Android can be confusing. There are a lot of different versions, and many of them are still running on devices today. Keeping up with the latest version can be a challenge, but fret not—we have you covered.
Major Android versions are generally released once per year (though it wasn’t always like this), with monthly security updates released in between. Occasionally, Google also releases point updates (.1, .2, etc.), though those generally come without regularity. Oftentimes, more significant updates that aren’t quite as significant as full version releases warrant a point update—like the update from Android 8.0 to Android 8.1, for example.
Alongside every version of Android is a code name, which many people use instead of the version number. Each one is named after a dessert or some other form of confection, which is more for fun than anything else.
We thought it fitting to give a brief rundown of each Android version on the accompanying code name and release date. You know, for completeness.
As you can see, the update system was without any sort of regularity early on, but the Ice Cream Sandwich era started the yearly OS version update schedule.
A few other fun notes:
The initial version of Android 10.0 was released on September 3, 2019 on Google’s Pixel devices.
Unlike previous versions of Android, this version doesn’t have a cute dessert name—or any other type of name beyond the version number. It’s just “Android 10.” Google still plans to use dessert names internally for development builds.
Android 10 features a number of updates and new features over its predecessor, including revamped gesture navigation, a system-level dark mode, better permission controls, more system security updates delivered through Google Play