Android (operating system)
Android 1.0 September 23, 2008 | |
Latest release | Android 15 / September 3, 2024 |
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Latest preview | Android 15: QPR1 Beta 1.1 / August 29, 2024[2] |
Repository | |
Marketing target | GNU GPL v2 for the Linux kernel modifications |
Official website | www |
Support status | |
Supported | |
Articles in the series | |
Android version history |
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android has historically been developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance, but its most widely used version is primarily developed by Google. It was unveiled in November 2007, with the first commercial Android device, the HTC Dream, being launched in September 2008.
At its core, the operating system is known as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP)[5] and is free and open-source software (FOSS) primarily licensed under the Apache License. However, most devices run on the proprietary Android version developed by Google, which ships with additional proprietary closed-source software pre-installed,[6] most notably Google Mobile Services (GMS),[7] which includes core apps such as Google Chrome, the digital distribution platform Google Play, and the associated Google Play Services development platform. Firebase Cloud Messaging is used for push notifications. While AOSP is free, the "Android" name and logo are trademarks of Google, which imposes standards to restrict the use of Android branding by "uncertified" devices outside their ecosystem.[8][9]
Over 70 percent of smartphones based on the Android Open Source Project run Google's ecosystem (which is known simply as Android), some with vendor-customized user interfaces and software suites, such as TouchWiz and later One UI by Samsung and HTC Sense.[10] Competing ecosystems and forks of AOSP include Fire OS (developed by Amazon), ColorOS by Oppo, OriginOS by Vivo, MagicUI by Honor, and custom ROMs such as LineageOS; and Meta Horizon OS for VR headsets.
The source code has been used to develop variants of Android on a range of other electronics, such as
Android has been the best-selling OS worldwide on smartphones since 2011 and on tablets since 2013. As of May 2021[update], it had over three billion
.History
Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, in October 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White.[13][14] Rubin described the Android project as having "tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences".[14] The early intentions of the company were to develop an advanced operating system for digital cameras, and this was the basis of its pitch to investors in April 2004.[15] The company then decided that the market for cameras was not large enough for its goals, and five months later it had diverted its efforts and was pitching Android as a handset operating system that would rival Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile.[15][16]
Rubin had difficulty attracting investors early on, and Android was facing eviction from its office space. Steve Perlman, a close friend of Rubin, brought him $10,000 in cash in an envelope, and shortly thereafter wired an undisclosed amount as seed funding. Perlman refused a stake in the company, and has stated "I did it because I believed in the thing, and I wanted to help Andy."[17][18]
In 2005, Rubin tried to negotiate deals with
Speculation about Google's intention to enter the mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006.[24] An early prototype had a close resemblance to a BlackBerry phone, with no touchscreen and a physical QWERTY keyboard, but the arrival of 2007's Apple iPhone meant that Android "had to go back to the drawing board".[25][26] Google later changed its Android specification documents to state that "Touchscreens will be supported", although "the Product was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption, therefore a touchscreen cannot completely replace physical buttons".[27] By 2008, both Nokia and BlackBerry announced touch-based smartphones to rival the iPhone 3G, and Android's focus eventually switched to just touchscreens. The first commercially available smartphone running Android was the HTC Dream, also known as T-Mobile G1, announced on September 23, 2008.[28][29]
On November 5, 2007, the
On September 23, 2008, Android was introduced by Andy Rubin, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Cole Brodman, Christopher Schlaeffer and Peter Chou at a press conference in a
Since 2008, Android has seen
In 2010, Google launched its Nexus series of devices, a lineup in which Google partnered with different device manufacturers to produce new devices and introduce new Android versions. The series was described as having "played a pivotal role in Android's history by introducing new software iterations and hardware standards across the board", and became known for its "bloat-free" software with "timely ... updates".[37] At its developer conference in May 2013, Google announced a special version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, where, instead of using Samsung's own Android customization, the phone ran "stock Android" and was promised to receive new system updates fast.[38] The device would become the start of the Google Play edition program, and was followed by other devices, including the HTC One Google Play edition,[39] and Moto G Google Play edition.[40] In 2015, Ars Technica wrote that "Earlier this week, the last of the Google Play edition Android phones in Google's online storefront were listed as "no longer available for sale" and that "Now they're all gone, and it looks a whole lot like the program has wrapped up".[41][42]
From 2008 to 2013,
On
In June 2014, Google announced
In May 2019, the operating system became entangled in the
On August 22, 2019, it was announced that Android "Q" would officially be branded as Android 10, ending the historic practice of naming major versions after desserts. Google stated that these names were not "inclusive" to international users (due either to the aforementioned foods not being internationally known, or being difficult to pronounce in some languages).[76][77] On the same day, Android Police reported that Google had commissioned a statue of a giant number "10" to be installed in the lobby of the developers' new office.[78] Android 10 was released on September 3, 2019, to Google Pixel phones first.
In late 2021, some users reported that they were unable to dial emergency services.[79][80] The problem was caused by a combination of bugs in Android and in the Microsoft Teams app; both companies released updates addressing the issue.[81]
Features
Interface
Android's default user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch inputs that loosely correspond to real-world actions, like swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard.[82] Game controllers and full-size physical keyboards are supported via Bluetooth or USB.[83][84] The response to user input is designed to be immediate and provides a fluid touch interface, often using the vibration capabilities of the device to provide haptic feedback to the user. Internal hardware, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and proximity sensors are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions, for example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how the device is oriented,[85] or allowing the user to steer a vehicle in a racing game by rotating the device, simulating control of a steering wheel.[86]
Home screen
Android devices boot to the
Status bar
Along the top of the screen is a status bar, showing information about the device and its connectivity. This status bar can be pulled (swiped) down from to reveal a notification screen where apps display important information or updates, as well as quick access to system controls and toggles such as display brightness, connectivity settings (
Notifications
Notifications are "short, timely, and relevant information about your app when it's not in use", and when tapped, users are directed to a screen inside the app relating to the notification.[93] Beginning with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", "expandable notifications" allow the user to tap an icon on the notification in order for it to expand and display more information and possible app actions right from the notification.[94]
App lists
An "All Apps" screen lists all installed applications, with the ability for users to drag an app from the list onto the home screen. The app list may be accessed using a gesture or a button, depending on the Android version. A "Recents" screen, also known as "Overview", lets users switch between recently used apps.[88]
The recent list may appear side-by-side or overlapping, depending on the Android version and manufacturer.[95]
Navigation buttons
Many early Android OS smartphones were equipped with a dedicated search button for quick access to a
The dedicated option key, also known as menu key, and its on-screen simulation, is no longer supported since Android version 10. Google recommends mobile application developers to locate menus within the user interface.[96] On more recent phones, its place is occupied by a task key used to access the list of recently used apps when actuated. Depending on device, its long press may simulate a menu button press or engage split screen view, the latter of which is the default behaviour since stock Android version 7.[97][98][99]
Split-screen view
Native support for split screen view has been added in stock Android version 7.0 Nougat.[99]
The earliest vendor-customized Android-based smartphones known to have featured a split-screen view mode are the 2012
Charging while powered off
When connecting or disconnecting charging power and when shortly actuating the power button or home button, all while the device is powered off, a visual battery meter whose appearance varies among vendors appears on the screen, allowing the user to quickly assess the charge status of a powered-off without having to boot it up first. Some display the battery percentage.[101]
Applications
Most Android devices come with preinstalled Google apps including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and others.
Applications ("apps"), which extend the functionality of devices (and must be 64-bit[102]), are written using the Android software development kit (SDK)[103] and, often, Kotlin programming language, which replaced Java as Google's preferred language for Android app development in May 2019,[104] and was originally announced in May 2017.[105][106] Java is still supported (originally the only option for user-space programs, and is often mixed with Kotlin), as is C++.[107] Java or other JVM languages, such as Kotlin, may be combined with C/C++,[108] together with a choice of non-default runtimes that allow better C++ support.[109]
The SDK includes a comprehensive set of development tools,
Android has a growing selection of third-party applications, which can be acquired by users by downloading and installing the application's
Due to the open nature of Android, a number of third-party application marketplaces also exist for Android, either to provide a substitute for devices that are not allowed to ship with Google Play Store, provide applications that cannot be offered on Google Play Store due to policy violations, or for other reasons. Examples of these third-party stores have included the
In October 2020, Google removed several Android applications from
At the
Storage
The storage of Android devices can be expanded using secondary devices such as SD cards. Android recognizes two types of secondary storage: portable storage (which is used by default), and adoptable storage. Portable storage is treated as an external storage device. Adoptable storage, introduced on Android 6.0, allows the internal storage of the device to be spanned with the SD card, treating it as an extension of the internal storage. This has the disadvantage of preventing the memory card from being used with another device unless it is reformatted.[125]
Android 4.4 introduced the Storage Access Framework (SAF), a set of APIs for accessing files on the device's filesystem.[126] As of Android 11, Android has required apps to conform to a data privacy policy known as scoped storage, under which apps may only automatically have access to certain directories (such as those for pictures, music, and video), and app-specific directories they have created themselves. Apps are required to use the SAF to access any other part of the filesystem.[127][128][129]
Memory management
Since Android devices are usually battery-powered, Android is designed to manage processes to keep power consumption at a minimum. When an application is not in use the system suspends its operation so that, while available for immediate use rather than closed, it does not use battery power or CPU resources.[130][131] Android manages the applications stored in memory automatically: when memory is low, the system will begin invisibly and automatically closing inactive processes, starting with those that have been inactive for the longest amount of time.[132][133] Lifehacker reported in 2011 that third-party task-killer applications were doing more harm than good.[134]
Developer options
Some settings for use by
Developer options are initially hidden since Android 4.2 "Jelly Bean", but can be enabled by actuating the operating system's build number in the device information seven times. Hiding developers options again requires deleting user data for the "Settings" app, possibly resetting some other preferences.[138][139][140]
Hardware
The main hardware platform for Android is
Requirements for the minimum amount of RAM for devices running Android 7.1 range from in practice 2 GB for best hardware, down to 1 GB for the most common screen. Android supports all versions of OpenGL ES and Vulkan (and version 1.1 available for some devices[148]).
Android devices incorporate many optional hardware components, including still or video cameras,
In addition to running on smartphones and tablets, several vendors run Android natively on regular PC hardware with a keyboard and mouse.[149][150][151][152] In addition to their availability on commercially available hardware, similar PC hardware-friendly versions of Android are freely available from the Android-x86 project, including customized Android 4.4.[153] Using the Android emulator that is part of the Android SDK, or third-party emulators, Android can also run non-natively on x86 architectures.[154][155] Chinese companies are building a PC and mobile operating system, based on Android, to "compete directly with Microsoft Windows and Google Android".[156] The Chinese Academy of Engineering noted that "more than a dozen" companies were customizing Android following a Chinese ban on the use of Windows 8 on government PCs.[157][158][159]
Development
Android is developed by Google until the latest changes and updates are ready to be released, at which point the source code is made available to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP),[160] an open source initiative led by Google.[161] The first source code release happened as part of the initial release in 2007. All releases are under the Apache License.[162]
The AOSP code can be found with minimal modifications on select devices, mainly the former Nexus and current Android One series of devices.[163] However, most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) customize the source code to run on their hardware.[164][165]
Android's source code does not contain the device drivers, often proprietary, that are needed for certain hardware components,[166] and does not contain the source code of Google Play Services, which many apps depend on. As a result, most Android devices, including Google's own, ship with a combination of free and open source and proprietary software, with the software required for accessing Google services falling into the latter category.[citation needed] In response to this, there are some projects that build complete operating systems based on AOSP as free software, the first being CyanogenMod (see section Open-source community below).
Update schedule
Google provides annual
The extensive variation of hardware[169] in Android devices has caused significant delays for software upgrades and security patches. Each upgrade has had to be specifically tailored, a time- and resource-consuming process.[170] Except for devices within the Google Nexus and Pixel brands, updates have often arrived months after the release of the new version, or not at all.[171] Manufacturers often prioritize their newest devices and leave old ones behind.[172] Additional delays can be introduced by wireless carriers who, after receiving updates from manufacturers, further customize Android to their needs and conduct extensive testing on their networks before sending out the upgrade.[172][173] There are also situations in which upgrades are impossible due to a manufacturer not updating necessary drivers.[174]
The lack of after-sale support from manufacturers and carriers has been widely criticized by consumer groups and the technology media.[175][176][177] Some commentators have noted that the industry has a financial incentive not to upgrade their devices, as the lack of updates for existing devices fuels the purchase of newer ones,[178] an attitude described as "insulting".[177] The Guardian complained that the method of distribution for updates is complicated only because manufacturers and carriers have designed it that way.[177] In 2011, Google partnered with a number of industry players to announce an "Android Update Alliance", pledging to deliver timely updates for every device for 18 months after its release; however, there has not been another official word about that alliance since its announcement.[172][179]
In 2012, Google began de-coupling certain aspects of the operating system (particularly its central applications) so they could be updated through the
In May 2017, with the announcement of Android 8.0, Google introduced Project Treble, a major re-architect of the Android OS framework designed to make it easier, faster, and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to newer versions of Android. Project Treble separates the vendor implementation (device-specific, lower-level software written by silicon manufacturers) from the Android OS framework via a new "vendor interface". In Android 7.0 and earlier, no formal vendor interface exists, so device makers must update large portions of the Android code to move a device to a newer version of the operating system. With Treble, the new stable vendor interface provides access to the hardware-specific parts of Android, enabling device makers to deliver new Android releases simply by updating the Android OS framework, "without any additional work required from the silicon manufacturers."[185]
In September 2017, Google's Project Treble team revealed that, as part of their efforts to improve the security lifecycle of Android devices, Google had managed to get the Linux Foundation to agree to extend the support lifecycle of the Linux Long-Term Support (LTS) kernel branch from the 2 years that it has historically lasted to 6 years for future versions of the LTS kernel, starting with Linux kernel 4.4.[186]
In May 2019, with the announcement of Android 10, Google introduced Project Mainline to simplify and expedite delivery of updates to the Android ecosystem. Project Mainline enables updates to core OS components through the Google Play Store. As a result, important security and performance improvements that previously needed to be part of full OS updates can be downloaded and installed as easily as an app update.[187]
Google reported rolling out new amendments in Android 12 aimed at making the use of third-party application stores easier. This announcement rectified the concerns reported regarding the development of Android apps, including a fight over an alternative in-app payment system and difficulties faced by businesses moving online because of COVID-19.[188]
Linux kernel
Android's kernel is based on the Linux kernel's long-term support (LTS) branches. As of 2024[update], Android (14) uses versions 6.1 or 5.15 (for "Feature kernels", can be older for "Launch kernels", e.g. android12-5.10, android11-5.4, depending on Android version down to e.g. android11-5.4, android-4.14-stable, android-4.9-q), and older Android versions, use version 5.15 or a number of older kernels.[189] The actual kernel depends on the individual device.[190]
Android's variant of the Linux kernel has further architectural changes that are implemented by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle, such as the inclusion of components like device trees, ashmem, ION, and different
In August 2011, Linus Torvalds said that "eventually Android and Linux would come back to a common kernel, but it will probably not be for four to five years".[199] (that has not happened yet, while some code has been upstreamed, not all of it has, so modified kernels keep being used). In December 2011, Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the start of Android Mainlining Project, which aims to put some Android drivers, patches and features back into the Linux kernel, starting in Linux 3.3.[200] Linux included the autosleep and wakelocks capabilities in the 3.5 kernel, after many previous attempts at a merger. The interfaces are the same but the upstream Linux implementation allows for two different suspend modes: to memory (the traditional suspend that Android uses), and to disk (hibernate, as it is known on the desktop).[201] Google maintains a public code repository that contains their experimental work to re-base Android off the latest stable Linux versions.[202][203]
Android is a
With the release of Android Oreo in 2017, Google began to require that devices shipped with new SoCs had Linux kernel version 4.4 or newer, for security reasons. Existing devices upgraded to Oreo, and new products launched with older SoCs, were exempt from this rule.[209][210]
Rooting
The
/system/
for the operating system itself, and /data/
for user data and application installations.[211]In contrast to typical
OEM Unlocking
option in the developer settings allows Fastboot to unlock the bootloader. But most OEMs have their own methods. The unlocking process resets the system to factory state, erasing all user data.[213]Software stack
Android uses
Android's
Aiming for a different licensing model, toward the end of 2012, Google switched the Bluetooth stack in Android from the GPL-licensed
Android does not have a native X Window System by default, nor does it support the full set of standard GNU libraries. This made it difficult to port existing Linux applications or libraries to Android,[208] until version r5 of the Android Native Development Kit brought support for applications written completely in C or C++.[222] Libraries written in C may also be used in applications by injection of a small shim and usage of the JNI.[223]
In current versions of Android, "Toybox", a collection of command-line utilities (mostly for use by apps, as Android does not provide a command-line interface by default), is used (since the release of Marshmallow) replacing a similar "Toolbox" collection found in previous Android versions.[224]
Android has another operating system, Trusty OS, within it, as a part of "Trusty" "software components supporting a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) on mobile devices." "Trusty and the Trusty API are subject to change. [..] Applications for the Trusty OS can be written in C/C++ (C++ support is limited), and they have access to a small C library. [..] All Trusty applications are single-threaded; multithreading in Trusty userspace currently is unsupported. [..] Third-party application development is not supported in" the current version, and software running on the OS and processor for it, run the "DRM framework for protected content. [..] There are many other uses for a TEE such as mobile payments, secure banking, full-disk encryption, multi-factor authentication, device reset protection, replay-protected persistent storage, wireless display ("cast") of protected content, secure PIN and fingerprint processing, and even malware detection."[225]
Open-source community
Android's
There are, as of August 2019, a handful of notable custom Android distributions (ROMs) of Android version 9.0 Pie, which was released publicly in August 2018. See List of custom Android distributions.
Historically, device manufacturers and mobile carriers have typically been unsupportive of third-party
Device codenames
Internally, Android identifies each supported device by its device codename, a short string,[238] which may or may not be similar to the model name used in marketing the device. For example, the device codename of the Pixel smartphone is sailfish.
The device codename is usually not visible to the end user, but is important for determining compatibility with modified Android versions. It is sometimes also mentioned in articles discussing a device, because it allows to distinguish different hardware variants of a device, even if the manufacturer offers them under the same name. The device codename is available to running applications under android.os.Build.DEVICE
.[239]
Security and privacy
In 2020, Google launched the Android Partner Vulnerability Initiative to improve the security of Android.[240][241] They also formed an Android security team.[242]
Common security threats
Research from security company
In 2021, journalists and researchers reported the discovery of
Scope of surveillance by public institutions
As part of the broader
The documents revealed a further effort by the intelligence agencies to intercept Google Maps searches and queries submitted from Android and other smartphones to collect location information in bulk.[251] The NSA and GCHQ insist their activities comply with all relevant domestic and international laws, although the Guardian stated "the latest disclosures could also add to mounting public concern about how the technology sector collects and uses information, especially for those outside the US, who enjoy fewer privacy protections than Americans."[251]
Leaked documents codenamed
Security patches
In August 2015, Google announced that devices in the
In a March 2017 post on Google's Security Blog, Android security leads Adrian Ludwig and Mel Miller wrote that "More than 735 million devices from 200+ manufacturers received a platform security update in 2016" and that "Our carrier and hardware partners helped expand deployment of these updates, releasing updates for over half of the top 50 devices worldwide in the last quarter of 2016". They also wrote that "About half of devices in use at the end of 2016 had not received a platform security update in the previous year", stating that their work would continue to focus on streamlining the security updates program for easier deployment by manufacturers.[264] Furthermore, in a comment to TechCrunch, Ludwig stated that the wait time for security updates had been reduced from "six to nine weeks down to just a few days", with 78% of flagship devices in North America being up-to-date on security at the end of 2016.[265]
Patches to bugs found in the core operating system often do not reach users of older and lower-priced devices.[266][267] However, the open-source nature of Android allows security contractors to take existing devices and adapt them for highly secure uses. For example, Samsung has worked with General Dynamics through their Open Kernel Labs acquisition to rebuild Jelly Bean on top of their hardened microvisor for the "Knox" project.[268][269]
Location-tracking
Android smartphones have the ability to report the location of
Further notable exploits
In 2018, Norwegian security firm Promon has unearthed a serious Android security hole which can be exploited to steal login credentials, access messages, and track location, which could be found in all versions of Android, including Android 10. The vulnerability came by exploiting a bug in the multitasking system enabling a malicious app to overlay legitimate apps with fake login screens that users are not aware of when handing in security credentials. Users can also be tricked into granting additional permissions to the malicious apps, which later enable them to perform various nefarious activities, including intercepting texts or calls and stealing banking credentials.[273] Avast Threat Labs also discovered that many pre-installed apps on several hundred new Android devices contain dangerous malware and adware. Some of the preinstalled malware can commit ad fraud or even take over its host device.[274][275]
In 2020, the Which? watchdog reported that more than a billion Android devices released in 2012 or earlier, which was 40% of Android devices worldwide, were at risk of being hacked. This conclusion stemmed from the fact that no security updates were issued for the Android versions below 7.0 in 2019. Which? collaborated with the AV Comparatives anti-virus lab to infect five phone models with malware, and it succeeded in each case. Google refused to comment on the watchdog's speculations.[276]
On August 5, 2020, Twitter published a blog urging its users to update their applications to the latest version with regards to a security concern that allowed others to access direct messages. A hacker could easily use the "Android system permissions" to fetch the account credentials in order to do so. The security issue is only with Android 8 (Android Oreo) and Android 9 (Android Pie). Twitter confirmed that updating the app will restrict such practices.[277]
Technical security features
Android applications run in a sandbox, an isolated area of the system that does not have access to the rest of the system's resources, unless access permissions are explicitly granted by the user when the application is installed, however this may not be possible for pre-installed apps. It is not possible, for example, to turn off the microphone access of the pre-installed camera app without disabling the camera completely. This is valid also in Android versions 7 and 8.[278]
Since February 2012, Google has used its
Before installing an application, the Google Play store displays a list of the requirements an app needs to function. After reviewing these permissions, the user can choose to accept or refuse them, installing the application only if they accept.[284] In Android 6.0 "Marshmallow", the permissions system was changed; apps are no longer automatically granted all of their specified permissions at installation time. An opt-in system is used instead, in which users are prompted to grant or deny individual permissions to an app when they are needed for the first time. Applications remember the grants, which can be revoked by the user at any time. Pre-installed apps, however, are not always part of this approach. In some cases it may not be possible to deny certain permissions to pre-installed apps, nor be possible to disable them. The Google Play Services app cannot be uninstalled, nor disabled. Any force stop attempt, result in the app restarting itself.[285][286] The new permissions model is used only by applications developed for Marshmallow using its software development kit (SDK), and older apps will continue to use the previous all-or-nothing approach. Permissions can still be revoked for those apps, though this might prevent them from working properly, and a warning is displayed to that effect.[287][288]
In September 2014, Jason Nova of Android Authority reported on a study by the German security company Fraunhofer AISEC in antivirus software and malware threats on Android. Nova wrote that "The Android operating system deals with software packages by sandboxing them; this does not allow applications to list the directory contents of other apps to keep the system safe. By not allowing the antivirus to list the directories of other apps after installation, applications that show no inherent suspicious behavior when downloaded are cleared as safe. If then later on parts of the app are activated that turn out to be malicious, the antivirus will have no way to know since it is inside the app and out of the antivirus' jurisdiction". The study by Fraunhofer AISEC, examining antivirus software from Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Lookout, McAfee (formerly Intel Security), Norton, Sophos, and Trend Micro, revealed that "the tested antivirus apps do not provide protection against customized malware or targeted attacks", and that "the tested antivirus apps were also not able to detect malware which is completely unknown to date but does not make any efforts to hide its malignity".[289]
In August 2013, Google announced Android Device Manager (renamed Find My Device in May 2017),[290][291] a service that allows users to remotely track, locate, and wipe their Android device,[292][293] with an Android app for the service released in December.[294][295] In December 2016, Google introduced a Trusted Contacts app, letting users request location-tracking of loved ones during emergencies.[296][297] In 2020, Trusted Contacts was shut down and the location-sharing feature rolled into Google Maps.[298]
On October 8, 2018, Google announced new Google Play store requirements to combat over-sharing of potentially sensitive information, including call and text logs. The issue stems from the fact that many apps request permissions to access users' personal information (even if this information is not needed for the app to function) and some users unquestionably grant these permissions. Alternatively, a permission might be listed in the app manifest as required (as opposed to optional) and the app would not install unless user grants the permission; users can withdraw any, even required, permissions from any app in the device settings after app installation, but few users do this. Google promised to work with developers and create exceptions if their apps require Phone or SMS permissions for "core app functionality". The new policies enforcement started on January 6, 2019, 90 days after policy announcement on October 8, 2018. Furthermore, Google announced a new "target API level requirement" (targetSdkVersion
in manifest) at least Android 8.0 (API level 26) for all new apps and app updates. The API level requirement might combat the practice of app developers bypassing some permission screens by specifying early Android versions that had a coarser permission model.[299][300]
Verified Boot
The Android Open Source Project implements a verified boot chain with intentions to verify that executed code, such as the kernel or bootloader, comes from an official source instead of a malicious actor. This implementation establishes a full chain of trust, as it initially starts at a hardware level. Subsequently, the boot loader is verified and system partitions such as system
and vendor
are checked for integrity.[301][302]
Furthermore, this process verifies that a previous version of Android has not been installed. This effectively provides rollback protection, which mitigates exploits that are similar to a downgrade attack.[301]
dm-verity
Android (all supported versions, as far back as version 4.4 of the Android Open Source Project) has the option to provide a verified boot chain with dm-verity
. This is a feature in the Linux kernel that allows for transparent integrity checking of block devices.[303][304]
This feature is designed to mitigate persistent
Google Play Services and vendor changes
Dependence on proprietary
Criticism and controversy
Privacy and GPDR compliance
France
In 2019, Google was fined €50 Million by the French CNIL for a lack of information regarding their users.[308]
Two years later, in 2021, researcher Douglas Leith, using a sort of data interception, showed that several data are sent from Android device to Google's servers, even when the phone is sleeping (IDLE) with no Google account registered into it.[309] Several Google applications send data, such as Chrome, Message or Docs, however Youtube is the only one to add a unique identifier data.[310]
In 2022, Leith showed that an Android phone sent various data related to communications, including phone and text messages to Google. Timestamp, sender and receiver, plus several other data, are sent to Google Play Services infrastructure, even if the "Usage and Diag" feature is disabled. Those data are marked with a Unique Identifier of an Android device, and don't comply with GPDR.[311]
Australia
Google was sanctioned about
United States of America
A similar case to the 2019 French case regarding location tracking, was brought in the U.S. in a privacy lawsuit filed by a coalition of attorneys general from 40 U.S. states. A penalty of USD 391 Million was agreed between Google and the DoJ.[313] The New York Times released at that time a long-term investigation about those privacy concerns.[314]
Impact of phones around the traffic
In 2020,
Lack of software support for a decade
In the 2010s, many customers discovered that their devices were affected by a very short term of software support, regarding Android updates.
This initial problem was that for lot of devices, only one or few Android versions were available.
The main reason of this new functioning is explain by the fact upgrade and software support of Android, costs to
On the first hand, several initiative for
Secondly, other mobile operating-system alternative projects started, such as Sailfish for Jolla and Xperia phones, plus community-driven projects : Ubuntu Touch, Postmarketos and even a Android-independent and Qualcomm-independent phone,[322] as the Librem, made by Purism with NXP components.
Thirdly, after years of complaints by customers, Samsung, the biggest manufacturer of Android-based smartphones and devices, decided in 2024, firstly to guarantee software support from 2 to 4 years, for devices sold starting 2022.[323] Then, few times after, Qualcomm accompanied this initiative by extending support for manufacturers from 4 up to 7 years of updates.[324] For the comparison, Apple's iPhone product range are mainly supported not less than 4 years, since the iPhone 4, released in 2010. In addition, the first Jolla 1 phone, released in 2013, had its last update, in 2021.[325]
Functioning at the opposite of Linux Distributions
Since it has been released, several observers and experts noticed that at the opposite of all Linux Distributions, Android isn't as opensource as it looks.[326] Almost all components from Google and manufacturers are proprietary,[327] closed source.[328] Where Linux distros are driven by community and fully open-source, Google still manages everything of AOSP Project, as the leader organization.[329]
Licensing
The
Only the base Android operating system (including some applications) is open-source software, whereas most Android devices ship with a substantial amount of proprietary software, such as
Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation have been critical of Android and have recommended the usage of alternatives such as Replicant, because drivers and firmware vital for the proper functioning of Android devices are usually proprietary, and because the Google Play Store application can forcibly install or uninstall applications and, as a result, invite non-free software. In both cases, the use of closed-source software causes the system to become vulnerable to backdoors.[337][338]
It has been argued that because developers are often required to purchase the Google-branded Android license, this has turned the theoretically open system into a freemium service.[339]: 20
Leverage over manufacturers
Google licenses their Google Mobile Services software, along with the Android trademarks, only to hardware manufacturers for devices that meet Google's compatibility standards specified in the Android Compatibility Program document.
In 2014, Google also began to require that all Android devices which license the Google Mobile Services software display a prominent "Powered by Android" logo on their boot screens.[114] Google has also enforced preferential bundling and placement of Google Mobile Services on devices, including mandated bundling of the entire main suite of Google applications, mandatory placement of shortcuts to Google Search and the Play Store app on or near the main home screen page in its default configuration,[344] and granting a larger share of search revenue to OEMs who agree to not include third-party app stores on their devices.[345] In March 2018, it was reported that Google had begun to block "uncertified" Android devices from using Google Mobile Services software, and display a warning indicating that "the device manufacturer has preloaded Google apps and services without certification from Google". Users of custom ROMs can register their device ID to their Google account to remove this block.[346]
Some stock applications and components in AOSP code that were formerly used by earlier versions of Android, such as Search, Music, Calendar, and the location API, were abandoned by Google in favor of non-free replacements distributed through Play Store (Google Search, YouTube Music, and Google Calendar) and Google Play Services, which are no longer open-source. Moreover, open-source variants of some applications also exclude functions that are present in their non-free versions.[113][347][348][349] These measures are likely intended to discourage forks and encourage commercial licensing in line with Google requirements, as the majority of the operating system's core functionality is dependent on proprietary components licensed exclusively by Google, and it would take significant development resources to develop an alternative suite of software and APIs to replicate or replace them. Apps that do not use Google components would also be at a functional disadvantage, as they can only use APIs contained within the OS itself. In turn, third-party apps may have dependencies on Google Play Services.[350]
Members of the Open Handset Alliance, which include the majority of Android OEMs, are also contractually forbidden from producing Android devices based on forks of the OS;
Reception
Android received a lukewarm reaction when it was unveiled in 2007. Although analysts were impressed with the respected technology companies that had partnered with Google to form the Open Handset Alliance, it was unclear whether mobile phone manufacturers would be willing to replace their existing operating systems with Android.[355] The idea of an open-source, Linux-based development platform sparked interest,[356] but there were additional worries about Android facing strong competition from established players in the smartphone market, such as Nokia and Microsoft, and rival Linux mobile operating systems that were in development.[357] These established players were skeptical: Nokia was quoted as saying "we don't see this as a threat", and a member of Microsoft's Windows Mobile team stated "I don't understand the impact that they are going to have."[358]
Since then Android has grown to become the most widely used smartphone operating system[359][360] and "one of the fastest mobile experiences available".[361] Reviewers have highlighted the open-source nature of the operating system as one of its defining strengths, allowing companies such as Nokia (Nokia X family),[362] Amazon (Kindle Fire), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Ouya, Baidu and others to fork the software and release hardware running their own customised version of Android. As a result, it has been described by technology website Ars Technica as "practically the default operating system for launching new hardware" for companies without their own mobile platforms.[359] This openness and flexibility is also present at the level of the end user: Android allows extensive customisation of devices by their owners and apps are freely available from non-Google app stores and third party websites. These have been cited as among the main advantages of Android phones over others.[359][363]
Despite Android's popularity, including an activation rate three times that of iOS, there have been reports that Google has not been able to leverage their other products and web services successfully to turn Android into the money maker that analysts had expected.[364] The Verge suggested that Google is losing control of Android due to the extensive customization and proliferation of non-Google apps and services – Amazon's Kindle Fire line uses Fire OS, a heavily modified fork of Android which does not include or support any of Google's proprietary components, and requires that users obtain software from its competing Amazon Appstore instead of Play Store.[113] In 2014, in an effort to improve prominence of the Android brand, Google began to require that devices featuring its proprietary components display an Android logo on the boot screen.[114]
Android has suffered from "fragmentation",
Market share
Android is the most used operating system on phones in virtually all countries, with some countries, such as India, having over 96% market share.[368] On tablets, usage is more even, as iOS is a bit more popular globally.
Research company Canalys estimated in the second quarter of 2009, that Android had a 2.8% share of worldwide
By the third quarter of 2011, Gartner estimated that more than half (52.5%) of the smartphone sales belonged to Android.[375] By the third quarter of 2012 Android had a 75% share of the global smartphone market according to the research firm IDC.[376]
In July 2011, Google said that 550,000 Android devices were being activated every day,[377] up from 400,000 per day in May,[378] and more than 100 million devices had been activated[379] with 4.4% growth per week.[377] In September 2012, 500 million devices had been activated with 1.3 million activations per day.[380][381] In May 2013, at Google I/O, Sundar Pichai announced that 900 million Android devices had been activated.[382]
Android market share varies by location. In July 2012, "mobile subscribers aged 13+" in the United States using Android were up to 52%,[383] and rose to 90% in China.[384] During the third quarter of 2012, Android's worldwide smartphone shipment market share was 75%,[376] with 750 million devices activated in total. In April 2013, Android had 1.5 million activations per day.[381] As of May 2013,[update] 48 billion application ("app") installation have been performed from the Google Play store,[385] and by September 2013, one billion Android devices had been activated.[386]
As of August 2020,[update] the Google Play store had over 3 million Android applications published,[12][387] and as of May 2016,[update] apps had been downloaded more than 65 billion times.[388] The operating system's success has made it a target for patent litigation as part of the so-called "smartphone wars" between technology companies.[389][390]
Android devices account for more than half of smartphone sales in most markets, including the US, while "only in Japan was Apple on top" (September–November 2013 numbers).[391] At the end of 2013, over 1.5 billion Android smartphones had been sold in the four years since 2010,[392][393] making Android the most sold phone and tablet OS. Three billion Android smartphones were estimated to be sold by the end of 2014 (including previous years). According to Gartner research company, Android-based devices outsold all contenders, every year since 2012.[394] In 2013, it outsold Windows 2.8:1 or by 573 million.[395][396][397] As of 2015,[update] Android has the largest installed base of all operating systems;[21] Since 2013, devices running it also sell more than Windows, iOS and Mac OS X devices combined.[398]
According to StatCounter, which tracks only the use for browsing the web, Android is the most popular mobile operating system since August 2013.[399] Android is the most popular operating system for web browsing in India and several other countries (e.g. virtually all of Asia, with Japan and North Korea exceptions). According to StatCounter, Android is most used on phones in all African countries, and it stated "mobile usage has already overtaken desktop in several countries including India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia",[400] with all countries in Africa having done so already in which mobile (including tablets) usage is at 90.46% (Android only, accounts for 75.81% of all use there).[401][402]
While Android phones in the
According to a January 2015
According to a Statistica's estimate, Android smartphones had an installed base of 1.8 billion units in 2015, which was 76% of the estimated total number of smartphones worldwide.[405][406][a] Android has the largest installed base of any mobile operating system and, since 2013, the highest-selling operating system overall[395][398][408][409][410] with sales in 2012, 2013 and 2014[411] close to the installed base of all PCs.[412]
In the second quarter of 2014, Android's share of the global smartphone shipment market was 84.7%, a new record.[413][414] This had grown to 87.5% worldwide market share by the third quarter of 2016,[415] leaving main competitor iOS with 12.1% market share.[416]
According to an April 2017 StatCounter report, Android overtook Microsoft Windows to become the most popular operating system for total Internet usage.[417][418] It has maintained the plurality since then.[419]
In September 2015, Google announced that Android had 1.4 billion monthly active users.[420][421] This changed to 2 billion monthly active users in May 2017.[422][423]
Adoption on tablets
Despite its success on smartphones, initially Android tablet adoption was slow,[424] then later caught up with the iPad, in most countries. One of the main causes was the chicken or the egg situation where consumers were hesitant to buy an Android tablet due to a lack of high quality tablet applications, but developers were hesitant to spend time and resources developing tablet applications until there was a significant market for them.[425][426] The content and app "ecosystem" proved more important than hardware specs as the selling point for tablets. Due to the lack of Android tablet-specific applications in 2011, early Android tablets had to make do with existing smartphone applications that were ill-suited to larger screen sizes, whereas the dominance of Apple's iPad was reinforced by the large number of tablet-specific iOS applications.[426][427]
Despite app support in its infancy, a considerable number of Android tablets, like the
This began to change in 2012, with the release of the affordable
As of the end of 2013, over 191.6 million Android tablets had sold in three years since 2011.[433][434] This made Android tablets the most-sold type of tablet in 2013, surpassing iPads in the second quarter of 2013.[435]
According to StatCounter's web use statistics, as of 2020[update], Android tablets represent the majority of tablet devices used in Africa (70%), South America (65%), while less than half elsewhere, e.g. Europe (44%), Asia (44%), North America (34%) and Oceania/Australia (18%). There are countries on all continents where Android tablets are the majority, for example, Mexico.[436]
In March 2016, Galen Gruman of
Platform information
Android has 71% market share vs Apple's iOS/iPadOS at 28% (on tablets alone Apple is slightly ahead, i.e. 44% vs 56%, though Android is ahead in virtually all countries). The latest Android 14 is the most popular Android version on smartphones and on tablets.
As of 2024[update], Android 14 is most popular single Android version on smartphones at 26%,[439] followed by Android 13, 12, down to Pie 9.0 in that order. Android is more used than iOS is virtually all countries, with few exceptions such as iOS has a 56% share in the US. The latest Android 14 is the most used single version in several countries e.g. the US, Canada, Australia, with over a third of the share in those countries, and it's also single most used in India and most of European countries. Usage of Android 12 and newer, i.e. supported versions, is at 64%, the rest of users are not supported with security updates, with recently unsupported Android 11, use is at 78.55%.
On tablets, Android 14 is again the most popular single version, at 17%.[440][441] Usage of Android 12 and newer, i.e. supported versions, is at 46% on Android tablets, and with Android 11, until recently supported, at 56%. The usage share varies a lot by country.
Version | Marketing name | Release date | API level | Kernel | Launched with |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 14 | October 4, 2023 | 34 | 6.1 | Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, iQOO 11 Pro, Lenovo Tab Extreme Wi-Fi, Nothing Phone 1, OnePlus 11, Oppo Find N2, Oppo Find N2 Flip, Realme GT 2 Pro, Tecno Camon 20 series, Vivo X90 Pro, Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 13 Pro, Xiaomi Pad 6[442]
|
13 | 13 | August 15, 2022 | 33 | 5.x | Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Asus ZenFone 8, Lenovo P12 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro, Vivo X80 Pro, Realme GT2 Pro, Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi Pad 5, Redmi K50 Pro, Sharp AQUOS sense6, Tecno Camon 19 Pro, ZTE Axon 40 Ultra[443]
|
12L | 12 | March 7, 2022 | 32 | 5.x | Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a |
12 | October 4, 2021 | 31 | 5.x | Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 5, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Asus ZenFone 8, Nokia X20, OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Find X3 Pro, iQOO 7 Legend, Realme GT,[444] TCL 20 Pro 5G, Xiaomi Mi 11, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Xiaomi Mi 11i/Mi 11X Pro,[445] Tecno Camon 17, ZTE Axon 30 Ultra | |
11 | 11 | September 8, 2020 | 30 | 5.x | Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL,[446] OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro, Oppo Find X2, Oppo Find X2 Pro, Vivo NEX 3S, Xiaomi Mi 10, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro,[447] Realme X50 Pro, Sharp AQUOS Zero 2 |
10 | 10 | September 3, 2019 | 29 | 5.x | Asus ZenFone 5Z, Essential Phone, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, Oppo Reno, Sony Xperia XZ3, Vivo X27, Vivo NEX S, Vivo NEX A, Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G, Xiaomi Mi 9, Tecno Spark 3 Pro, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, LG G8, Nokia 8.1, Realme 3 Pro[448] |
9 | Pie | August 6, 2018 | 28 | 4.x | Essential Phone, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21UD, Vivo X21, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S[449] |
Since April 2024, 85% of devices have
Application piracy
Paid Android applications in the past were simple to
In 2010, Google released a tool for validating authorized purchases for use within apps, but developers complained that this was insufficient and trivial to crack. Google responded that the tool, especially its initial release, was intended as a sample framework for developers to modify and build upon depending on their needs, not as a finished piracy solution.[454] Android "Jelly Bean" introduced the ability for paid applications to be encrypted, so that they may work only on the device for which they were purchased.[455][456]
Legal issues
The success of Android has made it a target for patent and copyright litigation between technology companies, both Android and Android phone manufacturers having been involved in numerous patent lawsuits and other legal challenges.
Patent lawsuit with Oracle
On August 12, 2010,
In December 2015, Google announced that the next major release of Android (Android Nougat) would switch to OpenJDK, which is the official open-source implementation of the Java platform, instead of using the now-discontinued Apache Harmony project as its runtime. Code reflecting this change was also posted to the AOSP source repository.[218] In its announcement, Google claimed this was part of an effort to create a "common code base" between Java on Android and other platforms.[219] Google later admitted in a court filing that this was part of an effort to address the disputes with Oracle, as its use of OpenJDK code is governed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) with a linking exception, and that "any damages claim associated with the new versions expressly licensed by Oracle under OpenJDK would require a separate analysis of damages from earlier releases".[218] In June 2016, a United States federal court ruled in favor of Google, stating that its use of the APIs was fair use.[466]
In April 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Google's use of the Java APIs was within the bounds of fair use, reversing the Federal Circuit Appeals Court ruling and remanding the case for further hearing. The majority opinion began with the assumption that the APIs may be copyrightable, and thus proceeded with a review of the factors that contributed to fair use.[467]
Anti-competitive challenges in Europe
In 2013, FairSearch, a lobbying organization supported by Microsoft, Oracle and others, filed a complaint regarding Android with the European Commission, alleging that its free-of-charge distribution model constituted anti-competitive predatory pricing. The Free Software Foundation Europe, whose donors include Google, disputed the Fairsearch allegations.[468] On April 20, 2016, the EU filed a formal antitrust complaint against Google based upon the FairSearch allegations, arguing that its leverage over Android vendors, including the mandatory bundling of the entire suite of proprietary Google software, hindering the ability for competing search providers to be integrated into Android, and barring vendors from producing devices running forks of Android, constituted anti-competitive practices.[469] In August 2016, Google was fined US$6.75 million by the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) under similar allegations by Yandex.[470] The European Commission issued its decision on July 18, 2018, determining that Google had conducted three operations related to Android that were in violation of antitrust regulations: bundling Google's search and Chrome as part of Android, blocking phone manufacturers from using forked versions of Android, and establishing deals with phone manufacturers and network providers to exclusively bundle the Google search application on handsets (a practice Google ended by 2014). The EU fined Google for €4.3 billion (about US$5 billion) and required the company to end this conduct within 90 days.[471] Google filed its appeal of the ruling in October 2018, though will not ask for any interim measures to delay the onset of conduct requirements.[472]
On October 16, 2018, Google announced that it would change its distribution model for Google Mobile Services in the EU, since part of its revenues streams for Android which came through use of Google Search and Chrome were now prohibited by the EU's ruling. While the core Android system remains free, OEMs in Europe would be required to purchase a paid license to the core suite of Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. Google Search will be licensed separately, with an option to include Google Chrome at no additional cost atop Search. European OEMs can bundle third-party alternatives on phones and devices sold to customers, if they so choose. OEMs will no longer be barred from selling any device running incompatible versions of Android in Europe.[473]
Others
In addition to lawsuits against Google directly, various
Google has publicly expressed its frustration for the current patent landscape in the United States, accusing Apple, Oracle and Microsoft of trying to take down Android through patent litigation, rather than innovating and competing with better products and services.[480] In August 2011, Google purchased Motorola Mobility for US$12.5 billion, which was viewed in part as a defensive measure to protect Android, since Motorola Mobility held more than 17,000 patents.[481][482] In December 2011, Google bought over a thousand patents from IBM.[483]
Turkey's competition authority investigations about the default search engine in Android, started in 2017, led to a US$17.4 million fine in September 2018 and a fine of 0.05 percent of Google's revenue per day in November 2019 when Google did not meet the requirements.[484] In December 2019, Google stopped issuing licenses for new Android phone models sold in Turkey.[484]
Other uses
Google has developed several variations of Android for specific use cases, including Android Wear, later renamed Wear OS, for wearable devices such as wrist watches,[485][486] Android TV for televisions,[487][488] Android Things for smart or Internet of things devices and Android Automotive for cars.[489][490] Additionally, by providing infrastructure that combines dedicated hardware and dedicated applications running on regular Android, Google have opened up the platform for its use in particular usage scenarios, such as the Android Auto app for cars,[491][492] and Daydream, a Virtual Reality platform.[493]
The open and customizable nature of Android allows
In 2011, Google demonstrated "Android@Home", a home automation technology which uses Android to control a range of household devices including light switches, power sockets and thermostats.[520] Prototype light bulbs were announced that could be controlled from an Android phone or tablet, but Android head Andy Rubin was cautious to note that "turning a lightbulb on and off is nothing new", pointing to numerous failed home automation services. Google, he said, was thinking more ambitiously and the intention was to use their position as a cloud services provider to bring Google products into customers' homes.[521][522]
Parrot unveiled an Android-based car stereo system known as Asteroid in 2011,[523] followed by a successor, the touchscreen-based Asteroid Smart, in 2012.[524] In 2013, Clarion released its own Android-based car stereo, the AX1.[525] In January 2014, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google announced the formation of the Open Automotive Alliance, a group including several major automobile makers (Audi, General Motors, Hyundai, and Honda) and Nvidia, which aims to produce Android-based in-car entertainment systems for automobiles, "[bringing] the best of Android into the automobile in a safe and seamless way."[526]
Android comes preinstalled on a few laptops (a similar functionality of running Android applications is also available in Google's
In October 2015,
At Google I/O in May 2016, Google announced Daydream, a virtual reality platform that relied on a smartphone and provided VR capabilities through a virtual reality headset and controller designed by Google itself.[493] However, this did not catch on and was discontinued in 2019.[536]
Mascot
The mascot of Android is a green android robot, as related to the software's name. Although it had no official name for a long time, the Android team at Google reportedly call it "Bugdroid".[537] In 2024, a Google blog post revealed its official name, "The Bot".[538][539]
It was designed by then-Google graphic designer Irina Blok on November 5, 2007, when Android was announced. Contrary to reports that she was tasked with a project to create an icon,[540] Blok confirmed in an interview that she independently developed it and made it open source. The robot design was initially not presented to Google, but it quickly became commonplace in the Android development team, with various variations of it created by the developers there who liked the figure, as it was free under a Creative Commons license.[541][542] Its popularity amongst the development team eventually led to Google adopting it as an official icon as part of the Android logo when it launched to consumers in 2008.
See also
- Booting process of Android devices
- Comparison of mobile operating systems
- Index of Android OS articles
- List of Android smartphones
- Custom Firmware § Android
References
Explanatory notes
- Windows, the most popular "desktop" operating system, was estimated to have an installed base of about 1.3 billion at best;[407]they also estimate the overall tablet installed base to be already of comparable size to the PC market and predict tablets will have surpassed them by 2018.
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