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98-548: The original MOGA controller (later branded the MOGA Pocket) was released on October 21, 2012. connects to Android phones via Bluetooth and can hold any phone up to 3.2 inches wide through its MOGA Arm, an extendable phone grip that folds in when not in use. MOGA-optimized apps can be found and installed through the MOGA Pivot app. It is powered by two triple-A batteries. Released April 15, 2013, The MOGA Pro featured

196-482: A metallic texture, and both photo and video recording modes are combined into one viewfinder page rather than separated by switching modes. The audio setting (mute / vibrate / sound) is also accessible from the device options (power off / restart / data network mode / flight mode) which is accessed through holding the power button. With Android KitKat , which rolled out in February 2014 to Samsung Galaxy devices,

294-410: A native development kit (NDK) for applications or extensions in C or C++, Google App Inventor , a visual environment for novice programmers, and various cross platform mobile web applications frameworks . In January 2014, Google unveiled a framework based on Apache Cordova for porting Chrome HTML 5 web applications to Android, wrapped in a native application shell. Additionally, Firebase

392-408: A weather forecast , the user's email inbox, or a news ticker directly on the home screen. A home screen may be made up of several pages, between which the user can swipe back and forth. Third-party apps available on Google Play and other app stores can extensively re- theme the home screen, and even mimic the look of other operating systems, such as Windows Phone . Most manufacturers customize

490-399: A PC and mobile operating system, based on Android, to "compete directly with Microsoft Windows and Google Android". The Chinese Academy of Engineering noted that "more than a dozen" companies were customizing Android following a Chinese ban on the use of Windows 8 on government PCs. Android is developed by Google until the latest changes and updates are ready to be released, at which point

588-710: A choice of non-default runtimes that allow better C++ support. The SDK includes a comprehensive set of development tools, including a debugger , software libraries , a handset emulator based on QEMU , documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Initially, Google's supported integrated development environment (IDE) was Eclipse using the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin; in December 2014, Google released Android Studio , based on IntelliJ IDEA , as its primary IDE for Android application development. Other development tools are available, including

686-402: A fluid touch interface, often using the vibration capabilities of the device to provide haptic feedback to the user. Internal hardware, such as accelerometers , gyroscopes and proximity sensors are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions, for example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how the device is oriented, or allowing the user to steer

784-586: A keyboard and mouse. In addition to their availability on commercially available hardware, similar PC hardware-friendly versions of Android are freely available from the Android-x86 project, including customized Android 4.4. Using the Android emulator that is part of the Android SDK , or third-party emulators, Android can also run non-natively on x86 architectures. Chinese companies are building

882-452: A new larger design with an added D-pad and four shoulder buttons. It looks similar to the Xbox 360 controller . The battery system was updated to an internal USB rechargeable battery. VentureBeat 's Dean Takahashi called it "one of the many new devices that will aid smartphones and tablets in their attempt to dethrone dedicated game consoles and portable game controllers". The MOGA Hero Power

980-564: A press conference in a New York City subway station . Since 2008, Android has seen numerous updates which have incrementally improved the operating system, adding new features and fixing bugs in previous releases. Each major release is named in alphabetical order after a dessert or sugary treat, with the first few Android versions being called " Cupcake ", " Donut ", " Eclair ", and " Froyo ", in that order. During its announcement of Android KitKat in 2013, Google explained that "Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version

1078-635: A range of other electronics, such as game consoles , digital cameras , portable media players , and PCs , each with a specialized user interface. Some well-known derivatives include Android TV for televisions and Wear OS for wearables , both developed by Google. Software packages on Android, which use the APK format, are generally distributed through proprietary application stores like Google Play Store , Amazon Appstore , Samsung Galaxy Store , Huawei AppGallery , Cafe Bazaar , GetJar , and Aptoide , or open source platforms like F-Droid . Android has been

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1176-438: A simplified home screen option with larger icons, "smart rotation", where the screen rotates after the orientation of the user's face detected through the front camera, a low-light shot mode, the ability to adjust the volume of each side of headphones separately, a "reader mode" for Samsung Internet (formerly known as "S Browser") with adjustable font size, "Page Buddy", which can detect the user's intended action such as opening

1274-474: A split-screen view mode are the 2012 Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 , the former of which received this feature with the premium suite upgrade delivered in TouchWiz with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. When connecting or disconnecting charging power and when shortly actuating the power button or home button, all while the device is powered off, a visual battery meter whose appearance varies among vendors appears on

1372-430: A vehicle in a racing game by rotating the device, simulating control of a steering wheel . Android devices boot to the home screen , the primary navigation and information "hub" on Android devices, analogous to the desktop found on personal computers. Android home screens are typically made up of app icons and widgets ; app icons launch the associated app, whereas widgets display live, auto-updating content, such as

1470-428: A vertically scrollable list with overlapping thumbnails, while a flat list with non-overlapping thumbnails with orientation-based scrolling direction had been used previously. The ability to use shortcuts for apps and contacts in the one-handed operation mode has been removed. This version comes with Samsung Galaxy S6, and so supports Android Lollipop and was released in 2015. Update 4.0 eventually became available to

1568-676: A visible border and a shaded background to increase contrast from the background, and the ability change the display density setting, although this was initially only accessible through a third-party app as the setting was hidden by the system. An update to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge made it official, allowing users to change it under the display settings. TouchWiz 6.0 also includes Google's additions to Android: Doze and App Standby to improve battery performance (although Samsung's own app optimization feature remains available, thus meaning there are two separate "app optimization" settings: one within

1666-463: A visual overhaul for the whole system, changing the black background in system apps to a white theme, similar to TouchWiz Nature UX 3.5 seen on the Note 4 & A series. The black theme had been in place since the original Galaxy S , because it reduced battery consumption as Samsung mainly uses AMOLED display technology. It was changed because of a patent licensing deal with Google , which required that

1764-516: A whole lot like the program has wrapped up". From 2008 to 2013, Hugo Barra served as product spokesperson, representing Android at press conferences and Google I/O , Google's annual developer-focused conference. He left Google in August 2013 to join Chinese phone maker Xiaomi . Less than six months earlier, Google's then- CEO Larry Page announced in a blog post that Andy Rubin had moved from

1862-694: Is TouchWiz 7.1, which is on the Galaxy J1 mini prime and TouchWiz 5.0 on the Galaxy J3 (2016) feature a more refined user interface as compared to the previous versions found on Samsung's older phones released prior to Galaxy S5's release. The status bar is now transparent during home screen mode in TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 and TouchWiz Nature UX 2.5. In TouchWiz 4.0 on Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Note (both later updated to Nature UX), some of

1960-614: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Android (operating system) Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen -based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets . It is the world's most widely used operating system due to it being used on most smartphones and tablets outside of iPhones and iPads , which use Apple 's iOS and iPadOS , respectively. As of October 2024 , Android accounts for 45% of

2058-664: Is expanding its low-cost Android One program into the United States, although The Verge notes that the company will presumably not produce the actual devices itself. Google introduced the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones in October 2016, marketed as being the first phones made by Google, and exclusively featured certain software features, such as the Google Assistant , before wider rollout. The Pixel phones replaced

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2156-547: Is known as the Android Open Source Project ( AOSP ) and is free and open-source software (FOSS) primarily licensed under the Apache License . However, most devices run the proprietary Android version developed by Google, which ships with additional proprietary closed-source software pre-installed, most notably Google Mobile Services (GMS), which includes core apps such as Google Chrome ,

2254-438: Is low, the system will begin invisibly and automatically closing inactive processes, starting with those that have been inactive for the longest amount of time. Lifehacker reported in 2011 that third-party task-killer applications were doing more harm than good. Some settings for use by developers for debugging and power users are located in a "Developer options" sub menu, such as the ability to highlight updating parts of

2352-426: Is named after a dessert", although a Google spokesperson told CNN in an interview that "It's kind of like an internal team thing, and we prefer to be a little bit—how should I say—a bit inscrutable in the matter, I'll say". In 2010, Google launched its Nexus series of devices, a lineup in which Google partnered with different device manufacturers to produce new devices and introduce new Android versions. The series

2450-517: Is the latest version and includes improvements specific to foldable phones , tablets, desktop -sized screens , and Chromebooks . Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California , in October 2003 by Andy Rubin , Rich Miner , Nick Sears, and Chris White. Rubin described the Android project as having "tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences". The early intentions of

2548-709: Is the primary application store installed on Android devices that comply with Google's compatibility requirements and license the Google Mobile Services software. Google Play Store allows users to browse, download and update applications published by Google and third-party developers; as of January 2021 , there are more than three million applications available for Android in Play Store. As of July 2013 , 50 billion application installations had been performed. Some carriers offer direct carrier billing for Google Play application purchases, where

2646-473: Is used by default), and adoptable storage. Portable storage is treated as an external storage device. Adoptable storage, introduced on Android 6.0, allows the internal storage of the device to be spanned with the SD card, treating it as an extension of the internal storage. This has the disadvantage of preventing the memory card from being used with another device unless it is reformatted . Android 4.4 introduced

2744-645: The Amazon Appstore , GetJar , and SlideMe. F-Droid , another alternative marketplace, seeks to only provide applications that are distributed under free and open source licenses . In October 2020, Google removed several Android applications from Play Store , as they were identified breaching its data collection rules. The firm was informed by International Digital Accountability Council (IDAC) that apps for children like Number Coloring , Princess Salon and Cats & Cosplay , with collective downloads of 20 million, were violating Google's policies. At

2842-544: The Android software development kit (SDK) and, often, Kotlin programming language, which replaced Java as Google's preferred language for Android app development in May 2019, and was originally announced in May 2017. Java is still supported (originally the only option for user-space programs, and is often mixed with Kotlin), as is C++ . Java or other JVM languages, such as Kotlin, may be combined with C /C++, together with

2940-603: The Galaxy J series devices which run Android Lollipop. It also doesn't feature the Sparkling Bubbles lockscreen effect exclusive to Galaxy S6 and the Note 5 . Galaxy S6 user reports suggest that the step-by-step frame navigation and still frame image extraction features have been removed from Samsung's included video player software. This version of TouchWiz began during initial beta testing of Android Marshmallow on

3038-525: The Galaxy S . A lite version of TouchWiz 3.0, with reduced features, was used on the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim. The second version of TouchWiz was released in 2011, to support Android Gingerbread and Android Honeycomb (2.3 - 3.2.6). The Galaxy S II was the first device preloaded with TouchWiz 4.0. This version includes better hardware acceleration than 3.0, as well multiple touchscreen options involving multi-touch gestures and using

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3136-597: The Galaxy S4 , Galaxy Note 3 (2013) and Galaxy S5 and Note 4 (2014), and other Lollipop-compatible devices, but with fewer features. This version of TouchWiz continued the design that was initially seen on the Galaxy S5, with slightly more rounded icons, but also incorporated Lollipop's additions and changes, such as making the notification drop-down menu merely an overlay instead of a full-screen drawer and colouring it neon blue. TouchWiz Nature UX 4.0 also included

3234-515: The Galaxy S6 and Note 5 in December 2015, for users who had signed up for the beta program, and became formally available in February 2016 for Samsung Galaxy S7 series. This version was also released for the S5 It features a redesigned notification drop-down and colour overhaul, replacing the original blue and green hue to white. This version also removed the weather while centering and enlarging

3332-599: The Open Handset Alliance , a consortium of technology companies including Google, device manufacturers such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung, wireless carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile , and chipset makers such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments , unveiled itself, with a goal to develop "the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices". Within a year, the Open Handset Alliance faced two other open source competitors,

3430-471: The Product of the device (e.g. SM-G900F , SM-G901F ). This is a slightly modified version of TouchWiz Nature UX 3.0, released in 2014 for the Galaxy Note 4 , Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy A-series (2015) . Most of the changes made were minor, aesthetic ones, including an overhaul of the cluttered settings menu, the inclusion of quick setting shortcuts and centralization of the lock screen clock. However,

3528-752: The Samsung Galaxy Alpha . The home screen and settings menu were made more user-friendly with larger icons and less clutter. Also, icons in the context menus were removed for minimalism , and any disabled options, where previously they would have been visible but unusable ( Graphical widget ), now do not show up at all. The one-handed operation mode available on the Galaxy S5 allows setting shortcuts for apps and contacts. A floating menu with user-specified app shortcuts has also been added. The new colour palette utilizes oceanic colours (e.g. #006578 , #00151C , #004754 , #009ba1 , #005060 , #0034da and #001d27 ) to reference

3626-571: The Symbian Foundation and the LiMo Foundation , the latter also developing a Linux -based mobile operating system like Google. In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalueserve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of mobile telephony. On September 23, 2008, Android was introduced by Andy Rubin, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Cole Brodman, Christopher Schlaeffer and Peter Chou at

3724-743: The Windows 11 announcement event in June 2021, Microsoft showcased the new Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) to enable support for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), but it has since been deprecated. It was meant to allow users running Android apps and games in Windows 11 on their Windows desktop. On March 5, 2024, Microsoft announced deprecation of WSA with support ending on March 5, 2025. The storage of Android devices can be expanded using secondary devices such as SD cards . Android recognizes two types of secondary storage: portable storage (which

3822-400: The digital distribution platform Google Play , and the associated Google Play Services development platform. Firebase Cloud Messaging is used for push notifications. While AOSP is free, the "Android" name and logo are trademarks of Google, which imposes standards to restrict the use of Android branding by "uncertified" devices outside their ecosystem. Over 70% of smartphones based on

3920-581: The global operating system market , followed by Windows with 26%. Android has historically been developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance , but its most widely used version is primarily developed by Google . It was unveiled in November 2007, with the first commercial Android device, the HTC Dream , being launched in September 2008. At its core, the operating system

4018-468: The iOS market, PowerA released the MOGA Ace on December 6, 2014. It featured an all new design. It expands from the middle, allowing for select iDevices to be placed in the center, with controls on each side. Like the other recent models, it allows the device to charge while gaming. It is compatible with any iPhone with a lightning port. This United States video game corporation or company article

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4116-534: The source code is made available to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), an open source initiative led by Google. The first source code release happened as part of the initial release in 2007. All releases are under the Apache License . The AOSP code can be found with minimal modifications on select devices, mainly the former Nexus and current Android One series of devices. However, most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) customize

4214-531: The "Nature UX" infix, to reflect aesthetic changes. This version was released in 2015 with the introduction Samsung Galaxy S6 , and is based on Android 5 Lollipop . It also came with the Galaxy S5 Neo . This update cleaned up the user interface, reduced the number of duplicate functions, and used brighter and simpler colours with icon shadows. Many icons in top bars have been replaced with uppercase text labels such as " More ". A new version of TouchWiz 5.0

4312-515: The Android Open Source Project run Google's ecosystem (which is known simply as Android), some with vendor-customized user interfaces and software suites, such as TouchWiz and later One UI by Samsung and HTC Sense . Competing ecosystems and forks of AOSP include Fire OS developed by Amazon , ColorOS by Oppo , OriginOS by Vivo , MagicUI by Honor , and custom ROMs such as LineageOS , as well as Meta Horizon OS for VR headsets . Android's source code has been used to develop variants on

4410-536: The Android division to take on new projects at Google, and that Sundar Pichai would become the new Android lead. Pichai himself would eventually switch positions, becoming the new CEO of Google in August 2015 following the company's restructure into the Alphabet conglomerate, making Hiroshi Lockheimer the new head of Android. On Android 4.4 , KitKat , shared writing access to MicroSD memory cards has been locked for user-installed applications, to which only

4508-514: The Android version and manufacturer. Many early Android OS smartphones were equipped with a dedicated search button for quick access to a web search engine and individual apps' internal search feature. More recent devices typically allow the former through a long press or swipe away from the home button. The dedicated option key, also known as menu key, and its on-screen simulation, is no longer supported since Android version 10. Google recommends mobile application developers to locate menus within

4606-608: The Galaxy Note 3. It can be accessed with a swiping gesture on either side of the screen and allows variably shrinking the simulated size of the screen. It also is equipped with on-screen navigation (options, home, back) and volume keys (up, down). This update was released in 2014 to support Android KitKat (4.4). It was first seen on the Galaxy S5 , Galaxy K Zoom and the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 . It later appeared on

4704-471: The Galaxy S5's water resistance . Some budget devices, such as the Galaxy Trend 2 Lite , Galaxy J1 Ace , Galaxy V Plus, Galaxy Grand Neo Plus and Galaxy Tab E feature a reduced version of TouchWiz Nature UX 3.0 called "TouchWiz Essence UX", which is adapted for devices with less than 1 GB of RAM. This version has an ultra-power-saving mode, which drastically extends the battery duration by making

4802-638: The Nexus series, with a new generation of Pixel phones launched in October 2017. In May 2019, the operating system became entangled in the trade war between China and the United States involving Huawei , which, like many other tech firms, had become dependent on access to the Android platform. In the summer of 2019, Huawei announced it would create an alternative operating system to Android known as Harmony OS , and has filed for intellectual property rights across major global markets. Under such sanctions Huawei has long-term plans to replace Android in 2022 with

4900-496: The SAF to access any other part of the filesystem. Since Android devices are usually battery-powered, Android is designed to manage processes to keep power consumption at a minimum. When an application is not in use the system suspends its operation so that, while available for immediate use rather than closed, it does not use battery power or CPU resources. Android manages the applications stored in memory automatically: when memory

4998-525: The Samsung-made app store Galaxy Apps . It was replaced by Samsung Experience in 2017 with the release of Android 7.0 "Nougat" . The first, original, edition of TouchWiz (version 1.0) was released in 2009. This 1.0 version was officially launched with the original Samsung Solstice in 2009.; although TouchWiz did first appear on the SGH-F480 Tocco in 2008. The latest version of TouchWiz

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5096-572: The Smart Manager app, and the other within the battery usage screen), Now on Tap to quickly access the Virtual assistant Google Now , and Permission Control to limit the permissions granted to a particular application. First released with the Galaxy Note 7 for Android Marshmallow , the Grace UX was named after the device's codename, and eventually made its way to older devices, including

5194-489: The Storage Access Framework (SAF), a set of APIs for accessing files on the device's filesystem. As of Android 11, Android has required apps to conform to a data privacy policy known as scoped storage , under which apps may only automatically have access to certain directories (such as those for pictures, music, and video), and app-specific directories they have created themselves. Apps are required to use

5292-472: The TouchWiz interface follow the design of "stock" Android more closely. The size of the current video file and the remaining space storage amount is no longer indicated in the camera software viewfinder during video recording, and the audio controls ( silent , vibration only , on ) have been removed from the power menu. With TouchWiz 5.0, Samsung reverted to the earlier, simpler naming system, without

5390-430: The TouchWiz interface, and as a response to Apple's Siri , this version introduced S Voice , Samsung's Virtual assistant . The colour palette of the user interface has been adapted to the colours of nature, prominently green (plants, forest, grass) and blue (ocean, sky), to visually represent the slogan “Inspired by Nature”. This version of TouchWiz also utilized many colour gradients . Criticism has been aimed at

5488-527: The United States in 2009. Various versions of TouchWiz 1.0, with different features, were used on Solstice's siblings such as the Eternity , Impression , Impact and Highlight . This was the original second edition of TouchWiz, released in 2009. This version premiered with the Solstice 2 in 2010. Released in 2010, to support Android Eclair (2.1) and Android Froyo (2.2). This version premiered with

5586-453: The ability to adjust the flashlight brightness. Notifications are "short, timely, and relevant information about your app when it's not in use", and when tapped, users are directed to a screen inside the app relating to the notification. Beginning with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" , "expandable notifications" allow the user to tap an icon on the notification in order for it to expand and display more information and possible app actions right from

5684-597: The camera application was stripped down to its most basic features, removing features such as the Wi-Fi Direct -powered remote viewfinder , nonetheless gaining an AF / AE lock feature accessible through tapping and holding in the camera viewfinder. The "grid view" setting menu viewing mode introduced in TouchWiz Nature UX 3.0 has been removed. Menus and system applications use white instead of dark backgrounds. The recent task switcher has changed into

5782-420: The clock on the lock screen , as well as bringing back the ability to customize the shortcuts on the lock screen. Icons are slightly modified with a flatter look, removing the shadows that featured previously. The Smart Manager was removed as an app, and was moved to a settings option instead. On this version, Samsung also added accessibility options such as Show button shapes , where buttons are outlined with

5880-533: The colours of the green battery icon, as well as the green (upstream) and orange (downstream) indicator arrows in the top status bar have been changed to grey. TouchWiz Nature UX 2.5 was released in 2013 to support the last updates to Android Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3), and was first used on the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition . This version completely supports the Samsung Knox security solution, as well as multi-user capabilities. The camera

5978-483: The company in July of that year for at least $ 50 million; this was Google's "best deal ever" according to Google's then-vice president of corporate development, David Lawee , in 2010. Android's key employees, including Rubin, Miner, Sears, and White, joined Google as part of the acquisition. Not much was known about the secretive Android Inc. at the time, with the company having provided few details other than that it

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6076-517: The company were to develop an advanced operating system for digital cameras , and this was the basis of its pitch to investors in April 2004. The company then decided that the market for cameras was not large enough for its goals, and five months later it had diverted its efforts and was pitching Android as a handset operating system that would rival Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile . Rubin had difficulty attracting investors early on, and Android

6174-555: The cost of the application is added to the user's monthly bill. As of May 2017 , there are over one billion active users a month for Gmail, Android, Chrome, Google Play and Maps. Due to the open nature of Android, a number of third-party application marketplaces also exist for Android, either to provide a substitute for devices that are not allowed to ship with Google Play Store, provide applications that cannot be offered on Google Play Store due to policy violations, or for other reasons. Examples of these third-party stores have included

6272-511: The dedicated directories with respective package names, located inside Android/data/ , remained writeable. Writing access has been reinstated with Android 5 Lollipop through the backwards-incompatible Google Storage Access Framework interface . In June 2014, Google announced Android One , a set of "hardware reference models" that would "allow [device makers] to easily create high-quality phones at low costs", designed for consumers in developing countries. In September, Google announced

6370-567: The display, show an overlay with the current status of the touch screen, show touching spots for possible use in screencasting , notify the user of unresponsive background processes with the option to end them ("Show all ANRs", i.e. "App's Not Responding"), prevent a Bluetooth audio client from controlling the system volume ("Disable absolute volume"), and adjust the duration of transition animations or deactivate them completely to speed up navigation. Developer options are initially hidden since Android 4.2 "Jelly Bean", but can be enabled by actuating

6468-507: The features added include panning and tilt, which makes use of the accelerometer and gyroscope in the phone to detect motion. TouchWiz is used by Samsung's own proprietary operating systems, Bada and REX , as well as by phones based on the Android operating system prior to Android 7. It is also present in phones running the Tizen operating system. TouchWiz was abandoned by Samsung in late 2016 in favor of Samsung Experience . TouchWiz

6566-479: The first devices preloaded with this version, although a "lite" version was used beforehand on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 . The 2013 Galaxy S2 "Plus" variant featured this user interface as well. TouchWiz Nature UX contains more interactive elements than previous version, such as a water ripple effect on the lock screen, and "smart stay", a feature which uses eye tracking technology to determine if

6664-582: The first set of Android One phones for release in India. However, Recode reported in June 2015 that the project was "a disappointment", citing "reluctant consumers and manufacturing partners" and "misfires from the search company that has never quite cracked hardware". Plans to relaunch Android One surfaced in August 2015, with Africa announced as the next location for the program a week later. A report from The Information in January 2017 stated that Google

6762-504: The inability of the home screen and lock screen to work in horizontal display orientation. With the Android 4.1 update (pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy Note II ), Samsung delivered a "premium suite upgrade", whose improvements include a split screen mode, making this the first mobile user interface to run more than one application simultaneously. Other additions and accessibility improvements are "easy mode",

6860-437: The issue. Android's default user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation , using touch inputs that loosely correspond to real-world actions, like swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard . Game controllers and full-size physical keyboards are supported via Bluetooth or USB . The response to user input is designed to be immediate and provides

6958-434: The left pane are no longer customizable, and the settings are on a separate page rather than on top of an active viewfinder. Mid-range and entry-level devices feature a version named "TouchWiz Essence 2.0". It is similar to TouchWiz 5.0 but icon shadows are not included along with or without Theme Support. It is comparatively lighter, faster and featured on devices such as the 2016 Galaxy A series , Galaxy A8 , tablets and

7056-559: The look and features of their Android devices to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Along the top of the screen is a status bar, showing information about the device and its connectivity. This status bar can be pulled (swiped) down from to reveal a notification screen where apps display important information or updates, as well as quick access to system controls and toggles such as display brightness, connectivity settings ( WiFi , Bluetooth, cellular data), audio mode, and flashlight . Vendors may implement extended settings such as

7154-486: The mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006. An early prototype had a close resemblance to a BlackBerry phone, with no touchscreen and a physical QWERTY keyboard , but the arrival of 2007's Apple iPhone meant that Android "had to go back to the drawing board". Google later changed its Android specification documents to state that "Touchscreens will be supported", although "the Product

7252-607: The most common screen. Android supports all versions of OpenGL ES and Vulkan (and version 1.1 available for some devices ). Android devices incorporate many optional hardware components, including still or video cameras, GPS , orientation sensors , dedicated gaming controls, accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers, magnetometers , proximity sensors, pressure sensors , thermometers, and touchscreens . Some hardware components are not required, but became standard in certain classes of devices, such as smartphones, and additional requirements apply if they are present. Some other hardware

7350-483: The most used operating system worldwide on smartphones since 2011 and on tablets since 2013. As of May 2021 , it has over three billion monthly active users , the largest installed base of any operating system in the world, and, as of 2024 , the Google Play Store features 1.7 million apps; a decline from its of peak of over 3 million apps in April 2021. Android 15 , released on October 15, 2024,

7448-716: The music player when plugging in earphones, and the ability to read the news feed from Facebook in particular directly from the lock screen well before common lock screen notifications were released with Android 5.0 "Lollipop". This version supports Android Jelly Bean (4.2.2) and was released in 2013; the Samsung Galaxy S4 was the first device to use TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0. Even more eye tracking abilities were introduced with this version, such as "smart scroll", which allows users to scroll down and up on webpages by tilting their head downwards and upwards, respectively. The on-screen buttons for photo, video and modes now have

7546-513: The new operating system, as Harmony OS was originally designed for internet of things devices, rather than for smartphones and tablets. On August 22, 2019, it was announced that Android "Q" would officially be branded as Android 10, ending the historic practice of naming major versions after desserts. Google stated that these names were not "inclusive" to international users (due either to the aforementioned foods not being internationally known, or being difficult to pronounce in some languages). On

7644-409: The notification. An "All Apps" screen lists all installed applications, with the ability for users to drag an app from the list onto the home screen. The app list may be accessed using a gesture or a button, depending on the Android version. A "Recents" screen, also known as "Overview", lets users switch between recently used apps. The recent list may appear side-by-side or overlapping, depending on

7742-550: The official support. Since 2012, Android devices with Intel processors began to appear, including phones and tablets. While gaining support for 64-bit platforms, Android was first made to run on 64-bit x86 and then on ARM64 . An unofficial experimental port of the operating system to the RISC-V architecture was released in 2021. Requirements for the minimum amount of RAM for devices running Android 7.1 range from in practice 2 GB for best hardware, down to 1 GB for

7840-530: The operating system's build number in the device information seven times. Hiding developers options again requires deleting user data for the "Settings" app, possibly resetting some other preferences. The main hardware platform for Android is ARM (the ARMv7 and ARMv8-A architectures), with x86 and x86-64 architectures also officially supported in later versions of Android. The unofficial Android-x86 project provided support for x86 architectures ahead of

7938-496: The phone's accelerometer . One such feature allows users to place two fingers on the screen and tilt the device towards and away from themselves, to zoom in and out, respectively. "Panning" on TouchWiz 4.0 allows users to scroll through home screens by moving the device from side to side. The third version of TouchWiz was renamed to TouchWiz Nature UX. It was released in 2012 and supported Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). The Galaxy S III , Galaxy Star and Galaxy Note 10.1 were

8036-527: The same day, Android Police reported that Google had commissioned a statue of a giant number "10" to be installed in the lobby of the developers' new office. Android 10 was released on September 3, 2019, to Google Pixel phones first. In late 2021, some users reported that they were unable to dial emergency services. The problem was caused by a combination of bugs in Android and in the Microsoft Teams app; both companies released updates addressing

8134-409: The screen grayscale , restricting the apps that can be used, and turning off features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth . The redesigned settings menu has flat icons instead of previously used self-coloured Clip art , and is equipped with three distinct viewing modes: Grid view , List view and Tab view . Another minor distinction is that the boot screen shows the Android trademark, but no longer

8232-419: The screen, allowing the user to quickly assess the charge status of a powered-off without having to boot it up first. Some display the battery percentage. Most Android devices come with preinstalled Google apps including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and others. Applications (" apps "), which extend the functionality of devices (and must be 64-bit ), are written using

8330-467: The source code to run on their hardware. TouchWiz TouchWiz is a discontinued user interface developed by Samsung Electronics with partners, featuring a full touch user interface . It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an operating system. TouchWiz was used internally by Samsung for smartphones , feature phones and tablet computers , and was not available for licensing by external parties. The Android version of TouchWiz also comes with

8428-495: The user interface. On more recent phones, its place is occupied by a task key used to access the list of recently used apps when actuated. Depending on device, its long press may simulate a menu button press or engage split screen view, the latter of which is the default behaviour since stock Android version 7. Native support for split screen view has been added in stock Android version 7.0 Nougat . The earliest vendor-customized Android-based smartphones known to have featured

8526-412: The user is still watching the screen. Users are able to set custom vibration patterns for phone calls and notifications. The keyboard software is equipped with a clipboard manager . A multi-touch magnification feature and a picture-in-picture mode ("pop-up play") have been added to the precluded video player , as well as panning and zooming motion gestures in the gallery software. To complement

8624-660: Was a central issue in the Lawsuit Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics . This was the original edition of TouchWiz, released in 2008, with pre-introduction (trial) on the SGH-F480 (Tocco) phone. It was an evolution of the Croix user interface seen on the SGH-P520 (Armani) and SGH-F700 (Ultra Smart) . TouchWiz version 1.0 was officially launched with the original Samsung A887 Solstice, a phone released on AT&T in

8722-434: Was acquired by Google in 2014 that provides helpful tools for app and web developers. Android has a growing selection of third-party applications, which can be acquired by users by downloading and installing the application's APK (Android application package) file, or by downloading them using an application store program that allows users to install, update, and remove applications from their devices. Google Play Store

8820-423: Was also improved in this update: shutter lag was reduced, and features like a 360° panorama mode were added. The settings menu is equipped with a new search feature. It is the first mobile user interface to feature windowing . To the existing split-screen feature, the abilities to drag and drop items in between and open select apps twice was added. A vertical one-handed operation mode has been added for

8918-431: Was described as having "played a pivotal role in Android's history by introducing new software iterations and hardware standards across the board", and became known for its " bloat-free " software with "timely ... updates". At its developer conference in May 2013, Google announced a special version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 , where, instead of using Samsung's own Android customization, the phone ran "stock Android" and

9016-472: Was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption, therefore a touchscreen cannot completely replace physical buttons". By 2008, both Nokia and BlackBerry announced touch-based smartphones to rival the iPhone 3G , and Android's focus eventually switched to just touchscreens. The first commercially available smartphone running Android was the HTC Dream , also known as T-Mobile G1, announced on September 23, 2008. On November 5, 2007,

9114-432: Was facing eviction from its office space. Steve Perlman , a close friend of Rubin, brought him $ 10,000 in cash in an envelope, and shortly thereafter wired an undisclosed amount as seed funding. Perlman refused a stake in the company, and has stated "I did it because I believed in the thing, and I wanted to help Andy." In 2005, Rubin tried to negotiate deals with Samsung and HTC . Shortly afterwards, Google acquired

9212-586: Was initially required, but those requirements have been relaxed or eliminated altogether. For example, as Android was developed initially as a phone OS, hardware such as microphones were required, while over time the phone function became optional. Android used to require an autofocus camera, which was relaxed to a fixed-focus camera if present at all, since the camera was dropped as a requirement entirely when Android started to be used on set-top boxes . In addition to running on smartphones and tablets, several vendors run Android natively on regular PC hardware with

9310-466: Was making software for mobile phones. At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel . Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers on the promise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system. Google had "lined up a series of hardware components and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation". Speculation about Google's intention to enter

9408-708: Was promised to receive new system updates fast. The device would become the start of the Google Play edition program, and was followed by other devices, including the HTC One Google Play edition, and Moto G Google Play edition. In 2015, Ars Technica wrote that "Earlier this week, the last of the Google Play edition Android phones in Google's online storefront were listed as "no longer available for sale" and that "Now they're all gone, and it looks

9506-491: Was released October 28, 2013. Keeping the same button scheme as the Pro controller, it was made smaller and more portable. Also, the ability to charge your phone while playing was added, due to a built-in 1800 mAh internal battery, deemed MOGA Boost Technology. The MOGA Pro Power was released November 4, 2013. The design remained similar to the original MOGA Pro. The main difference was the added built-in phone charger. Entering into

9604-681: Was released in August 2015 along with the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ . The new version features updated iconography, with stock apps now featuring " squircle " icons instead of freeform, and a re-added single-handed operation mode that was removed on the Galaxy S6 after being available on the S5. However, it is opened with a triple-press of the home button instead of a swiping gesture, lacks on-screen keys (navigation, volume controls, app/contact shortcuts) and only has one fixed size. The camera user interface has undergone several changes as well. Shortcuts on

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