The Android Story
Take a walk down memory lane and explore all of Android’s tasty treats. Each major release version is named after something sweet.
Take a walk down memory lane and explore all of Android’s tasty treats. Each major release version is named after something sweet.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Now On Tap
Get assistance without having to leave what you’re doing – whether you’re in an app or on a website. Just tap and hold the Home button.
Permission
Define what you want to share with apps on your device and when. Turn off permissions at any time, too.
Battery
Enjoy a battery that works smarter, not harder. Marshmallow optimises your juice for what matters most with features like Doze and App Standby.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Now there’s more to love about your mobile device: easy shortcuts to smart answers with Now on Tap, battery life that can last longer and new app permissions that give you more control.
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Material design
Android gets an entirely new look and feel that makes it easier to navigate your device. Based on shadows and motion, Material Design unites the classic principles of good design with the innovation of what’s possible through technology.
Multiscreen
With Lollipop you can seamlessly move from your phone to your tablet, Android Wear watch or Android TV. Since Lollipop works on all your devices, you can pick up where you left off with songs, apps, photos and even recent searches.
Notifications
Notifications move to the lock screen where they appear in neatly segmented cards. Catch up at a glance, or even view and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Granular controls let you customise the content appearing on your lock screen.
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Android arrives on screens big and small – from phones and tablets to watches, TVs and cars. Lollipop has a bold visual style and the fluid tactile response of Material Design.
Android 4.4 KitKat
Voice: OK Google
Get things done without touching your screen. Just say “OK Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song.
Immersive design
Immerse yourself in what you’re doing. Whether you’re reading a book, playing a game or watching a movie, KitKat’s immersive design hides everything except what you really want to see.
Smart dialler
KitKat prioritises the contacts that you talk to most and you can search for nearby places directly from the dialler. Whenever you get a call from an unknown phone number, your phone will look for matches from local listings on Google Maps. Find out more
Android 4.4 KitKat
Android KitKat helped you get things done with just the sound of your voice – just say “OK Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song. And when you are hands on with your device, a new immersive design brings your content to centre stage.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Google Now
Get the information you need at just the right time with Google Now. Pioneering a new level of mobile assistance, Google Now gives you today’s weather as you’re getting dressed and commute times before you walk out the door.
Actionable notifications
With Jelly Bean, notifications expand to show more information and let you respond in the moment; take action directly from the notification.
Account switching
Jelly Bean enabled multiple users on one device. Each account has its own customised space from home screen to wallpaper, widgets and apps so you can share a device and not your info. Multi-user launched with tablets and later rolled out to phones with Lollipop.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Intelligence permeated all facets of Jelly Bean which ushered in the era of personalised mobile assistance with Google Now. It also made notifications more actionable and allowed one device to work for multiple user accounts.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Customise home screen
Ice Cream Sandwich introduced app folders and a favourites tray. Widgets, which embed live app content directly on your home screen, became more flexible: expand your widget to show more content or shrink to save space.
Data usage control
Manage your network data usage to keep mobile costs under control. Track how much data you use, set warning levels and hard limits, and disable your service if you reach the limit.
Android Beam
Futuristic at the time, Android Beam allowed two phones to instantly share content via NFC by simply touching them together. Share apps, contacts, music and videos with someone else – all without needing to open a menu, an app or pair a phone.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Ice Cream Sandwich upped the ante on customisation and user control – tailor your home screen, define how much data you use and instantly share content when you want.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Tablet-friendly design
Honeycomb made the most of your tablet’s on-screen real estate. With a larger layout pattern, it enhanced the experience of reading books, watching videos, exploring maps and more.
System Bar
Gone are the days of a physical Home, Back and Menu button. With Honeycomb, a new system bar enabled on-screen navigation controls on your Android device.
Quick Settings
The new Quick Settings let you access essential information more easily: see the time, date, battery life and connection status of your device all in one place.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Honeycomb ushered in the era of tablets with a flexible interface design that showcases large imagery and seamless on-screen navigation.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Gaming APIs
Gingerbread catapulted Android gaming to new heights. App developers were able to build rich, graphics-intensive 3D games, thanks to new lower-level access to audio, device controls, graphics and storage.
NFC
Several years before in-store mobile payments took off, Android launched Near Field Communication (“NFC”) support which let you transmit information between devices just by bringing them close together. With NFC, Gingerbread launched a slew of possibilities for delivering services with the simple tap of a device.
Battery management
Gingerbread helped you get the most life out of your battery by knowing exactly how your device uses it; find out how much battery each aspect of your device consumes, from screen brightness to any active app.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Gingerbread made the Android experience simpler and faster for both users and developers. Gaming reached new heights, battery life lasted longer and NFC support spawned a whole new category of apps.
Android 2.2 Froyo
Voice actions
Froyo took Android voice capabilities to the next level with Voice Actions which let you perform key functions on your phone – searching, getting directions, making notes, setting alarms and more – with just the sound of your voice.
Portable Hotspot
With tethering, Froyo let you turn your phone into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot so that you could stay connected even when on the go.
Performance
Froyo introduced the Dalvik JIT compiler which delivered up to 5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code. It also brought the V8 JavaScript engine to the Android browser resulting in 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance.
Android 2.2 Froyo
Froyo unveiled lightning fast phones that can be controlled by the sound of your voice and hotspot capabilities ensured that you’re always connected on the go.
Android 2.1 Eclair
Google Maps Navigation
Google Maps Navigation gave new meaning to the definition of a smartphone. Turn-by-turn directions using Google Maps data included many features found in a typical in-car navigation system: a forward-looking 3D view, voice guidance and traffic information – all for free.
Home screen customisation
Android has always let you make your home screen just how you want it with customised ring tones, wallpapers and the ability to arrange apps and widgets across multiple screens and in folders. Eclair introduced live wallpapers that came to life on an unheard-of 854 x 480 display.
Speech-to-text
Well before the days of “OK Google” voice actions, you could tap the microphone icon to dictate right to your phone. Eclair replaced the comma key on the soft keyboard with a microphone; with a simple tap, your spoken words appear straight on your screen.
Android 2.1 Eclair
With Eclair, high density displays showed off stunning live wallpapers that respond to your touch. Drive anywhere with turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic information, straight from your phone.
Android 1.6 Donut
Quick Search Box
Android’s ubiquitous Quick Search Box was introduced a while ago with Donut. Get search results from the web and from your phone’s local content all at once from a single box on the home screen.
Screen size diversity
Android comes in all shapes and sizes thanks to capabilities launched with Donut which allowed Android to run on a variety of screen resolutions and aspect ratios. This opened the door for phones featuring displays other than 320 x 480 portrait.
Google Play
Before there was Google Play, there was Android Market. Launched in 2008, Android Market was redesigned with Donut to expose top free apps and paid apps just as Android’s third-party app catalogue started to explode.
Android 1.6 Donut
Donut brought the world’s information to your fingertips with the Quick Search Box. It also planted the seeds for Android to come in all shapes and sizes – and meanwhile, Android Market came of age.