Android operating system
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Android 7.1 Nougat home screen
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| 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 |
| Latest release | 7.1.1 "Nougat" / December 5, 2016 |
| Latest preview | 7.1.2 "Nougat" / January 30, 2017 |
| 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 |
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[update], 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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