Google I/O 2025 will be livestreaming next week, and software developers from Google are expected to unveil Android 16, which is slated to come out before the summer. The upcoming Android software update is expected to bring a host of new features as well as some returning mechanics from a decade ago.

To hold our excitement for the upcoming conference over, we’re going to take a stroll down memory lane with a complete history of Android, from its humble beginnings as a T-Mobile-exclusive mobile tech to an AI-advanced software to grace contemporary smartphones like Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25. Android has come a long way since 2008, and it has a long way to go to be the best mobile software for everyone. That being said, here’s a full timeline of Android’s evolution.

Android 1.0

Android made its debut on September 23, 2008 inside the T-Mobile G1, also known as the HTC Dream (outside of the U.S., at least) and, to this day, the very first Android smartphone. T-Mobile subscribers who bought the G1 were the first to experience Android 1.0 with a whole suite of Google apps baked into the software, including basic services like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube. It also allowed users to group apps into a single folder on the home screen, instantly message people through Google Talk, and sync their data with Google Sync.

Cupcake (Android 1.5)

Android 1.5 Cupcake was the first time a version of the OS would be named after a sweet treat, releasing in early 2009 and giving Android a playful identity that resonated with people. Here, Android played into its playful demeanor by introducing third-party app widgets that can be added to the home screen, like a music player and a calendar, added stereo support for Bluetooth, and allowed people to upload videos to YouTube. It even phased out the physical keyboard model on their phones, like the T-Mobile myTouch 3G, and built them with the on-screen keyboard to keep up with the iPhone.

Donut (Android 1.6)

Google solidified the dessert-themed codenaming for Android with the release of Android 1.6, Donut, rolling it out to Android users on September 15, 2009, and filling in holes that Cupcake couldn’t. It added Android’s first universal search box to make it easier to search contacts and other topics, gave developers the ability to include their apps and other content in the search results of Android Market (which will later be called Google Play Store), and allowed Android to run on different screen sizes and resolutions. Donut also kickstarted Android’s expansion by adding CMDA support for other carriers, starting with Verizon.

Eclair (Android 2.0)

Six weeks later, Google released Android 2.0, Eclair, which lasted through Android 2.1. The first phone to run Eclair was the Motorola Droid, which was heavily promoted as an alternative to the iPhone by Verizon (whom Lucasfilm gave license to use the Droid name, by the way). The commercials were basically about Verizon bashing the iPhone for not having the features that the Droid had courtesy of Eclair, including voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, real-time traffic information, speech-to-text, and live wallpapers. Google took the pinch-to-zoom feature from the iPhone and applied it to the software.

Froyo (Android 2.2)

In May 2010, Android 2.2, Froyo came out to provide as many performance enhancements as it did a few more features on the surface. This patch improved the phones’ speed and memory, added USB tethering and hotspot functionality, and added the dock to the bottom of the screen, which has since become an industry standard. Froyo even added Adobe Flash support for Android’s web browser, which became less common over time due to Apple’s opposition to it. It even allowed users to wirelessly connect their phones to their cars with Bluetooth-enabled car support.

Gingerbread (Android 2.3)

Google released Android 2.3, Gingerbread, on the Nexus S just in time for the holidays on December 6, 2010. At the time, the Android mascot, who is usually as green as Kermit the Frog, was dressed as the gingerbread man to promote the update, while Google painted Android’s UI with a black and green color scheme, giving the OS a distinct design and users an easier time navigating the Android system. Gingerbread even gave the gift of Near Field Communication (NFC) support.

Honeycomb (Android 3.0)

The February 2011 release of Android 3.0, Honeycomb, was unconventional because Matías Duarte, then the director of Android User Experience, designed it to be a tablet-exclusive update. Released on the Motorola Xoom, Honeycomb lived up to its name with a reimagined UI that involved a honeycomb-like holographic theme and a black and blue color palette instead of black and green as it appeared on most Android phones. Despite it being a tablet-exclusive software, Honeycomb was unofficially ported over to the Nexus One, which enjoyed the same new features the Xoom received, including a Recent Apps view for multitasking and customizable home screens.

Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)

Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, came as fast as the Honeycomb went. This release appeared on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on December 16, 2011, making use of a revamped modern, minimalist design implemented throughout the OS and Android’s app ecosystem, nicknamed “Holo,” and introduced the Roboto typeface. ICS also made it easy to swipe away notifications and recent apps, and added the ability to send content to another Android user via NFC, updated the contacts manager with social media integration, and the ability to access the camera and control music from the lock screen.

Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

The Jelly Bean update – spanning  from Android 4.1, which dropped July 9, 2012, through Android 4.3, which released July 24, 2013 – made Android run smoother and more responsive than previous updates. Android users got to experience expandable and actionable notifications, the latter of which presented action buttons such as “Call back” or “Message” in case of a missed call. Jelly Bean introduced the ability for users to add widgets on the lock screen, like the world clock, Gmail, and the messaging app. Users also had the ability to open the camera by swiping from the right side of the screen.

KitKat (Android 4.4)

Named after the popular chocolate bar, Android 4.4 gave users a break, as it were, from the darker backgrounds that were supplied by previous updates in exchange for light-colored wallpapers October 31, 2013. To complement the candy-colored backgrounds that came with the KitKat update, the Google search bar became translucent and gained “Ok, Google” support, allowing people to search for what they need with just the sound of their voice. Google Now, which was introduced in Jelly Bean, got its dedicated panel of the home screen that could be accessed with just a swipe.

Lollipop (Android 5.0)

Android 5.0, Lollipop, which was released on November 4, 2014, marked a significant shift in design and performance with the introduction of Material Design and Android Runtime (ART). Material Design, now an industry standard UI design for Android, brought about the ripple effect for buttons and made notifications appear on the lock screen for quick access and the Recent App list show up as cards, giving users the ability to sift through them like papers in a file cabinet. Sadly, it removed the customization of widgets from the lock screen.

Marshmallow (Android 6.0)

On the performance front, Android 6.0, Marshmallow – released in 2015 – was as soft of an update as the pillow-y sweet treat for which it was named save for the introduction of opt-in permissions and Now On Tap. Basically, Now On Tap was a new feature within Google Now that provided context-sensitive search results to information currently on display in any app when you hold down the Home button. Hardware-wise, it added native support for fingerprint recognition and USB-C charging cables, the latter of which has since become a universal standard in the smartphone industry.

Nougat (Android 7.0)

One of the most significant upgrades Nougat brought to Android in 2016 was split-screen mode, allowing two apps to take up two halves of the entire phone screen, like Google Chrome and a notes app for users who tend to do their research on the go. Split-screen mode was a feature that would normally be found in Windows computers to make work more efficient for business folks and students , so it was a surprise to see it on an Android phone. Other important upgrades included the addition of the “Clear All” button to the overview screen, picture-in-picture support for Android TV, and Google Assistant.

Oreo (Android 8.0)

As the name of this update suggests, Google sandwiched a lot of new features into Android devices in 2017, including native picture-in-picture support for video, downloadable fonts, printing support, notification channels that let you organize how apps can alert you (or not), and the ability to snooze notifications so they wouldn’t distract you work or anything else. Oreo also featured Project Treble, a modular architecture that made it easier for hardware developers to deliver software updates in a timely manner, and introduced Android Go for budget phones running 2 GB of RAM or less.

Pie (Android 9)

Android 9, Pie, was served up in 2018 with a fine assortment of upgrades. One of them is the new gesture-driven navigation system that overhauled the Home, Back, and Overview keys and replaced them with a multifunctional, pill-shaped Home button and a small Back button that appears as needed while getting around your phone. Pie even introduced a new dashboard called Digital Wellbeing, which gave you an idea of how you’re using your phone, how long you use different apps each day, and tools you can use to limit your screen time – similar to Screen Time on iPhone.

Android 10

When Android 10 came out in 2019, Google finally put its dessert-themed names for its software updates to rest in favor of numerical names to make the Android experience more globally accessible. Android 10 revamped the UI by replacing the gesture-driven navigation system with a heavily swipe-driven one so users could seamlessly switch between apps and multitask, and added new privacy permissions to give users more control over location data. It introduced a system-wide dark theme to make it easier to use the phone in a low-light environment and enhance visibility for users with low vision – or people who just don’t like bright lights.

Android 11

Android 11 came onto the scene in 2020 to tighten up user privacy and security. Basically, it improved upon permissions controls introduced in Android 10 by giving users the option to grant apps permission to access their location, camera, and microphone on a limited-basis when requested. In other words, users would have to give those apps permission to access that data whether they’re using an app, only once, or not at all. Android 10 also added a built-in screen recorder for users to record whatever they’re watching without the need for a third-party screen-recording app.

Android 12

Remember Material Design from Android 5.0? In 2021, Android 12 updated that UI design system to Material You, allowing Android users to customize their phone’s appearance based on the colors of their current wallpaper. For example, if they set a picture with pink and purple as their wallpaper, they have the option of applying that color palette all across the system. Some of the apps will use those colors as well, even the calculator. Android 12 also brought the Privacy Dashboard, providing an overview of which apps are using data, how much information they’ve accessed, and gave users more control over that to reduce their risk of exposure.

Android 13

Android 13, which launched in 2022, was very subtle with its system upgrades, which were added at some points throughout its 365-day lifetime. It brought a new native QR code scanning function to Android Quick Settings, enhanced the system clipboard interface, redesigned the music player to have the album cover of each song appear in the background, and made the number of active apps appear at the bottom of the notifications panel. Other than that, it required apps to request permission from users before they could send notifications, which made for a less distracting experience.

Android 14

The 2023 release of Android 14 was just as subtle as the last update, but that doesn’t mean its UI update was less ambitious. The font size could be increased up to 200% – up from 130% in previous updates – to make apps and articles more accessible for users with visual disabilities. It also expanded Material You to add new customization options for the lock screen, a new system for dragging and dropping text in between apps, and a context-requiring system for why apps want access to a user’s location when they request it, adding another layer of privacy and security to Android.

Android 15

Android 15, which launched in the fall of 2023 after four extensive beta tests, saw the introduction of Private Space, which helps enhance privacy and security by keep sensitive apps away from the prying eyes of other people in a secure drawer, like their files, photos, even banking apps (which need to be under strict protection, anyway). Once those apps are in the Private Space, they can only be accessed with authentication. It also added the Theft Protection Lock, which employs AI to automatically lock your phone if someone steals it, and introduced app pairing to tablets and foldable phones.

Android 16

Android 16 is currently in beta, with the official stable version expected to come out before the end of Q2 2025. The upcoming update is expected to overhaul Material You with Material 3 Expressive, which Google described in a leaked blog post to have greater responsiveness and “action elements” that pop. It is also expected to bring back lock screen widgets, which were phased out after Android 5.2, and have Auracast support to allow users to switch between Bluetooth devices.

What’s next for Android?

Over the past year, Android has introduced AI programs into its proprietary and third-party smartphones, like Google Gemini, to answer users’ questions, help them brainstorm their next essay topic, enhance the quality of their photos, and overall improve their productivity and creativity. We hope Android 16 will continue to improve its AI capabilities with Gemini. As for the rest of Android’s future? While we don’t know for sure where it will go from here, we hope it continues being a mobile software full of creativity and compassion for its users.