Android

Android is Google’s globally recognised and most widely used mobile operating system and has been used on smartphones and tablets since 2008. One of the key advantages of the operating system is that it is provided as an open-source platform, meaning that it is openly accessible and can be adapted by manufacturers to suit their own requirements. More advanced users with programming skills can also modify certain aspects of Android. This makes Android highly customisable, although this flexibility can also come with certain security risks. The popularity of the operating system is reflected in the enormous number of activated devices and available applications, as well as its more than two billion users worldwide.

Background: Android

In 2005, just two years after its creation in 2003, Android Inc. was acquired by the California-based technology giant Google. Google developed a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for use on a variety of touchscreen devices. Initially, these included smartphones and tablets, followed later by smartwatches, smart TVs and even cars. Two years after the acquisition of Android Inc., in 2007, Google introduced the Android operating system to the world. By 2018, it had reached version 9.0 Pie and had developed into a highly mature operating system.

Facts About Android

In 2017, Google’s Android overtook Microsoft Windows for the first time as the world’s most popular operating system in terms of internet usage. According to independent web analytics company StatCounter, Android accounted for 37.93% of worldwide operating system internet usage in March 2017, putting it slightly ahead of Windows at 37.91% for the first time. Around 78% of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2013 used Android as their operating system.