Android Version
Android Version
The version history of the Android mobile operating system began
with the public release of the Android beta in November 5, 2007.
The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released in September
2008. Android is continually developed by Google and the Open
Handset Alliance, and it has seen a number of updates to its base
operating system since the initial release.
Versions 1.0 and 1.1 were not released under specific code names.
Android code names are confectionery-themed and have been in
alphabetical order since 2009's Android 1.5 Cupcake, with the most
recent major version being Android 8.0 Oreo, released in August
2017.
Android 1.0 (API 1)
Android 1.0, the first commercial version of the software,
was released on September 23, 2008.The first commercially
available Android device was the HTC Dream. Android 1.0
incorporated the following features:
Features
Android Market allowed application downloads and updates through the Market application
Web browser to show, zoom and pan full HTML and XHTML web pages – multiple pages show as windows ("cards") Gmail
synchronization with the Gmail application
Google Contacts synchronization with the People application
Google Calendar synchronization with the Calendar application
Google Maps with Street View to view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and obtain driving
directions using GPS
Google Sync, allowing management of over-the-air synchronization of Gmail, People, and Calendar
Google Search, allowing users to search the Internet and phone applications, contacts, calendar, etc.
Google Talk instant messaging
Instant messaging, text messaging, and MMS
Media Player, enabling management, importing, and playback of media files – however, this version lacked video and
stereo Bluetooth support
YouTube video player
Other applications include: Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer (Phone), Home screen (Launcher), Pictures (Gallery), and
Settings
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
Android 1.1 (API 2)
On February 9, 2009, the Android 1.1 update was
released, initially for the HTC Dream only.
Android 1.1 was known as "Petit Four" internally,
though this name was not used officially.The
update resolved bugs, changed the Android API
and added a number of features:
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 dial pad
Ability to save attachments in messages
Support added for marquee in system layouts
Cupcake (Android 1.5)
On April 27, 2009, the Android 1.5 update was released, based on
Linux kernel 2.6.27. This was the first release to officially use a
codename based on a dessert item ("Cupcake"), a theme which
would be used for all releases henceforth. The update included
several new features and UI amendments
Android had some alphas and betas for T-Mobile’s G1 before this
release, but cupcake was its first confectionary-named operating
system. We got lots of fun stuff in this update, including support for
third-party virtual keyboards (oh yeah, no more hardware keys!) and
the ability to upload videos and photos to YouTube and Picasa. Oh,
and it also got widgets!
Cupcake (Android 1.5)
Features
Support for third-party virtual keyboards with text prediction and user dictionary for
custom words
Support for Widgets – 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 and 3GP formats
Auto-pairing and stereo support for Bluetooth (A2DP and AVRCP profiles)
Copy and paste features in 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
Auto-rotation option
New stock boot animation
Ability to upload videos to YouTube
Ability to upload photos to Picasa
Donut (Android 1.6)
On September 15, 2009, Android 1.6 – dubbed Donut – was
released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29.Included in the update were
numerous.
Android Donut was the OS that started making others forsake their
Palm Pres and start taking Android more seriously. This update
brought along universal search, text-to-speech superpowers and
CDMA compatibility (hello, Verizon).
Donut (Android 1.6)
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 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/EVDO, 802.1x, VPNs, and a text-to-
speech engine
Support for WVGA screen resolutions
Speed improvements in searching and camera applications
Expanded Gesture framework and new Gesture Builder development tool
Eclair (Android 2.0)
On October 26, 2009, the Android 2.0 SDK was released, based on
Linux kernel 2.6.29 and codenamed Éclair
For Eclair, the camera got a little TLC with some much needed flash
support, digital zoom, and white balance features to name a few,
and how about them live wallpapers! Google also put some
thought into a smarter keyboard that could select contact names
as suggestions. Not the biggest update in Android’s history.
Eclair (Android 2.0)
Features
Expanded Account sync, allowing users to add multiple accounts to a device for synchronization
of email and contacts
Microsoft 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
Calendar agenda view enhanced, showing attending status for each invitee, and ability to invite
new guests to events
Improved Google Maps 3.1.2
Addition of live wallpapers, allowing the animation of home-screen background images to show
movement
Froyo (Android 2.2)
On May 20, 2010, the SDK for Android 2.2 (Froyo, short for frozen
yogurt) was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32.
The speed boost in 2.2 is fantastic, but what makes Froyo a truly
great update is that it tightens bolts all across the entire platform.
Android has evolved into a real product, on a totally different level
than its first year. Android 2.2 is the first version of Android that feels
totally complete—it performs like it should and it has most of the
features it should. It’s not quite at the point my mother could use it
without a precarious learning curve, but you can see how it’s going
to get better. It’s safe to say that with Froyo, Android has become
something that most people really can use and love.
Froyo (Android 2.2)
Features
Speed, memory, and performance optimizations
Additional application speed improvements, implemented through JIT compilation
Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine into the Browser application
Support for the Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications
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
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
Support for Bluetooth-enabled car and desk docks
Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
Support for file upload fields in the Browser application
The browser now shows all frames of animated GIFs instead of just the first frame only
Support for installing applications to the expandable memory
Adobe Flash support
Support for high-PPI displays (up to 320 ppi), such as four-inch 720p screens
Gallery allows users to view picture stacks using a zoom gesture
Gingerbread (Android 2.3)
On December 6, 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was
released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35.
Where the last few updates had been all about function, Google
finally took a moment to look at form in late 2010. The user interface
was overhauled with a darker theme that also continued Android’s
speed uptick. But that didn’t mean new features completely
disappeared. Android added support for NFC, the super useful
download manager, and even simple things like improved copy
and paste.
Gingerbread (Android 2.3)
Features
Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed
Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)
Native support for SIP VoIP 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 (NFC), allowing the user to read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or
advertisement
New Download Manager, giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another
application
Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding
Improved power management with a more active role in managing applications that are keeping the device awake
for too long
Enhanced support for native code development
Switched from YAFFS to ext4 on newer devices. Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance
Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers)
First Android version to feature an Easter egg. It was an image of the Bug droid standing next to a zombie gingerbread
man, with many more zombies in the background.
Honeycomb (Android 3.0)
On February 22, 2011, the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first
tablet-only Android update – was released, based on Linux kernel
2.6.36.The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom
tablet, was released on February 24, 2011.
Honeycomb primarily focused on one thing and one thing only—
tablets. The iPad released only months earlier in the fall of 2010, and
Android needed an OS that could compete in a bigger form factor
not fit for your pocket. This included what Google called a
“Holographic” interface and a more intuitive keyboard for bigger
devices.
Honeycomb (Android 3.0)
Features
Optimized tablet support with a new “holographic” user interface
New Easter egg. This time it is an image of a Tron themed bumblebee.
Added System Bar, featuring quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation
buttons, available at the bottom of the screen
Simplified multitasking – tapping Recent Applications in the System Bar allows users to
see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one application 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 other camera features.
Features
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
Hardware acceleration
Support for multi-core processors
Ability to encrypt all user data
HTTPS stack improved with Server Name Indication (SNI)
Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE; kernel module)
Disallows applications from having write access to secondary storage (memory
cards on devices with internal primary storage) outside of designated,
application-specific directories. Full access to primary internal storage is still
allowed through a separate application-level permission.
Android 3.1 Honeycomb (API 12)
Features
UI refinements
Connectivity for USB accessories (USB On-The-Go).
Expanded Recent Applications 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
Android 3.2 Honeycomb (API 13)
Features
Improved hardware support, including optimizations for a wider range of tablets
Increased ability of applications to access files on the SD card, e.g. for
synchronization
Compatibility display mode for applications that have not been optimized for
tablet screen resolutions
New display support functions, giving developers more control over display
appearance on different Android devices
Bug fixes and minor security, stability and Wi-Fi improvements
Update to Android Market with automatic updates and easier-to-read Terms
and Conditions text
Update to Google Books
Improved Adobe Flash support in browser
Improved Chinese handwriting prediction
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
(API 14)
The SDK for Android 4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich), based on Linux
kernel 3.0.1, was publicly released on October 19, 2011.Google's
Gabe Cohen stated that Android 4.0 was "theoretically compatible"
with any Android 2.3.x device in production at that time. The source
code for Android 4.0 became available on November 14, 2011. Ice
Cream Sandwich was the last version to officially support Adobe
Systems' Flash player.
The design was really a merger of Android’s tablet OS (Honeycomb)
and the mobile OS (Gingerbread, Froyo, et al). Apps were more
powerful, multitasking was now front and center, and you could
start to really see the computer-class power that were being
packed inside smartphones.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
(API 14)
Features
Major refinements to the "Holo" interface with new Roboto font family
Soft buttons from Android 3.x are now available for use on phones
Separation of widgets in a new tab, listed in a similar manner to applications
Easier-to-create folders, with a drag-and-drop style
Improved visual voicemail with the ability to speed up or slow down voicemail messages
Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar
Integrated screenshot capture (accomplished by holding down the Power and Volume-Down
buttons)
Improved error correction on the keyboard
Ability to access applications directly from lock screen
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
Automatic syncing of browser with users' Chrome bookmarks
Features
Data Usage section in settings that lets users set warnings when they approach a certain usage limit,
and disable data use when the limit is exceeded
Ability to shut down applications from the recent apps list with a swipe
Improved camera application 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" application with social network integration, status updates and hi-res images
Android Beam, a near-field communication feature allowing the rapid short-range exchange of web
bookmarks, contact info, directions, YouTube videos and other data
Support for the WebP image format
Hardware acceleration of the UI
Wi-Fi Direct
1080p video recording for stock Android devices
Android VPN Framework (AVF), and TUN (but not TAP) kernel module. Prior to 4.0, VPN software
required rooted Android
Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
(API 15)
Features
Numerous bug fixes and optimizations
Improvements to graphics, databases, spell-checking and Bluetooth
functionality
New APIs for developers, including a social stream API in the
Contacts provider
Calendar provider enhancements
New camera applications enhancing video stabilization and QVGA
resolution
Accessibility refinements such as improved content access for
screen readers
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (API 16)
Google announced Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) at the Google I/O
conference on June 27, 2012. Based on Linux kernel 3.0.31, Jelly
Bean was an incremental update with the primary aim of improving
the functionality and performance of the user interface. The
performance improvement involved "Project Butter", which uses
touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended sync timing and a
fixed frame rate of 60 fps to create a fluid and "buttery-smooth" UI.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was released to the Android Open Source
Project on July 9, 2012, and the Nexus 7 tablet, the first device to run
Jelly Bean, was released on July 13, 2012.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (API 16)
Features
Smoother user interface:
Vsync timing across all drawing and animation done by the Android
framework, including application rendering, touch events, screen
composition and display refresh
Triple buffering in the graphics pipeline
CPU input boost
Synchronizing touch to vsync timing
Enhanced accessibility
Bi-directional text and other language support
User-installable keyboard maps
Expandable notifications
Ability to turn off notifications on an application-specific basis
Shortcuts and widgets can automatically be re-arranged or re-sized to
allow new items to fit on home screens
Features
Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam
Tablets with smaller screens now use an expanded version of the
interface layout and home screen used by phones. Improved
camera application
Multichannel audio. The Fraunhofer FDK AAC codec becomes
standard in Android, adding AAC 5.1 channel encoding/decoding
USB audio (for external sound DACs) Audio chaining (also known as
gapless playback) Ability for other launchers to add widgets from
the application drawer without requiring root access
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (API 17)
Google was expected to announce Jelly Bean 4.2 at an event in
New York City on October 29, 2012, but the event was cancelled
due to Hurricane Sandy. Instead of rescheduling the live event,
Google announced the new version with a press release, under the
slogan "A new flavor of Jelly Bean". Jelly Bean 4.2 was based on
Linux kernel 3.4.0, and debuted on Google's Nexus 4 and Nexus 10,
which were released on November 13, 2012
Features
Lock screen improvements, including widget support and the ability to swipe directly to
camera[120]
Notification power controls ("Quick Settings")
"Daydream" screensavers, showing information when idle or docked
Multiple user accounts (tablets only)
Rewritten Bluetooth stack, switching from Bluez to Broadcom open source BlueDroid,allowing
improved support for multiple displays and wireless display (Miracast)
Native right-to-left, always-on VPN and application verification. A new NFC stack was added at
the same time.[121]
Accessibility improvements: triple-tap to magnify the entire screen, pan and zoom with two
fingers. Speech output and Gesture Mode navigation for blind users.
New clock application with built-in world clock, stop watch and timer
notifications and Actionable Notifications for more applications, allowing users to respond to
certain notifications within the notification bar and without launching the application directly
SELinux
Premium SMS confirmation
Group Messaging
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (API 18)
Features
Bluetooth low energy support
Bluetooth Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.3 support
OpenGL ES 3.0 support, allowing for improved game graphics
Restricted access mode for new user profiles
File system write performance improvement by running fstrim command while device is idle. Dial pad
auto-complete in the Phone application
Volume for incoming calls (ringtone) and notification alerts is no longer adjustable separately
Improvements to Photo Sphere
Reworked camera UI, previously introduced on Google Play edition phones
Addition of "App Ops", a fine-grained application permissions control system (hidden by default)
SELinux enabled by default
4K resolution support
Native emoji support
Android 4.4 KitKat (API 19)
Google announced Android 4.4 KitKat on September 3, 2013.
Although initially under the "Key Lime Pie" ("KLP") codename, the
name was changed because "very few people actually know the
taste of a key lime pie." Some technology bloggers also expected
the "Key Lime Pie" release to be Android 5.KitKat debuted on
Google's Nexus 5 on October 31, 2013, and was optimized to run on
a greater range of devices than earlier Android versions, having
512 MB of RAM as a recommended minimum; those improvements
were known as "Project Svelte" internally at Google. The required
minimum amount of RAM available to Android is 340 MB, and all
devices with less than 512 MB of RAM must report themselves as "low
RAM" devices.
Android 4.4 KitKat (API 19)
Features
Refreshed interface with white elements instead of blue
Clock no longer shows bold hours; all digits are thin. The H, M, and S markings for the stopwatch
and timer have been removed, leaving just the numbers.
Ability for applications to trigger translucency in the navigation and status bars
Ability for applications to use "immersive mode" to keep the navigation and status bars hidden
while maintaining user interaction
Action overflow menu buttons are always visible, even on devices with a "Menu" key, which was
officially deprecated by Android 4.0.
Restriction for applications when accessing external storage, except for their own directories
Optimizations for performance on devices with lower specifications, including zRAM support and
"low RAM" device API
Wireless printing capability NFC host card emulation, enabling a device to replace smart cards
Web Views now based on Chromium engine (feature parity with Chrome for Android 30)
Expanded functionality for notification listener services
Public API for developing and managing text messaging clients
Storage Access Framework, an API allowing apps to retrieve files in a consistent manner. As part of
the framework, a new system file picker allows users to access files from various sources (including
those exposed by apps, such as online storage services).
Features
New framework for UI transitions
Sensor batching, step detector and counter APIs
Settings application now makes it possible to select default text messaging and home (launcher)
application
Audio tunneling, audio monitoring and loudness enhancer
Built-in screen recording feature (primarily for developers, as usage of ADB is required)
Native infrared blaster API
Verified boot
Enforcing SELinux
Expanded accessibility APIs and system-level closed captioning settings
Android Runtime (ART) introduced as a new experimental application runtime environment, not enabled
by default, as a replacement for the Dalvik virtual machine
Bluetooth Message Access Profile (MAP) support
Disabled access to battery statistics by third-party applications
Settings application no longer uses a multi-pane layout on devices with larger screens
Wi-Fi and mobile data activity (TX/RX) indicators are moved to quick settings
Disables text wrapping in the Web View browser component
Android 4.4W KitKat, with wearable
extensions (API 20)
Features
Initial release of Android Wear platform for smartwatches: the same as
Android 4.4 "KitKat", but with wearable extensions added
UI updates for Google Maps navigation and alarms
Offline music playback
GPS support
Android 5.0 Lollipop (API 21)
Android 5.0 "Lollipop" was unveiled under the codename "Android L"
on June 25, 2014, during Google I/O. It became available as official
over-the-air (OTA) updates on November 12, 2014, for select devices
that run distributions of Android serviced by Google, including Nexus
and Google Play edition devices. Its source code was made
available on November 3, 2014. Lollipop features a redesigned user
interface built around a responsive design language referred to as
"material design". Other changes include improvements to the
notifications, which can be accessed from the lock screen and
displayed within applications as top-of-the-screen banners.
Furthermore, Google made internal changes to the platform, with
the Android Runtime (ART) officially replacing Dalvik for improved
application performance, and with changes intended to improve
and optimize battery usage, known internally as Project Volta
Android 5.0 Lollipop (API 21)
Features
Android Runtime (ART) with ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation and improved garbage collection
(GC), replacing Dalvik that combines byte code interpretation with trace-based just-in-time (JIT)
compilation
Support for 64-bit CPUs
OpenGL ES 3.1 and Android Extension Pack (AEP) on supported GPU configurations
Recent activities screen with tasks instead of applications, up to a configured maximum of tasks
per application
Vector drawables, which scale without losing definition
Support for print previews
Material design, bringing a restyled user interface
Refreshed lock screen, no longer supporting widgets
Refreshed notification tray and quick settings pull-down
Project Volta, for battery life improvements
Searches can be performed within the system settings for quicker access to particular settings
Lock screen provides shortcuts to application and notification settings. Guest logins and multiple
user accounts are available on more devices, such as phones.
Audio input and output through USB devices
Features
Third-party applications regain the ability to read and modify data located anywhere on external
storage, such as on SD cards.
Pinning of an application's screen for restricted user activity.
Recently used applications are remembered even after restarting the device.
Web Views receive updates independently through Google Play for security reasons, instead of
relying on system-wide vendor updates
Addition of 15 new languages: Basque, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Hong Kong), Galician,
Icelandic, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil and Telugu
Tap and Go allows users to quickly migrate to a new Android device, using NFC and Bluetooth to
transfer Google Account details, configuration settings, user data and installed applications
A flashlight-style application is included, working on supported devices with a camera flash.
User-customizable priorities for application notifications.
Smart lock feature
SELinux in enforcing mode for all domains
Updated emoji
Improved accessibility support (e.g. switch access support)
Block-based over-the-air (OTA) updates for new devices
Android 5.1 Lollipop (API 22)
Features
Improvements and bug-fixes to the Overview screen
Ability to join Wi-Fi networks and control paired Bluetooth devices
from quick settings
Official support for multiple SIM cards
Device protection: if a device is lost or stolen it will remain locked
until the owner signs into their Google account, even if the device is
reset to factory settings.
High-definition voice calls, available between compatible 4G LTE
devices running Android 5.1
Improvements to the notification priority system, to more closely
replicate the silent mode that was removed in Android 5.0.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow (API 23)
Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" was unveiled under the codename
"Android M" during Google I/O on May 28, 2015, for the Nexus 5 and
Nexus 6 phones, Nexus 9 tablet, and Nexus Player set-top box, under
the build number MPZ44Q. The third developer preview (MPA44G)
was released on August 17, 2015 for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9
and Nexus Player devices, and was updated to MPA44I that
brought fixes related to Android for Work profiles
Android 6.0 Marshmallow (API 23)
Features
Contextual search from keywords within apps.
Introduction of Doze mode, which reduces CPU speed while the screen
is off in order to save battery life
App Standby feature
Alphabetically accessible vertical application drawer
Application search bar and favorites
Native fingerprint reader support
Direct Share feature for target-specific sharing between apps
Renamed "Priority" mode to "Do Not Disturb" mode
App Linking for faster instinctive opening of links with corresponding
applications. Larger Application folders with multiple pages
Features
Post-install/run-time permission requests
USB Type-C support
Demo Mode feature for screenshot-capture usage
Automatic full data backup and restore for apps
4K display mode for apps
Adoptable External storage to behave like Internal Storage
MIDI support for musical instruments
Experimental multi-window feature
App permissions now granted individually at run-time, not all-or-
nothing at install time
Android 7.0 Nougat (API 24)
Android "Nougat" (codenamed N in-development) is the major 7.0
release of the Android operating system. It was first released as a
developer preview on March 9, 2016, with factory images for current
Nexus devices, as well as with the new "Android Beta Program"
which allows supported devices to be upgraded directly to the
Android Nougat beta via over-the-air update. Final release was on
August 22, 2016. The final preview build was released on July 18,
2016, with the build number NPD90G
Android 7.0 Nougat (API 24)
Features
Rearranged notification shade
Touch/display performance improvements
Moves (Fingerprint swipe down gesture – opt-in)
Opt-in with new hardware required:
Seamless A/B system updates
Daydream VR mode
Pixel specific:
System UI Blue Accent (Default Accent for other devices remains Teal)
Night Light
Features
Developer features:
shortcut manager APIs
Circular app icons support
Keyboard image insertion
Fingerprint sensor gesture to open/close notification shade
Manual storage manager Intent for apps
Improved VR thread scheduling
Enhanced wallpaper metadata
Multi-endpoint call support
Support for various MNO requirements
PCDMA voice privacy property
Source type support for Visual Voicemail
Carrier config options for managing video telephony
Manual storage manager – identifies files and apps using storage
Features
New set of emojis adding different skin and haircut to existing ones
Send GIFs directly from the default keyboard
App shortcuts: Launch actions on apps by long pressing the app
icon
Developer Options: Show CPU Usage feature removed
Battery usage alerts
Improved fingerprint swipe performance
Bluetooth connectivity improvements
New multitasking user interface on Pixel C
Android 8.0 Oreo (API 26)
Android Oreo is the 8th major release of the Android operating
system. It was first released as a developer preview on March 21,
2017, with factory images for current Nexus and Pixel devices. The
final developer preview was released on July 24, 2017, with the
stable version released in August 2017.
Android 8.0 Oreo (API 26)
Features
Project Treble, the biggest change to the foundations of Android to date: a
modular architecture that makes it easier and faster for hardware makers to
deliver Android updates
Picture-in-picture support
Support for Unicode 10.0 emoji (5.0) and replacement of all blob-shaped emojis
by round ones with gradient and outline
Redesigned Quick Settings and Settings with white background and respectively
black and Accent font color
Restructured Settings by regrouping in sections similar entries
Adaptive icons
Notification improvements
Notification channels
Notification dots (badges)
Notification snoozing
Notification shade multi-colors (for music album art, messengers etc)
Features
Android Go option, an optional lightweight distribution of Android for low-end
devices with less than 1GB RAM (Oreo 8.0 or higher)
System-wide Auto fill framework
Sony LDAC codec support
App-specific unknown sources
Multi-display support
2 times faster boot time
Apps background execution and location limits
Google Play Protect
Downloadable fonts
Integrated printing support
Deep color (Wider color gamut for apps)
Wi-Fi Assistant
Android 8.1 Oreo (API 27)
Android Oreo is the 8th major release of the Android
operating system. It is first released as a developer
preview on October 25th, 2017, with factory images for
current Nexus and Pixel devices. The developer preview
is now available for Nexus and Pixel devices.
Features
Neural networks API
Bluetooth battery level for connected devices, accessible in Quick
Settings
Improved targeting for low-RAM devices (Android Go)
Auto fill framework updates
Programmatic Safe Browsing actions
Shared memory API
Wallpaper Colors API
