Android platform

Android is a software stack that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. While Google is the main actor which comes to mind, the Open Handset Alliance also collaborates on Android's development and release. The operating system is based on the Linux kernel, the specific versions depends on the platform version and is given in the comparison table below.

Phones / Tablets
The latest version of the platform is now Kit Kat Android 4.4. There was previously two flavors of the platform. One targeted for small screens mainly mobile phones (all versions below 3.0), and one dedicated for tablets: Honeycomb Android 3.0. However not all Android tablets support this version (some tablets use the Android 2.x). These two variants of the platform have been merged to a versatile and uniform platform since "Ice Cream Sandwich", which has been released in October 2011. It combines "Gingerbread" and "Honeycomb" versions in a cohesive platform for tablets and phones at the same time. Note: The market share figures (Oct. 2013) are based on statistics using API level, so the percentage might gather several versions of the Android platform.

Related comparisons:
http://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/mobile-os-comparison-developer-view The following comparison chart lists the main differences between each version of the android platform using the changelog of each version. Do not hesitate to contribute or comment to make this comparison table as accurate as possible.
Version name Android 4.4
KitKat

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Screen recording

Public API for SMS

New Translucent system UI management. Enhanced notification access System-wide settings for closed captioning Improved memory usage Security enhancements (SELinux enforcing

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Performance improvements mode, new cryptographic algorithms, VPN per user...)

NFC Host Card Emulation (for wireless payment, loyalty programs...)

Printing Framework Storage Access Framework Hardware Sensor Batching Full-screen immersive mode GLES2.0 SurfaceFlinger Chromium WebView Audio tunneling to DSP Audio monitoring Wi-Fi certified Miracast New Bluetooth profile IR Blasters API Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) support

Tools for analyzing memory use (procstats, on-device memory status and profiling)

Android 4.3

Jelly Bean

Dial pad auto-complete

2013 Jul 18 OpenGL for Embedded 24

1.5 %

Photo Sphere enhancements Systems 3.0 graphics

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Camera app UI updated 4K resolution support Ability to create restricted profiles for tablets

support Logging and analyzing enhancements Wi-Fi scanning API Improved DRM (digital rights management) API VP8 encoding

Hebrew and Arabic right to-left (RTL) support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support Bluetooth Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.3 support

Security and performance enhancements

Android 4.2.2

Jelly Bean

Allow toggling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth state in Quick Settings using long-press

2013 Secure USB debugging Feb 11 (allow debugging to authenticated computers only)

17

10.6 % (4.2 4.2.2)

Shows the percentage and estimated time remaining in the active download notifications

Wireless charging and low battery sounds changed Gallery app updated for faster loading with new image transition

Performance enhancements and bug fixes (Bluetooth A2DP audio streaming fix...)

Android 4.2.1

Jelly Bean

Fix missing december bug in the People app

2012 17 Nov 27

10.6 % (4.2 4.2.2)

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Add support for Bluetooth gamepads and joysticks HID devices

Android 4.2

Jelly Bean

Lockscreen widgets

vsync timing Triple buffering reduced touch latency CPU input boost Native RTL support mirrors the display from manifest prop

2012 17 Nov 13

360 degree images with Photo Sphere

10.6 % (4.2 4.2.2)

Gesture Typing, for faster typing Wireless display with Miracast Daydream to display

External display support - Display Manager Nested fragments Renderscript Compute run tasks on the GPU (supported devices)

information when idle or docked

Multi-user for tablets

Renderscript ScriptGroups, built-in intrinsics like blur,

FilterScript is a subset of Renderscript made for high performance image processing

Android 4.1.2

Jelly Bean

Enable Home screen rotation Fix bugs and enhance performances

2012 Oct 9

16

36.5 % (4.1 4.1.2)

Android 4.1.1

Jelly Bean

Fix a bug on screen orientation

2012 Jul 16 23

36.5 % (4.1 4.1.2)

Version name Android 4.1

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Google Now

2012 Jul 16 app stack navigation to 9 define a parent activity in manifest for deep navigation

( http://youtu.be/pPqliPzH Yyc )

Voice Search Speed enhancements

MediaActionSound

Camera app improvements class to make sounds Accessibility: gesture mode, enable braille external keyboards... like when a camera takes a photo

NFC supports large payloads over bluetooth WIFI/WIFI-Direct service discovery Large, detailed, multiaction notifications Input manager allows you to query input devices

Android 4.0.4

Ice Cream Sandwich

stability improvements better camera performance smoother screen rotation

2012 15 Mar 28

Android 4.0.3
Ice Cream Sandwich

20.6 % (4.0.3 4.0.4)

Social stream API in Contacts provider to show updates associated to your contacts

2011 Dec 16

15

20.6 % (4.0.3 4.0.4)

Video stabilization and QVGA video resolution API access

Accessibility API refinements for screen readers

Version name Android 4.0.2 Android 4.0

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

2011 14 Nov 28 Low-level streaming multimedia (Khronos OpenMAX AL Grid Layout Spell checking service Address Space Layout Randomization VPN client API Remote Device camera enable/disable 14

0% 0%

Control over network data Email app supports EAS v14 WI-FI direct BlueTooth Health Device Profile

ZSL exposure, continuous focus, and image zoom

Flags to help control system ui elements like system bar from apps

Android 4.0.1

Ice Cream Sandwich

Facial recognition (Face Unlock)

2011 Oct 19

14

0%

UI use Hardware acceleration Better voice recognition (dictating/Voice typing) Web browser, allows up to 16 tabs Updated launcher (customizable) Android Beam app to exchange data through NFC

Version name Android 3.2.6

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Honeycomb Minor fixes

Android 3.2.4

Honeycomb Added "Pay as you go" for tablets Honeycomb Minor fixes

13

Android 3.2.2

13

Android 3.2.1

Honeycomb

Android Market updates including easier automatic updates

13

Google Books updates Wi-Fi improvements Chinese handwriting prediction improved

Android 3.2

Honeycomb

Optimizations for a wider range of tablets

Extended API for managing screens

2011 Jul 13 15

0.1 % (3.2 3.2.6)

Compatibility display mode support (zoom for fixed-sized apps) Media sync from SD card o New resource qualifiers for screens support

New manifest attributes for screen-size compatibility

Screen compatibility mode which allows for phone apps to appear as if they were still on a phone

Android 3.1

Honeycomb

UI improvements Open Accessory API USB host API Mice, joysticks,

2011 12 May 10

0%

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

gamepads... support

Android 3.0
Honeycomb

Resizable Home screen widgets MTP notifications RTP API for audio 2011 Feb 22 11 0%

Multi core support Better tablet support Updated 3D UI

contextual action bar Fragments first introduced(support library now supports it

o o o

customizable homescreens as well) recent applications viewing Hardware-accelerated redone keyboard layout Media/Picture transport protocol Google Talk video chat Google eBooks "Private browsing" 2D graphics Renderscript 3D graphics engine Pluggable DRM framework

device administration High performance Animation Framework

System-wide Clipboard HTTP Live streaming

Android 2.3.4
Gingerbread

RTP streaming API Forced rendering of layers High performance WIFI lock Vew network traffic stats ADTS AAC and FLAC audio LRU cache 2011 10 May 10 28.5 % (2.3.3 2.3.7)

Voice or video chat using

Open Accessory API

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

Android 2.3.7

Gingerbread

Google Wallet support for the Nexus S 4G

10

28.5 % (2.3.3 2.3.7)

Android 2.3.6

Gingerbread

Voice search issue fixed

10

28.5 % (2.3.3 2.3.7) 28.5 % (2.3.3 2.3.7)

Android 2.3.5

Gingerbread

Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G

2011 Jul 10 25

Android 2.3.3
Gingerbread

Fixed Bluetooth issues on the Samsung Galaxy S Gmail app. improvements 2011 NFC API improvements Feb 9 (peer to peer communication...) 10 28.5 % (2.3.3 2.3.7)

added unsecure bluetooth sockets

Android 2.3

Gingerbread

Updated UI

performance -

2010 Dec 6

0 % (2.3 2.3.2)

Improved keyboard ease of concurrent garbage use Improved copy/paste Improved power management collection, faster event distribution, updated video drivers

NDK - Native Asset

Social networking features Manager, Native Near Field Communication Activities + event support Native VoIP/SIP support Video call support handling, khronos api audio effects api VP8, WebM, AAC, AMR wideband

Multiple camera sensor

Version name

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

support

strictmode debugging media framework replaces OpenCore

Android 2.2

Froyo

Speed improvements JIT implementation USB Tethering Applications installation to the expandable memory Upload file support in the browser Animated GIFs

2010 8 May 20

2.2 % (2.2)

Android 2.1

Eclair

Updated UI

2010 Jan 7 12 2009 Dec 3 6 5

0%

Android 2.0.1 Android 2.0

Eclair Eclair

0% 0%

HTML Digital zoom Microsoft Exchange support Bluetooth 2.1 Live Wallpapers Updated UI

2009 Oct 26

Android 1.6

Donut

Gesture framework Turn-by-turn navigation

2009 Sep 15

0%

Android 1.5

Cupcake

Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP support Soft-keyboard with textprediction

2009 Apr 30

0%

Version name Android 1.1

Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release API Android date Level market share

"Show" & "Hide" numeric keyboard, in caller application

2009 Feb 9

0%

Ability to save MMS attachments

Android 1.0

Apple pie

Download and updates via Android Market Web Browser Camera support Gmail, Contacts and Google Agenda synchronization

2008 Sep 23

0%

Android 0.9

Google Maps YouTube application 2008 Aug 18 0%

Version name Key user features added

Key developer features added

Release date API Level

Android market share