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Android(operatingsystem)
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Androidisamobileoperatingsystemdevelopedby
Google,basedontheLinuxkernelanddesignedprimarily
fortouchscreenmobiledevicessuchassmartphonesand
tablets.Android'suserinterfaceismainlybasedondirect
manipulation,usingtouchgesturesthatlooselycorrespond
torealworldactions,suchasswiping,tappingand
pinching,tomanipulateonscreenobjects,alongwitha
virtualkeyboardfortextinput.Inadditiontotouchscreen
devices,GooglehasfurtherdevelopedAndroidTVfor
televisions,AndroidAutoforcars,andAndroidWearfor
wristwatches,eachwithaspecializeduserinterface.
VariantsofAndroidarealsousedonnotebooks,game
consoles,digitalcameras,andotherelectronics.

Android

Androidhasthelargestinstalledbaseofalloperating
systems(OS)ofanykind.[b]Androidhasbeenthebest
sellingOSontabletssince2013,andonsmartphonesitis
dominantbyanymetric.[15][16]
InitiallydevelopedbyAndroid,Inc.,whichGooglebought
in2005,[17]Androidwasunveiledin2007alongwiththe
foundingoftheOpenHandsetAllianceaconsortiumof
hardware,software,andtelecommunicationcompanies
devotedtoadvancingopenstandardsformobile
devices.[18]AsofJuly2013,theGooglePlaystorehashad
overonemillionAndroidapplications("apps")published
includingmany"businessclassapps"[19]thatrival
competingmobileplatforms[20]andover50billion
applicationsdownloaded.[21]AnAprilMay2013survey
ofmobileapplicationdevelopersfoundthat71%of
developerscreateapplicationsforAndroid,[22]anda2015
surveyfoundthat40%offulltimeprofessionaldevelopers
seeAndroidastheirprioritytargetplatform,whichis
comparabletoApple'siOSon37%withbothplatformsfar
aboveothers.[23]InSeptember2015,Androidhad1.4
billionmonthlyactivedevices.[24]
Android'ssourcecodeisreleasedbyGoogleunderopen
sourcelicenses,althoughmostAndroiddevicesultimately
shipwithacombinationofopensourceandproprietary
software,includingproprietarysoftwarerequiredfor
accessingGoogleservices.[3]Androidispopularwith
technologycompaniesthatrequireareadymade,lowcost
andcustomizableoperatingsystemforhightech
devices.[25]Itsopennaturehasencouragedalarge
communityofdevelopersandenthusiaststousetheopen
sourcecodeasafoundationforcommunitydriven
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Android7.0Nougat(withsomeGoogleapps)
Developer

Google
OpenHandsetAlliance

Writtenin

Java(UI), [1]C(core),C++

OSfamily

Unixlike

Workingstate

Current

Sourcemodel

Opensource[2]andinmost
deviceswithproprietary
components[3]

Initialrelease

September23,2008[4]

Latestrelease

7.0"Nougat"/August22,
2016
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projects,whichdeliverupdatestoolderdevices,addnew
featuresforadvancedusers[26]orbringAndroidtodevices
originallyshippedwithotheroperatingsystems.The
successofAndroidhasmadeitatargetforpatent(and
copyright)litigationaspartofthesocalled"smartphone
wars"betweentechnologycompanies.[27][28]

Marketingtarget

Wear
Availablein

100+languages[5]

Packagemanager

APK (throughGooglePlay)

Platforms

32and64bitARM,x86, [6]

Contents
1 History
2 Features
2.1 Interface
2.2 Applications
2.3 Memorymanagement
2.4 Virtualreality
3 Hardware
4 Development
4.1 Updateschedule
4.2 Linuxkernel
4.3 Softwarestack
4.4 Opensourcecommunity
5 Securityandprivacy
5.1 Scopeofsurveillancebypublic
institutions
5.2 Commonsecuritythreats
5.3 Technicalsecurityfeatures
6 Licensing
6.1 Leverageovermanufacturers
7 Reception
7.1 Marketshare
7.2 Adoptionontablets
7.3 Platformusage
7.4 Applicationpiracy
8 Legalissues
9 Otheruses
10 Seealso
11 Notes
12 References
13 Externallinks

Smartphones,tablet
computers,AndroidTV,
AndroidAutoandAndroid

MIPS[7]andMIPS64[a]
Kerneltype

Monolithic (modifiedLinux
kernel)

Userland

Bioniclibc, [8]mkshshell, [9]

Defaultuserinterface Graphical(multitouch)
License

ApacheLicense2.0
GNUGPLv2fortheLinux
kernelmodifications[14]

Officialwebsite

android.com(https://android.c
om/)

History
Android,Inc.wasfoundedinPaloAlto,CaliforniainOctober2003
byAndyRubin(cofounderofDanger),[29]RichMiner(cofounder
ofWildfireCommunications,Inc.),[30]NickSears(onceVPatT
FormerAndroidlogowordmark(2007
Mobile),[31]andChrisWhite(headeddesignandinterface
2014)
[17]
developmentatWebTV )todevelop,inRubin'swords,"smarter
mobiledevicesthataremoreawareofitsowner'slocationandpreferences".[17]Theearlyintentionsofthe
companyweretodevelopanadvancedoperatingsystemfordigitalcameras.Though,whenitwasrealizedthat
themarketforthedeviceswasnotlargeenough,thecompanydiverteditseffortstowardproducinga
smartphoneoperatingsystemthatwouldrivalSymbianandMicrosoftWindowsMobile.[32]Despitethepast
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accomplishmentsofthefoundersandearlyemployees,AndroidInc.operatedsecretly,revealingonlythatit
wasworkingonsoftwareformobilephones.[17]Thatsameyear,Rubinranoutofmoney.StevePerlman,a
closefriendofRubin,broughthim$10,000incashinanenvelopeandrefusedastakeinthecompany.[33]
InJuly2005,GoogleacquiredAndroidInc.foratleast$50million,whosekeyemployees,includingRubin,
MinerandWhite,stayedatthecompanyaftertheacquisition.[15][17]NotmuchwasknownaboutAndroidInc.
atthetime,butmanyassumedthatGooglewasplanningtoenterthemobilephonemarketwiththismove.[17]
AtGoogle,theteamledbyRubindevelopedamobiledeviceplatformpoweredbytheLinuxkernel.Google
marketedtheplatformtohandsetmakersandcarriersonthepromiseofprovidingaflexible,upgradeable
system.Googlehadlinedupaseriesofhardwarecomponentandsoftwarepartnersandsignaledtocarriersthat
itwasopentovariousdegreesofcooperationontheirpart.[34][35][36]
SpeculationaboutGoogle'sintentiontoenterthemobilecommunicationsmarketcontinuedtobuildthrough
December2006.[37]Anearlierprototypecodenamed"Sooner"hadacloserresemblancetoaBlackBerryphone,
withnotouchscreen,andaphysical,QWERTYkeyboard,butwaslaterreengineeredtosupportatouchscreen,
tocompetewithotherannounceddevicessuchasthe2006LGPradaand2007AppleiPhone.[38][39]In
September2007,InformationWeekcoveredanEvalueservestudyreportingthatGooglehadfiledseveralpatent
applicationsintheareaofmobiletelephony.[40][41]
OnNovember5,2007,theOpenHandsetAlliance,aconsortiumof
technologycompaniesincludingGoogle,devicemanufacturerssuchas
HTC,SonyandSamsung,wirelesscarrierssuchasSprintNextelandT
Mobile,andchipsetmakerssuchasQualcommandTexasInstruments,
unveileditself,withagoaltodevelopopenstandardsformobile
devices.[18]Thatday,Androidwasunveiledasitsfirstproduct,amobile
deviceplatformbuiltontheLinuxkernel.[18][42]Thefirstcommercially
availablesmartphonerunningAndroidwastheHTCDream,releasedon
October22,2008.[43]

EricSchmidt,AndyRubinandHugo
Barraata2012pressconference
announcingGoogle'sNexus7tablet

Since2008,Androidhasseennumerousupdateswhichhave
incrementallyimprovedtheoperatingsystem,addingnewfeaturesandfixingbugsinpreviousreleases.Each
majorreleaseisnamedinalphabeticalorderafteradessertorsugarytreatforexample,version1.5"Cupcake"
wasfollowedby1.6"Donut".In2010,GooglelauncheditsNexusseriesofdevicesalineofsmartphonesand
tabletsrunningtheAndroidoperatingsystem,andbuiltbymanufacturingpartners.HTCcollaboratedwith
GoogletoreleasethefirstNexussmartphone,[44]theNexusOne.Googlehassinceupdatedtheserieswith
newerdevices,suchastheNexus5phone(madebyLG)andtheNexus7tablet(madebyAsus).Google
releasestheNexusphonesandtabletstoactastheirflagshipAndroiddevices,demonstratingAndroid'slatest
softwareandhardwarefeatures.From2013until2015,GoogleofferedseveralGooglePlayEditiondevices
overGooglePlay.WhilenotcarryingtheGoogleNexusbranding,thesewereGooglecustomizedAndroid
phonesandtabletsthatalsoranthelatestversionofAndroid,freefrommanufacturerorcarriermodifications.
From2010to2013,HugoBarraservedasproductspokesperson,representingAndroidatpressconferencesand
GoogleI/O,Googlesannualdeveloperfocusedconference.Barra'sproductinvolvementincludedtheentire
Androidecosystemofsoftwareandhardware,includingHoneycomb,IceCreamSandwich,JellyBeanand
KitKatoperatingsystemlaunches,theNexus4andNexus5smartphones,theNexus7[45]andNexus10
tablets,[46]andotherrelatedproductssuchasGoogleNow[47]andGoogleVoiceSearch,Googlesspeech
recognitionproductcomparabletoApplesSiri.[47]In2013,BarralefttheAndroidteamforChinese
smartphonemakerXiaomi.[48]Thesameyear,LarryPageannouncedinablogpostthatAndyRubinhad
movedfromtheAndroiddivisiontotakeonnewprojectsatGoogle.[49]HewasreplacedbySundarPichaiwho
becamethenewheadofAndroidandChromeOS,[50]and,later,byHiroshiLockheimerwhenPichaibecame
CEOofGoogle.[51]
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In2014,GooglelaunchedAndroidOne,alineofsmartphonesmainlytargetingcustomersinthedeveloping
world.InMay2015,GoogleannouncedProjectBrilloasacutdownversionofAndroidthatusesitslower
levels(excludingtheuserinterface),intendedforthe"InternetofThings"(IoT)embeddedsystems.[52]
UniversityofCambridgeresearchin2015,concludedthatalmost90%ofAndroidphonesinusehadknownbut
unpatchedsecurityvulnerabilitiesduetolackofupdatesandsupport.[53][54]Inayearsince(mid2015)that
report,welloverabillionAndroidsmartphoneshavebeensold(morethanthejustoverbillionsoldin2014)
andAndroid5.0(withbettersecurity)andlater,wentfrom5.4%marketsharetocurrentlyoverhalf,which
meansthatthe90%numbermustbeveryoutdatedthosephonesnowverylikelyrepresentlessthanhalfofall
Androidphones.Recentdevicesdogetsecurityupdates[55][56]Android5.0introducedanimprovedcentralized
updatesystem.[57][58]

Features
Interface
Android'sdefaultuserinterfaceismainlybasedondirectmanipulation,[59]usingtouchinputsthatloosely
correspondtorealworldactions,likeswiping,tapping,pinching,andreversepinchingtomanipulateonscreen
objects,alongwithavirtualkeyboard.[59]Gamecontrollersandfullsizephysicalkeyboardsaresupportedvia
BluetoothorUSB.[60]Theresponsetouserinputisdesignedtobeimmediateandprovidesafluidtouch
interface,oftenusingthevibrationcapabilitiesofthedevicetoprovidehapticfeedbacktotheuser.Internal
hardware,suchasaccelerometers,gyroscopesandproximitysensors[61]areusedbysomeapplicationsto
respondtoadditionaluseractions,forexampleadjustingthescreenfromportraittolandscapedependingon
howthedeviceisoriented,orallowingtheusertosteeravehicleinaracinggamebyrotatingthedevice,
simulatingcontrolofasteeringwheel.[62]
Androiddevicesboottothehomescreen,theprimarynavigationandinformation"hub"onAndroiddevicesthat
isanalogoustothedesktopfoundonpersonalcomputers.(Androidalsorunsonregularpersonalcomputers,as
describedbelow).Androidhomescreensaretypicallymadeupofappiconsandwidgetsappiconslaunchthe
associatedapp,whereaswidgetsdisplaylive,autoupdatingcontent,suchastheweatherforecast,theuser's
emailinbox,oranewstickerdirectlyonthehomescreen.[63]Ahomescreenmaybemadeupofseveralpages,
betweenwhichtheusercanswipebackandforth,thoughAndroid'shomescreeninterfaceisheavily
customisable,allowinguserstoadjustthelookandfeelofthedevicestotheirtastes.[64]Thirdpartyapps
availableonGooglePlayandotherappstorescanextensivelyrethemethehomescreen,andevenmimicthe
lookofotheroperatingsystems,suchasWindowsPhone.[65]Mostmanufacturers,andsomewirelesscarriers,
customisethelookandfeeloftheirAndroiddevicestodifferentiatethemselvesfromtheircompetitors.[66]
Applicationsthathandleinteractionswiththehomescreenarecalled"launchers"becausethey,amongother
purposes,launchtheapplicationsinstalledonadevice.
Alongthetopofthescreenisastatusbar,showinginformationaboutthedeviceanditsconnectivity.This
statusbarcanbe"pulled"downtorevealanotificationscreenwhereappsdisplayimportantinformationor
updates,suchasanewlyreceivedemailorSMStext,inawaythatdoesnotimmediatelyinterruptor
inconveniencetheuser.[67]Notificationsarepersistentuntilreadbytappingit,whichopenstherelevantapp,or
dismissedbyslidingitoffthescreen.BeginningonAndroid4.1,"expandednotifications"candisplay
expandeddetailsoradditionalfunctionalityforinstance,amusicplayercandisplayplaybackcontrols,anda
"missedcall"notificationprovidesbuttonsforcallingbackorsendingthecalleranSMSmessage.[68]
Androidprovidestheabilitytorunapplicationsthatchangethedefaultlauncher,andhencetheappearanceand
externallyvisiblebehaviourofAndroid.Theseappearancechangesincludeamultipagedockornodock,and
manymorechangestofundamentalfeaturesoftheuserinterface.[69]
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Applications
Applications("apps"),whichextendthefunctionalityofdevices,arewrittenusingtheAndroidsoftware
developmentkit(SDK)and,often,theJavaprogramminglanguagethathascompleteaccesstotheAndroid
APIs.JavamaybecombinedwithC/C++,togetherwithachoiceofnondefaultruntimesthatallowbetterC++
support[70][71][72]theGoprogramminglanguageisalsosupportedsinceitsversion1.4,whichcanalsobeused
exclusivelyalthoughwitharestrictedsetofAndroidAPIs.[73]TheSDKincludesacomprehensivesetof
developmenttools,[74]includingadebugger,softwarelibraries,ahandsetemulatorbasedonQEMU,
documentation,samplecode,andtutorials.Initially,Google'ssupportedintegrateddevelopmentenvironment
(IDE)wasEclipseusingtheAndroidDevelopmentTools(ADT)plugininDecember2014,Googlereleased
AndroidStudio,basedonIntelliJIDEA,asitsprimaryIDEforAndroidapplicationdevelopment.Other
developmenttoolsareavailable,includinganativedevelopmentkit(NDK)forapplicationsorextensionsinC
orC++,GoogleAppInventor,avisualenvironmentfornoviceprogrammers,andvariouscrossplatform
mobilewebapplicationsframeworks.InJanuary2014,GoogleunveiledanframeworkbasedonApache
CordovaforportingChromeHTML5webapplicationstoAndroid,wrappedinanativeapplicationshell.[75]
Androidhasagrowingselectionofthirdpartyapplications,whichcanbeacquiredbyusersbydownloading
andinstallingtheapplication'sAPK(Androidapplicationpackage)file,orbydownloadingthemusingan
applicationstoreprogramthatallowsuserstoinstall,update,andremoveapplicationsfromtheirdevices.
GooglePlayStoreistheprimaryapplicationstoreinstalledonAndroiddevicesthatcomplywithGoogle's
compatibilityrequirementsandlicensetheGoogleMobileServicessoftware.[3][76]GooglePlayStoreallows
userstobrowse,downloadandupdateapplicationspublishedbyGoogleandthirdpartydevelopersasofJuly
2013,therearemorethanonemillionapplicationsavailableforAndroidinPlayStore.[77]AsofJuly2013,50
billionapplicationshavebeeninstalled.[78][79]SomecarriersofferdirectcarrierbillingforGooglePlay
applicationpurchases,wherethecostoftheapplicationisaddedtotheuser'smonthlybill.[80]
DuetotheopennatureofAndroid,anumberofthirdpartyapplicationmarketplacesalsoexistforAndroid,
eithertoprovideasubstitutefordevicesthatarenotallowedtoshipwithGooglePlayStore,provide
applicationsthatcannotbeofferedonGooglePlayStoreduetopolicyviolations,orforotherreasons.
ExamplesofthesethirdpartystoreshaveincludedtheAmazonAppstore,GetJar,andSlideMe.FDroid,
anotheralternativemarketplace,seekstoonlyprovideapplicationsthataredistributedunderfreeandopen
sourcelicenses.[3][81][82][83]

Memorymanagement
SinceAndroiddevicesareusuallybatterypowered,Androidisdesignedtomanageprocessestokeeppower
consumptionataminimum.Whenanapplicationisnotinusethesystemsuspendsitsoperationsothat,while
availableforimmediateuseratherthanclosed,itdoesnotusebatterypowerorCPUresources.[84][85]
Androidmanagestheapplicationsstoredinmemoryautomatically:whenmemoryislow,thesystemwillbegin
invisiblyandautomaticallyclosinginactiveprocesses,startingwiththosethathavebeeninactivefor
longest.[86][87]Lifehackerreportedin2011thatthirdpartytaskkillersweredoingmoreharmthangood.[88]

Virtualreality
AtGoogleI/OonMay2016,GoogleannouncedDaydream,avirtualrealityplatformthatreliesona
smartphoneandprovidesVRcapabilitiesthroughavirtualrealityheadsetandcontrollerdesignedbyGoogle
itself.[89]TheplatformisbuiltintoAndroidstartingwithAndroidNougat,differentiatingfromstandalone
supportforVRcapabilities.Thesoftwareisavailablefordevelopers,andwasreleasedin2016.

Hardware
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ThemainhardwareplatformforAndroidistheARM(ARMv7and
ARMv8Aarchitectures),withx86andMIPSarchitecturesalso
officiallysupportedinlaterversionsofAndroid.SinceAndroid5.0
"Lollipop",64bitvariantsofallplatformsaresupportedinaddition
tothe32bitvariants.[90]TheunofficialAndroidx86project
providedsupportforthex86architecturesaheadoftheofficial
support.[6][91]MIPSarchitecturewasalsosupportedbeforeGoogle
did.Since2012,AndroiddeviceswithIntelprocessorsbeganto
appear,includingphones[92]andtablets.Whilegainingsupportfor
64bitplatforms,Androidwasfirstmadetorunon64bitx86and
thenonARM64.

HTCDreamorTMobileG1,thefirst
commerciallyreleaseddevicerunning
Android(2008).

RequirementsfortheminimumamountofRAMfordevices
runningAndroid5.1rangefrom512MBofRAMfornormal
densityscreens,toabout1.8GBforhighdensityscreens.[93]TherecommendationforAndroid4.4istohaveat
least512MBofRAM,[94]whilefor"lowRAM"devices340MBistherequiredminimumamountthatdoes
notincludememorydedicatedtovarioushardwarecomponentssuchasthebasebandprocessor.[95]Android4.4
requiresa32bitARMv7,MIPSorx86architectureprocessor(lattertwothroughunofficialports),[6][96]
togetherwithanOpenGLES2.0compatiblegraphicsprocessingunit(GPU).[97]AndroidsupportsOpenGLES
1.1,2.0,3.0,3.1andasoflatestmajorversion,3.2andVulkan.Someapplicationsmayexplicitlyrequirea
certainversionoftheOpenGLES,andsuitableGPUhardwareisrequiredtorunsuchapplications.[97]
Androiddevicesincorporatemanyoptionalhardwarecomponents,includingstillorvideocameras,GPS,
orientationsensors,dedicatedgamingcontrols,accelerometers,gyroscopes,barometers,magnetometers,
proximitysensors,pressuresensors,thermometers,andtouchscreens.Somehardwarecomponentsarenot
required,butbecamestandardincertainclassesofdevices,suchassmartphones,andadditionalrequirements
applyiftheyarepresent.Someotherhardwarewasinitiallyrequired,butthoserequirementshavebeenrelaxed
oreliminatedaltogether.Forexample,asAndroidwasdevelopedinitiallyasaphoneOS,hardwaresuchas
microphoneswererequired,whileovertimethephonefunctionbecameoptional.[79]Androidusedtorequirean
autofocuscamera,whichwasrelaxedtoafixedfocuscamera[79]ifpresentatall,sincethecamerawasdropped
asarequiremententirelywhenAndroidstartedtobeusedonsettopboxes.
Inadditiontorunningonsmartphonesandtablets,severalvendorsrunAndroidnativelyonregularPC
hardwarewithakeyboardandmouse.[98][99][100][101]Inadditiontotheiravailabilityoncommerciallyavailable
hardware,similarPChardwarefriendlyversionsofAndroidarefreelyavailablefromtheAndroidx86project,
includingcustomizedAndroid4.4.[102]UsingtheAndroidemulatorthatispartoftheAndroidSDK,orby
usingBlueStacksorAndy,Androidcanalsorunnonnativelyonx86.[103][104]Chinesecompaniesarebuildinga
PCandmobileoperatingsystem,basedonAndroid,to"competedirectlywithMicrosoftWindowsandGoogle
Android".[105]TheChineseAcademyofEngineeringnotedthat"morethanadozen"companieswere
customisingAndroidfollowingaChinesebanontheuseofWindows8ongovernmentPCs.[106][107][108]

Development
AndroidisdevelopedinprivatebyGoogleuntilthelatestchangesandupdatesarereadytobereleased,at
whichpointthesourcecodeismadeavailablepublicly.[109]Thissourcecodewillonlyrunwithoutmodification
onselectdevices,usuallytheNexusseriesofdevices.Thesourcecodeis,inturn,adaptedbyOEMstorunon
theirhardware.[110]Android'ssourcecodedoesnotcontaintheoftenproprietarydevicedriversthatareneeded
forcertainhardwarecomponents.[111]

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In2007,thegreenAndroidlogowasdesignedforGooglebygraphic
designerIrinaBlok.Thedesignteamwastaskedwithaprojecttocreate
auniversallyidentifiableiconwiththespecificinclusionofarobotin
thefinaldesign.Afternumerousdesigndevelopmentsbasedonscience
fictionandspacemovies,theteameventuallysoughtinspirationfrom
thehumansymbolonrestroomdoorsandmodifiedthefigureintoa
robotshape.AsAndroidisopensourced,itwasagreedthatthelogo
shouldbelikewise,andsinceitslaunchthegreenlogohasbeen
reinterpretedintocountlessvariationsontheoriginaldesign.[112]

Updateschedule

Androidgreenfigure,nexttoits
originalpackaging

GoogleprovidesmajorincrementalupgradestoAndroideverysixto
ninemonths,withconfectionerythemednames,whichmostdevicesarecapableofreceivingovertheair.[113]
ThelatestmajorreleaseisAndroid7.0"Nougat".
Comparedtoitsprimaryrivalmobileoperatingsystem,iOS,Androidupdatestypicallyreachvariousdevices
withsignificantdelays.ExceptfordeviceswiththeGoogleNexusbrand,updatesoftenarrivemonthsafterthe
releaseofthenewversion,ornotatall.[114]ThisispartlyduetotheextensivevariationinhardwareofAndroid
devices,towhicheachupgrademustbespecificallytailored,astheofficialGooglesourcecodeonlyrunson
theirownNexusdevices.PortingAndroidtospecifichardwareisatimeandresourceconsumingprocessfor
devicemanufacturers,whoprioritizetheirnewestdevicesandoftenleaveolderonesbehind.[114]Hence,older
smartphonesarefrequentlynotupdatedifthemanufacturerdecidesitisnotworththeinvestmentofresources,
althoughthedevicemaybecompatible.ThisproblemiscompoundedwhenmanufacturerscustomizeAndroid
withtheirowninterfaceandapps,whichmustbereappliedtoeachnewrelease.Additionaldelayscanbe
introducedbywirelesscarrierswho,afterreceivingupdatesfrommanufacturers,furthercustomizeandbrand
Androidtotheirneedsandconductextensivetestingontheirnetworksbeforesendingtheupgradeoutto
users.[114]
Thelackofaftersalesupportfrommanufacturersandcarriershasbeenwidelycriticizedbyconsumergroups
andthetechnologymedia.[115][116]Somecommentatorshavenotedthattheindustryhasafinancialincentive
nottoupgradetheirdevices,asthelackofupdatesforexistingdevicesfuelsthepurchaseofnewerones,[117]an
attitudedescribedas"insulting".[116]TheGuardiancomplainedthatthemethodofdistributionforupdatesis
complicatedonlybecausemanufacturersandcarriershavedesigneditthatway.[116]In2011,Googlepartnered
withanumberofindustryplayerstoannouncean"AndroidUpdateAlliance",pledgingtodelivertimely
updatesforeverydevicefor18monthsafteritsrelease[118]however,therehasnotbeenanotherofficialword
aboutthatalliancesinceitsannouncement.[114][119]
In2012,Googlebegandecouplingcertainaspectsoftheoperatingsystem(particularlycoreapplications)so
theycouldbeupdatedthroughGooglePlayStoreindependentlyoftheoperatingsystem.Oneofthese
components,GooglePlayServices,isaclosedsourcesystemlevelprocessprovidingAPIsforGoogleservices,
installedautomaticallyonnearlyalldevicesrunningAndroidversion2.2andhigher.Withthesechanges,
GooglecanaddnewoperatingsystemfunctionalitythroughPlayServicesandapplicationupdateswithout
havingtodistributeanupgradetotheoperatingsystemitself.Asaresult,Android4.2and4.3contained
relativelyfeweruserfacingchanges,focusingmoreonminorchangesandplatformimprovements.[3][120]
InMay2016,itwasannouncedthatGoogleisconsidering"shaming"smartphonemakerswhofailtorelease
updatedversionsofAndroidtotheirdevices.[121]

Linuxkernel

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Android'skernelisbasedononeoftheLinuxkernel'slongtermsupport(LTS)branches.SinceApril2014,
Androiddevicesmainlyuseversions3.4,3.10or3.18oftheLinuxkernel.[122][123]Thespecifickernelversion
dependsontheactualAndroiddeviceanditshardwareplatform[124][125][126]Androidhasusedvariouskernel
versionssincetheversion2.6.25thatwasusedinAndroid1.0.[42]
Android'svariantoftheLinuxkernelhasfurtherarchitecturalchangesthatareimplementedbyGoogleoutside
thetypicalLinuxkerneldevelopmentcycle,suchastheinclusionofcomponentslikeBinder,ashmem,pmem,
logger,wakelocks,anddifferentoutofmemory(OOM)handling.[127][128][129]CertainfeaturesthatGoogle
contributedbacktotheLinuxkernel,notablyapowermanagementfeaturecalled"wakelocks",wererejected
bymainlinekerneldeveloperspartlybecausetheyfeltthatGoogledidnotshowanyintenttomaintainitsown
code.[130][131][132]GoogleannouncedinApril2010thattheywouldhiretwoemployeestoworkwiththeLinux
kernelcommunity,[133]butGregKroahHartman,thecurrentLinuxkernelmaintainerforthestablebranch,said
inDecember2010thathewasconcernedthatGooglewasnolongertryingtogettheircodechangesincludedin
mainstreamLinux.[131]SomeGoogleAndroiddevelopershintedthat"theAndroidteamwasgettingfedupwith
theprocess,"becausetheywereasmallteamandhadmoreurgentworktodoonAndroid.[134]
InAugust2011,LinusTorvaldssaidthat"eventuallyAndroidandLinuxwouldcomebacktoacommonkernel,
butitwillprobablynotbeforfourtofiveyears".[135]InDecember2011,GregKroahHartmanannouncedthe
startofAndroidMainliningProject,whichaimstoputsomeAndroiddrivers,patchesandfeaturesbackintothe
Linuxkernel,startinginLinux3.3.[136]Linuxincludedtheautosleepandwakelockscapabilitiesinthe3.5
kernel,aftermanypreviousattemptsatmerger.TheinterfacesarethesamebuttheupstreamLinux
implementationallowsfortwodifferentsuspendmodes:tomemory(thetraditionalsuspendthatAndroiduses),
andtodisk(hibernate,asitisknownonthedesktop).[137]Googlemaintainsapubliccoderepositorythat
containstheirexperimentalworktorebaseAndroidoffthelateststableLinuxversions.[138][139]
TheflashstorageonAndroiddevicesissplitintoseveralpartitions,suchas/systemfortheoperatingsystem
itself,and/dataforuserdataandapplicationinstallations.[140]IncontrasttodesktopLinuxdistributions,
Androiddeviceownersarenotgivenrootaccesstotheoperatingsystemandsensitivepartitionssuchas
/systemarereadonly.However,rootaccesscanbeobtainedbyexploitingsecurityflawsinAndroid,whichis
usedfrequentlybytheopensourcecommunitytoenhancethecapabilitiesoftheirdevices,[141]butalsoby
maliciouspartiestoinstallvirusesandmalware.[142]
AndroidisaLinuxdistributionaccordingtotheLinuxFoundation,[143]Google'sopensourcechiefChris
DiBona,[144]andseveraljournalists.[145][146]Others,suchasGoogleengineerPatrickBrady,saythatAndroidis
notLinuxinthetraditionalUnixlikeLinuxdistributionsenseAndroiddoesnotincludetheGNUCLibrary(it
usesBionicasanalternativeClibrary)andsomeofothercomponentstypicallyfoundinLinux
distributions.[147]

Softwarestack
OntopoftheLinuxkernel,therearethemiddleware,librariesandAPIswritteninC,andapplicationsoftware
runningonanapplicationframeworkwhichincludesJavacompatiblelibraries.DevelopmentoftheLinux
kernelcontinuesindependentlyofotherAndroid'ssourcecodebases.
Untilversion5.0,AndroidusedDalvikasaprocessvirtualmachinewithtracebasedjustintime(JIT)
compilationtorunDalvik"dexcode"(DalvikExecutable),whichisusuallytranslatedfromtheJavabytecode.
FollowingthetracebasedJITprinciple,inadditiontointerpretingthemajorityofapplicationcode,Dalvik
performsthecompilationandnativeexecutionofselectfrequentlyexecutedcodesegments("traces")eachtime
anapplicationislaunched.[148][149][150]Android4.4introducedAndroidRuntime(ART)asanewruntime
environment,whichusesaheadoftime(AOT)compilationtoentirelycompiletheapplicationbytecodeinto
machinecodeupontheinstallationofanapplication.InAndroid4.4,ARTwasanexperimentalfeatureandnot
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enabledbydefaultitbecametheonlyruntime
optioninthenextmajorversionofAndroid,
5.0.[151]
ForitsJavalibrary,theAndroidplatformusesa
subsetofthenowdiscontinuedApacheHarmony
project.[152]InDecember2015,Googleannounced
thatthenextversionofAndroidwouldswitchtoa
JavaimplementationbasedonOpenJDK.[153]
Android'sstandardClibrary,Bionic,wasdeveloped
byGooglespecificallyforAndroid,asaderivation
oftheBSD'sstandardClibrarycode.Bionicitself
hasbeendesignedwithseveralmajorfeatures
specifictotheLinuxkernel.Themainbenefitsof
usingBionicinsteadoftheGNUCLibrary(glibc)
Android'sarchitecturediagram
oruClibcareitssmallerruntimefootprint,and
optimizationforlowfrequencyCPUs.Atthesame
time,BionicislicensedunderthetermsoftheBSDlicence,whichGooglefindsmoresuitablefortheAndroid's
overalllicensingmodel.[150]
Aimingforadifferentlicensingmodel,towardtheendof2012,GoogleswitchedtheBluetoothstackin
AndroidfromtheGPLlicensedBlueZtotheApachelicensedBlueDroid.[154]
AndroiddoesnothaveanativeXWindowSystembydefault,nordoesitsupportthefullsetofstandardGNU
libraries.ThismadeitdifficulttoportexistingLinuxapplicationsorlibrariestoAndroid,[147]untilversionr5of
theAndroidNativeDevelopmentKitbroughtsupportforapplicationswrittencompletelyinCorC++.[155]
LibrarieswritteninCmayalsobeusedinapplicationsbyinjectionofasmallshimandusageoftheJNI.[156]
SinceMarshmallow,"Toybox",acollectionofcommandlineutilities(mostlyforusebyapps,asAndroid
doesn'tprovideacommandlineinterfacebydefault),replacedsimilar"Toolbox"collection.[157]
Androidhasanotheroperatingsystem,TrustyOS,withinit,asapartof"Trusty""softwarecomponents
supportingaTrustedExecutionEnvironment(TEE)onmobiledevices.""TrustyandtheTrustyAPIaresubject
tochange.[..]ApplicationsfortheTrustyOScanbewritteninC/C++(C++supportislimited),andtheyhave
accesstoasmallClibrary.[..]AllTrustyapplicationsaresinglethreadedmultithreadinginTrustyuserspace
currentlyisunsupported.[..]Thirdpartyapplicationdevelopmentisnotsupportedin"thecurrentversion,and
softwarerunningontheOSandprocessorforit,runthe"DRMframeworkforprotectedcontent.[..]Thereare
manyotherusesforaTEEsuchasmobilepayments,securebanking,fulldiskencryption,multifactor
authentication,deviceresetprotection,replayprotectedpersistentstorage,wirelessdisplay("cast")ofprotected
content,securePINandfingerprintprocessing,andevenmalwaredetection."[158]

Opensourcecommunity
AndroidhasanactivecommunityofdevelopersandenthusiastswhousetheAndroidOpenSourceProject
(AOSP)sourcecodetodevelopanddistributetheirownmodifiedversionsoftheoperatingsystem.[159]These
communitydevelopedreleasesoftenbringnewfeaturesandupdatestodevicesfasterthanthroughtheofficial
manufacturer/carrierchannels,withacomparablelevelofquality[26]providecontinuedsupportforolder
devicesthatnolongerreceiveofficialupdatesorbringAndroidtodevicesthatwereofficiallyreleasedrunning
otheroperatingsystems,suchastheHPTouchPad.Communityreleasesoftencomeprerootedandcontain
modificationsnotprovidedbytheoriginalvendor,suchastheabilitytooverclockorover/undervoltthe

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device'sprocessor.[160]CyanogenModisthemostwidelyusedcommunityfirmware,[161]andactsasa
foundationfornumerousothers.Androidx86isaversionofAndroidforIBMPCcompatibles.Therehavealso
beenattemptswithvaryingdegreesofsuccesstoportAndroidtoiPhones,notablytheiDroidProject.[162]
Historically,devicemanufacturersandmobilecarriershavetypicallybeenunsupportiveofthirdpartyfirmware
development.Manufacturersexpressconcernaboutimproperfunctioningofdevicesrunningunofficial
softwareandthesupportcostsresultingfromthis.[163]Moreover,modifiedfirmwaressuchasCyanogenMod
sometimesofferfeatures,suchastethering,forwhichcarrierswouldotherwisechargeapremium.Asaresult,
technicalobstaclesincludinglockedbootloadersandrestrictedaccesstorootpermissionsarecommoninmany
devices.However,ascommunitydevelopedsoftwarehasgrownmorepopular,andfollowingastatementby
theLibrarianofCongressintheUnitedStatesthatpermitsthe"jailbreaking"ofmobiledevices,[164]
manufacturersandcarriershavesoftenedtheirpositionregardingthirdpartydevelopment,withsome,including
HTC,[163]Motorola,[165]Samsung[166][167]andSony,[168]providingsupportandencouragingdevelopment.Asa
resultofthis,overtimetheneedtocircumventhardwarerestrictionstoinstallunofficialfirmwarehaslessened
asanincreasingnumberofdevicesareshippedwithunlockedorunlockablebootloaders,similartoNexus
seriesofphones,althoughusuallyrequiringthatuserswaivetheirdevices'warrantiestodoso.[163]However,
despitemanufactureracceptance,somecarriersintheUSstillrequirethatphonesarelockeddown,frustrating
developersandcustomers.[169]

Securityandprivacy
Scopeofsurveillancebypublicinstitutions
Aspartofthebroader2013masssurveillancedisclosuresitwasrevealedinSeptember2013thattheAmerican
andBritishintelligenceagencies,theNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)andGovernmentCommunications
Headquarters(GCHQ),respectively,haveaccesstotheuserdataoniPhone,BlackBerry,andAndroiddevices.
Theyarereportedlyabletoreadalmostallsmartphoneinformation,includingSMS,location,emails,and
notes.[170]InJanuary2014,furtherreportsrevealedtheintelligenceagencies'capabilitiestointerceptthe
personalinformationtransmittedacrosstheInternetbysocialnetworksandotherpopularapplicationssuchas
AngryBirds,whichcollectpersonalinformationoftheirusersforadvertisingandothercommercialreasons.
GCHQhas,accordingtoTheGuardian,awikistyleguideofdifferentappsandadvertisingnetworks,andthe
differentdatathatcanbesiphonedfromeach.[171]Laterthatweek,theFinnishAngryBirdsdeveloperRovio
announcedthatitwasreconsideringitsrelationshipswithitsadvertisingplatformsinthelightofthese
revelations,andcalleduponthewiderindustrytodothesame.[172]
ThedocumentsrevealedafurthereffortbytheintelligenceagenciestointerceptGoogleMapssearchesand
queriessubmittedfromAndroidandothersmartphonestocollectlocationinformationinbulk.[171]TheNSA
andGCHQinsisttheiractivitiesareincompliancewithallrelevantdomesticandinternationallaws,although
theGuardianstated"thelatestdisclosurescouldalsoaddtomountingpublicconcernabouthowthetechnology
sectorcollectsandusesinformation,especiallyforthoseoutsidetheUS,whoenjoyfewerprivacyprotections
thanAmericans."[171]

Commonsecuritythreats
ResearchfromsecuritycompanyTrendMicrolistspremiumserviceabuseasthemostcommontypeof
Androidmalware,wheretextmessagesaresentfrominfectedphonestopremiumratetelephonenumbers
withouttheconsentorevenknowledgeoftheuser.[173]Othermalwaredisplaysunwantedandintrusive
advertisementsonthedevice,orsendspersonalinformationtounauthorisedthirdparties.[173]Securitythreats
onAndroidarereportedlygrowingexponentiallyhowever,Googleengineershavearguedthatthemalwareand
virusthreatonAndroidisbeingexaggeratedbysecuritycompaniesforcommercialreasons,[174][175]andhave
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accusedthesecurityindustryofplayingonfearstosellvirusprotectionsoftwaretousers.[174]Googlemaintains
thatdangerousmalwareisactuallyextremelyrare,[175]andasurveyconductedbyFSecureshowedthatonly
0.5%ofAndroidmalwarereportedhadcomefromtheGooglePlaystore.[176]
Android'sfragmentationisaproblemforsecurity,sincepatchestobugsfoundinthecoreoperatingsystem
oftendonotreachusersofolderandlowerpricedevices.[177][178]Onesetofresearcherssaythatthefailureof
vendorstosupportolderdeviceswithpatchesandupdatesleavesmorethan87%ofactivedevices
vulnerable.[179][180]However,theopensourcenatureofAndroidallowssecuritycontractorstotakeexisting
devicesandadaptthemforhighlysecureuses.Forexample,SamsunghasworkedwithGeneralDynamics
throughtheirOpenKernelLabsacquisitiontorebuildJellyBeanontopoftheirhardenedmicrovisorforthe
"Knox"project.[181][182]
AndroidsmartphoneshavetheabilitytoreportthelocationofWiFiaccesspoints,encounteredasphoneusers
movearound,tobuilddatabasescontainingthephysicallocationsofhundredsofmillionsofsuchaccesspoints.
Thesedatabasesformelectronicmapstolocatesmartphones,allowingthemtorunappslikeFoursquare,
GoogleLatitude,FacebookPlaces,andtodeliverlocationbasedads.[183]Thirdpartymonitoringsoftwaresuch
asTaintDroid,[184]anacademicresearchfundedproject,can,insomecases,detectwhenpersonalinformation
isbeingsentfromapplicationstoremoteservers.[185]

Technicalsecurityfeatures
Androidapplicationsruninasandbox,anisolatedareaofthesystemthatdoesnothaveaccesstotherestofthe
system'sresources,unlessaccesspermissionsareexplicitlygrantedbytheuserwhentheapplicationis
installed.Beforeinstallinganapplication,PlayStoredisplaysallrequiredpermissions:agamemayneedto
enablevibrationorsavedatatoanSDcard,forexample,butshouldnotneedtoreadSMSmessagesoraccess
thephonebook.Afterreviewingthesepermissions,theusercanchoosetoacceptorrefusethem,installingthe
applicationonlyiftheyaccept.[186]Thesandboxingandpermissionssystemlessenstheimpactof
vulnerabilitiesandbugsinapplications,butdeveloperconfusionandlimiteddocumentationhasresultedin
applicationsroutinelyrequestingunnecessarypermissions,reducingitseffectiveness.[187]Googlehasnow
pushedanupdatetoAndroidVerifyAppsfeature,whichwillnowruninbackgroundtodetectmalicious
processesandcrackthemdown.[188]
InAndroid6.0Marshmallow,thepermissionssystemwaschangedtoallowtheusertocontrolanapplication's
permissionsindividually,toblockapplicationsifdesiredfromhavingaccesstothedevice'scontacts,calendar,
phone,sensors,SMS,location,microphoneandcamera.[189]Fullpermissioncontrolisonlypossiblewithroot
accesstothedevice.[190]
GoogleusesGoogleBouncermalwarescannertowatchoverandscanapplicationsavailableintheGooglePlay
Store.[191]Itisintendedtoflagsuspiciousappsandwarnusersofanypotentialthreatwithanapplicationbefore
theydownloadit.[192]Androidversion4.2JellyBeanwasreleasedin2012,withenhancedsecurityfeatures,
includingamalwarescannerbuiltintothesystem,whichworksincombinationwithGooglePlaybutcanscan
appsinstalledfromthirdpartysourcesaswell,andanalertsystemwhichnotifiestheuserwhenanapptriesto
sendapremiumratetextmessage,blockingthemessageunlesstheuserexplicitlyauthorisesit.[193]Several
securityfirms,suchasLookoutMobileSecurity,[194]AVGTechnologies,[195]andMcAfee,[196]havereleased
antivirussoftwareforAndroiddevices.Thissoftwareisineffectiveassandboxingalsoappliestosuch
applications,limitingtheirabilitytoscanthedeepersystemforthreats.[197][198]
InAugust2013,GooglereleasedAndroidDeviceManager(ADM),acomponentthatallowsuserstoremotely
track,locate,andwipetheirAndroiddevicethroughawebinterface.[120][199]InDecember2013,Google
releasedADMasanAndroidapplicationontheGooglePlaystore,whereitisavailabletodevicesrunning
Androidversion2.2andhigher.[200][201]
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Licensing
ThesourcecodeforAndroidisopensource:itisdevelopedinprivatebyGoogle,withthesourcecodereleased
publiclywhenanewversionofAndroidisreleased.Googlepublishesmostofthecode(includingnetworkand
telephonystacks)underthenoncopyleftApacheLicenseversion2.0.whichallowsmodificationand
redistribution.[202][203]Thelicensedoesnotgrantrightstothe"Android"trademark,sodevicemanufacturers
andwirelesscarriershavetolicenseitfromGoogleunderindividualcontracts.AssociatedLinuxkernel
changesarereleasedunderthecopyleftGNUGeneralPublicLicenseversion2,developedbytheOpen
HandsetAlliance,withthesourcecodepubliclyavailableatalltimes.Typically,Googlecollaborateswitha
hardwaremanufacturertoproduceaflagshipdevice(partoftheNexusseries)featuringthenewversionof
Android,thenmakesthesourcecodeavailableafterthatdevicehasbeenreleased.[204]TheonlyAndroid
releasewhichwasnotimmediatelymadeavailableassourcecodewasthetabletonly3.0Honeycombrelease.
Thereason,accordingtoAndyRubininanofficialAndroidblogpost,wasbecauseHoneycombwasrushedfor
productionoftheMotorolaXoom,[205]andtheydidnotwantthirdpartiescreatinga"reallybaduser
experience"byattemptingtoputontosmartphonesaversionofAndroidintendedfortablets.[206]
OnlythebaseAndroidoperatingsystem(includingsomeapplications)isopensourcesoftware,whereasmost
Androiddevicesshipwithasubstantialamountofproprietarysoftware,suchasGoogleMobileServices,which
includesapplicationssuchasGooglePlayStore,GoogleSearch,andGooglePlayServicesasoftwarelayer
thatprovidesAPIsfortheintegrationwithGoogleprovidedservices,amongothers.Theseapplicationsmustbe
licensedfromGooglebydevicemakers,andcanonlybeshippedondeviceswhichmeetitscompatibility
guidelinesandotherrequirements.[76][120]Custom,certifieddistributionsofAndroidproducedby
manufacturers(suchasTouchWizandHTCSense)mayalsoreplacecertainstockAndroidappswiththeirown
proprietaryvariantsandaddadditionalsoftwarenotincludedinthestockAndroidoperatingsystem.[3]There
mayalsobe"binaryblob"driversrequiredforcertainhardwarecomponentsinthedevice.[3][111]
SomestockapplicationsinAOSPcodethatwereformerlyusedbyearlierversionsofAndroid,suchasSearch,
Music,andCalendar,havebeenabandonedbyGoogleinfavorofnonfreereplacementsdistributedthrough
PlayStore(GoogleSearch,GooglePlayMusic,andGoogleCalendar)thatarenolongeropensource.
Moreover,opensourcevariantsofsomeapplicationsalsoexcludefunctionsthatarepresentintheirnonfree
versions,suchasPhotospherepanoramasinCamera,andaGoogleNowpageonthedefaulthomescreen
(exclusivetotheproprietaryversion"GoogleNowLauncher",whosecodeisembeddedwithinthatofthemain
Googleapplication).[3][207][208][209]
RichardStallmanandtheFreeSoftwareFoundationhavebeencriticalofAndroidandhaverecommendedthe
usageofalternativessuchasReplicant,becausedriversandfirmwarevitalfortheproperfunctioningof
Androiddevicesareusuallyproprietary,andbecausetheGooglePlayStoreapplicationcanforciblyinstallor
deinstallapplicationsand,asaresult,invitenonfreesoftware.[210][211]

Leverageovermanufacturers
GooglelicensestheirGoogleMobileServicessoftware,alongwithAndroidtrademarks,onlytohardware
manufacturersfordevicesthatmeetGoogle'scompatibilitystandardsspecifiedintheAndroidCompatibility
Programdocument.[212]Thus,forksofAndroidthatmakemajorchangestotheoperatingsystemitselfdonot
includeanyofGoogle'snonfreecomponents,stayincompatiblewithapplicationsthatrequirethem,andmust
shipwithanalternativesoftwaremarketplaceinlieuofGooglePlayStore.[3]ExamplesofsuchAndroidforks
areAmazon'sFireOS(whichisusedontheKindleFirelineoftablets,andorientedtowardAmazonservices),
theNokiaXSoftwarePlatform(aforkusedbytheNokiaXfamily,orientedprimarilytowardNokiaand
Microsoftservices),andotherforksthatexcludeGoogleappsduetothegeneralunavailabilityofGoogle
servicesincertainregions(suchasChina).[213][214]In2014,GooglealsobegantorequirethatallAndroid
deviceswhichlicensetheGoogleMobileServicessoftwaredisplayaprominent"PoweredbyAndroid"logoon
theirbootscreens.[76]
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MembersoftheOpenHandsetAlliance,whichincludethemajorityofAndroidOEMs,arealsocontractually
forbiddenfromproducingAndroiddevicesbasedonforksoftheOS[3][215]in2012,AcerInc.wasforcedby
GoogletohaltproductiononadevicepoweredbyAlibabaGroup'sAliyunOSwiththreatsofremovalfromthe
OHA,asGoogledeemedtheplatformtobeanincompatibleversionofAndroid.AlibabaGroupdefendedthe
allegations,arguingthattheOSwasadistinctplatformfromAndroid(primarilyusingHTML5apps),but
incorporatedportionsofAndroid'splatformtoallowbackwardscompatibilitywiththirdpartyAndroid
software.Indeed,thedevicesdidshipwithanapplicationstorewhichofferedAndroidappshowever,the
majorityofthemwerepirated.[216][217][218]

Reception
Androidreceivedalukewarmreactionwhenitwasunveiledin2007.
Althoughanalystswereimpressedwiththerespectedtechnology
companiesthathadpartneredwithGoogletoformtheOpenHandset
Alliance,itwasunclearwhethermobilephonemanufacturerswouldbe
willingtoreplacetheirexistingoperatingsystemswithAndroid.[219]
Theideaofanopensource,Linuxbaseddevelopmentplatformsparked
interest,[220]buttherewereadditionalworriesaboutAndroidfacing
strongcompetitionfromestablishedplayersinthesmartphonemarket,
suchasNokiaandMicrosoft,andrivalLinuxmobileoperatingsystems
thatwereindevelopment.[221]Theseestablishedplayerswereskeptical:
Nokiawasquotedassaying"wedon'tseethisasathreat,"[222]anda
memberofMicrosoft'sWindowsMobileteamstated"Idon'tunderstand
theimpactthattheyaregoingtohave."[222]

Androidx86runningonanASUS
EeePCnetbookAndroidhasbeen
unofficiallyportedtotraditionalPCs
foruseasadesktopoperatingsystem.

SincethenAndroidhasgrowntobecomethemostwidelyusedsmartphoneoperatingsystem[25][223]and"one
ofthefastestmobileexperiencesavailable."[224]Reviewershavehighlightedtheopensourcenatureofthe
operatingsystemasoneofitsdefiningstrengths,allowingcompaniessuchasNokia(NokiaXfamily),[225]
Amazon(KindleFire),Barnes&Noble(Nook),Ouya,Baiduandotherstoforkthesoftwareandrelease
hardwarerunningtheirowncustomisedversionofAndroid.Asaresult,ithasbeendescribedbytechnology
websiteArsTechnicaas"practicallythedefaultoperatingsystemforlaunchingnewhardware"forcompanies
withouttheirownmobileplatforms.[25]Thisopennessandflexibilityisalsopresentattheleveloftheenduser:
Androidallowsextensivecustomisationofdevicesbytheirownersandappsarefreelyavailablefromnon
Googleappstoresandthirdpartywebsites.ThesehavebeencitedasamongthemainadvantagesofAndroid
phonesoverothers.[25][226]
DespiteAndroid'spopularity,includinganactivationratethreetimesthatofiOS,therehavebeenreportsthat
GooglehasnotbeenabletoleveragetheirotherproductsandwebservicessuccessfullytoturnAndroidintothe
moneymakerthatanalystshadexpected.[227]TheVergesuggestedthatGoogleislosingcontrolofAndroiddue
totheextensivecustomizationandproliferationofnonGoogleappsandservicesAmazon'sKindleFireline
usesFireOS,aheavilymodifiedforkofAndroidwhichdoesnotincludeorsupportanyofGoogle'sproprietary
components,andrequiresthatusersobtainsoftwarefromitscompetingAmazonAppstoreinsteadofPlay
Store.[3]In2014,inanefforttoimproveprominenceoftheAndroidbrand,Googlebegantorequirethat
devicesfeaturingitsproprietarycomponentsdisplayanAndroidlogoonthebootscreen.[76]
Androidhassufferedfrom"fragmentation",[228]asituationwherethevarietyofAndroiddevices,intermsof
bothhardwarevariationsanddifferencesinthesoftwarerunningonthem,makesthetaskofdeveloping
applicationsthatworkconsistentlyacrosstheecosystemharderthanrivalplatformssuchasiOSwhere
hardwareandsoftwarevariesless.Forexample,accordingtodatafromOpenSignalinJuly2013,therewere
11,868modelsofAndroiddevice,numerousdifferentscreensizesandeightAndroidOSversions
simultaneouslyinuse,whilethelargemajorityofiOSusershaveupgradedtothelatestiterationofthatOS.[229]
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CriticssuchasAppleInsiderhaveassertedthatfragmentationviahardwareandsoftwarepushedAndroid's
growththroughlargevolumesoflowend,budgetpriceddevicesrunningolderversionsofAndroid.They
maintainthisforcesAndroiddeveloperstowriteforthe"lowestcommondenominator"toreachasmanyusers
aspossible,whohavetoolittleincentivetomakeuseofthelatesthardwareorsoftwarefeaturesonlyavailable
onasmallerpercentageofdevices.[230]However,OpenSignal,whodevelopsbothAndroidandiOSapps,
concludedthatalthoughfragmentationcanmakedevelopmenttrickier,Android'swiderglobalreachalso
increasesthepotentialreward.[229]

Marketshare
ResearchcompanyCanalysestimatedinthesecondquarterof2009,thatAndroidhada2.8%shareof
worldwidesmartphoneshipments.[231]Bythefourthquarterof2010,thishadgrownto33%ofthemarket
becomingthetopsellingsmartphoneplatform,[232]overtakingSymbian.[233]Bythethirdquarterof2011,
Gartnerestimatedthatmorethanhalf(52.5%)ofthesmartphonesalesbelongedtoAndroid.[234]Bythethird
quarterof2012Androidhada75%shareoftheglobalsmartphonemarketaccordingtotheresearchfirm
IDC.[235]
InJuly2011,Googlesaidthat550,000Androiddeviceswerebeingactivatedeveryday,[236]upfrom400,000
perdayinMay,[237]andmorethan100milliondeviceshadbeenactivated[238]with4.4%growthperweek.[236]
InSeptember2012,500milliondeviceshadbeenactivatedwith1.3millionactivationsperday.[239][240]InMay
2013,atGoogleI/O,SundarPichaiannouncedthat900millionAndroiddeviceshadbeenactivated.[241]
Androidmarketsharevariesbylocation.InJuly2012,"mobilesubscribersaged13+"intheUnitedStates
usingAndroidwereupto52%,[242]androseto90%inChina.[243]Duringthethirdquarterof2012,Android's
worldwidesmartphoneshipmentmarketsharewas75%,[235]with750milliondevicesactivatedintotal.In
April2013Androidhad1.5millionactivationsperday.[240]AsofMay2013,48billionapplications("apps")
havebeeninstalledfromtheGooglePlaystore,[244]andbySeptember2013,onebillionAndroiddeviceshave
beenactivated.[245]
AsofJuly2013,theGooglePlaystorehashadoveronemillionAndroidapplicationspublished,andover50
billionapplicationsdownloaded.[21]AdevelopersurveyconductedinAprilMay2013foundthatAndroidis
usedby71%ofmobiledevelopers.[22]Theoperatingsystem'ssuccesshasmadeitatargetforpatentlitigation
aspartofthesocalled"smartphonewars"betweentechnologycompanies.[27][28]
Androiddevicesaccountformorethanhalfofsmartphonesalesinmostmarkets,includingtheUS,while"only
inJapanwasAppleontop"(SeptemberNovember2013numbers).[246]Attheendof2013,over1.5billion
Androidsmartphoneshavebeensoldinthefouryearssince2010,[247][248]makingAndroidthemostsoldphone
andtabletOS.ThreebillionAndroidsmartphonesareestimatedtobesoldbytheendof2014(including
previousyears).AccordingtoGartnerresearchcompany,Androidbaseddevicesoutsoldallcontenders,every
yearsince2012.[249]In2013,itoutsoldWindows2.8:1orby573million.[250][251][252]Asof2015,Androidhas
thelargestinstalledbaseofalloperatingsystems[15]Since2013,devicesrunningitalsosellmorethan
Windows,iOSandMacOSXdevicescombined.[253]
AccordingtoStatCounter,whichtracksonlytheuseforbrowsingtheweb,Androidisthemostpopularmobile
operatingsystemsinceAugust2013.[254]Androidisthemostpopularoperatingsystemforwebbrowsingin
Indiaandseveralothercountries(e.g.virtuallyallofAsia,withJapanandNorthKoreaexceptions).According
toStatCounter,AndroidismostusedonmobileinallAfricancountries,anditstated"mobileusagehasalready
overtakendesktopinseveralcountriesincludingIndia,SouthAfricaandSaudiArabia",[255]withvirtuallyall

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countriesinAfricahavingdonesoalready(exceptforsevencountries,includingEgypt),suchasEthiopiaand
Kenyainwhichmobile(includingtablets)usageisat90.46%(Androidonly,accountsfor75.81%ofalluse
there[256]).[257]
WhileAndroidphonesintheWesternworldcommonlyincludeGoogle'sproprietaryaddons(suchasGoogle
Play)totheotherwiseopensourceoperatingsystem,thisisincreasinglynotthecaseinemergingmarkets
"ABIResearchclaimsthat65milliondevicesshippedgloballywithopensourceAndroidinthesecondquarter
of[2014],upfrom54millioninthefirstquarter"dependingoncountry,percentofphonesestimatedtobe
basedonlyonAndroid'ssourcecode(AOSP),forgoingtheAndroidtrademark:Thailand(44%),Philippines
(38%),Indonesia(31%),India(21%),Malaysia(24%),Mexico(18%),Brazil(9%).[258]
AccordingtoaJanuary2015Gartnerreport,"Androidsurpassedabillionshipmentsofdevicesin2014,and
willcontinuetogrowatadoubledigitpacein2015,witha26percentincreaseyearoveryear."Thismadeit
thefirsttimethatanygeneralpurposeoperatingsystemhasreachedmorethanonebillionenduserswithina
year:byreachingcloseto1.16billionendusersin2014,AndroidshippedoverfourtimesmorethaniOSand
OSXcombined,andoverthreetimesmorethanMicrosoftWindows.Gartnerexpectedthewholemobilephone
marketto"reachtwobillionunitsin2016",includingAndroid.[259]
AccordingtoaStatistica'sestimate,Androidsmartphoneshadaninstalledbaseof1.6billionunitsin2014,
whichwas75%oftheestimatedtotalnumberofsmartphonesworldwide.[260][261][c]Androidhasthelargest
installedbaseofanymobileoperatingsystemand,since2013,thehighestsellingoperatingsystem
overall[250][253][263][264][265]withsalesin2012,2013and2014[266]closetotheinstalledbaseofallPCs.[267]In
thethirdquarterof2015,Android'sshareoftheglobalsmartphoneshipmentmarketwas84.7%,thehighest
ever.[268]AsofSeptember28,2016,with52.5%marketshare,SamsungremainstheleadingOEMforshipping
Androidrunningsmartphoensandtablets,followedbyfollowedbyLG,Huawei,Motorola,Lenovo,Sony,
HTC,Asus,AlcatelandXiaomi.[269]
ByAugust2016,thetwobiggestcontinentshavegonemobilemajority,judgedbywebuse("desktop"has
46.92%55.16%useworldwide,dependingondayoftheweek,makingsomeweeksdesktopminority[270]
lowestfullmonthwasat50.05%[271])becauseofAndroid(seeusageshareofoperatingsystems),thathas
majorityuseonsmartphonesinvirtuallyallcountries(allcontinentshavegoneAndroidmajority,including
NorthAmerica[272][273]exceptforOceania,becauseofAustralia),[274]withfewexceptions(allofwhichhave
iOSmajority)intheUS,AndroidisclosetoiOS,havingexchangedmajoritypositionafewtimes,[275]Canada
andthefollowingarealsoexceptions:Japan,Philippines,AustraliaandtheonlyexceptionsinEuropearethe
UK,Switzerland,BelgiumandtheNordiccountriesDenmark,Iceland,SwedenandNorway.[276]
By2016,Androidwasonthemajorityofsmartphonesinvirtuallyallcountriesintheworld,[16][277]excluding
UnitedStatesandCanada(whileincludingNorthAmericacontinentasawhole[278]),AustraliaandJapan.A
fewcountries,suchastheUK,loseAndroidmajorityiftabletsareincluded.

Adoptionontablets
Despiteitssuccessonsmartphones,initiallyAndroidtabletadoptionwasslow.[279]Oneofthemaincauseswas
thechickenortheeggsituationwhereconsumerswerehesitanttobuyanAndroidtabletduetoalackofhigh
qualitytabletapplications,butdeveloperswerehesitanttospendtimeandresourcesdevelopingtablet
applicationsuntiltherewasasignificantmarketforthem.[280][281]Thecontentandapp"ecosystem"proved
moreimportantthanhardwarespecsasthesellingpointfortablets.DuetothelackofAndroidtabletspecific
applicationsin2011,earlyAndroidtabletshadtomakedowithexistingsmartphoneapplicationsthatwereill
suitedtolargerscreensizes,whereasthedominanceofApple'siPadwasreinforcedbythelargenumberof
tabletspecificiOSapplications.[281][282]

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Despiteappsupportinitsinfancy,aconsiderablenumberofAndroid
tablets(alongsidethoseusingotheroperatingsystems,suchastheHP
TouchPadandBlackBerryPlayBook)wererushedouttomarketinan
attempttocapitalizeonthesuccessoftheiPad.[281]InfoWorldhas
suggestedthatsomeAndroidmanufacturersinitiallytreatedtheirfirst
tabletsasa"Frankenphonebusiness",ashorttermlowinvestment
opportunitybyplacingasmartphoneoptimizedAndroidOS(before
Android3.0Honeycombfortabletswasavailable)onadevicewhile
neglectinguserinterface.Thisapproach,suchaswiththeDellStreak,
failedtogainmarkettractionwithconsumersaswellasdamagingthe
earlyreputationofAndroidtablets.[283][284]Furthermore,several
AndroidtabletssuchastheMotorolaXoomwerepricedthesameor
higherthantheiPad,whichhurtsales.AnexceptionwastheAmazon
KindleFire,whichrelieduponlowerpricingaswellasaccessto
Amazon'secosystemofapplicationsandcontent.[281][285]
Thisbegantochangein2012,withthereleaseoftheaffordableNexus7
andapushbyGooglefordeveloperstowritebettertablet
applications.[286]AccordingtoInternationalDataCorporation,
shipmentsofAndroidpoweredtabletssurpassediPadsinQ32012.[287]

ThefirstgenerationNexus7tablet,
runningAndroid4.1JellyBean

Asoftheendof2013,over191.6millionAndroidtabletshadsoldin
threeyearssince2011.[288][289]ThismadeAndroidtabletsthemostsoldtypeoftabletin2013,surpassingiPads
inthesecondquarterof2013.[290]
AccordingtotheStatCounter'sJune2015webusestatistics,Androidtabletsrepresentthemajorityoftablet
devicesusedontheSouthAmerican[291](thenlostmajority)andAfricancontinents(60.23%),[292]whilethey
haveequaledwiththeiPad'smarketshareinmajorcountriesonallcontinents(withtheNorthAmericaasan
exception,thoughinElSalvadorAndroidhasthemajority[293]),andgettingclosetorepresentingthemajority
onthewholeAsiancontinent[294]havingdonesoalreadyinIndia(65.9%),[295]Indonesia(62.22%),[296]and
mostMiddleEasterncountries.[297]InabouthalfoftheEuropeancountries,Androidtabletshaveamajority
marketshare.[298]Chinaisanexceptionforthemajordevelopingcountries,inwhichAndroidphablets
(classifiedassmartphoneswhilesimilarinsizetotablets)aremorepopularthanAndroidtabletsoriPads.
ByMarch2016,InfoworldstatedthatAndroidtabletsandsmartphonescanbea"realpartofyourbusiness[..]
there'snolongerareasontokeepAndroidatarm'slength.Itcannowbeasintegraltoyourmobileportfolioas
Apple'siOSdevicesare"[19]astheyhave"businessclassapps",[19]nolongerjust"OKforemail".[19]In2015,
theystatedthat"Microsoft'sOfficeUIisbetteroniOSandAndroid"[20]thaninMicrosoft'sownmobileappfor
Windows.

Platformusage
ChartsinthissectionprovidebreakdownsofAndroidversions,basedondevicesaccessingtheGooglePlay
StoreinasevendayperiodendingonSeptember5,2016.[299][d]Therefore,thesestatisticsexcludedevices
runningvariousAndroidforksthatdonotaccesstheGooglePlayStore,suchasAmazon'sFiretablets.

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Nougat(0.04%)
Marshmallow(18.7%)
Lollipop(35.0%)
KitKat(27.7%)
JellyBean(15.6%)
IceCreamSandwich(1.4%)
Gingerbread(1.5%)
Froyo(0.1%)

Version

Codename

API
level

Releasedate

DVM/ART Distribution

Firstdevicestorun
version

7.0

Nougat

August22,2016

24

Unknown

"lessthan
0.1%"

Nexus5X,Nexus6P

6.0

Marshmallow

October5,2015

23

Unknown

18.7%

Nexus5X,Nexus6P

March9,2015

22

Unknown

21.9%

AndroidOne

5.1
5.0
4.4

Lollipop
KitKat

4.3
4.2

JellyBean

4.1

November3,2014 21

ART2.1.0 13.1%

Nexus6

October31,2013

19

ART1.6.0 27.7%

Nexus5

July24,2013

18

Unknown

2.3%

Nexus72013

November13,2012 17

Unknown

7.7%

Nexus4,Nexus10

July9,2012

16

Unknown

5.6%

Nexus7

1.4%

GalaxyNexus

4.0

IceCream
Sandwich

December16,2011 15

Unknown

2.3

Gingerbread

February9,2011

10

DVM1.4.0 1.5%

NexusS

2.2

Froyo

May20,2010

Unknown

Droid2

0.1%

SinceMay2016,morethanhalfofdeviceshaveOpenGLES3.0orhigher.

Applicationpiracy
Ingeneral,paidAndroidapplicationscaneasilybepirated.[300]InaMay2012interviewwithEurogamer,the
developersofFootballManagerstatedthattheratioofpiratedplayersvslegitimateplayerswas9:1fortheir
gameFootballManagerHandheld.[301]However,noteverydeveloperagreedthatpiracyrateswereanissuefor
example,inJuly2012thedevelopersofthegameWindupKnightsaidthatpiracylevelsoftheirgamewere
only12%,andmostofthepiracycamefromChina,wherepeoplecannotpurchaseappsfromGooglePlay.[302]

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In2010,Googlereleasedatoolforvalidatingauthorizedpurchasesforusewithinapps,butdevelopers
complainedthatthiswasinsufficientandtrivialtocrack.Googlerespondedthatthetool,especiallyitsinitial
release,wasintendedasasampleframeworkfordeveloperstomodifyandbuildupondependingontheir
needs,notasafinishedpiracysolution.[303]Android"JellyBean"introducedtheabilityforpaidapplicationsto
beencrypted,sothattheymayworkonlyonthedeviceforwhichtheywerepurchased.[304][305]

Legalissues
BothAndroidandAndroidphonemanufacturershavebeeninvolvedinnumerouspatentlawsuits.OnAugust
12,2010,OraclesuedGoogleoverclaimedinfringementofcopyrightsandpatentsrelatedtotheJava
programminglanguage.[306]Oracleoriginallysoughtdamagesupto$6.1billion,[307]butthisvaluationwas
rejectedbyaUnitedStatesfederaljudgewhoaskedOracletorevisetheestimate.[308]Inresponse,Google
submittedmultiplelinesofdefense,counterclaimingthatAndroiddidnotinfringeonOracle'spatentsor
copyright,thatOracle'spatentswereinvalid,andseveralotherdefenses.TheysaidthatAndroid'sJavaruntime
environmentisbasedonApacheHarmony,acleanroomimplementationoftheJavaclasslibraries,andan
independentlydevelopedvirtualmachinecalledDalvik.[309]InMay2012,thejuryinthiscasefoundthat
GoogledidnotinfringeonOracle'spatents,andthetrialjudgeruledthatthestructureoftheJavaAPIsusedby
Googlewasnotcopyrightable.[310][311]Thepartiesagreedtozerodollarsinstatutorydamagesforasmall
amountofcopiedcode.[312]OnMay9,2014,theFederalCircuitpartiallyreversedthedistrictcourtruling,
rulinginOracle'sfavoronthecopyrightabilityissue,andremandingtheissueoffairusetothedistrict
court.[313][314]
InDecember2015,GoogleannouncedthatthenextmajorreleaseofAndroid(AndroidNougat)wouldswitch
toOpenJDK,whichistheofficialopensourceimplementationoftheJavaplatform,insteadofusingthenow
discontinuedApacheHarmonyprojectasitsruntime.CodereflectingthischangewasalsopostedtotheAOSP
sourcerepository.[152]Initsannouncement,Googleclaimedthiswaspartofanefforttocreatea"commoncode
base"betweenJavaonAndroidandotherplatforms.[153]Googlelateradmittedinacourtfilingthatthiswas
partofanefforttoaddressthedisputeswithOracle,asitsuseofOpenJDKcodeisgovernedundertheGNU
GeneralPublicLicense(GPL)withalinkingexception,andthat"anydamagesclaimassociatedwiththenew
versionsexpresslylicensedbyOracleunderOpenJDKwouldrequireaseparateanalysisofdamagesfrom
earlierreleases".[152]InJune2016,aUnitedStatesfederalcourtruledinfavorofGoogle,statingthatitsuseof
theAPIswasfairuse.[315]
InadditiontolawsuitsagainstGoogledirectly,variousproxywarshavebeenwagedagainstAndroidindirectly
bytargetingmanufacturersofAndroiddevices,withtheeffectofdiscouragingmanufacturersfromadoptingthe
platformbyincreasingthecostsofbringinganAndroiddevicetomarket.[316]BothAppleandMicrosofthave
suedseveralmanufacturersforpatentinfringement,withApple'songoinglegalactionagainstSamsungbeinga
particularlyhighprofilecase.InOctober2011,Microsoftsaidtheyhadsignedpatentlicenseagreementswith
tenAndroiddevicemanufacturers,whoseproductsaccountfor"70%intheU.S.".and55%oftheworldwide
revenueforAndroiddevices.[317]TheseincludeSamsungandHTC.[318]Samsung'spatentsettlementwith
Microsoftincludedanagreementtoallocatemoreresourcestodevelopingandmarketingphonesrunning
Microsoft'sWindowsPhoneoperatingsystem.[316]MicrosofthasalsotieditsownAndroidsoftwaretopatent
licenses,requiringthebundlingofMicrosoftOfficeMobileandSkypeapplicationsonAndroiddevicesto
subsidizethelicensingfees,whileatthesametimehelpingtopromoteitssoftwarelines.[319][320]
GooglehaspubliclyexpresseditsfrustrationforthecurrentpatentlandscapeintheUnitedStates,accusing
Apple,OracleandMicrosoftoftryingtotakedownAndroidthroughpatentlitigation,ratherthaninnovating
andcompetingwithbetterproductsandservices.[321]InSeptember2011,GooglepurchasedMotorolaMobility

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forUS$12.5billion,whichwasviewedinpartasadefensivemeasuretoprotectAndroid,sinceMotorola
Mobilityheldmorethan17,000patents.[322]InDecember2011,Googleboughtoverathousandpatentsfrom
IBM.[323]
In2013,FairSearch,alobbyingorganizationsupportedbyMicrosoft,Oracleandothers,filedacomplaint
regardingAndroidwiththeEuropeanCommission,allegingthatitsfreeofchargedistributionmodel
constitutedanticompetitivepredatorypricing.TheFreeSoftwareFoundationEurope,whosedonorsinclude
Google,disputedtheFairsearchallegations.[324]OnApril20,2016,theEUfiledaformalantitrustcomplaint
againstGooglebasedupontheFairSearchallegations,arguingthatitsleverageoverAndroidvendors,including
themandatorybundlingoftheentiresuiteofproprietaryGooglesoftware,hinderingtheabilityforcompeting
searchproviderstobeintegratedintoAndroid,andbarringvendorsfromproducingdevicesrunningforksof
Android,constitutedanticompetitivepractices.[325]

Otheruses
TheopenandcustomizablenatureofAndroidallowsittobeusedon
otherelectronicsasidefromsmartphonesandtablets,includinglaptops
andnetbooks,smartbooks,[326]smartTVs(AndroidTV,GoogleTV)
andcameras(E.g.GalaxyCamera).[327]Inaddition,theAndroid
operatingsystemhasseenapplicationsonsmartglasses(GoogleGlass),
smartwatches,[328]headphones,[329]carCDandDVDplayers,[330]
mirrors,[331]portablemediaplayers,[332]landline[333]andVoiceoverIP
Ouya,avideogameconsolewhich
phones.[334]Ouya,avideogameconsolerunningAndroid,becameone
runsAndroid
ofthemostsuccessfulKickstartercampaigns,crowdfundingUS$8.5m
foritsdevelopment,[335][336]andwaslaterfollowedbyotherAndroid
basedconsoles,suchasNvidia'sShieldPortableanAndroiddeviceinavideogamecontrollerform
factor.[337]
In2011,Googledemonstrated"Android@Home",ahomeautomationtechnologywhichusesAndroidto
controlarangeofhouseholddevicesincludinglightswitches,powersocketsandthermostats.[338]Prototype
lightbulbswereannouncedthatcouldbecontrolledfromanAndroidphoneortablet,butAndroidheadAndy
Rubinwascautioustonotethat"turningalightbulbonandoffisnothingnew",pointingtonumerousfailed
homeautomationservices.Google,hesaid,wasthinkingmoreambitiouslyandtheintentionwastousetheir
positionasacloudservicesprovidertobringGoogleproductsintocustomers'homes.[339][340]
ParrotunveiledanAndroidbasedcarstereosystemknownasAsteroidin2011,[341]followedbyasuccessor,
thetouchscreenbasedAsteroidSmart,in2012.[342]In2013,ClarionreleaseditsownAndroidbasedcarstereo,
theAX1.[343]InJanuary2014,attheConsumerElectronicsShow(CES),Googleannouncedtheformationof
theOpenAutomotiveAlliance,agroupincludingseveralmajorautomobilemakers(Audi,GeneralMotors,
Hyundai,andHonda)andNvidia,whichaimstoproduceAndroidbasedincarentertainmentsystemsfor
automobiles,"[bringing]thebestofAndroidintotheautomobileinasafeandseamlessway."[344]
OnMarch18,2014,GoogleannouncedAndroidWear,anAndroidbasedplatformspecificallyintendedfor
smartwatchesandotherwearabledevicesonlyadeveloperpreviewwasmadepubliclyavailable.[345]Thiswas
followedbytheunveilingoftwoAndroidWearbaseddevices,theLGGWatchandMoto360.[346]
OnJune25,2014,atGoogleI/O,itwasannouncedthatAndroidTV,aSmartTVplatform,isreplacingthe
previouslyreleasedGoogleTV.GooglealsoannouncedAndroidAutoforuseincars.[347]

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Androidcomespreinstalledonafewlaptops(asimilarfunctionalityofrunningAndroidapplicationsisalso
availableinGoogle'sChromeOS)andcanalsobeinstalledonpersonalcomputersbyendusers.[348]Onthose
platformsAndroidprovidesadditionalfunctionalityforphysicalkeyboards[349]andmice,togetherwiththe
"AltTab"keycombinationforswitchingapplicationsquicklywithakeyboard.InDecember2014,one
reviewercommentedthatAndroid'snotificationsystemis"vastlymorecompleteandrobustthaninmost
environments"andthatAndroidis"absolutelyusable"asone'sprimarydesktopoperatingsystem.[350]
InOctober2015,TheWallStreetJournalreportedthatAndroidwillserveasGoogle'sfuturemainlaptop
operatingsystem,withtheplantofoldChromeOSintoitby2017.[351][352]Google'sSundarPichai,wholedthe
developmentofAndroid,explainedthat"mobileasacomputingparadigmiseventuallygoingtoblendwith
whatwethinkofasdesktoptoday."[351]andbackin2009,GooglecofounderSergeyBrinhimselfsaidthat
ChromeOSandAndroidwould"likelyconvergeovertime."[353]Lockheimer,whoreplacedPichaiasheadof
AndroidandChromeOS,respondedtothisclaimwithanofficialGoogleblogpoststatingthat"Whilewe've
beenworkingonwaystobringtogetherthebestofbothoperatingsystems,there'snoplantophaseoutChrome
OS[whichhas]guaranteedautoupdatesforfiveyears".[354]ThatisunlikeAndroidwheresupportisshorter
with"EOLdates[being..]atleast3years[intothefuture]forAndroidtabletsforeducation".[355]

Seealso
Comparisonofmobileoperatingsystems
IndexofAndroidOSarticles
ListofmostdownloadedAndroidapplications
Rooting(AndroidOS)
Stagefright(bug)

Stagefright(bug)
Androidlawnstatues

Notes
a.Official64bitsupportforallplatformswasintroducedinAndroid5.0"Lollipop".
b.Operatingsystemsformicrocontrollersareaspecialcase,andnotconsideredhere,astheyarenotmeanttobegeneral
purposecomputers.Theyareknowntooutnumberregularcomputers,andusespecializedrealtimeoperatingsystem
(RTOS),ornooperatingsystematall.AllAndroiddeviceswithnetworkcapabilities,alsoincludeanRTOSastheir
secondOS.
c.ToputtheStatistica'snumbersincontext:byStrategyAnalyticsestimates,Windowsthemostpopular"desktop"
operatingsystem,hasanestimatedinstalledbaseofabout1.3billionatbest[262]theyalsoestimatetheoveralltablet
installedbasetobealreadyofcomparablesizetothePCmarketandpredicttabletswillhavesurpassedthemby2018.
d.Versionsaccountingforlessthan0.1%arenotincluded.

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