The version history of the Android operating system began with the release of Android 1.0 in September 2008. Android is a mobile operating system

Mobile operating system

A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a...

 developed by Google

Google

Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

 and the Open Handset Alliance

Open Handset Alliance

The Open Handset Alliance is a consortium of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, T-Mobile, Nvidia, and Wind River Systems.-History:The OHA was...

, and has seen a number of updates

Patch (computing)

A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...

 since its original release. These updates to the base operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...

 typically fix bugs

Software bug

A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...

 and add new features. Since April 2009, each Android version has been developed under a codename based on a dessert

Dessert

In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits,...

 item. These versions have released in alphabetical order: Cupcake

Cupcake

A cupcake is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup...

, Donut

DONUT

DONUT was an experiment at Fermilab dedicated to the search for tau neutrino interactions. Even though the detector operated only during a few months in the summer of 1997, it was largely successful. By detecting the tau neutrino, it confirmed the existence of the last lepton predicted by the...

, Eclair, Froyo

Frozen yogurt

Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert containing yogurt or other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat...

, Gingerbread

Gingerbread

Gingerbread is a term used to describe a variety of sweet food products, which can range from a soft, moist loaf cake to something close to a ginger biscuit. What they have in common are the predominant flavors of ginger and a tendency to use honey or molasses rather than just sugar...

, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice cream sandwich

An ice cream sandwich is a frozen confection composed of a layer of ice cream, usually vanilla , "sandwiched" between two biscuits/cookies or slices of cake, usually chocolate.-Australia:...

. The pre-release versions of Android were dubbed Astro and Bender, but these names could not ultimately be used for trademark

Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

 reasons.

Beta

The Android beta was released on 5 November 2007, while the software developer's kit (SDK) was released on 12 November 2007.

Android 1.0

Android 1.0, the first commercial version of the software, was released on 23 September 2008. The first Android device, the HTC Dream (G1)

HTC Dream

The HTC Dream is an Internet-enabled smartphone with an operating system designed by Google and hardware designed by HTC...

, incorporated the following Android 1.0 features:

• Android Market
  Android Market
  Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
  
   application download and updates through the Market app
• Web browser
  Web browser
  A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
  
   to show, zoom and pan full HTML
  HTML
  HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
  
   and XHTML
  XHTML
  XHTML is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely-used Hypertext Markup Language , the language in which web pages are written....
  
   web pages – multiple pages show as windows ("cards")
• Camera support – however this version lacked the option to change the camera's resolution, white balance, quality, etc.
• Folders allowing the grouping of a number of app icons into a single folder icon on the Home screen.
• Access to web email servers, supporting POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP.
• Gmail
  Gmail
  Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
  
   synchronization with the Gmail app
• Google Contacts
  Google Contacts
  Google Contacts is Google's contact management tool that is available in its free email service Gmail, , and as a part of Google's business-oriented suite of web apps Google Apps.-2010 major update:...
  
   synchronization with the People app
• Google Calendar
  Google Calendar
  Google Calendar is a free time-management web application offered by Google. It became available on April 13, 2006, and exited the beta stage in July 2009...
  
   synchronization with the Calendar app
• Google Maps
  Google Maps
  Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
  
   with Latitude
  Google Latitude
  Google Latitude is a location-aware mobile app developed by Google as a successor to their earlier SMS-based service Dodgeball. Latitude allows a mobile phone user to allow certain people to view their current location. Via their own Google Account, the user's cell phone location is mapped on...
  
   and Street View
  Google Street View
  Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...
  
   to view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and obtain driving directions using GPS
• Google Sync
  Google Sync
  Google Sync is a service from Google that provides over-the-air synchronization of Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar with PC and mobile device Mail, Calendar and Address Book applications. As you switch phones, tablets, and computers, your Gmail, address book, and calendar are synched to...
  
  , allowing management of over-the-air synchronization of Gmail, People, and Calendar
• Google Search
  Google search
  Google or Google Web Search is a web search engine owned by Google Inc. Google Search is the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web, receiving several hundred million queries each day through its various services....
  
  , allowing users to search the Internet and phone apps, contacts, calendar, etc
• Google Talk
  Google Talk
  Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
  
   instant messaging
• Instant messaging
  Instant messaging
  Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
  
  , text messaging
  Text messaging
  Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
  
  , and MMS
• Media Player, enabling management, importing, and playback of media files – however, this version lacked video and stereo Bluetooth
  Bluetooth
  Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
  
   support
• Notifications appear in the Status bar, with options to set ringtone, LED or vibration alerts
• Voice Dialer allows dialing and placing of phone calls without typing a name or number
• Wallpaper allows the user to set the background image or photo behind the Home screen icons and widgets
• YouTube
  YouTube
  YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
  
   video player
• Other apps include: Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer (Phone), Home screen (launcher), Pictures (Gallery), and Settings.
• Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
  
   and Bluetooth support

Android 1.1

On 9 February 2009, the Android 1.1 update was released, initially for the T-Mobile G1 only. The update resolved bugs

Software bug

A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...

, changed the API and added a number of other features:

• Details and reviews available when a user searches for businesses on Maps
• Longer in-call screen timeout default when using the speakerphone, plus ability to show/hide dialpad
• Ability to save attachments in messages
• Support added for marquee in system layouts

1.5 Cupcake

On 30 April 2009, the Android 1.5 update, dubbed Cupcake, was released, based on Linux kernel

Linux kernel

The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....

 2.6.27. The update included several new features and UI amendments:

• Support for third-party virtual keyboards with text prediction and user dictionary for custom words
• Support for Widgets
  Widget engine
  In computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop.The widget model in widget engines is attractive because of ease of development...
  
   - miniature application views that can be embedded in other applications (such as the Home screen) and receive periodic updates
• Video recording and playback in MPEG-4
  MPEG-4
  MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
  
   and 3GP formats
• Auto-pairing and stereo support for Bluetooth added (A2DP and AVRCP profiles)
• Copy and paste features added to web browser
• User pictures shown for Favorites in Contacts
• Specific date/time stamp shown for events in call log, and one-touch access to a contact card from call log event
• Animated screen transitions
• Ability to upload videos to YouTube
  YouTube
  YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
  
  
• Ability to upload photos to Picasa
  Picasa
  Picasa is an image organizer and image viewer for organizing and editing digital photos, plus an integrated photo-sharing website, originally created by Idealab in 2002 and owned by Google since 2004. "Picasa" is a blend of the name of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the phrase mi casa for "my...
  
  

1.6 Donut

On 15 September 2009, the Android 1.6 SDK – dubbed Donut – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. Included in the update were numerous new features:

• Voice and text entry search enhanced to include bookmark history, contacts, and the web
• Ability for developers to include their content in search results
• Multi-lingual speech synthesis
  Speech synthesis
  Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...
  
   engine to allow any Android application to "speak" a string of text
• Easier searching and ability to view app screenshots in Android Market
• Gallery, camera and camcorder more fully integrated, with faster camera access
• Ability for users to select multiple photos for deletion
• Updated technology support for CDMA
  IS-95
  Interim Standard 95 is the first CDMA-based digital cellular standard by Qualcomm. The brand name for IS-95 is cdmaOne. IS-95 is also known as TIA-EIA-95....
  
  /EVDO
  Evolution-Data Optimized
   Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data only is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access...
  
  , 802.1x
  IEEE 802.1X
  IEEE 802.1X is an IEEE Standard for port-based Network Access Control . It is part of the IEEE 802.1 group of networking protocols. It provides an authentication mechanism to devices wishing to attach to a LAN or WLAN....
  
  , VPN
  Virtual private network
  A virtual private network is a network that uses primarily public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or traveling users access to a central organizational network....
  
  s, and a text-to-speech engine
• Support for WVGA screen resolutions
• Speed improvements in searching and camera applications
• Expanded Gesture framework and new GestureBuilder development tool
• Free Google-powered turn-by-turn navigation
  Turn-by-turn navigation
  Turn-by-turn navigation is a feature of some GPS navigation devices where directions for a selected route are continually presented to the user in the form of spoken and visual instructions. The system keeps the user up-to-date about the best route to the destination, and is often updated according...
  
  

2.0

On 26 October 2009, the Android 2.0 SDK – codenamed Eclair – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. Changes included:

• Expanded Account sync, allowing multiple accounts to be added to a device for email and contact synchronization
• Exchange email support, with combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page
• Bluetooth 2.1 support
• Ability to tap a Contacts photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person
• Ability to search all saved SMS and MMS messages, with delete oldest messages in a conversation automatically deleted when a defined limit is reached
• Numerous new camera features, including flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect and macro focus
• Improved typing speed on virtual keyboard, with smarter dictionary that learns from word usage and includes contact names as suggestions
• Refreshed browser UI with bookmark thumbnails, double-tap zoom and support for HTML5
• Calendar agenda view enhanced, showing attending status for each invitee, and ability to invite new guests to events
• Optimized hardware speed and revamped UI
• Support for more screen sizes and resolutions, with better contrast ratio
• Improved Google Maps 3.1.2
• MotionEvent class enhanced to track multi-touch events
• Addition of live wallpapers, allowing Home screen background images to be animated to show movement

2.0.1

The Android 2.0.1 SDK was released on 3 December 2009. It was a minor platform release deployable to Android-powered handsets, including minor API changes, bug fixes and framework behavioral changes.

2.1

The 2.1 SDK was released on 12 January 2010. It was a minor platform release deployable to Android-powered handsets, including minor amendments to the API and bug fixes.

2.2.x Froyo

2.2

On 20 May 2010, the Android 2.2 (Froyo) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32. Its features included:

• Speed, memory, and performance optimizations
• Additional application speed improvements, implemented through JIT compilation
  Just-in-time compilation
  In computing, just-in-time compilation , also known as dynamic translation, is a method to improve the runtime performance of computer programs. Historically, computer programs had two modes of runtime operation, either interpreted or static compilation...
  
  
• Integration of Chrome
  Google Chrome
  Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
  
  's V8 JavaScript engine
  V8 (JavaScript engine)
  The Google V8 JavaScript Engine is an open source JavaScript engine developed by Google and ships with the Google Chrome web browser. Lars Bak is the head programmer....
  
   into the Browser application
• Support for the Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications
  Push technology
  Push technology, or server push, describes a style of Internet-based communication where the request for a given transaction is initiated by the publisher or central server...
  
  
• Improved Microsoft Exchange support, including security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization and remote wipe
• Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications
• USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
• Added an option to disable data access over mobile network
• Updated Market application with batch and automatic update features
• Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries
• Voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth
• Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
• Support for file upload fields in the Browser application
• Support for installing applications to the expandable memory
• Adobe Flash
  Adobe Flash
  Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
  
   support
• Support for extra-high-PPI screens (320 ppi), such as 4" 720p

2.2.1

The Android 2.2.1 update was released on 18 January 2011, and included a number of bug fixes, security updates, and performance improvements.

2.2.2

The Android 2.2.2 update was released on 22 January 2011, and fixed minor bugs, including SMS rooting issues that affected the Nexus One

Nexus One

The Nexus One was Google's flagship smartphone manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation. It became available on January 5, 2010 and uses the Android open source mobile operating system...

.

2.2.3

The Android 2.2.3 update was released on 21 November 2011, and consisted of two security patches.

2.3.x Gingerbread

2.3

On 6 December 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35. Changes included:

• Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed
• Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)
• Native support for SIP
  Session Initiation Protocol
  The Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...
  
   VoIP
  Voice over IP
  Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
  
   internet telephony
• Faster, more intuitive text input in virtual keyboard, with improved accuracy, better suggested text and voice input mode
• Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowing users to select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste
• Support for Near Field Communication
  Near Field Communication
  Near field communication, or NFC, allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters. It is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by smartphone in the United States...
  
   (NFC), allowing the user read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement
• New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost
• New Download Manager
  Download manager
  A download manager is a computer program dedicated to the task of downloading possibly unrelated stand-alone files from the Internet for storage...
  
  , giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application
• Support for multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available
• Support for WebM
  WebM
  WebM is an audio-video format designed to provide a royalty-free, open video compression format for use with HTML5 video. The project's development is sponsored by Google....
  
  /VP8 video playback, and AAC
  Advanced Audio Coding
  Advanced Audio Coding is a standardized, lossy compression and encoding scheme for digital audio. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates....
  
   audio encoding
• Improved power management
  Power management
  Power management is a feature of some electrical appliances, especially copiers, computers and computer peripherals such as monitors and printers, that turns off the power or switches the system to a low-power state when inactive. In computing this is known as PC power management and is built...
  
   with a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long
• Enhanced support for native code development
• Switched from YAFFS
  YAFFS
  YAFFS was designed and written by Charles Manning, of Whitecliffs, New Zealand, for the company .Yaffs1 is the first version of this file system and works on NAND chips that have 512 byte pages + 16 byte spare areas. These older chips also generally allow 2 or 3 write cycles per page, which...
  
   to ext4
  Ext4
  The ext4 or fourth extended filesystem is a journaling file system for Linux, developed as the successor to ext3.It was born as a series of backward compatible extensions to ext3, many of them originally developed by Cluster File Systems for the Lustre file system between 2003 and 2006, meant to...
  
   on newer devices
• Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
• Concurrent garbage collection
  Garbage collection (computer science)
  In computer science, garbage collection is a form of automatic memory management. The garbage collector, or just collector, attempts to reclaim garbage, or memory occupied by objects that are no longer in use by the program...
  
   for increased performance
• Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscope
  Gyroscope
  A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
  
  s and barometer
  Barometer
  A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather...
  
  s)

2.3.5

Released on 25 July 2011, Android 2.3.5 included a number of amendments:

• Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G, among other fixes and improvements
• Fixed Bluetooth bug on Samsung Galaxy S
• Improved Gmail application
• Shadow animations for list scrolling
• Camera software enhancements
• Improved battery efficiency

3.0

On 22 February 2011, the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first tablet

Tablet computer

A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...

-only Android update – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.36. The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom

The Motorola Xoom is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, introduced at CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Verizon branded Xoom was the first tablet to run Android 3.1 Honeycomb, however the 3.1 update has not yet been provided...

 tablet, was released on 24 February 2011. Changes included:

• Optimized tablet support with a new virtual and “holographic” user interface
• Added System Bar, featuring quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom of the screen
• Added Action Bar, giving access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen
• Multitasking support - tapping Recent Apps in the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one app to another
• Redesigned keyboard, making typing fast, efficient and accurate on larger screen sizes
• Simplified, more intuitive copy/paste interface
• Multiple browser tabs replacing browser windows, plus form auto-fill and a new “incognito” mode allowing anonymous browsing
• Quick access to camera exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and more
• Ability to view albums and other collections in full-screen mode in Gallery, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos
• New two-pane Contacts UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts
• New two-pane Email UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient, allowing users to select one or more messages
• Support for video chat using Google Talk
  Google Talk
  Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
  
  
• Hardware acceleration
• Support for multi-core processors
• Ability to encrypt all user data

3.1

The 3.1 SDK was released on 10 May 2011. Changes included:

• UI refinements
• Connectivity for USB accessories
• Expanded Recent Apps list
• Resizable Home screen widgets
• Support for external keyboards and pointing devices
• Support for joysticks and gamepads
• Support for FLAC audio playback
• High-performance Wi-Fi lock, maintaining high-performance Wi-Fi connections when device screen is off
• Support for HTTP proxy for each connected Wi-Fi access point

3.2

The 3.2 SDK was released on 15 July 2011. Huawei

Huawei

Huawei is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China...

's MediaPad was the first tablet to use this version. Changes included:

• Improved hardware support, including optimisations for a wider range of tablets
• Easier access for apps to files on the SD card, e.g. for synchronisation
• Compatibility display mode for apps that have not yet been optimized for tablet screen resolutions
• New display support functions that give developers more control over the look and feel on different Android devices

3.2.1

The Android 3.2.1 update was released on 20 September 2011, and included a number of amendments:

• Bug fixes and minor security, stability and Wi-Fi improvements
• Update to Android Market
  Android Market
  Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
  
   with automatic updates and easier-to-read Terms and Condition text
• Update to Android Market
  Android Market
  Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
  
   app, allowing it to update on its own
• Update to Google Books
• Browser with Adobe Flash
  Adobe Flash
  Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
  
   improvement
• Improved Chinese
  Chinese language
  The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
  
   handwriting prediction

3.2.2

The 3.2.2 update was released on 30 August 2011, and included bug fixes and other minor improvements for the Motorola Xoom 4G.

4.x Ice Cream Sandwich

Android 4.0 – codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich – was previewed at the May 2011 Google I/O

Google I/O

Google I/O is an annual two-day developer-focused conference held by Google in San Francisco, California. Google I/O features highly technical, in-depth sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS,...

 event, and officially launched at the Galaxy Nexus

Galaxy Nexus

The Galaxy Nexus is a touchscreen slate Android smartphone developed by a partnership between Samsung and Google. The phone and operating system were developed collaboratively by engineers from both companies. It is the third generation successor to Google’s previous flagship phones, the Nexus One...

 and Ice Cream Sandwich release event on 19 October 2011.
The SDK for Android 4.0 was publicly released on 19 October 2011. Google's Gabe Cohen stated that ICS was "theoretically compatible" with any Android 2.3.x device in production at that time. The source code

Source code

In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...

 for ICS became available on 14 November 2011, three days before the Galaxy Nexus was released.
New features included:

• Virtual buttons in the UI, in place of capacitive or physical buttons
• Separation of widgets in a new tab, listed in a similar list to apps
• Easier-to-create folders, with a drag-and-drop style
• A customizable launcher
• Improved visual voicemail with the ability to speed up or slow down voicemail messages
• Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar
• Offline search, a two-line preview, and new action bar at the bottom of the Gmail
  Gmail
  Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
  
   app
• Ability to swipe left or right to switch between Gmail conversations
• Integrated screenshot capture (accomplished by holding down the Power and Volume-Down buttons)
• Improved error correction on the keyboard
• Ability to access apps directly from lock screen (similar to the HTC Sense 3.x
  HTC Sense
  HTC Sense is a graphical user interface developed by HTC Corporation for mobile devices running Android, Brew and Windows Mobile.Based on the TouchFLO 3D design, HTC has referred to HTC Sense as both a user interface in itself and also as a user experience layer on top of TouchFLO 3D.Announced June...
  
  )
• Improved copy and paste functionality
• Better voice integration and continuous, real-time speech to text dictation
• Face Unlock, a feature that allows users to unlock handsets using facial recognition software
• New tabbed web browser, allowing up to 16 tabs
• Automatic syncing of browser with users' Chrome bookmarks
• Modern Roboto
  Roboto
  Roboto is a sans-serif typeface family introduced with Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system.Google describes the font as "modern, yet approachable" and "emotional".-Development:...
  
   font
• Data Usage section in settings that lets users set warnings when they approach a certain usage limit, and disable data when the limit is exceeded
• Ability to shut down apps that are using data in the background
• Improved camera app with zero shutter lag, time lapse settings, panorama mode, and the ability to zoom while recording
• Built-in photo editor
• New gallery layout, organized by location and person
• Refreshed 'People' app with social network integration, status updates and hi-res images
• Android Beam, a NFC feature that lets user exchange web bookmarks, contact info, directions, YouTube, etc.
• Hardware acceleration of the UI
• Resizeable widgets – already part of Android 3.1 for tablets, but new for cellphones
• Wi-Fi Direct
  Wi-Fi Direct
  Wi-Fi Direct is a standard that allows Wi-Fi devices to talk to each other without the need for wireless access points .-Basic Wi-Fi:...
  
  
• 1080p
  1080p
  1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV high-definition video modes that are characterized by 1080 horizontal lines of resolution and progressive scan, meaning the image is not interlaced as is the case with the 1080i display standard....
  
   video recording for stock Android devices

See also

• Android lawn statues
  Android lawn statues
  The Android lawn statues are a series of large plastic statues located in front of building 44 at the Googleplex, Google's headquarters, in Mountain View, California. The statues are based on the code names for versions of Google's Android mobile device operating system, which are all named after...
  
  
• Andy Rubin
  Andy Rubin
  Andrew Rubin is a technology pioneer, co-founder and former CEO of both Danger Inc., and Android Inc. He is currently Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, where he oversees development of Android, an open-source operating system for smartphones...
  
  
• Google
  Google
  Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
  
  
• iOS version history
• Matias Duarte
  Matias Duarte
  Matias Duarte is a Chilean-American computer interface designer, and currently the Director of Android operating system User Experience at Google where Android 3.0, was the first release with a major element of his design influence....
  
  
• Smartphone
  Smartphone
  A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
  
  

External links

• Android API Levels