What’s the Latest Version of Android?

Author: Cameron Summerson / Source: howtogeek.com

Android can be confusing. There are a lot of different versions, and many of them are still running on devices today. Keeping up with the latest version can be a challenge, but fret not—we have you covered.

Major Android versions are generally released once per year (though it wasn’t always like this), with monthly security updates released in between.

Occasionally, Google also releases point updates (.1, .2, etc.), though those generally come without regularity. Oftentimes, more significant updates that aren’t quite as significant as full version releases warrant a point update—like the update from Android 8.0 to Android 8.1, for example.

Alongside every version of Android is a code name, which many people use instead of the version number. Each one is named after a dessert or some other form of confection, which is more for fun than anything else.

A Brief Android Version History

We thought it fitting to give a brief rundown of each Android version on the accompanying code name and release date. You know, for completeness.

• Android 1.5, Cupcake: April 27, 2009
• Android 1.6, Donut: September 15, 2009
• Android 2.0-2.1, Eclair: October 26, 2009 (initial release)
• Android 2.2-2.2.3, Froyo: May 20, 2010 (initial release)
• Android 2.3-2.3.7, Gingerbread: December 6, 2010 (initial release)
• Android 3.0-3.2.6, Honeycomb: February 22, 2011 (initial release)
• Android 4.0-4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich: October 18, 2011 (initial release)
• Android 4.1-4.3.1, Jelly Bean: July 9, 2012 (initial release)
• Android 4.4-4.4.4, KitKat: October 31, 2013 (initial release)
• Android 5.0-5.1.1, Lollipop: November 12, 2014 (initial release)
• Android 6.0-6.0.1, Marshmallow: October 5, 2015 (initial release)
• Android 7.0-7.1.2, Nougat: August 22, 2016 (initial release)
• Android 8.0-8.1, Oreo: August 21, 2017 (initial release)

As you can see, the update system was without any sort of regularity early on, but the Ice Cream Sandwich era started the yearly OS version update schedule.

A few other fun notes:

• Honeycomb was the only tablet-specific version of Android, and it ran alongside the Gingerbread build for phones. The separate phone and tablet OSes were then combined starting with Ice Cream Sandwich.
• Ice Cream Sandwich was arguably the most dramatic update to Android to date….

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