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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, and you may need a new Android phone to get the latest and greatest version of Android.
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. Often, 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.
For many years, every version of Android came with a dessert nickname, which many people used instead of the version number. However, Google ended that practice in 2019 with Android 10.
A Brief Android Version History
We thought it fitting to give a brief rundown of each Android version, along with its accompanying code name and release date, for completeness.
- Android 1.5, Cupcake: April 27, 2009
- Android 1.6, Donut: September 15, 2009
- Android 2.0-2.1, Eclair: October 26, 2009 (initial release)
- Android 2.2-2.2.3, Froyo: May 20, 2010 (initial release)
- Android 2.3-2.3.7, Gingerbread: December 6, 2010 (initial release)
- Android 3.0-3.2.6, Honeycomb: February 22, 2011 (initial release)
- Android 4.0-4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich: October 18, 2011 (initial release)
- Android 4.1-4.3.1, Jelly Bean: July 9, 2012 (initial release)
- Android 4.4-4.4.4, KitKat: October 31, 2013 (initial release)
- Android 5.0-5.1.1, Lollipop: November 12, 2014 (initial release)
- Android 6.0-6.0.1, Marshmallow: October 5, 2015 (initial release)
- Android 7.0-7.1.2, Nougat: August 22, 2016 (initial release)
- Android 8.0-8.1, Oreo: August 21, 2017 (initial release)
- Android 9.0, Pie: August 6, 2018
- Android 10.0: September 3, 2019
- Android 11.0: September 8, 2020
- Android 12.0: October 19, 2021
- Android 13.0: August 15, 2022
- Android 14.0: October 4, 2023
- Android 15.0: September 3, 2024
As you can see, the update system was without regularity early on, but the Ice Cream Sandwich era started the yearly OS version update schedule.
The Latest Version of Android is 15.0
Android 15 is the latest version of Android, and it was released on September 3, 2024. It will arrive first on Google Pixel phones but should quickly roll out to Samsung Galaxy devices as a beta. Phones from OnePlus, Xiaomi, Nokia, and others will eventually follow as well.
Following in the tradition started with Android 10, Android 15 does not have a fun dessert nickname. However, the internal codename for the release is “Vanilla Ice Cream.” It’s a little sad that Google doesn’t use these nicknames publicly anymore.
Similar to Android 13 and Android 14 before it, Android 15 doesn’t have a ton of big user-facing changes—but there are plenty of little improvements. Some of the bigger features include Private Space, Satellite Connectivity, and Adaptive Timeout.