Android Versions Comparisn

Version nameKey user features addedKey developer features addedRelease dateAndroid market shareAPI Level
Android 7.1Nougat
  • Daydream Virtual Reality mode
  • Night Light
  • Storage manager improvements
  • Performance improvements for Touch and Display managements
  • Option to enable fingerprint swipe down gesture
  • Seamless system updates
  • Shortcut manager APIs
  • Support Circular app icons
  • Keyboard image insertion
  • VR thread scheduling improvements
  • Enhanced wallpaper metadata
  • Multi-endpoint call support
  • Source type support for Visual Voicemail
  • Carrier config options to manage video telephony
2016-10-040.2 %25
Android 7.0Nougat
  • Unicode 9.0 emoji
  • Better multitasking
  • Multi-window mode (PIP, Freeform window)
  • Seamless system updates (with dual system partition)
  • Better performance and code size thanks to new JIT Compiler
  • Sustained Performance Mode (SPM) API
  • Vulkan 3D rendering API
  • Daydream virtual reality platform
2016-08-220.5 %24
Android 6.0.1MarshmallowNew emojis2015-12-0729.6 % (6 - 6.0.1)23
Android 6Marshmallow
  • USB Type-C support
  • Fingerprint Authentication support
  • Better battery life with "deep sleep"
  • Permissions dashboard
  • Android Pay
  • MIDI support
  • Google Now improvements
  • Custom Chrome Tabs for better in app browser support
  • App Permissions management update
2015-10-0529.6 % (6 - 6.0.1)23
Android 5.1.1Lollipop
  • Speed improvement
  • Bug fixes
2015-04-2123.3 % (5.1 - 5.1.1)22
Android 5.1Lollipop
  • Multiple SIM cards support
  • Quick settings shortcuts to join Wi-Fi networks or control Bluetooth devices
  • Lock protection if lost or stolen
  • High Definition voice call
  • Stability and performance enhancements
2015-03-0923.3 % (5.1 - 5.1.1)22
Android 5.0.2Lollipop
  • Performance improvements and bug fixes
2014-12-1910.1 % (5.0 - 5.0.2)21
Android 5.0.1Lollipop
  • bug fixes, fix issues with video playback and password failures
2014-12-0210.1 % (5.0 - 5.0.2)21
Android 5.0Lollipop
  • New design (Material design)
  • Speed improvement
  • Battery consumption improvement
  • Several new API
  • Tracking battery consumption app
2014-10-1710.1 % (5.0 - 5.0.2)21
Android 4.4.4KitKat
  • Fix Heartbleed / OpenSSL vulnerability
2014-06-2322.6 % (4.4 - 4.4.4)19
Android 4.4.3KitKat
  • Bug fixes
  • Enable Sprint Spark band 26 and band 41
2014-04-1422.6 % (4.4 - 4.4.4)19
Android 4.4.2KitKat
  • Bug fixes
  • Security enhancements
2013-12-0922.6 % (4.4 - 4.4.4)19
Android 4.4.1KitKat
  • Bug fixes
  • Enhance the camera on the Nexus 5
2013-12-0522.6 % (4.4 - 4.4.4)19
Android 4.4KitKat
  • Screen recording
  • New Translucent system UI
  • Enhanced notification access
  • System-wide settings for closed captioning
  • Performance improvements
  • Public API for SMS management.
  • Improved memory usage
  • Security enhancements (SELinux enforcing 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)
2013-10-3122.6 % (4.4 - 4.4.4)19
Android 4.3Jelly Bean
  • Dial pad auto-complete
  • Photo Sphere enhancements
  • Camera app UI updated
  • 4K resolution support
  • Ability to create restricted profiles for tablets
  • 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
  • OpenGL for Embedded Systems 3.0 graphics support
  • Logging and analyzing enhancements
  • Wi-Fi scanning API
  • Improved DRM (digital rights management) API
  • VP8 encoding
2013-07-241.7 % (4.3)18
Android 4.2.2Jelly Bean
  • Allow toggling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth state in Quick Settings using long-press
  • 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...)
  • Secure USB debugging (allow debugging to authenticated computers only)
2013-02-115.9 % (4.2 - 4.2.2)17
Android 4.2.1Jelly Bean
  • Fix missing december bug in the People app
  • Add support for Bluetooth gamepads and joysticks HID devices
2012-11-275.9 % (4.2 - 4.2.2)17
Android 4.2Jelly Bean
  • Lockscreen widgets
  • 360 degree images with Photo Sphere
  • Gesture Typing, for faster typing
  • Wireless display with Miracast
  • Daydream to display information when idle or docked
  • Multi-user for tablets
  • vsync timing
  • Triple buffering
  • reduced touch latency
  • CPU input boost
  • Native RTL support - mirrors the display from manifest prop
  • External display support - Display Manager
  • Nested fragments
  • Renderscript Compute - run tasks on the GPU (supported devices)
  • Renderscript ScriptGroups, built-in intrinsics like blur,
  • FilterScript is a subset of Renderscript made for high performance image processing
2012-11-135.9 % (4.2 - 4.2.2)17
Android 4.1.2Jelly Bean
  • Enable Home screen rotation
  • Fix bugs and enhance performances
2012-10-094 % (4.1 - 4.1.2)16
Android 4.1.1Jelly Bean
  • Fix a bug on screen orientation
2012-07-234 % (4.1 - 4.1.2)16
Android 4.1Jelly Bean
  • Google Now ( http://youtu.be/pPqliPzHYyc )
  • Voice Search
  • Speed enhancements
  • Camera app improvements
  • Accessibility: gesture mode, enable braille external keyboards...
  • app stack navigation to define a parent activity in manifest for deep navigation
  • MediaActionSound class to make sounds like when a camera takes a photo
  • NFC supports large payloads over bluetooth
  • WIFI/WIFI-Direct service discovery
  • Large, detailed, multi-action notifications
  • Input manager allows you to query input devices
2012-07-094 % (4.1 - 4.1.2)16
Android 4.0.4Ice Cream Sandwich
  • stability improvements
  • better camera performance
  • smoother screen rotation
2012-03-281.1 % (4.0.3 - 4.0.4)15
Android 3.2.6HoneycombMinor fixes2012-02-150 %13
Android 4.0.3Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Social stream API in Contacts provider to show updates associated to your contacts
  • Video stabilization and QVGA video resolution API access
  • Accessibility API refinements for screen readers
  • Calendar provider updates
2011-12-161.1 % (4.0.3 - 4.0.4)15
Android 3.2.4HoneycombAdded "Pay as you go" for tablets2011-12-150 %13
Android 4.0.2Ice Cream SandwichMinor fixes2011-11-280 %14
Android 4.0.1Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Facial recognition (Face Unlock)
  • 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
2011-10-190 %14
Android 4.0Ice Cream Sandwich
  • New lock screen actions
  • Improved text input and spell-checking
  • Control over network data
  • Email app supports EAS v14
  • WI-FI direct
  • BlueTooth Health Device Profile
  • Low-level streaming multimedia (Khronos OpenMAX AL
  • Grid Layout
  • Spell checking service
  • Address Space Layout Randomization
  • VPN client API
  • Remote Device camera enable/disable
  • ZSL exposure, continuous focus, and image zoom
  • Flags to help control system ui elements like system bar from apps
2011-10-180 %14
Android 3.2.2HoneycombMinor fixes2011-09-300 %13
Android 2.3.7Gingerbread
  • Google Wallet support for the Nexus S 4G
2011-09-211 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)10
Android 3.2.1Honeycomb
  • Android Market updates including easier automatic updates
  • Google Books updates
  • Wi-Fi improvements
  • Chinese handwriting prediction improved
2011-09-200 %13
Android 2.3.6Gingerbread
  • Voice search issue fixed
2011-09-021 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)10
Android 2.3.5Gingerbread
  • Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G
  • Fixed Bluetooth issues on the Samsung Galaxy S
  • Gmail app. improvements
2011-07-251 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)10
Android 3.2Honeycomb
  • Optimizations for a wider range of tablets
  • Compatibility display mode (zoom for fixed-sized apps)
  • Media sync from SD card
  • Extended API for managing screens support
    • 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
2011-07-150 %13
Android 2.3.4Gingerbread
  • Voice or video chat using Google Talk
  • Open Accessory API
2011-05-101 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)10
Android 3.1Honeycomb
  • UI improvements
  • Open Accessory API
  • USB host API
  • Mice, joysticks, gamepads... support
  • Resizable Home screen widgets
  • MTP notifications
  • RTP API for audio
2011-05-100 %12
Android 3.0Honeycomb
  • Multi core support
  • Better tablet support
  • Updated 3D UI
    • customizable homescreens
    • recent applications viewing
    • redone keyboard layout
  • Media/Picture transport protocol
  • Google Talk video chat
  • Google eBooks
  • "Private browsing"
  • System-wide Clipboard
  • HTTP Live streaming
  • contextual action bar
  • Fragments first introduced(support library now supports it as well)
  • Hardware-accelerated 2D graphics
  • Renderscript 3D graphics engine
  • Pluggable DRM framework
  • device administration
  • High performance Animation Framework
  • RTP streaming API
  • Forced rendering of layers
  • High performance WIFI lock
  • Vew network traffic stats
  • ADTS AAC and FLAC audio
  • LRU cache
2011-02-220 %11
Android 2.3.3Gingerbread
  • NFC API improvements (peer to peer communication...)
  • added unsecure bluetooth sockets
2011-02-091 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)10
Android 2.3Gingerbread
  • Updated UI
  • Improved keyboard ease of use
  • Improved copy/paste
  • Improved power management
  • Social networking features
  • Near Field Communication support
  • Native VoIP/SIP support
  • Video call support
  • performance - concurrent garbage collection, faster event distribution, updated video drivers
  • NDK - Native Asset Manager, Native Activities + event handling, khronos api
  • audio effects api
  • VP8, WebM, AAC, AMR wideband
  • Multiple camera sensor support
  • strictmode debugging
  • media framework replaces OpenCore
2010-12-060 % (2.3 - 2.3.2)9
Android 2.2Froyo
  • Speed improvements
  • JIT implementation
  • USB Tethering
  • Applications installation to the expandable memory
  • Upload file support in the browser
  • Animated GIFs
2010-05-200 % (2.2)8
Android 2.1Eclair
  • Updated UI
2010-01-120 %7
Android 2.0.1Eclair2009-12-030 %6
Android 2.0Eclair
  • HTML
  • Digital zoom
  • Microsoft Exchange support
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • Live Wallpapers
  • Updated UI
2009-10-260 %5
Android 1.6Donut
  • Gesture framework
  • Turn-by-turn navigation
2009-09-150 %4
Android 1.5Cupcake
  • Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP support
  • Soft-keyboard with text-prediction
  • Record/watch videos
2009-04-300 %3
Android 1.1Banana bread
  • "Show" & "Hide" numeric keyboard, in caller application
  • Ability to save MMS attachments
2009-02-090 %2
Android 1.0Apple pie
  • Download and updates via Android Market
  • Web Browser
  • Camera support
  • Gmail, Contacts and Google Agenda synchronization
  • Google Maps
  • YouTube application
2008-09-230 %1
Android 0.92008-08-220 %