Android and it's version history

Android is an open source mobile operating system based on linux kernel and developed by Google Inc. Since it's inception it has been upgraded several times with different versions and their unique version names.The version history of the Android mobile operating system began with the release of the Android beta in November 2007. The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released in September 2008.Since April 2009, Android versions have been developed under a confectionery-themed code name and released in alphabetical order; the exceptions are versions 1.0 and 1.1 as they were not released under specific code names:



Alpha (1.0)
Beta (1.1)
Cupcake (1.5)
Donut (1.6)
Eclair (2.0–2.1)
Froyo (2.2–2.2.3)
Gingerbread (2.3–2.3.7)
Honeycomb (3.0–3.2.6)
Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0–4.0.4)
Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3.1)
KitKat (4.4–4.4.4)
Lollipop (5.0–5.0.1)

The release dates and key features of all Android operating system updates to date, listed chronologically by their official application programming interface (API) levels.

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API Release Dates

Android 1.0 (API level 1) : September 23, 2008
Android 1.1 (API level 2) : February 9, 2009
Android 1.5 Cupcake (API level 3) : April 27, 2009
Android 1.6 Donut (API level 4) : September 15, 2009
Android 2.0 Eclair (API level 5) : October 26, 2009
Android 2.0.1 Eclair (API level 6) : December 3, 2009
Android 2.1 Eclair (API level 7) : January 12, 2010
Android 2.2–2.2.3 Froyo (API level 8) : May 20, 2010
Android 2.3–2.3.2 Gingerbread (API level 9) : December 6, 2010
Android 2.3.3–2.3.7 Gingerbread (API level 10) : February 9, 2011 to September 21, 2011
Android 3.0 Honeycomb (API level 11) : February 22, 2011
Android 3.2 Honeycomb (API level 13) : July 15, 2011
Android 4.0–4.0.2 Ice Cream Sandwich (API level 14) : October 18, 2011
Android 4.0.3–4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (API level 15) : December 16, 2011
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (API level 16) : July 9, 2012
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (API level 17) : November 13, 2012
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (API level 18) : July 24, 2013
Android 4.4 KitKat (API level 19) : October 31, 2013
Android 4.4 KitKat with wearable extensions (API level 20) : July 22, 2014
Android 5.0 Lollipop (API level 21) : November 12, 2014

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Android 5.0 "Lollipop" was unveiled under the codename "Android L" on June 25, 2014 during Google I/O, and became available as official over-the-air (OTA) updates on November 12, 2014 for select devices that run distributions of Android serviced by Google, including Nexus and Google Play edition devices. Its source code was made available on November 3, 2014.
Lollipop brings a redesigned user interface built around a responsive design language referred to as "material design". Other changes include improvements to the notifications, which can be accessed from the lockscreen and displayed within applications as top-of-the-screen banners. Google also made internal changes to the platform, with the Android Runtime (ART) officially replacing Dalvik for improved application performance, and with changes intended to improve and optimize battery usage, known internally as Project Volta.