go– a software distribution of the operating system for low-end devices – and support for implementing a hardware abstraction layer.

Some Key Points of 8.0: Oreo

• Restructured Settings by regrouping sections into similar entries.
• System-wide Auto fill framework and App-specific unknown sources.
• 2 times faster boot time compared to Nougat according to Google, testing on their Pixel devices and Google Play Protect.

Some Key Points of 8.1: Oreo

• Neural networks API.
• Shared memory API.
• Wallpaper Colors API.
• Bluetooth battery level for connected devices, accessible in Quick Settings.
• Visual changes to ‘Power Off’ and ‘Restart’, including a new screen and floating toolbar.
• Automatic light and dark themes.
• New Easter egg in the form of an official Oreo Cookie picture.

Android version 9: Pie

It is the 9^th major release and the 16th version of the Android mobile OS.

Android Pie utilizes a refresh of Google’s “material design” language, unofficially referred to as “Material Design 2.0”. The revamp provides more variance in aesthetics, encouraging the creation of custom “themes” for the base guidelines and components rather than a standardized appearance.

The most significant user interface change on Pie is a redesigned on-screen navigation bar. Unlike previous versions of Android, it only consists of a slim home button, and a back button rendered only when available. The bar utilizes gesture navigation: swiping up opens the “Overview” screen, a redesign of the existing recent apps menu.

The notification area was redesigned, with the clock moved to the left, and the number of icons that may be displayed at once limited to four, in order to accommodate displays that may have “notch” cutouts in the center.

Some Key Points

• New transitions for switching between apps, or activities within apps.
• A new “Lock down” mode which disables bio metric authentication once activated.
• Lock screen security changes include the possible return of an improved NFC Unlock
• Battery percentage now shown in Always-On Display.
• “Adaptive Battery” prediction, which makes use of Doze to hibernate user apps the OS determines the user will not use.
• Auto-Brightness feature modifies screen brightness based on user habits.

Android version 10

It is the 10^th release and the 17th version of the Android mobile OS. It was released on September 3, 2019.

Android 10 introduces a revamped full-screen gesture system, with gestures such as swiping from either side edge of the display to go back, swiping up to go to the home screen, swiping up and holding to access Overview, swiping diagonally from a bottom corner of the screen to activate the Google Assistant, and swiping along the gesture bar at the bottom of the screen to switch apps.

The traditional three-key navigation system used since Android “Honeycomb” remains supported as an option, along with the two-button “pill” style navigation introduced in Android 9.0 Pie.

Per Google certification requirements, OEMs are required to support Android 10’s default gestures and three-key navigation. OEMs are free to add their own gestures alongside them.

Some Key Points

• New permissions to access location in background and to access photo, video and audio files
• Limited access to non-resettable device identifiers
• Sharing shortcuts, which allow sharing content with a contact directly
• Better support for bio metric authentication in apps

Final Words

In above article is telling you for numerous Android Versions and features. Android is the most wanted technology in current world and the Android 11 is the eleventh major version of the Android operating system. It was first announced by Google on February 19, 2020 so will discuss on later for this version. If you felt good, please let us know the comments.