The problem with Android phones and tablets is that, being made by different manufacturers and having so many models available (which is a good thing), they often have completely different versions. While the iPhone is the one and its iOS system updates on all iPhones (unless they are older models), Android, developed by Google, is only updated to the latest version on some models and not on everyone. Furthermore, since Android is open source, some manufacturers customize the system and, even if two phones of different brands are based on the same version, they can appear very different, even with more or less functions.Google, unlike Microsoft for PCs, allows Android device makers to change almost anything they want.
The result is that each phone model has a different Android version and even with the same version, the manufacturer’s firmware makes it different from the others.
READ ALSO: How to update Android (even without installing new versions)
To find out which Android version our smartphone or tablet hasyou have to go into the phone settings and touch where it is written About the phone O Info about the tablet and this should be the same for each model. The Android version is not the only element that distinguishes one version from the other, even the version of the kernel and the “Android security patch level“are important. Traditionally, this information is used to determine if the device has the latest security patches. Since Android 6.0, Google has added the date of the latest security patch installed, to make things easier to read.
The build number it is basically the firmware version given by the phone manufacturer for that particular model.
In fact, Android must be adapted, as software, to the type of phone in which it is installed and its version is indicated by the build number.
NOTE: Tapping the build number field repeatedly, in most Android phones, activates the developer menu.
On some smartphones the software is assigned a different abbreviation which also includes the build number in addition to the release date.
What is missing is the name of the Android version, the one that Google uses to distinguish the various versions from each other.
For example, the latest version currently available is Android 11 which is not codenamed.
Below, the names of each Android version released to date:
- Android 11
- Android 10
- Android 9 Foot
- Android 8 Oreos
- Android 7 Nougat
- Android 6 Marshmallow
- Android 5 Lollipop
- Android 4.4: Kit Kat
- Android 4.1 – 4.3.1: Jelly Bean
- Android 4.0 – 4.0.4: Ice Cream Sandwich
- Android 3.0 – 3.2.6: Honeycomb (was a tablet-only version)
- Android 2.3 – 2.3.7: Gingerbread
- Android 2.2 – 2.2.3: Froyo
- Android 2.0 – 2.1: Lightning
- Android 1.6: Donut
- Android 1.5: Cupcake
In this Wikipedia page you can see photos and synthetic characteristics of each version.
Note: tapping several times on “Android version“, the hidden game opens which is different depending on the version.
You can also check it from the Phone Info screen if there is a new update to downloade.
This can lead to a new Android version or just a new phone software / firmware, without version changes.
As already explained by answering the question: “Why doesn’t Android update itself?”, The only smartphones and tablets that update automatically and immediately to the latest version of Android are those sold by Google itself, namely those of the Nexus series.
Everyone else has to wait for the manufacturer to change the Android version to suit the smartphone or tablet models sold.
Fortunately, the most efficient manufacturers such as Asus, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus etc., even if they do not update the system in full, they bring updates to the internal applications, which are then an integral part of the system.
For example, the phone is, in Android, an application and so are the messages, emails and the Google Play Services app system, used by Google to update its internal services and add functions to the phone without having to intervene with a new one. Android version.
The exact version of Android is therefore not always such an important piece of information and even if you buy a phone with the previous version, it may be fine all the same (but beware of phones for sale with versions older than two years which certainly do not will receive more updates).