Android | Definition, History, & Facts

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class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Android-operating-system/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Android-operating-system">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/computers-and-technology"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/166063-131-0E023062/computer-chip-processing-unit-history-society-science.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="computer chip. computer. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-24T00:00:00CST" >Feb 24, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Android-operating-system/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/technology/mobile-telephone" topicid="1482373">mobile telephone</a></dd> <dd><a href="/technology/operating-system" topicid="429897">operating system</a></dd> <dd><a href="/technology/Linux" topicid="686713">Linux</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Android-operating-system"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theverge.com/news/615195/murena-pixel-tablet-android-google-privacy-security" rel="nofollow">Murena released a de-Googled version of the Pixel Tablet</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 19, 2025, 7:40 AM ET (The Verge) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/1483582/ab02b906733666cb0d348d2b416b7fa5" rel="nofollow">China launches an antitrust probe into Google. Here's what it means</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 4, 2025, 10:31 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/1483582/a44f187d3d5b426e95b975e2f58f5917" rel="nofollow">Google makes its appeal to overturn jury verdict branding the Play Store as illegal monopoly</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 3, 2025, 5:50 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/1483582/a8a57b3e21064e888083f977acd52812" rel="nofollow">Bill Gates shares his thoughts on vaccine backlash, Intel's woes and Google's antitrust battle</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 3, 2025, 8:22 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1008606"></span>Android</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/operating-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">operating system</a> for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/mobile-telephone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cellular telephones</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/tablet-computer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">tablet computers</a>. Android began in 2003 as a project of the American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/technology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">technology</a> company Android Inc., to develop an operating system for digital cameras. In 2004 the project changed to become an operating system for smartphones. Android Inc., was bought by the American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/search-engine" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">search engine</a> company <span id="ref1291958"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Google-Inc" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Google Inc.</a>, in 2005. At Google, the Android team decided to base their project on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Linux" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Linux</a>, an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/open-source" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">open source</a> operating system for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/personal-computer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">personal computers</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">On November 5, 2007, Google announced the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="consortium" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consortium" data-type="MW">consortium</a> of dozens of technology and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/mobile-telephone" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">mobile telephone</a> companies, including <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Intel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Intel Corporation</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Motorola-Inc" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Motorola, Inc.</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/NVIDIA-Corporation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">NVIDIA Corporation</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Texas-Instruments-Incorporated" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Texas Instruments Incorporated</a>, LG Electronics, Inc., Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel Corporation, and T-Mobile (Deutsche Telekom). The consortium was created in order to develop and promote Android as a free open source operating system with support for third-party applications. Android-based devices use wireless networks in order to take full advantage of features such as one-touch Google searches, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Google-Docs" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Google Docs</a> (e.g., word editors, spreadsheets), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Google-Earth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Google Earth</a> (satellite mapping software).</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The first <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/cell-phone" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">cellular telephone</a> to feature the new operating system was the T-Mobile G1, released on October 22, 2008. In 2012 Android became the most popular operating system for mobile devices, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="surpassing" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/surpassing" data-type="EB">surpassing</a> Apple’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/iOS" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">iOS</a>, and, as of 2020, about 75 percent of mobile devices run Android.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/computers-and-technology" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/166063-131-0E023062/computer-chip-processing-unit-history-society-science.jpg" alt="computer chip. computer. Hand holding computer chip. 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