It’s been 10 years since Google launched the Android mobile OS and it’s come a long way. This is especially compared to its early days when it struggled to convince the world that its friendly green extraterrestrial could make applesauce of the revolutionary iPhone.
In truth, Google’s first Android phone, the HTC-made T-Mobile G1, wasn’t much to look at when it debuted in 2008. The phone had a trough for a keyboard and its chin bizarrely jut outward. It also didn’t help that barely anyone knew the HTC brand, and we weren’t sure if this was the start of a single Google phone or an entire operating system. Still, the humble G1 — with its ugly design and scarce amount of apps — kicked off an Android avalanche just the same.
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Currently, Android and iOS both command the phone market (you can read CNET’s history of iOS here). Android, however, is in a class of its own. In 2016, nine out of 10 smartphones ran Android and in 2017 Google announced that more than 2 billion devices ran the OS. It’s not only the most popular mobile OS, but it surpassed Windows as the most popular OS, period.
But Android didn’t reach these milestones by sitting around. Over the years, it went through significant makeovers. The most prominent was in 2015, when Google overhauled its design language and named it Material. Since that debut in Android 5.0 Lollipop, Material made the entire operating system feel like it fits together from top to bottom.
Android went from a quirky piece of software to a full-fledged operating system and powerful brand. Here’s a look at the major breakthroughs for the operating system, from its small beginnings to its current ambitions in mobile domination.
Editors’ note: This article was originally published Aug. 4, 2010, and is periodically updated to include new versions of Android.
The evolution of Android
Android version
SDK release*
Notable updates
1.0 G1
February 2008
GPS and Bluetooth (but not stereo Bluetooth)
Multitasking
Tight integration with Google services like Gmail, Google Maps (with Street View), and Google Calendar
Apps: Amazon MP3 Store; YouTube
Android Market (about 35 apps at launch)
No Microsoft Exchange Server; no camcorder
1.5 Cupcake
April 2009
Universal search box (search had been limited to the Web)
Revamped Android Market: Browsing categories (Apps, Games, Downloads) and filters (Top Free, Top Paid, Just In)
Camera: Toggle between camera and video modes; integrated photo gallery and camera with bulk photo deleting
SDK expands support for gestures, voice-to-text
1.6 Donut
September 2009
Virtual onscreen keyboard
Camcorder mode for recording (and watching) video
Stereo Bluetooth
Home screen widgets and folders
Copy/paste and search within the browser
Direct upload to YouTube and Picasa
2.0 Eclair
October 2009
Multiple user accounts
Exchange support; universal email inbox
Quick Contact pop-up widget to launch communications with friends in the address book
Search saved SMS and MMS messages
Camera improvements include support for flash and digital zoom
Bluetooth 2.1
Keyboard improvements: Adaptive dictionary that includes contact names in suggestions
2.1 Eclair
January 2010
Live wallpaper; five home screens
Speech-to-text added to any text field; microphone icon for voice dictation in emails, texts, and so on
2.2 Froyo
May 2010
Speedier OS
USB tethering and hotspot support
Android Market update: Batch and automatic updates; installing apps to the SD card
Adobe Flash 10.1
File uploading in the browser
Improved Microsoft Exchange support: Security policies, global address lookup, calendar sync, remote wipe
Bluetooth support for voice dialing and contact sharing
2.3 Gingerbread
December 2010
Redesigned copy/paste
WebM video compression support
NFC (near-field communication) support
Switch to front-facing camera from camera app
Virtual keyboard shortcuts
3.0 Honeycomb
February 2011
3D graphics support
Side-by-side browser tabs; private browsing
Dual-pane modes for address book, email
Redesigned UI includes program thumbnails
Video chatting with Google Talk
Full-screen-mode photo gallery
Bluetooth tethering
3.1-3.2.6 Honeycomb
May 2011-February 2012
Support for peripherals like keyboards and game pads
Resizable widgets
“Pay as you go” support for 3G, 4G tablets
Various bug fixes and enhancements
4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
October 2011
Support for virtual buttons in addition to touch-sensitive buttons
Create folders by dragging apps on top of each other
A new app tray tab for thumbing through widgets
Calendar app now supports pinch-to-zoom
Gmail gets new design, offline search, swiping between conversations
New Chrome browser syncs with your bookmarks, saves pages offline, supports 16 browser tabs
More keyboard error correction, inline spell check
Customizable lock screen, launcher
Recent applications icon
Roboto typeface
New swipe/delete behavior
Improved voice integration and copy and paste
Face Unlock security feature
Data Usage tracking
Hide unwanted app icons
Shut down apps that are using background data
Native camera features include zero shutter lag, continuous focus, zoom while recording, taking a still photo while recording, panorama photos, time lapse settings, 1080p recording
Face detection in the camera integrated photo editor
New gallery layout, organized by location and person
Phone app lets you swipe between favorite friends with integrated visual voice mail
Speed up and slow down voice mails
Quick message sends canned response text message when you decline a call
Android Beam, an NFC feature for exchanging information between two phones by tapping them
Wi-Fi Direct support
4.1 Jelly Bean
July 2012
Faster, smoother performance with “Project Butter”
Expandable notifications with greater interaction
Voice search access by swiping up from bottom of the screen
Voice actions engine replies to some queries
Google Now
Offline dictation
Default Chrome browser
Resizable app widgets
Android Beam support for transferring larger files, like photo and video
New filmstrip view of recent shots in the camera app
Applications update in Google Play with just the changed code
Sound search widget for music ID
Higher-resolution contact photos
Greater accessibility options
Expanded language support, especially for Arabic and Hebrew
Interface tweaks
4.2-4.3 Jelly Bean
November 2012-October 2013
Lock screen widgets, and the ability to open the camera from the lock screen
Quick Settings in the notification menu to toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and more
“Daydream” screensavers, which show time and other information when the screen is locked or device is docked
Multiple user accounts on tablets only
Support for wireless display (such as Miracast)
Accessibility features, including triple-tap to magnify the entire screen, pan and zoom with two fingers, speech output for blind users
Unified interface layout for all devices, with system bar at the top of the screen, and a home screen dock
More Actionable Notifications, which let you respond to the notification without opening the app
Bluetooth Low Energy support
Location tracking with Wi-Fi — your device can track your location without turning on Wi-Fi
Support for 4K resolution phones
4.4 KitKat
October 2013
Major design interface update, especially for new Nexus devices
Translucent status bar in the OS and in apps
New “immersive mode” where apps can hide navigation and status bars
The size of the operating system shrunk so it can run on lower-end devices with small amounts of RAM and internal storage
Wireless printing using Google Cloud Print
5.0 Lollipop
October 2014
Completely redesigned UI called Material
Notifications on the lock screen and new pop-up alerts
Priority mode silences less important notifications
Multiple user accounts for both phones and tablets
New recent apps menu called Overview
Guest mode
Screen pinning
Battery Saver mode
Default device encryption
Smart lock unlocks devices with Bluetooth device or NFC tag
5.1 Lollipop
March 2015
Join Wi-Fi networks and pair Bluetooth devices through Quick Settings menu
Support for multiple SIM cards
Device protection
Built-in Wi-Fi calling support
6.0 Marshmallow
October 2015
Doze mode for better power efficiency
Built-in fingerprint reader and USB Type-C support
Automatic data backup and app restore
4K display mode
Multi-window support
Double-tap power button to launch camera
7.0 Nougat
August 2016
Screen zoom
Switching between apps
Clear All recent apps
Debut of Daydream VR platform
Picture-in-picture for Android TV
Redesigned notifications shade and Overview screen
7.1 Nougat
October 2016
New emojis with different skin tones
Native GIF support in keyboard
Long-press apps for dynamic actions
8.0 Oreo
August 2017
Project Treble enabled device makers to send Android updates more efficiently
Redesigned Quick Settings, Settings and Notifications
8.1 Oreo
December 2017
First to have Android Go edition, a version of Android for low-tiered devices that required less memory
Light and dark themes
Battery indicator for connected Bluetooth devices
9.0 Pie
August 2018
More messaging options within Notifications
Support for onscreen notches
Updated volume indicator
Gesture navigation
Android Dashboard to limit user time with apps
Wind Down to limit phone use before sleeping
Android 9.0 Pie
Claudia Cruz/CNET
Google unveiled its latest version of Android, Pie, on March 2018. With the update came several features to curb phone addiction, including Dashboard (which let’s you know how much time you’re spending on your phone) and Wind Down to limit phone usage before going to sleep. Pie also offered support for gesture navigation and onscreen notches — two features that inch it closer to 2017’s iPhone X from Apple.
Pie isn’t a massive shift for Android, but it does help make it more modern. It feels like a refreshed chapter for Google, one where more gadgets run on Android and they all work in harmony.
Android’s future
Though Android has improved significantly since its unveiling, there’s still room to be better. The major issue is its fragmentation problem, wherein many Android devices don’t receive prompt software updates. As a result, users are on older versions of the OS and they can’t access new features. With the launch of Project Treble in 2017 though, the company is working on changing that.
Another exciting development is Android phones featuring foldable screens. On Nov. 7, Samsung teased its forthcoming foldable phone and soon after, Google officially announced it is adding support for foldable devices to accommodate screen continuity.
We just announced support for foldables at #AndroidDevSummit, a new form factor coming next year from Android partners.
Android apps run seamlessly as the device folds, achieving this form factor’s chief feature: screen continuity. pic.twitter.com/NAfOmCOY26
In addition, Huawei confirmed it is developing a foldable phone too and a small startup is already selling its bendable Royole FlexPai in China that you can pre-order it in the US and UK.
Other ways Android can push further is consolidate its messaging apps, incorporate a more intuitive interface and innovate beyond phones. At this rate, however, Google’s only just getting started — so here’s looking at the next 10 years.
