Android (operating system)

Android
A flat robot head, a green semicircle with antennas and small holes for eyes.
Wordmark and logo used since 2023
DeveloperVarious (mostly Google)
Written inJava, Kotlin (UI), C (core), C++, Rust[1] and others
OS familyUnix-like (modified Linux kernel)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source, freeware (most devices include proprietary components, such as Google Play Services or One UI)
Initial releaseSeptember 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
Latest releaseAndroid 14 / October 4, 2023 (2023-10-04)
Latest previewAndroid 15: Developer Preview 2 / March 21, 2024 (2024-03-21)[2]
Repository
Marketing targetSmartphones, tablet computers, smart TVs (Android TV), Android Auto and smartwatches (Wear OS)
Available in100+ languages
Update methodOver-the-air
Package managerAPK-based
PlatformsARM64 (previous versions were also compatible with ARMv7, x86, x86-64, MIPS and RISC-V; these architectures are still unofficially supported via third-party solutions)[3][4]
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux kernel)
UserlandBionic libc, mksh shell, Toybox as core utilities
Default
user interface
Graphical (multi-touch)
License
Official websitewww.android.com Edit this at Wikidata
Support status
Articles in the series
Android version history

Android is an operating system used in mobile devices. It is mostly used for smartphones, like Google's own Google Pixel, as well as by other phone manufacturers like HTC and Samsung. It has also been used for tablets such as the Motorola, Xoom and Amazon Kindle. A modified Linux kernel is used as Android's kernel.[5]

Google says that over 1.3 million Android smartphones are sold every day.[6] Most mobile phones run Android, making it the most popular mobile operating system. It is also the most popular operating system in general.

It supports multitasking and two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics.

Security updates are not provided on versions older than Android 10. Newer versions receive security updates if the phone manufacturer supports them. Phones which have Android 10 and above receive security updates (like app updates) directly from Google Play.

The current stable version is Android 14, released on October 4, 2023.

  1. "Memory Safe Languages in Android 13".
  2. "Release notes". Android Developers. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  3. García, Érika (September 2021). "Google bans 32-bit apps from Android for good". Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  4. "32-bits is dead: Here's what it means for Android, Apple, and more". Android Authority. June 12, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  5. "Google Play services". Google Developers.
  6. "There Are Now 1.3 Million Android Device Activations Per Day". TechCrunch. September 5, 2012.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

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