It is amazing how much Android software development has changed over the past 15 years. To help you keep up with all the changes to Android OS, we have created a brief history of Android software development. By understanding the history of Android, you will know how to create successful mobile apps for the Android OS.
As with all histories, we start from the beginning. In 2003 Rich Miner, Nick Sears, Chris White, and Andy Rubin founded a company Rubin began to Android so they could develop “smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences”.
For the next two years, the company struggled to gain a foothold in the smartphone industry. That was until Google purchased the company in 2005. Rubin and his co-founders stayed on with full access to Google’s entire lineup of products. One of the biggest decisions made at the time of the acquisition was to use Linux as the foundation for the Android operating system.
The first Android phone was launched in September 2008.
The first Android-based smartphones were not as aesthetically pleasing as the iPhone. Still, many of them combined the new touchscreen technology with a physical QWERTY keyboard. The first Android phone used several Google products such as Google Maps, YouTube, and Google search among others. The Google Play store had not launched yet. Instead, they added the Android Marketplace where developers displayed their mobile apps.
Android Versions Evolution
Android 1.5 Cupcake
Android 1.6 Donut
Android 2.0-2.1 Eclair
Android 2.2 Froyo
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Android 4.1-4.3 Jelly Bean
Android 4.4 KitKat
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 9.0 Pie
Android 10
Android 11
Android 12
Android 13
With all that history behind it, Android remains the position of a leading operating system with a 73% market share. Shifting its focus on supporting emerging technologies and increasing the reach of Android applications, Google now is actively integrating AI, Machine Learning, and IoT tech into its products.
On top of that, Google keeps working on its new OS Fuchsia, that’s designed primarily to power smart homes and IoT devices but can also support smartphones and tablets. It means that one day we might see Fuchsia replacing Android OS. However, as far as we now know, Google’s plans for Fuchsia are quite vague.
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