16 Type of Android Versions You Need to Know

Google’s Android division certainly has named all of its version codenames after desserts (just as Intel names all of its CPUs after rivers). To celebrate a new version, a giant mock-up of the dessert that matches the codename is usually delivered to the Google Campus and put on display.

So what are the different versions of Android OS and the desserts associated with them? Let us go over a short history.

What is an Android?

Android is a Linux based operating system it is designed primarily for touch screens mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. The operating system has developed a lot in the last 15 years starting from black and white phones to recent smartphones or mini computers. One of the most widely used mobile OS   these days is android. The android is software that was founded in Palo Alto of California in 2003.

Android Architecture:

The android is an operating system and is a stack of software components which is divided into five sections and four main layers that is

• Linux kernel- The kernel is the heart of the operating system that manages input and output requests from the software. This provides basic system functionalities like process management, memory management, device management like camera, keypad, display etc the kernel handles all the things.
• Libraries-  A set of libraries including open-source web browser such as WebKit, library. These libraries are used to play and record audio and video.
• Android runtime- The android runtime provides a key component called Dalvik Virtual Machine which is a kind of java virtual machine. It is a software that runs apps on android devices.

Different Types of Andriod Version:

1. Android 1.0 and 1.1 (Android 1.0 and 1.1 was announced in 2008 and it is made by HTC.)

Features :

• The Android Market served up apps without the stringent entry rules of the Apple App Store, leading to a responsive selection of apps, ranging from the abstract to the incredible.
• The Android browser made sieving the Web on your phone ease rather than a pain, thanks to the ability to distribute pages rapidly and accurately.
• Google Maps used the phone’s GPS and Wi-Fi to analyze your location on an immeasurable map, so you need never vanish again.
• Identify with our contacts and email online initially made us suspicious of sharing all our data with Google, but our privacy concerns were soon overcome by the erect convenience of achieving everything, from anywhere.

2. Android 1.5 Cupcake (Android 1.5 Cupcake was announced in May 2009.)

Features  :

• Video recording was added to the camera, and the capability to upload videos successive to YouTube helped fulfil our dreams of immortality.
• Stereo Bluetooth facility provides you listen to music without using wires.
• The Web browser gets a speed improvement and copies and pastes function.

3. Android 1.6 Donut (Android 1.6 Donut was announced in October 2009.)

Features:

• Support for more screen immovability opened the door to Android phones of distinct sizes.
• Google Maps exploration added free turn-by-turn sat-nav.

4. Android 2.0 and 2.1 Éclair (Android 2.0 was entrenched in November 2009 and Android 2.1 Éclair was established in January 2010.)

Features:

• Support for multiple Google accounts lets you stock up on all your Gmail.
• Searching within text messages and MMS messages.
• Camera settings including a platform for a flash, digital zoom, white balance and colour effects.
• The Web browser gets a rejuvenate with a new address bar and thumbnails for a sneak peek at your bookmarks.

5. Android 2.2 Froyo (Froyo 2.2 was announced in May 2010.)

Features :

• The portable Wi-Fi hotspot lets you contribute your phone’s 3G Internet connection with your other gadgets, over Wi-Fi.
• If your phone has a flash, it can be used to lighten your videos, too.
• Your settings merged your contacts and email in backing up to Google’s servers.
• Better Bluetooth affinity with docks and in-car speakers, and the addition of voice dialling over Bluetooth.

6. Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Gingerbread 2.3 was announced on December 2010. Android 2.3.3 was coming on phones in April 2011. It added a new feature, the ability to run the app for the single-core phone is designed for dual-core processors.

Features : 

• You can keep your eye on everything that you downloaded by a download manager.
• Apps are shuffled more accurately in the background, and it saving our battery and processing power.
• Front-facing camera used to support video calling and for your emo.
• On-screen keyboard gains the number of shortcuts on the top and cursor help to select and copy text.

7. Android 3.0 and 3.1 Honeycomb

Honeycomb 3.1 was announced in May 2011. Without connecting to a computer, Android 3.1 adds base for plugging USB flash drives into your tablet to transfer files.

Features :

1. Home screens appear to rotate on a 3D roundabout as you swipe through them.
2. Widgets are bigger and bolder to suit the tablet-size screen.
3. A larger, multi-touch keyboard lets you hold down multiple keys to transiently switch between letters and numbers.

8. Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich

Android Ice cream Sandwich was well-established in May 2011. Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich was accomplished to merge Gingerbread together with Honeycomb.

Features of Android Ice cream sandwich :

1. More storage space for apps.
2. It improves the speed of the browser and smothers browser.
3. The menu button is replaced with a new action bar.
4. For unlocking your phone, face recognition method is used.
5. New video effects used for changing your look.

9. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Jelly Bean was announced in June 2012. In android version numbers, it may not be a big jump, but it adds some important Android updates.

Features :

• View photos you have taken rapidly by swiping from the camera to filmstrip view.
• Instead of simply showing a list of Google weblinks after searching, Google Search results can now display answers to questions.
• Notifications now include spare information, such as photos or subject lines in emails.
• Widgets and apps politely move out of the way when you add new ones.
• A new gestures mode to improve convenience for blind users. In combination with speech output, it navigates the UI using touch and swipes gestures.

10. Android 4.4 Kitkat

Android 4.4 Kitkat was announced on September 3, 2013.

Features :

• The new phone app now automatically compile the user’s contacts depend on the people they talk to the most.
• The lock-screen widgets for music and movies apps now also endeavour the option to explore and jump to a specific part.
• Android 4.4 offers native platform base for printing, and includes APIs for operating printing and adding new types of printer support, according to Google.
• Apps that offer video can access the user’s highlight settings and adjust the display of the captions as per the users alternative.

11. Android 5.1 Lollipop

Android 5.1 Lollipop was announced in November 2014.

Features :

• It syncs with other Android devices and systems.
• Android Smart Lock pairs your appliance with other trusted devices (such as a sanctioned smartwatch) as a means of authenticating your identity.
• Amplified audio support allows for connection to a new dimension of audio equipment, including USB microphones, speakers, mixers and more.
• Phone theft is still an excessive issue, so Android 5.1 has a few new device security features.

12. Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Latest version till March)

Android 6.0 Marshmallow was announced on May 2015, but it named as Marshmallow in August 2015. And Google finally unveiled Android 6.0 Marshmallow on September 29, 2015.

Features :

• Android Marshmallow will support fingerprint scanners on phones natively.
• App links, also acknowledged as Intents, is a feature where if you click on a link in your email or a text message, it asks you what app you would like to open it with.
• With Android 6.0, you can set up automatic backups, which will back up apps and app environment to your Google Drive storage.

13. Android 7: Nougat (2016)

Android 7 was officially christened Nougat on June 30, 2016, when the latest lawn status was revealed amidst fanfare.

Features :

• It is armed with a new Just-In-Time compiler based on the ART engine,
• Unicode 9.0 Emoji support, and
• the new Vulkan 3D rendering API.

14. Android 8: Oreo (2017)

Android 8, named Oreo after the famous cookie, was released in 2017.

Features:

• Its major change was “Project Treble”, where it made the OS more modular so OS upgrades can be released faster by the manufacturers.
• Emoji support was updated to Unicode 10, with improved notifications framework multiple display support, and other features.
• It was quickly followed by 8.1 in December 2017 with an “Oreo Go Edition” for low-end devices as well as improved API for several internal functions.

15. Android 9: Pie(2018)

Android 9, named a pie after the sweet baked dish in August 2018.

Features:

• Re-design of Android’s system navigation to help make it simpler to search and move between apps.
•  Long-press to select text or image in Overview mode and see actions based on what you’ve selected.
• More consistent user experience for Quick Settings with all toggles, plus an updated visual design and added informational subtext.

16. Android 10

Android Q’s official name is simply “Android 10.” Google is officially done with dessert names and is instead shifting to a simpler numerical naming scheme.

Features:

• There’s a system-wide dark mode coming to Android 10 and it’s called Dark Theme.
• Android 10 comes with a feature called “Live Caption.”
• Live Caption is able to provide real-time captions for just about anything on your phone. No internet connection of any kind is required.
• According to Google’s blog post, apps that ask for your location will now reveal a new pop-up asking you if you want to grant location access all the time, only when the app’s being used, or not at all.

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