Android versions: from the first to the latest version of Android
From Android 0.5 to Android 12: this is how Google's operating system has changed since it began as a small project about 18 years ago.
How to update Android to the latest version without having an official update
How to update Android
It all started back in 2003 , when young Andy Rubin, Chris White, Rich Miner and Nick Sears embarked on the Android project, starting with the founding of the Android Inc company . His goal in those early days was to dedicate his efforts to creating an operating system aimed at improving the experience of users of digital cameras - devices in full swing at that time. Later, in 2005, Google crossed the path of these three entrepreneurs, acquiring the company founded only a few years ago. From there, we all know how the project has evolved throughout the eight major versions of Android , a platform that today maintains the crown of the most used mobile operating system in the world , with more than 3,000 million devices assets .
There is infinite information on the net about the most recent versions of Android . However, due to the lack of popularity of the operating system in its preliminary editions - logical, on the other hand -, for many, the beginnings of Android continue to be a mystery. Therefore, our objective with this article is to review, one by one, all the versions of Android in history , from the first to the last, and their most important functions and novelties, which made Android the platform it is today, implemented in more than 2 billion devices on the planet.
Android versions: from the first to the latest version of Android
From Android 0.5 to Android 12: this is how Google's operating system has changed since it began as a small project about 18 years ago.
How to update Android to the latest version without having an official update
How to update Android
It all started back in 2003 , when young Andy Rubin, Chris White, Rich Miner and Nick Sears embarked on the Android project, starting with the founding of the Android Inc company . His goal in those early days was to dedicate his efforts to creating an operating system aimed at improving the experience of users of digital cameras - devices in full swing at that time. Later, in 2005, Google crossed the path of these three entrepreneurs, acquiring the company founded only a few years ago. From there, we all know how the project has evolved throughout the eight major versions of Android , a platform that today maintains the crown of the most used mobile operating system in the world , with more than 3,000 million devices assets .
There is infinite information on the net about the most recent versions of Android . However, due to the lack of popularity of the operating system in its preliminary editions - logical, on the other hand -, for many, the beginnings of Android continue to be a mystery. Therefore, our objective with this article is to review, one by one, all the versions of Android in history , from the first to the last, and their most important functions and novelties, which made Android the platform it is today, implemented in more than 2 billion devices on the planet.
All versions of Android and their evolution
We are going to review, one by one , all the versions of Android that have existed over the years, detailing the functions, news and curiosities of each of them. If you want to go to a specific version, we recommend using the index on these lines to jump directly to the desired version.
Android 0.5 - The beginning of everything
In its first edition, Android was very, very different from what we know today . Probably due to the fact that, until the arrival of Apple's iPhone, the operating system was intended for smartphones with a physical QWERTY keyboard. The phone in the picture, "Sooner", is the true first smartphone in history to run Android, although it was never officially released.
The first true phone with Android inside, Sooner , was more like a BlackBerry than the conventional smartphone that we all have in mind today.
This first version came under the name of Android 0.5 Milestone 3, the interface was adapted to "small" screen terminals, and only applications such as Google Maps, a browser, and other essential tools of a phone were incorporated. However, it would not be until Android 0.5 Milestone 5 , when the foundations of what Android is today began to be laid.
Along with Milestone 5 came one of the most important changes in the history of Android, just three months after the arrival of Milestone 3. It was released in February 2008, and said goodbye to the interface oriented to phones controlled through a keyboard full BlackBerry style, to make way for smartphones with a large diagonal touch screen.
The interface, which was now intended to be more user-friendly, introduced for the first time one of the essential components of the operating system: the notification panel . On the other hand, the home screen has little to do with what we see today in Android 8.0, since it was not modifiable, there was a single page with a sidebar made up of different shortcuts to applications, and a static wallpaper.
Since this edition was intended for use in emulators, and it was not intended to work on physical devices, many of the system's functionalities were not yet available . As a curiosity, it should be noted that, due to Apple and one of its patents, Android could not include the gesture pinch to zoom to enlarge images or web pages , and it would not be until Android 0.9 Beta when many of the functions that today know, began to appear.
Android 0.9 Beta - The first brushstrokes of a new look
This is starting to feel familiar. Android 0.9 Beta was the last test version before the operating system was publicly released , and it was the version that introduced some of the characteristic additions of what, only 10 years later, would be the most used mobile platform on the planet. .
The entire interface had been completely redesigned with respect to what we saw in Milestone 5, giving way to a more colorful appearance, with a paginated home screen that allowed adding native widgets , a greater number of applications, and finally, a drawer. application slidable from the bottom.
The notification panel also underwent changes , thus preparing for its debut in the final version. For the first time, the option to remove all notices was introduced, and the icons in the status bar were modified for clearer reading.
Practically all the applications of the system were redesigned, including the dialer, the contacts app, the alarm or the browser. In addition, Android 0.9 Beta was the first version of the system in which Google Maps began to work, thus preparing to make the leap, for the first time, to real hardware .
Android 1.0 Apple Pie - The arrival of the first device
October 2008 arrives, and the day arrives when Android finally reaches the point of maturity that allows it to make the leap to hardware real , oriented to the common public, thanks to the first phone to hit the market with Android inside: the HTC Dream or Google G1.
Android 1.0 was the first version of the system to use the candy names alphabetically arranged that have been with us for the last ten years. Google decided to baptize this first edition as Apple Pie, Apple Pie, and the reasons why those from Mountain View chose to use these titles still remain a mystery.
Android 1.0 was the first version with an app store as such, but only free apps and games could be published.
In Apple Pie, , was first introduced Google's suite of applications, commonly known as GApps . Among them, in addition, there was a tool that would become the key piece in the development of Android, and its consolidation as an operating system: Android Market , a store that, although at first began as exclusive of applications and games - and where developers couldn't even charge for their creations - Google's plan was to make it a platform packed with content beyond apps.
Along with the store app, we found other typical ones such as Calendar, Gmail, Settings, and a very early version of YouTube. In addition, for the first time, security options were included for the home screen, including the unlocking pattern so characteristic of Google's mobile platform, and small details appeared at the interface level such as the low battery warning from 15%
Android 1.1 Banana Bread - A Major Advancement for App Developers
Android 1.1 is considered the first incremental update of the operating system, since it came to solve most of the errors discovered in Android 1. Even so, Google baptized it with a new name, and among its novelties, the addition of voice search stands out thanks to Google Voice Search , whose operation consisted of voice commands that would later be translated into searches in the search engine.
On the other hand, Google first introduced support for paid applications and games in the app store, thus turning the Market into a way of obtaining income for developers. In addition, a service appeared under the name Google Latitude , which allowed users to share their location with the rest of the world. Sooner rather than later, this platform disappeared to be integrated, later, in the social network Google+.
Android 1.5 Cupcake - The appearance of the virtual keyboard
We landed squarely in the middle of 2009, and Cupcake was there to welcome us. Android 1.5 , despite not being the first version baptized with a candy name, it was the first with a commercial name advertised by Google itself.
The most important addition to this version was a system component that we probably couldn't live without today: the virtual keyboard. Thanks to this tool, manufacturers that had among their plans the creation of smartphones with Android, would not necessarily have to follow the trend of creating devices with dozens of physical buttons and a full QWERTY keyboard.
The notification panel was also redesigned –as in practically all versions of Android–, receiving a background that showed a new texture, and notification cards showing a cleaner and smoother appearance.
On the other hand, third-party developers were given the ability to create their own home screen widgets and offer their download through the Android Market. As a curiosity, it is also worth mentioning that, in Android 1.5, a functionality was introduced that later disappeared, called Live Folders , which consisted of icons on the home screen, in which, when clicking on them, they would show information in real time on the application in question, such as warnings or notifications, and without having to open the app itself. Does it sound like something to you?
Another of the additions that demonstrated the lack of maturity of the system in 2009, was the ability to record video with the mobile camera . Before Android 1.5, the operating system did not offer the ability to record video from the native application. Application that, on the other hand, only had the options to take photos and record video, nothing more.
Among other novelties in this version, we also found a new bar to zoom in on web pages, images and maps , the possibility of copying or pasting text in the native browser. Some apps also received new functions, such as YouTube, which from now on would allow you to upload videos from your mobile. All these improvements made possible the existence of the second Android smartphone in history, the HTC Magic , which in turn would be one of the first to receive the next update.
Android 1.6 Donut - Support for new screen sizes arrives
The months continue to advance, and Google continues to release new versions of the system at a good rate. We come to September 2009, and it's time to make the leap to Android 1.6, and with it, the letter D, for Donut .
Android Donut was the first version of the operating system to include support for different screen sizes , thus laying the foundation for what would later become the slogan Android : Be together, not the same . And in this way, manufacturers saw a ban on the creation of phones of different types was opened.
On the other hand, many of the improvements that Android 1.6 brought were focused on system applications, since Android was not as modular a system as it is now, and Google could not update applications like YouTube or the Android Market itself otherwise than it wasn't through a full system upgrade.
But those were not the only news. For the first time in the system, was introduced support for CDMA networks , and the Android Market underwent a complete redesign, adopting a clearer and more colorful style, and incorporating screenshots of applications for the first time.
Donut was also the first version to support text-to-speech systems , thus allowing applications to reproduce sound based on written text. It was also the first time that Android would allow users to look at a battery status report and see which applications and system components were using the most power.
Android 2.0 and 2.1 Flash - The first major redesign in history
With Android's first big numbering jump, a major redesign also came. Éclair was the name chosen by Google to name Android 2.0 , and one of the first phones to integrate the new edition of the operating system was the Motorola Droid, a classic in the history of Google's mobile platform.
Among other things, Android 2.0 introduced a revamped lock screen , with a rotating panel that emulated the dial of old analog phones. To unlock the terminal, you would have to slide down from the center of the panel, while sliding to the left or right would silence the terminal or open the phone app. It should be noted that Google was practically forced to engineer this system, since Apple had patented the famous Slide to Unlock . However, with Android 2.1 this aspect of the interface would be modified again, adopting a somewhat less confusing format for the user.
Due to the great resolution jump that the Motorola Droid represented –854 × 480 pixels instead of the 320x480 of the Google G1–, Google was forced to redraw almost all the elements of the interface, thus taking the opportunity to change the format of main screen of the launcher, eliminating the analog clock, and introducing a Google search bar at the top , which has since remained intact on the Android home screen.
But perhaps the key addition to Android 2.0 was GPS navigation on Google Maps . At last, users could depend on their smartphones when taking trips, receiving directions to places, and all completely free of charge. To put into perspective the impact that this addition had on the industry, it is enough to comment on the fact that TomTom , one of the largest companies specializing in the creation of GPS devices, fell by as much as 40% in the stock market during the week of the launch. of Android 2.0.
But there is still more, much more. Android Éclair is considered one of the biggest updates in history, and it is no wonder. In this edition, features such as debuted automatic brightness, different scenes in the native camera app or a pre-installed Facebook application, - which thank God Google decided to eliminate later, . However, Google had saved a surprise for later.
In January 2010 the day came to start the Nexus family of devices , with a phone under the name Nexus One , made again by HTC. The main objective of this saga was to offer a pure experience with the operating system and Google services, without all the additions that operators used to include at that time.
Along with the Nexus One, Android 2.1 was introduced, a revision of Éclair that incorporated new features that would soon become essential, such as animated wallpapers, a totally unique feature that even the iPhone did not include, or a new app drawer that now it occupied the entire screen when it was displayed, and whose background became completely black.
Google also took a liking to redesigning applications and adding animations throughout the interface . In Android 2.1, the gallery, news and weather applications, and even the pre-installed widgets, had a much more modern new look.
And yes, there was still added more than Google is reserved for updating referred to as Android 2.1 Update 1. It was about the system pinch-to-zoom , allowing enlarge or reduce the size of images, maps or web nipping on the screen with two fingers . As expected, this ended up starting the war between Google and Apple, being those of Cupertino who began to sue right and left to any manufacturer who used Android on their phones. But they still had no idea what was coming in the next few years.
Android 2.2 Froyo - Performance levels up thanks to Dalvin JIT
In May 2010 there were more and more Android smartphones, and Froyo was the version in charge of ushering in a new era for the operating system , notably improving performance thanks to the addition of the Dalvin JIT compiler, which converted into byte code of java in native language in real time.
Although that was the most important novelty of Android 2.2, new features also appeared such as a dock application on the home screen, with two side icons to run the browser and the phone app - which were not customizable - and a central one designed to open the app drawer.
Other minor improvements were the ability to control downloads in Android Market, thanks to a button to update all apps or enable automatic updates , as well as the arrival of Adobe Flash Player to Android, thus offering a much more complete multimedia experience to the time to sail. Finally, was introduced support for moving apps to microSD cards , something more than necessary in an age when 1GB of internal storage seemed like too much.
But above all the above, there was voice control. It came to Android in August, and would allow the system to be controlled through user voice commands , which Google servers interpreted in just a few seconds and sent them back to the phone to perform the corresponding action. Despite being an embryonic project, the technology was perfected over the months, becoming one of the most advanced voice recognition systems of the time.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread - Colors flood the interface
But the biggest Android redesign to date was made to wait until December 2010, when Google released version 2.3 of Android dubbed Gingerbread . The gray and white colors disappeared to make room for darker tones , and the deep green as an accent color that flooded the entire system interface. In short, it was a much more modern design, which could finally compete aesthetically with iOS .
It was then, taking advantage of the arrival of Gingerbread, when Google decided to renew its family of Nexus smartphones, and thanks to a collaboration with Samsung, the Nexus S was born , the second edition of the Google device saga, which in addition to making an important leap to level of size, specifications and multimedia section, it was the first Nexus to have NFC connectivity.
In this edition, one of the interface components that changed the most was the notification panel, having a dark background to give more importance to notices in the form of cards. The color green also flooded the icons in the status bar, and for the first time the effect was introduced to over scroll when reaching the end of a list or slide-out menu.
On the other hand, Gingerbread was a gigantic step forward in the field of mobile games , because thanks to the new APIs, developers could access the audio, controls, graphics and storage of the system.
Finally, it should be noted that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is one of the oldest versions that until recently still appeared in the system's distribution data , with a 0.3% share worldwide in April 2018.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb - The first version exclusively for tablets
Android version 3.0 was the first - and the only one - to be exclusive to tablets . Honeycomb was released in February 2011, and it was the first edition of Android created with Matias Duarte as design and user experience leader in the Android team. And the truth is that it showed, and a lot.
Android took a gigantic leap in terms of design, adopting the lines that became known as Hollo , and that would give life to the Android interface for years to come. Since it was an edition designed specifically for tablets, no smartphone ever received the update to Android 3.0, which allowed Google to focus on improving the experience on large devices.
The entire interface abandoned the accent green color, to give way to different shades of bright blue, which contrasted with the black of the system menus and the background of the applications . Even the widgets turned blue, and the lock screen changed again , obtaining a more minimalist format. It was then, when Google and Motorola were ready to launch the first tablet with Honeycomb inside .
Under the name of Motorola Xoom, came a 10-inch tablet with a 16: 9 screen , whose specifications were at the highest of the time with 1 GB of RAM, Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and, surprisingly, no type of button on its front part.
It was the lack of buttons that led Google to incorporate a virtual navigation bar on the screen, which would allow manufacturers to create devices with new formats, delegating the controls to a virtual keypad that would incorporate the menu, home and back buttons.
Thanks to the format of tablets, with more available screen space, Google wanted to enhance multitasking based on a new menu of recent applications, which showed a thumbnail of each application and its content , instead of showing only the icon as in the Android version for mobile. However, it was such a premature system that the user could only see the last seven open apps, without the possibility of scrolling to see the previous ones.
This was also the first time that a quick settings panel was introduced , accessible from the system bar.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - Holo Design Comes to Mobile
In October 2011, the Holo design that we previously saw in Honeycomb finally lands on a version of Android compatible with both smartphones and tablets. Other Honeycomb features were also adopted, such as the lock screen, the quick settings panel available in the notification bar, and the virtual navigation bar.
The first phone to incorporate this version was, in turn, the third smartphone in Google's Nexus family . It was again manufactured by Samsung, and this time the influence of the South Korean company was more evident: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was born.
The terminal shared several details with the Samsung Galaxy S2, such as its plastic body with a textured back. In addition, it had a technical section superior to that of most smartphones on the market, because Android 4.0 required more power than previous versions. On the other hand, the device, although it was well received by critics, initially was criticized for its huge 4.65-inch screen , for some it was too large. Thanks to the existence of virtual buttons on Android, this would be the first smartphone to dispense with the physical keypad.
Many of the system applications, such as the Android Market, YouTube, Messages and even the launcher, were redesigned with a more futuristic aesthetic, following the lines Holo , and so were its icons. In addition, the application drawer was now divided into two tabs, apps and widgets, and the notification panel had a transparent background.
The recent applications menu that we had seen in Android 3.0 also appeared, and the launcher now allowed adding application folders, or resizing the widgets to save space or occupy more.
Finally, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was the first version with support for Android Beam , a system that allowed content to be shared between two Android devices by joining their backs , thanks to the NFC connection.
But before the arrival of a new version, Google decided, on March 6, 2012, to introduce a new approach to its multimedia content services, which became part of the Google Play family . In this way, Android Market became Google Play Store , Google Books became Google Play Books, Google Music would now be Google Play Music, and a series and movies service called Google Play Movies & TV appeared. At the moment, only the names of the apps were modified, and the design remained intact until several months later.
Android 4.1 and 4.2 Jelly Bean - Project Butter and Google Now to make your life easier
Once the foundations of the new design were laid, it took six months before Google decided to release the new version of the system, dubbed Jelly Bean. The most important addition was one that was totally invisible to the user, which Google called Project Butter . It consisted of a project through which the engineers of the Android team made the system animations display at 30 fps, thus trying to catch up with iOS in terms of a feeling of general fluidity.
The system interface did not change much with respect to ICS, although the notification panel was modified - again - , which now showed a large digital clock at the top, and for the first time the notifications were expandable to observe their content without having to access the app in question. in addition to including quick actions.
The possibility of also appeared for the first time adding different user accounts to the same device . This system was mainly intended to be used on tablets, and allowed each user to have their own space on the terminal, with their applications, settings and personalization saved.
But the most important addition of Jelly Bean was none other than Google Now . Despite being somewhat confusing at first, it later became an essential piece of the Android ecosystem. According to Google, Now was the future of Google Search , and it consisted of a panel full of cards with relevant information for users, which would appear throughout the day, even before the user needed to consult that information.
On the other hand, in Android 4.1 Google Play services were implemented , thus allowing Google to update the essential characteristics of the system - such as Google Now itself - without the need to release complete system updates.
Just a few months later, Android 4.2 arrived, a revision of Jelly Bean that, while not introducing too many new features, served as a stage to welcome two new Nexus devices: the LG Nexus 4 and the Nexus 10 signed by Samsung. .
Android 4.2 was built into both devices, and while the Nexus 4 was a phone with a fantastic design, high performance and a price reasonable - only $ 300 - with a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, a 4.7-inch HD LCD screen, and 2 GB RAM memory. For its part, the Nexus 10 was the first 10-inch Nexus tablet , with a great resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels and high-end specifications to compete directly with Apple's iPad 4, introduced in the same month as the Nexus 10. Furthermore, both devices were sold directly on Google Play , within a specific section called “Devices”.
As for the changes in Android 4.2, we are left with the possibility of adding widgets to the lock screen , and a new interface for tablets.
In the summer of 2021, Google made official the end of Google Play services support for Jelly Bean .
Android 4.4 KitKat - Ok Google, it consumes less memory
On the same Halloween day in 2013, Google introduced a new version of Android, which it named after Nestlé's famous sweet KitKat . This was Google's first collaboration with a food company to name a version of its operating system, also starting a large advertising campaign through the creation of KitKats in the shape of androids, and raffles for Nexus 7 tablets around of all the world.
But the launch of Android 4.4 was overshadowed by the arrival of what, for many, is the best Android in history: the LG Nexus 5. It was the second Nexus phone created in collaboration by LG, and kept the essence of the previous Nexus 4, at the same time it made a big leap in terms of specifications and size - it was the first Nexus with a 5-inch Full HD screen.
Perhaps the most important addition to Android KitKat, or at least the one that Google was most proud of, was the system called Project Svelte, which was transformed into a significant reduction in the use of RAM memory , thanks to different optimizations that allowed the operating system run with an amount of memory of only 340 MB. This served as a launch pad for mid-range and low-end smartphones, which were finally beginning to gain relevance.
Visually, KitKat forgot the blue accents of previous versions of the system, to give way to white , thus giving a new approach to design Holo . For the first time, in addition, Google Now became integrated into the launcher , available to the user through a simple swipe to the right of the main screen. The transparencies took over the interface, and the immersive mode appeared that hid the system bars when necessary automatically.
But perhaps the most striking novelty was the voice command "Ok Google" , which would allow you to run the Google search without touching the phone. At the application level, Google Photos was introduced for the first time, although in the form of an extension of the Google Plus social network, and the phone app became intelligent , capable of displaying the most relevant contacts for the user, or the possibility of searching for nearby places and their contact phone numbers.
Android 5 Lollipop - The most important update in the history of the operating system
I think we all agree that Android 5.0 Lollipop, released in November 2014, was the most important version of Android in the entire history of the operating system. First, the program was created for the first time in Developer Preview , allowing developers and enthusiasts to test the latest news before anyone else, keeping details such as the version number or the final name secret. This is how “Android L” was born, and alongside it, the Material Design lines.
According to Google, the goal of Material Design is to create a visual language that synthesizes the classical principles of good design with innovation and the possibility of technology and science .
Material Design was the biggest turning point in the history of Android , and a historic addition to the entire Google ecosystem. It was announced by Matías Duarte himself at Google I / O in 2014, and he announced it as a new design style for both Android and the rest of Mountain View's products and services. The main idea was that the operating system, and the applications, websites and different platforms, had the same appearance, whose interfaces were based on metaphorical physical elements such as ink and paper, including virtual shadows, textures and elevations on a three-dimensional canvas.
The biggest changes that Material Design brought to the Android interface were the new Quick Settings panel, a more minimalist navigation bar , 60fps animations created from scratch, and a menu of recent applications in three-dimensional format and in the form of a vertical list. . In addition, each of the applications now had a main color that occupied the headers of each full app .
Beyond the Material Design application to the entire system interface, as well as the different Google applications, Android 5.0 Lollipop introduced the ART virtual machine, which would later replace Dalvik and thus make an important leap in level. performance in the operating system. ART was written from scratch, and was intended to improve application opening speed and optimize memory consumption on modern hardware .
The main improvement ART introduced, beyond a notable performance increase, was support for 64-bit java applications.
Lollipop also aimed to improve battery life on devices, thanks to the system Project Volta . In this way, it began by offering energy consumption tracking tools, to see which activities, tasks and services were consuming the most battery.
One more year, notifications were redesigned, allowing users to interact with them from the lock screen in the form of cards , and perform quick actions such as answering messages, snoozing tasks or reminders and much more. On the other hand, users gained greater control over notifications, thanks to the modes of "Priority", "Sound for all" and "Completely silent".
Android 6 Marshmallow - Improving Permission Management
We landed squarely in October 2015, the month in which Google, with its logo just changed after sixteen years using the same font, presents version 6.0 of Android under the name Marshmallow . Given that Material Design had been unveiled just a year ago, we hardly found any design changes beyond a clearer and cleaner Google Now panel. One of the most important changes was the application drawer format, which returned to the original vertical scrolling list of the earliest versions of the system, accompanied by a quick selector to find applications more easily.
An important addition to this version was Now on Tap , a system that allowed access, through a long press on the home button, to a menu that identified the content that appeared on the screen and its context, to show relevant information to the user . Although the idea was good, the truth is that when it materialized, many users saw that the utility of Now on Tap was far from what Google had shown us in the beginning.
The great novelty of Marshmallow was the granular permission system , which allowed the user to observe and activate the different permissions required by the applications manually. In this way, instead of having to access the settings of each application to deactivate those suspicious permissions, when the user executes an app, whenever it needs a specific permission, a will appear popup on the screen from which the user can accept or refuse to obtain permission from the application.
The granular permission system is one of the greatest advances in terms of security in the history of Android, since the applications required a manual and express action on the part of the user.
Under the hood, Google continued its particular fight against battery-guzzling apps, and introduced the system DOZE . This mode came into action whenever the device was static in a place, disconnected and with the screen turned off , to enable a low-performance mode that restricted background permissions, and after a while, access to the network would be disabled, thus ignoring the wake locks of the applications.
But one of the most loved novelties by users was the so-called Adoptable Storage , which transformed the external sd card into an expansion of the internal memory, in which to install applications or store data easily.
At the level of notifications, the appeared for the first time notifications in format Peek , which consisted of alerts that were displayed in the form of posters on the top of the screen, although unlike in Lollipop, they would only be eligible to use this type of notifications, those notifications of high priority.
Android 6 also changed the volume control format, and appeared for the first time monthly security updates . Google also wanted to pave the way for the arrival of modern smartphones with new security systems based on biometrics, thanks to the inclusion of the Fingerprint API, which introduced compatibility with fingerprint readers.
Android 7 Nougat - More Material Design, and the first Made by Google phones
In 2016 Android 7.0 Nougat arrived , and along with this version, the future of Google as a telephone company thanks to the appearance of the Pixels, the first phones designed by the company itself, which arrived to take over from the Nexus family. .
With Android 7, Google continued to improve Material Design, while features were incorporated into the system such as running two applications on split screen, through a long press on the multitasking button. It also added the ability to reply to messages from notifications , support for the Vulkan API to improve the experience with videogames, or improvements in the DOZE power saving mode, which would now start working as soon as the device screen was turned off. .
The system's native launcher also underwent important changes, such as the appearance of quick shortcuts –in Android 7.1– that allowed access to quick functions of the applications through a quick press from the icon , an application dock with a semi transparent background, or a new arrangement that made the Google bar disappear, to make way for a small capsule located in the upper left.
Under the hood of Nougat, one of the biggest changes in Android history was introduced, improving the way devices receive OTA updates. It was actually a feature borrowed from Chrome OS, which was called Seamless Updates and consisted of dividing the system storage into two different partitions .
The first would be aimed at storing system data and user information, while the secondary would be uninhabited by default, and would only be used when receiving an update . In this way, the new version of the system is installed on the second partition while the user can continue to use the main one. This significantly reduced the time the phone remains idle during the upgrade process to a new version of Android.
Android 8 Oreo - Artificial intelligence comes to life
Android 8.0 is the present of Android for almost 15% of users around the world. Introduced in August 2017 , just a few months before the second generation of Google Pixel phones saw the light of day, it was the second version of history in which Google teamed up with a food industry brand like Nabisco to make the Last version had the name of another sweet with a popularity comparable to that of KitKat: Oreo .
One of the aspects that Android Oreo focused on at the time of its launch was the management of notifications, improving the order of these thanks to different priority levels, and offering the user the possibility of postponing notifications or manually choosing which type. of notifications of each application want to receive, thanks to the notification channels.
New notice formats also appeared, such as Notification Dots or Notification Badges , two systems that let us know if we had any notice directly by looking at the application icon, or viewing its content by long pressing on it.
Android 8 also introduced Picture in Picture mode , which allows different types of content - videos, maps or video calls - to be displayed in a small floating window, while the user continues to use other applications. Native text autofill also made an appearance, accompanying smart text selection and a new emoji pack that replaces the famous blobs .
But the most important addition, not only of Android 8, but of the operating system in its entire history, is under the hood of this latest version of the system. Its name is Project Treble, and it is the biggest step that Google has taken against the fragmentation that Android has dragged since its inception.
More than an addition, Project Treble is a change in structure. Its objective is to modularize the operating system itself , separating the drivers and the rest of the code related to the hardware of the devices - vendor - from the Android itself. Thus, system updates are made easier, faster and more affordable to develop and release by different smartphone manufacturers.
Later, with Android 8.1 , most of the new features were reduced to small details of the interface, such as light / dark mode depending on the wallpaper, a semi-transparent quick settings panel or a floating shutdown menu. However, the main novelty of this incremental version was the arrival of the API for neural networks , which allowed developers to implement AI and Machine Learning systems in their apps.
Despite the measures carried out by Google in order to accelerate the uptake of Android Oreo, the version only reached the 21.5% share on devices around the world one year after its launch .
Android 9.0 Pie - simpler, smarter, more Android
In March 2018, Google launched the first developer preview version Android P . Month after month, with the arrival of the new betas , we realized how big this update was going to be, and all that it was going to mean for the entire Android platform.
At the beginning of August, Google surprised us by presenting Android 9.0 Pie , also revealing the name of the candy that gives its name to this ninth major system update, one of the most important in history. To begin with, this version is responsible for implementing a renewed design philosophy that has been dubbed Google Material Theme, and which promises to provide greater coherence to the entire interface, with clearer backgrounds and cards whose corners are more rounded, in addition to adopting Product Sans typography in even more interface components. Furthermore, this style guide is not based on strict rules, but rather offers manufacturers greater flexibility when developing and designing their apps .
Android 9.0 Pie, together with Lollipop, is one of the greatest advances in the history of Android, starting with a total redesign following the new Google Material Theme lines .
It is also the first edition of Android that introduces a new type of gesture navigation that we have already been able to thoroughly test and that makes us think that the buttons have become a practically obsolete system.
Under the hood, we find interesting additions such as an system indoor positioning through Wi-Fi RTT technology , native support for the HDR BP9 and HEIF codecs, access restrictions to the microphone, camera and sensors to the applications in the background, compatibility with new screen formats - see “notch” screens - or performance improvements thanks to ART and energy savings through DOZE . An API that provides native support for photographic systems consisting of two cameras has also been incorporated, which suggests the possibility that future Pixel 3s could be the first devices made by Google to have two cameras on the back.
Other new features that appear in Android Pie are a new quick settings panel, quick responses to messages from notifications, the first native screenshot editor or an improved volume control . A collection of new features based on artificial intelligence are also introduced, such as adaptive brightness or intelligent battery saving systems and many more new features.
And to show that Project Treble, the change in architecture introduced in Android 8, really brings advantages for the user, Android 9.0 Pie, in addition to having reached Pixel phones, was compatible from the launch of its first public beta with another seven different phones , including the Essential Phone, which is the first “non-Google” smartphone to receive the new system update . The rest of the manufacturer models that have collaborated with Google, as well as those under the initiative Android One , will receive the Android OTA 9 Foot before the end of Fall 2018.
The presentation of Android 9 also served to introduce a new edition of Android Go, the version of the operating system dedicated to smartphones with limited resources . This new version took the name of Android 9 Pie Go Edition.
Android 10 - privacy by flag
March 2019 arrived, and in order not to break tradition, Google launched the first beta of Android Q. For the first time, those of Mountain View decided to abandon the name “Developer Preview” for the preliminary edition of the new version of the operating system, and go on to offer the update through the Android Beta program , giving owners of the three generations of the Pixel family the possibility of trying the latest news . In this way, the Pixels of 2016 are the first Google phones to receive three major updates to the platform.
This new delivery of the operating system brings with it important news and changes, which are mainly focused on improving the privacy and security of users by granting greater control over the permissions obtained by applications, such as location or access to the system clipboard. . There are also expected features such as the dark theme - which, yes, was not functional until the third beta -, more customization tools and even the first hints of desktop mode.
Android Q has six different beta versions that are deployed from March to the third quarter of the year . It will be in August 2019 when Google releases the final version of the new edition of the operating system to all its Pixel family devices.
The second beta of Android Q brought with it a greater number of new features for the user, and among all of them the stood out floating notification bubbles compatible with all applications , which provide a new way of interacting with notices while enhancing the use of multitasking by allowing, among other things, replying to messages while using other applications. Google was also working on perfecting Android's native gesture navigation , with improvements not coming until future editions.
However, it was the third beta responsible for introducing the bulk of the news of the definitive edition of Android Q. Among the most interesting, the expected dark theme, now available to be activated from the settings of the system, was the ability to force the new appearance in any application installed on the device. The was also a completely renewed gesture system , to become more intuitive and easy to use –and, why fool ourselves, much more similar to the iPhone X–.
Android Q beta 3 also introduced improvements in terms of accessibility, such as the automatic generation of subtitles in any video content, regardless of the application in which it is played. With this version also came improvements in the structure of the operating system, with the aim of continuing to fight against fragmentation. The most important was Mainline , which is based on the same premise of modularizing the platform on which Treble was already based, and which will allow, among many other things, to send security updates to phones through the Google Play Store .
Treble also demonstrated its importance with this version, as a total of 17 devices, not counting Google's own Pixels, were compatible with Android 10 Q from its third beta version.
But the biggest surprise of this version came just a few days before the arrival of the definitive edition: Google announced that Android Q would be Android 10 , and that from that moment future versions of Android would no longer have names of desserts and sweets , thus marking the end of an era that lasted a decade.
Along with this change in strategy, Google also introduced important changes to the Android brand , ranging from a new typeface to a new logo, with a green color very different from the one we were used to. Apparently the goal was to make Android a more universal brand . Finally, the global deployment of the update would begin on September 3, 2019 , and just two weeks later there were already about 100 mobiles with the confirmed update .
Android 11 - more protection
The earliest Android preview ever came in February 2020 with Android 11 Developer Preview 1 . This edition, available for installation at first on Google Pixel 2, 3, 3a and 4, brought with it interesting news such as the possibility of programming the activation of the dark theme introduced last year, or improvements in terms of privacy and security such as the option to grant one-time permissions to applications.
Android 11 also brings improvements focused on developers , so that they can work in a better way when optimizing their applications to the new emerging technologies in the telephone industry such as 5G, folding mobile phones or curved screens or with holes for the front camera.
Google confirmed in February that this eleventh major Android update would feature three previews and three more beta versions , before the arrival of the final stable edition sometime in the summer of 2020.
In June 2020, after having postponed the Android 11 beta launch event due to the global crisis and protests across the United States, Google launched the Android 11 beta for Pixel devices. This version focused on three main pillars: people, control and privacy , and introduced important new features such as a completely renovated shutdown menu , which housed the controls of those devices that are part of our digital home, or quick access cards and passes stored on Google Play. was also introduced Support for bubble notifications for all messaging apps, and new access to multimedia controls, integrated directly into the quick settings panel.
On this occasion, there were not too many mobile phones compatible with the new beta from the beginning , since it was only possible to install this version on terminals of firms such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Realme or OPPO. In addition, a week after the arrival of the beta version, [the beta 1.5 of Android 11 was published ″ , which solved some problems of the original version. A few weeks later, the second beta was published with some interesting news and changes focused on improving the stability of the platform.
Finally, on September 8, 2020, Google released the final version of Android 11 with all the news that would begin to reach mobile phones from that same day, and some that would only be available on Google Pixels .
The most interesting new features of the final version include the screen recording function built into the system or the new conversations notifications , available in a separate section of the notification panel.
The final version of Android 11 was available from day 1 on all Pixel devices except the original 2016 models. However, some manufacturers also announced beta versions for some of their reference phones. They were the following ones:
After its launch, there were already 81 models mobile with the update to Android 11 confirmed for some point in 2020 or 2021. It will be necessary to see how well managing the latest version of Android expands during the months following its launch.
Android 12 - Material You arrives
Android 12, the new version of Google's operating system.
On February 18, 2021, Google announced Android 12 . The new version of the operating system came through a first version for developers full of changes, many of them hidden .
This update brings privacy improvements , new APIs for developers and, probably most important of all, an almost total redesign of the system's user interface , through the new visual language, Material You .
With Material You, Google gives the user control over the appearance of the user interface , automatically generating themes based on the background colors set on the device.
"Material You" is the name of the renewed user interface that debuted with Android 12.
This change in appearance also introduces a new quick settings panel, revamped volume and brightness controls, or redesigned notifications .
Of course, there is no lack of privacy improvements , including a new control panel from which you can control the access of applications to permissions, or where you can see which apps have accessed the camera, microphone or location in the last hours. The are also improved widgets , and the so-called "Private Computer Core" is introduced, where functions such as function are housed instant subtitles, intelligent responses or the "is ringing" , which act through information processing that happens directly in the device, and does not communicate with the outside to preserve data privacy.
The bulk of Android 12's functions were announced during Google I / O 2021 , where it was used to launch the first beta of the new version , available for a total of 22 different devices from 11 brands .
A month later, in June, the second beta of Android 12 arrived , where many of the novelties promised at first were finally introduced, including the dynamic themes of Material You .
.Currently, Android 12 is the latest version of Android available
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