Jump to content

Android version history

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by The Grid (talk | contribs) at 15:53, 22 March 2021 (→Android 11 (API 30): format). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The version history 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.

Overview

See also: Android software development

The development of Android started in 2003 by Android, Inc., which was purchased by Google in 2005.[1] There were at least two internal releases of the software inside Google and the OHA before the beta version was released.[2][3] The beta was released on November 5, 2007,[4][5] while the software development kit (SDK) was released on November 12, 2007.[6] Several public beta versions of the SDK were released.[7] These releases were done through software emulation as physical devices did not exist to test the operating system.

The first public release of Android 1.0 occurred with the release of the T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) in October 2008.[8] Android 1.0 and 1.1 were not released under specific code names. The code names "Astro Boy" and "Bender" were tagged internally on some of the early pre-1.0 milestone builds and were never used as the actual code names of the 1.0 and 1.1 releases of the OS.[9]

The project manager, Ryan Gibson, conceived using a confectionery-themed naming scheme for public releases, starting with Android 1.5 Cupcake. Google announced in August 2019 they were ending the confectionery theming scheme to use numerical ordering for future versions.[10] The first release under the numerical order format was Android 10, which was released September 2019.

In 2017, Google announced that Google Play would begin to require apps to target a recent Android version.[11] Initially the minimum requirement was Android 8, released in the second half of 2017, for which support would be required for new apps by August 2018, and for updates to existing apps by November 2018. This pattern has continued in subsequent years.[12][13]

Name Version number(s) Initial stable
release date 		Supported (security fixes) API level References
No official codename 1.0 September 23, 2008 No 1 [9][14]
1.1 February 9, 2009 No 2 [9][14][15]
Cupcake 1.5 April 27, 2009 No 3 [14][16]
Donut 1.6 September 15, 2009 No 4 [14][17]
Eclair 2.0 – 2.1 October 26, 2009 No 5 – 7 [14][18]
Froyo 2.2 – 2.2.3 May 20, 2010 No 8 [14][19]
Gingerbread 2.3 – 2.3.7 December 6, 2010 No 9 – 10 [14][20]
Honeycomb 3.0 – 3.2.6 February 22, 2011 No 11 – 13 [14][21]
Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 – 4.0.4 October 18, 2011 No 14 – 15 [14][22]
Jelly Bean 4.1 – 4.3.1 July 9, 2012 No 16 – 18 [14][23]
KitKat 4.4 – 4.4.4 October 31, 2013 No 19 – 20 [14][24]
Lollipop 5.0 – 5.1.1 November 12, 2014 No 21 – 22 [14][25]
Marshmallow 6.0 – 6.0.1 October 5, 2015 No 23 [14][26]
Nougat 7.0 – 7.1.2 August 22, 2016 No 24 – 25 [14][27][28][29][30]
Oreo 8.0 August 21, 2017 No 26 [14][31][32]
8.1 December 5, 2017 Yes 27 [14][33]
Pie 9 August 6, 2018 Yes 28 [14][34]
Android 10 10 September 3, 2019 Yes 29 [14][35][36]
Android 11 11 September 8, 2020 Yes 30 [14][37]
Android 12 12 TBA Presupported 31 [14][38]

Version history by API level

The following tables show the release dates and key features of all Android operating system updates to date, listed chronologically by their official application programming interface (API) levels.

Android 1.0 (API 1)

Template:Android version table

Android 1.1 (API 2)

Template:Android version table

Android 1.5 Cupcake (API 3)

Template:Android version table

Android 1.6 Donut (API 4)

Template:Android version table

Android 2.0 Eclair (API 5)

Template:Android version table

Android 2.0.1 Eclair (API 6)

Template:Android version table

Android 2.1 Eclair (API 7)

Template:Android version table

Android 2.2 Froyo (API 8)

Template:Android version table

Android 2.3 Gingerbread (API 9)

Template:Android version table


Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread (API 10)

Template:Android version table

Android 3.0 Honeycomb (API 11)

Template:Android version table

Android 3.1 Honeycomb (API 12)

Template:Android version table

Android 3.2 Honeycomb (API 13)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (API 14)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich (API 15)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (API 16)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (API 17)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (API 18)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.4 KitKat (API 19)

Template:Android version table

Android 4.4W KitKat, with wearable extensions (API 20)

Template:Android version table

Android 5.0 Lollipop (API 21)

Template:Android version table

Android 5.1 Lollipop (API 22)

Template:Android version table

Android 6.0 Marshmallow (API 23)

Template:Android version table

Android 7.0 Nougat (API 24)

Template:Android version table

Android 7.1 Nougat (API 25)

Template:Android version table

Android 8.0 Oreo (API 26)

Template:Android version table

Android 8.1.0 Oreo (API 27)

Template:Android version table

Android 9 Pie (API 28)

Template:Android version table

Android 10 (API 29)

Template:Android version table

Android 11 (API 30)

Template:Android version table

Android 12 (API 31)

Template:Android version table

Hardware requirements

See also: Android (operating system) § Hardware

The main hardware platform for Android is the ARM architecture (ARMv7 and ARMv8-A architectures; formerly also ARMv5), with x86[a] and MIPS[b] architectures also officially supported in later versions of Android, but MIPS support has since been deprecated and support was removed in NDK r17.[41]

Unofficial Android-x86 project used to provide support for the x86 and MIPS architectures ahead of the official support.[42][43] In 2012, Android devices with Intel processors began to appear, including phones[44] and tablets. While gaining support for 64-bit platforms, Android was first made to run on 64-bit x86 and then on ARM64.[45][46] Since Android 5.0 Lollipop, 64-bit variants of all platforms are supported in addition to the 32-bit variants.

Requirements for the minimum amount of RAM for devices running Android 7.1 depend on screen size and density and type of CPU, ranging from 816 MB–1.8 GB for 64-bit and 512 MB–1.3 GB for 32-bit meaning in practice 1 GB for the most common type of display (while minimum for Android watch is 416 MB).[47] The recommendation for Android 4.4 is to have at least 512 MB of RAM,[48] while for "low RAM" devices 340 MB is the required minimum amount that does not include memory dedicated to various hardware components such as the baseband processor.[49] Android 4.4 requires a 32-bit ARMv7, MIPS or x86 architecture processor (latter two through unofficial ports),[42][43] together with an OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible graphics processing unit (GPU).[50] Android supports OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.2 and since Android 7.0 Vulkan (and version 1.1 available for some devices[51]). Some applications may explicitly require a certain version of the OpenGL ES, and suitable GPU hardware is required to run such applications.[50] In 2021 Android was ported to RISC-V.[52] In 2021 Qualcomm said it will support more updates.[53]

Android used[when?] to require an autofocus camera, which was relaxed to a fixed-focus camera.[54]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Lowest supported x86 generation is the P6 microarchitecture, also called i686.[39]
  2. ^ Supported is revision 1 of MIPS32[40] and revision 6 for 64-bit MIPS64[39]

References

  1. ^ Elgin, Ben (August 17, 2005). "Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  2. ^ "Dianne Hackborn". Google+. September 1, 2012. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Dan Morrill". Google+. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "Google Launches Android, an Open Mobile Platform". Google Operating System. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
  5. ^ "Live Google's gPhone Open handset alliance conference call" (transcript). Gizmodo. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  6. ^ "Google releases Android SDK". Macworld. November 12, 2007. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "SDK Archives". Android Developers. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "The history of Android: Android 1.0—introducing Google Apps and actual hardware". Ars Technica. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "A History of Pre-Cupcake Android Codenames". Android Police. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ "A pop of color and more: updates to Android's brand". Google. August 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Cunningham, Edward (December 19, 2017). "Improving app security and performance on Google Play for years to come". Android Developers Blog. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Upload an app". Play Console Help. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Cunningham, Edward (February 21, 2019). "Expanding target API level requirements in 2019". Android Developers Blog. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Codenames, Tags, and Build Numbers". Android Open Source Project. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Android 1.1 Version Notes". Android Developers. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  16. ^ "What is Android". Android. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  19. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  20. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  21. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  22. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  23. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  24. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  25. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  26. ^ "Android - History". Android. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017.
  27. ^ "Android – Nougat". Android. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "What is API Level?". Android Developers. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  29. ^ "Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices - "marlin" for Pixel XL". Google Developers. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  30. ^ "Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices - "sailfish" for Pixel". Google Developers. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  31. ^ https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-02-01
  32. ^ "Android – 8.0 Oreo". Android. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  33. ^ "Welcoming Android 8.1 Oreo and Android Oreo (Go edition)". Android. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  34. ^ "Android 9 Pie". Android.
  35. ^ "Android 10". Android.
  36. ^ Su, Jeb. "Android 10 Is Now The Official Name Of Google's Next Mobile Operating System, Dropping Dessert Names". Forbes. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  37. ^ Cuthbertson, Stephanie (September 8, 2020). "Turning it up to 11: Android 11 for developers". Android Developers Blog. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  38. ^ "Android 11 Developers Preview". Android Developers. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  39. ^ a b "The syntax of the Android.mk build file". developer.android.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  40. ^ Shah, Agam (March 23, 2015). "Imagination floats sub-$100 MIPS tablet running Firefox OS". PC World. IDG. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  41. ^ "ABI Management". Android Developers. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  42. ^ a b Shah, Agam (December 1, 2011). "Google's Android 4.0 ported to x86 processors". Computerworld. International Data Group. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  43. ^ a b "Android on Intel Architecture". 01.org. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  44. ^ Warman, Matt (June 7, 2012). "Orange San Diego Intel Android mobile phone review". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  45. ^ "Android Lollipop". developer.android.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014. It's supported on ARM, x86, and MIPS architectures and is fully 64-bit compatible.
  46. ^ "How to check which of the Processor, ARM, ARM64 or x86, powers your smartphone". April 16, 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016.
  47. ^ "Android 7.1 Compatibility Definition" (PDF). Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  48. ^ "Android KitKat". Android Developers Portal. android.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  49. ^ "7.6.1". Android Compatibility Definition Document (PDF) (4.4 ed.). November 27, 2013. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  50. ^ a b "Android Developers: Graphics". android.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  51. ^ "Vulkan on Android". NVIDIA Developer. February 10, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018. Vulkan 1.1 is available as a Developer Preview OTA for the NVIDIA SHIELD TV.
  52. ^ "Android has been ported to a RISC-V board". xda-developers. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  53. ^ "Future Android phones may get 4 years of updates, thanks to Google and Qualcomm". Android Police. December 16, 2020.
  54. ^ "Android Developers: Android Compatibility". android.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Android_version_history&oldid=1013615806"