Android from the beginning

Android Development From Beginning Until Now

Android Development From Beginning Until Now | Until now smartphone operating system Android has been overwhelming and perhaps incalculable by us. Updates version that continues from the initial launch to date is very pronounced for users of smartphones or tablet computers. Public concern is with the naming for each version of the sorted through the alphabet.

Here is an Android Development From Early Until Now

• Android version 1.0 (Beta)
  Beta version was released on 5 November 2007, and then on September 23, 2008 was released the commercial version to include a variety of features such as Android Market, Web Browser, Gmail, Maps, and so forth.

• Android version 1.1
  On March 9, 2009 has been released Android version 1.1 which updates ensued features such as the addition of features ranging Google Mail Services (GMS), Alarm Clock, Voice Search, until the availability of File Attachment in the message.

• Android version 1.5 (Cupcake)
  After the release of Android version 1.5 Cupcake on 30 April 2009 start of the new features that have sprung up, such as the ability to upload videos to Youtube, the integration of the home screen and widgets, copy and paste in your browser, and much more.

• Android version 1.6 (Donut)
  Donut version released on 15 September 2009 and equipped with the main features of the camera integration, video and galleries, then support the WVGA resolution screen, as well as improvements Google Play (Android Market).

• Android version 2.0 — 2.1 (Eclair)
  Shortly thereafter released Android Eclair (v2.0 — 2.1) on December 9, 2009 with a variety of interesting features, such as support Google Maps Beta, SMS search, to Bluetooth 2.1 which allows for faster data transfer.

• Android version 2.2 — 2.3 (Froyo = Frozen Yoghurt)
  In 2010, precisely in May, Android OS re-introduce the newest version of the Android OS Froyo 2.2-2.2.3 which has the support of Adobe Flash Player that does not exist in previous versions, Eclair. Froyo better performance than Eclair, coupled with support for SD (Secure Digital) Card, which make it easier for its users or user in performing data storage in smart mobile devices.

• Android version 2.3 — 2.3.7 (Gingerbread)
  After that Android inaugurated the launch of Android Gingerbread (version 2.3, 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.7) on December 6, 2010. In this version has been made energy-saving interface improvements, support to the NFC, virtual keyboard, and improved copy paste facility.

• Android version 3.0 — 3.2 (Honeycomb)
  Android version is more intended for tablet users with an interface or interface more user friendly, multi-tasking features, and other features tailored for tablet computer devices.

• Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  It was officially released on October 19, 2011, Android 4.0 ICS version is equipped with new features that unlock features with face recognition (Face Unlock), improved text input and sound, as well as virtual buttons that can replace physical buttons.

• Android version 4.1 — 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
  Then on July 9, 2012, has been released for version 4.1 of Android called Jelly Bean. There are a lot of new features were added to the Android Jelly Bean, Google Now among other features, user interface, lock screen widgets, and Bluetooth smart ready.

• Android version 4.4 (KitKat)
  On October 31, 2013 and introduced with Android version 4.4 KitKat as its name. The renewal can be seen in this version of Android, such as interface or a more sophisticated interface, screen recording features, support for wireless printing, enhanced security features and performance.

• Android version 5.0 (Lollipop)
  The Android operating system has increased the Android version 5.0, which is the successor version of previous versions of the Android version 4.4 KitKat. Android is undergoing some significant changes, including the Material Design interface design or a more colorful interface and responsive of course.

• Android 6.0+ (Marshmallow)
  Android 6.0 «Marshmallow» is the continued development of Android Lollipop, OS was introduced in May 2015 at the Google I / O with the codename «Android ‘M’ ‘and was officially released in October 2015.

  Marshmallow focus to improving the experience of users Lollipop, by introducing architectural app permission new, new APIs to enhance the assistant contextually in «Google Now On Tap» which is a new capability of the Google Search, then a system (Doze) new power management can reduce activity in the background when the device is not in use, and native support for fingerprint recognition and USB type-C connector. Coupled with the ability to migrate data to a microSD card and use it as a primary storage.

• Android 7.0 (Nougat)
  Nougat Android 7.0 will also allow users to open two apps in a split-screen mode on your Nexus device. It also can measure and change the display of various applications automatically, but users can also customize their own settings with a new measurement. Users can now have up to nine toggles on one screen with Quick Settings feature in Android N.

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Android versions: A living history from 1.0 to 12

Explore Android’s ongoing evolution with this visual timeline of versions, starting B.C. (Before Cupcake) and going all the way to 2021’s Android 12 release.

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Contributing Editor, Computerworld |

Android Versions

What a long, strange trip it’s been.

From its inaugural release to today, Android has transformed visually, conceptually and functionally — time and time again. Google’s mobile operating system may have started out scrappy, but holy moly, has it ever evolved.

Here’s a fast-paced tour of Android version highlights from the platform’s birth to present. (Feel free to skip ahead if you just want to see what’s new in Android 11 or Android 12.)

Android versions 1.0 to 1.1: The early days

Android made its official public debut in 2008 with Android 1.0 — a release so ancient it didn’t even have a cute codename.

Things were pretty basic back then, but the software did include a suite of early Google apps like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube, all of which were integrated into the operating system — a stark contrast to the more easily updatable standalone-app model employed today.

The Android 1.0 home screen and its rudimentary web browser (not yet called Chrome).

Android version 1.5: Cupcake

With early 2009’s Android 1.5 Cupcake release, the tradition of Android version names was born. Cupcake introduced numerous refinements to the Android interface, including the first on-screen keyboard — something that’d be necessary as phones moved away from the once-ubiquitous physical keyboard model.

Cupcake also brought about the framework for third-party app widgets, which would quickly turn into one of Android’s most distinguishing elements, and it provided the platform’s first-ever option for video recording.

Cupcake was all about the widgets.

Android version 1.6: Donut

Android 1.6, Donut, rolled into the world in the fall of 2009. Donut filled in some important holes in Android’s center, including the ability for the OS to operate on a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions — a factor that’d be critical in the years to come. It also added support for CDMA networks like Verizon, which would play a key role in Android’s imminent explosion.

Android’s universal search box made its first appearance in Android 1.6.

Android versions 2.0 to 2.1: Eclair

Keeping up the breakneck release pace of Android’s early years, Android 2.0, Eclair, emerged just six weeks after Donut; its «point-one» update, also called Eclair, came out a couple months later. Eclair was the first Android release to enter mainstream consciousness thanks to the original Motorola Droid phone and the massive Verizon-led marketing campaign surrounding it.

Verizon’s «iDon’t» ad for the Droid.

The release’s most transformative element was the addition of voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic info — something previously unheard of (and still essentially unmatched) in the smartphone world. Navigation aside, Eclair brought live wallpapers to Android as well as the platform’s first speech-to-text function. And it made waves for injecting the once-iOS-exclusive pinch-to-zoom capability into Android — a move often seen as the spark that ignited Apple’s long-lasting «thermonuclear war» against Google.

The first versions of turn-by-turn navigation and speech-to-text, in Eclair.

Android version 2.2: Froyo

Just four months after Android 2.1 arrived, Google served up Android 2.2, Froyo, which revolved largely around under-the-hood performance improvements.

Froyo did deliver some important front-facing features, though, including the addition of the now-standard dock at the bottom of the home screen as well as the first incarnation of Voice Actions, which allowed you to perform basic functions like getting directions and making notes by tapping an icon and then speaking a command.

Google’s first real attempt at voice control, in Froyo.

Notably, Froyo also brought support for Flash to Android’s web browser — an option that was significant both because of the widespread use of Flash at the time and because of Apple’s adamant stance against supporting it on its own mobile devices. Apple would eventually win, of course, and Flash would become far less common. But back when it was still everywhere, being able to access the full web without any black holes was a genuine advantage only Android could offer.

Android version 2.3: Gingerbread

Android’s first true visual identity started coming into focus with 2010’s Gingerbread release. Bright green had long been the color of Android’s robot mascot, and with Gingerbread, it became an integral part of the operating system’s appearance. Black and green seeped all over the UI as Android started its slow march toward distinctive design.

JR Raphael / IDG

It was easy being green back in the Gingerbread days.

Android 3.0 to 3.2: Honeycomb

2011’s Honeycomb period was a weird time for Android. Android 3.0 came into the world as a tablet-only release to accompany the launch of the Motorola Xoom, and through the subsequent 3.1 and 3.2 updates, it remained a tablet-exclusive (and closed-source) entity.

Under the guidance of newly arrived design chief Matias Duarte, Honeycomb introduced a dramatically reimagined UI for Android. It had a space-like «holographic» design that traded the platform’s trademark green for blue and placed an emphasis on making the most of a tablet’s screen space.

Honeycomb: When Android got a case of the holographic blues.

While the concept of a tablet-specific interface didn’t last long, many of Honeycomb’s ideas laid the groundwork for the Android we know today. The software was the first to use on-screen buttons for Android’s main navigational commands; it marked the beginning of the end for the permanent overflow-menu button; and it introduced the concept of a card-like UI with its take on the Recent Apps list.

Android version 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich

With Honeycomb acting as the bridge from old to new, Ice Cream Sandwich — also released in 2011 — served as the platform’s official entry into the era of modern design. The release refined the visual concepts introduced with Honeycomb and reunited tablets and phones with a single, unified UI vision.

ICS dropped much of Honeycomb’s «holographic» appearance but kept its use of blue as a system-wide highlight. And it carried over core system elements like on-screen buttons and a card-like appearance for app-switching.

JR Raphael / IDG

The ICS home screen and app-switching interface.

Android 4.0 also made swiping a more integral method of getting around the operating system, with the then-revolutionary-feeling ability to swipe away things like notifications and recent apps. And it started the slow process of bringing a standardized design framework — known as «Holo» — all throughout the OS and into Android’s app ecosystem.

Android versions 4.1 to 4.3: Jelly Bean

Spread across three impactful Android versions, 2012 and 2013’s Jelly Bean releases took ICS’s fresh foundation and made meaningful strides in fine-tuning and building upon it. The releases added plenty of poise and polish into the operating system and went a long way in making Android more inviting for the average user.

Visuals aside, Jelly Bean brought about our first taste of Google Now — the spectacular predictive-intelligence utility that’s sadly since devolved into a glorified news feed. It gave us expandable and interactive notifications, an expanded voice search system, and a more advanced system for displaying search results in general, with a focus on card-based results that attempted to answer questions directly.

Multiuser support also came into play, albeit on tablets only at this point, and an early version of Android’s Quick Settings panel made its first appearance. Jelly Bean ushered in a heavily hyped system for placing widgets on your lock screen, too — one that, like so many Android features over the years, quietly disappeared a couple years later.

JR Raphael / IDG

Jelly Bean’s Quick Settings panel and short-lived lock screen widget feature.

Android version 4.4: KitKat

Late-2013’s KitKat release marked the end of Android’s dark era, as the blacks of Gingerbread and the blues of Honeycomb finally made their way out of the operating system. Lighter backgrounds and more neutral highlights took their places, with a transparent status bar and white icons giving the OS a more contemporary appearance.

Android 4.4 also saw the first version of «OK, Google» support — but in KitKat, the hands-free activation prompt worked only when your screen was already on and you were either at your home screen or inside the Google app.

The release was Google’s first foray into claiming a full panel of the home screen for its services, too — at least, for users of its own Nexus phones and those who chose to download its first-ever standalone launcher.

JR Raphael / IDG

The lightened KitKat home screen and its dedicated Google Now panel.

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