History of Android in facts, figures and graphs

On September 23, 2008, the first version of the Android OS operating system was presented. 15 years later, it occupies over 70% of the global smartphone OS market.

History of Android Inc. started in 2003. Four programmers – Rich Miner, Nick Sears, Chris White and Andy Rubin – founded a company developing software for digital cameras in Palo Alto, California. Prototypes were created, but the market soon declined. At Android Inc. decided to switch to mobile phone software.

In 2005, a new history of Android Inc. began. The company was bought by Google for $50 million. In 2010, Google Vice President David Lowy said it was the best acquisition the company had ever made. Android was developed by Andy Rubin; the other founders of the company also continued to work at Google.

Initially, Android was created for push-button devices, but after the release of the iPhone in 2007, the developers once again changed the purpose of the operating system.

The first Android OS was released in 2008 only for smartphones, the third – only for tablets. In 2011, with the release of Android 4.0, they merged into a single universal system. In 2015, Android OS appeared on wearable devices (Wear OS). Subsequently, the operating system expanded beyond mobile devices – versions were created for cars (Android Auto) and televisions (Android TV).

Starting with Android 1.1, developers named new OS versions after some dessert. Official names began to be given to operating systems with the release of version 1.5 (Cupcake). It is believed that the founder of the tradition of naming new products after desserts was project manager Ryan Gibson. During the announcement of version 4.4 KitKat, Google explained this by saying that its devices make life “sweet” for users.

After the tenth version, Android stopped naming its versions. At the same time, within the company they continue to receive “dessert” names.

The main difference between Android and the second most popular mobile operating system – iOS – is its declared openness. The source code of the system is open. On its basis, for example, they are creating a domestic operating system for mobile phones, Aurora.

Also, on Android you can install applications not only from the official Google Play store, but from third-party sources. As a result, almost all smartphone manufacturers have released their versions of operating systems based on Android.

Despite the openness of the system, Chinese companies were forced to start developing their own operating systems, independent of Android, due to American sanctions.

Currently, the Android operating system is installed on more than 3 billion devices worldwide. If you look at the total share of all operating systems (for PCs, mobiles and tablets), Android is more popular than even Windows – the latter’s share is 30.1%, while Android’s share is 39.2%. The popularity of Android is so great that Microsoft felt it necessary to add support for Android applications in Windows 11 through the Microsoft Store.

Google continues to regularly update Android and change the design of the operating system. The new operating system Android 14 (Upside Down Cake) should be released in October 2023.

Android source code is free to manufacturers. Google makes money on the operating system through the services included in its ecosystem. The main revenue comes from the Google Play app store: the corporation takes up to 30% commission on each purchase. The store also offers advertising options so that developers can promote their products.

Android uses the full power of Google services and invites users to try Google platforms first – this also brings indirect income to the operating system through the search engine, YouTube and even Google Maps. Android prompts users to sign in with a Google account, which allows the company to track user activity and provide more targeted advertising.

Google itself has never disclosed how much profit Android brings in separately from its services. The latest reliable data on this matter dates back to 2016. They were made public during the trial of Oracle’s lawsuit against Google for copyright infringement on part of Java software during the development of Android. At that time, from the launch, Google’s total revenue from Android was $31 billion, and its net profit was $22 billion.

Evgeniy Fedunenko