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Android (operating system)

Android
Android robot 2014.svg
Android logo (2014).svg
Android Nougat screenshot 20170116-070000.png
Android 7.1 Nougat home screen
Developer
Written in Java (UI), C (core), C++
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current
Source model Open source and in most devices with proprietary components
Initial release September 23, 2008; 8 years ago (2008-09-23)
Latest release 7.1.1 "Nougat" / December 5, 2016; 2 months ago (2016-12-05)
Latest preview 7.1.2 "Nougat" / January 30, 2017; 32 days ago (2017-01-30)
Marketing target Smartphones, tablet computers, Android TV, Android Auto and Android Wear
Available in 100+ languages
Package manager APK (Primarily through Google Play) and installing apks from alternative sources such as F-Droid
Platforms 32- and 64-bit ARM, x86,MIPS and MIPS64
Kernel type Monolithic (modified Linux kernel)
Userland Bionic libc,mksh shell,Toybox as core utilities beginning with Android 6.0, previously native core utilities with a few from NetBSD
Default user interface Graphical (multi-touch)
License Apache License 2.0
GNU GPL v2 for the Linux kernel modifications
Official website android.com

Android (stylized as android) is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android's user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard for text input. In addition to touchscreen devices, Google has further developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Android Wear for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on notebooks, game consoles, digital cameras, and other electronics.

Android has the largest installed base of all operating systems (OS) of any kind. Android has been the best selling OS on tablets since 2013, and on smartphones it is dominant by any metric.

Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007 along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance – a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. As of July 2013, the Google Play store has had over one million Android applications ("apps") published – including many "business-class apps" that rival competing mobile platforms – and as of May 2016 over 65 billion applications downloaded. An April–May 2013 survey of mobile application developers found that 71% of developers create applications for Android, and a 2015 survey found that 40% of full-time professional developers see Android as their priority target platform, which is comparable to Apple's iOS on 37% with both platforms far above others. In September 2015, Android had 1.4 billion monthly active devices.


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