REFERENCE - |
Android Versions |
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The following table shows the versions of the Android OS, together with the release date and the current status.
If you are unsure what version of Android is running on your device, you can run the Settings App
.
Scroll down on the Settings screen and look for an "About phone", "About tablet", or "System" option. You'll usually find this at the very bottom
of the main Settings screen, under System, but depending on your device it could be different. If you do find a specific option for System, you can
usually find the “About Phone” underneath that.
It is also important to note that smartphone manufacturers have their own customised versions of Android, so their release of new versions or updates generally lag behind Google's official releases and may have different release numbers. Moreover, many manufacturers stop updating existing smartphones after 2 or 3 years because older phones are often not able to run later versions, so don't expect your phone to be on the latest version.
NOTE: With the release of Android 14, Google announced that support for the Pixel 8 (also announced) with be for seven years - it will be interesting to see whether other manufacturers follow this plan.
Google do not appear to have published a support policy for Android, but they simply announce that a particular version is no longer supported, or that a new version will not be available or supported on older devices. The latest version is generally only available on Google devices when first released, and released to other platforms later.
It should be noted that the Android operating system belongs to Google, and while other mobile phone vendors can use Android, they cannot own it. However, each vendor can customise Android using their own User Interfaces which is why Android on different brands has a different look and feel, but the underlying OS is still Android. This sometimes makes it difficult to teach Android because what users see on their phones and tablets is different for each brand.
If you are unsure what version of Android is running on your device, you can run the Settings App
.
Scroll down on the Settings screen and look for an "About phone", "About tablet", or "System" option. You'll usually find this at the very bottom
of the main Settings screen, under System, but depending on your device it could be different. If you do find a specific option for System, you can
usually find the “About Phone” underneath that.
It is also important to note that smartphone manufacturers have their own customised versions of Android, so their release of new versions or updates generally lag behind Google's official releases and may have different release numbers. Moreover, many manufacturers stop updating existing smartphones after 2 or 3 years because older phones are often not able to run later versions, so don't expect your phone to be on the latest version.
NOTE: With the release of Android 14, Google announced that support for the Pixel 8 (also announced) with be for seven years - it will be interesting to see whether other manufacturers follow this plan.
| Name | Release date | Last Update | Status |
| Android 15 (aka Vanilla ice Cream) | Sep 2024 ?? | Future | |
| Android 14 (aka Upside Down Cake) | 4 Oct 2023 | 4 Oct 2023 | Supported |
| Android 13 (aka Tiramisu) | 15 Aug 2022 | 5 Sep 2023 | Supported |
| Android 12.1 or 12L (for foldable phones) | 7 Mar 2022 | 5 Sep 2023 | Supported |
| Android 12 (aka Snow Cone) | 4 Oct 2021 | 5 Sep 2023 | Supported |
| Android 11.0.0_r33 (aka Red Velvet Cake) | 8 Sep 2020 | 5 Sep 2023 | Supported |
| Android 10.0.0_r52 (aka Quince Tart) | 3 Sep 2019 | 6 Feb 2023 | No Support |
| Pie 9.0.0_r66 | 6 Aug 2018 | Jan 2022 | No Support |
| Oreo 8.0.0-8.1.0_r86 | 21 Aug 2017 | Oct 2021 | No Support |
| Nougat 7.0.0-7.1.2 | 22 Aug 2016 | Oct 2019 | No Support |
| Marshmallow 6.0-6.0.1 | 5 Oct 2015 | Aug 2018 | No support |
| Lollipop 5.0-5.1.1 | 12 Nov 2014 | Mar 2018 | No support |
| KitKat 4.4-4.4.4 | 31 Oct 2013 | Oct 2017 | No support |
| Jellybean 4.1-4.3.1 | 9 Jul 2012 | No support | |
| Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0-4.0.4 | 18 Oct 2011 | No support | |
| Honeycomb 3.0-3.2.6 | 22 Feb 2011 | No support | |
| Gingerbread 2.3-2/37 | 6 Dec 2010 | No support | |
| Froyo 2.2-2.2.3 | 20 May 2010 | No support | |
| Eclair 2.0-2.1 | 26 Oct 2009 | No support | |
| Donut 1.6 | 15 Sep 2009 | No support | |
| Cupcake 1.5 | 27 Apr 2009 | No support | |
| Petit Four 1.1 | 3 Feb 2009 | No support | |
| No name 1.0 | 23 Sep 2008 | No support |
Google do not appear to have published a support policy for Android, but they simply announce that a particular version is no longer supported, or that a new version will not be available or supported on older devices. The latest version is generally only available on Google devices when first released, and released to other platforms later.
It should be noted that the Android operating system belongs to Google, and while other mobile phone vendors can use Android, they cannot own it. However, each vendor can customise Android using their own User Interfaces which is why Android on different brands has a different look and feel, but the underlying OS is still Android. This sometimes makes it difficult to teach Android because what users see on their phones and tablets is different for each brand.