Here are all the new features each Android version comes with (and some rumors for Key Lime Pie)

posted by Victor H. / Apr 10, 2013, 8:51 AM

Here are all the new features each Android version comes with (and some rumors for Key Lime Pie)

Android has gone a long way since its inception in 2008. From a runner-up to Apple’s iOS platform, it quickly gained the needed momentum and surged to become the world’s most popular smartphone operating system. It sits comfortably at that place to this day and with varying success in different countries, its lead seems to continue growing.

What’s the secret sauce, you ask? Looking back in time, we’d see that - as always the case with success - it is the hard work done by Google’s Android team. The infographic below illustrates it particularly well. It lists every major version of Android since it launched and summarizes its novelties in a short concise way.

There are overall 39 version updates since the launch but the major ones were nine. We are at Android 4.2 Jelly Bean now, but with Google I/O in near sight, we expect to soon get to see the brand new Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. The infographic summarizes a couple of rumored suggestions for that as well, so take a look.

source: Kinvey

Android development throughout the years

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62 Comments

1. emadshiny

Posts: 1144; Member since: Dec 05, 2012

thats a fast and great growth the best OS right now.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 8:57 AM 42

13. akki20892

Posts: 3902; Member since: Feb 04, 2013

Anroid is best OS right now.....and that's 100% fact.....!!!

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:03 AM 25

62. Atul99

Posts: 4; Member since: Apr 08, 2013

and you have an windows os moblie phone profile pc ..lol !! thats an irony

posted on Apr 13, 2013, 12:22 PM 0

33. Yaldo_27

Posts: 28; Member since: Feb 11, 2013

The best os ever are symbian and java...

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 11:19 AM 2

39. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

Yes... best of the last century! :)

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 12:02 PM 21

43. CanYouSeeTheLight

Posts: 1122; Member since: Jul 05, 2012

Truth! But i wonder why they didn't add 4.2 to the images..

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 1:19 PM 4

47. phonemirer

Posts: 111; Member since: Dec 07, 2012

i would say meego or sailfish, we ll see tizen soon, i would like to have various osses on phone

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 1:49 PM 0

58. rusticguy

Posts: 2828; Member since: Aug 11, 2012

And Ubuntu ...

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 4:34 PM 0

2. VJo003

Posts: 365; Member since: Mar 11, 2012

Evolution or simply Revolution

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 8:59 AM 15

3. clevername

Posts: 1436; Member since: Jul 11, 2008

I will probably be thumbed down for saying anything remotely close to negative about android, but key like pie doesn't seem to bring much. I know its just rumor, but still.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:01 AM 8

8. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

this is true, it seems to be slowing and as we know right now an os cant slow as it will be left in the past and labeled outdated. ios has this problem where people are seeing it as outdated and same can happen to android hopefully there are some new features not yet known that wont be gimmicky and be useful i know i'll get thumbed down

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:37 AM 8

14. TreyTreyTaylor

Posts: 728; Member since: Dec 21, 2010

None of Key Lime Pies features have been confirmed so I'd take all of that with a grain of salt. But I definitely disagree with you. 5.0 has to be a HUGE update. In fact I'd argue bigger than any other update any mobile OS has ever seen. It won't get outdated or left behind. With that type of thinking then every mobile OS is left behind. Next month I truly believe Android will become the only one that can replicate the PC experience. And yes I love Android ;)

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:05 AM 7

17. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

see im not saying it will happen overnight im just saying when an os starts to slow down its never a good sign. also you dont disagree with me....i think 5 has to be a huge update too actually i think everyone is expecting that and if it isnt then its gonna be a massice let down. as for the comment android will be the only one able to replicate a pc experience.........no i dont agree all os's will continue advance and wp8 has more in common with a pc so theres ground there for easy integration plus xbox live will hopefully be implemented better in the future, ios well never count apple out there experts at coming back they just always get arrogant and complacent. i can tell you love android...weird to love an os but your just part of the majority on here that do......and as you can see by the thumbs down there very defensive and not once have i said android is bad

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:15 AM 4

19. TreyTreyTaylor

Posts: 728; Member since: Dec 21, 2010

I agree with what you said but I actually think it's perfectly fine to love an os. You see we(smartphone junkies) have forgotten that it's okay to love something that makes life so much better in so many ways. I don't dislike WP8, IOS, BB10 etc. Different OS's serve different people well for different uses. It's just that I love flexibility, freedom, and versatility in my phone these days. Android has come so far since 2010 that IMO I truly believe it is the best OS ever. Flaws and everything included, it's just an experience to be had. But we're all entitled to our own opinions. And I respect yours...

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:28 AM 3

42. dan86

Posts: 298; Member since: Mar 17, 2012

You better keep your mouth shut and that will help us all to discuss the topic. Thank You!

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 1:15 PM 3

45. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

nah id rather not, besides you fanboys dont discuss you blindly praise and why are you chirping in with an irrelevant comment when me and him had finished our discussion kid?

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 1:23 PM 2

40. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

I hope so, but unfortunately I don't think so. There are too many things missing. I'm a musician and I can tell you that audio latency is a problem that must be addressed, otherwise they'll never match iOS. Also USB support: I have a Nexus 7 and still it does not support nor USB Host nor USB audio cards out of the box... you need to buy paid apps. It does not have an audio recorder out of the box: you have to buy paid apps to record mp3 or ogg audio. We're talking about basic OS functionalities here. There's not a file manager or a decent email client. There are too many things missing, and Google just doesn't care because they're only interested in promoting their services, because that's where they earn money. They don't care about turning Android into a complete OS, since it's free. Android is an OS for mobile devices, and Google is focusing in APPS and not in the OS, because they understood that they earn money throug apps (which, furthermore, can are available for iOS too). That's why in the latest weeks they put a big effort in iOS versions of their apps, updating gmail, maps, search, chrome and so on... they seem to have switched their priority from promoting Android to promoting their apps, and that's probably one of the reasons why Andy Rubin has been replaced: he was too bound to the Android OS, while Google is concentrating not in Android but in Google services and ecosystem, whichever the OS where they run on. Android has become (or maybe it has always been...) merely a trojan horse to spread the apps.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 12:12 PM 1

44. therealestmc

Posts: 679; Member since: Jul 23, 2012

Why would I want to replicate the PC experience? The PC experience is crap.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 1:22 PM 2

11. TheLolGuy

Posts: 483; Member since: Mar 05, 2013

I haven't seen any articles regarding rumored features of key lime pie that seemed even remotely convincing. At least any with some degree of detail. The only one I've read said something along the lines of "KLP will offer features all across, but will have it's main focus in improving the tablet experience" That's pretty vague on what kind of features to expect, although the idea makes sense. As tablets become powerful, they can add more features to compete with laptops... or merge with them. That could also add some fire to the other rumor about Android Ultrabooks... but then again, would that mean cannibalizing Chromebook sales? Hmmm.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:50 AM 1

59. milesboy5

Posts: 179; Member since: Nov 07, 2012

I agree about the tablets. As they get more powerful Google will need to increase the functionality of Android hopefully they do not make Android a fragmented operating system like WP8 and RT are right now. On a separate note and this is just my opinion...I think they should keep Chromebooks as the dirt cheap alternative net books, and then create Android Ultra books to compete with the high end Windows laptops.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 5:18 PM 0

12. SleepingOz unregistered

Yet Android is still the most advanced mobile OS so far, can even replace a PC in some cases. And no other OS comes close execpt may be the upcoming Ubuntu. Idk what made you think it is slowing down but one thing I'm sure about, Google is no Apple/MS/Nokia and like you said, this is just rumours.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:52 AM 6

4. Nikolas.Oliver

Posts: 1574; Member since: Jul 01, 2012

Will the key lime pie bring a new user interface like they did with the ics ? I'm bored with android's blue and grey color scheme, better change it to Google now ui like,

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:06 AM 2

5. twens

Posts: 1182; Member since: Feb 25, 2012

Funny how android 1.0 has more features than some current OS's that I know.lol

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:07 AM 20

9. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

funny how your fanboy comment is full of bs

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 9:38 AM 3

15. TreyTreyTaylor

Posts: 728; Member since: Dec 21, 2010

No its not. It's actually true. I don't get how truth is fanboyism lmao.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:07 AM 15

18. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

ohh come on its bs, android at the start was terrible even the biggest android fan admits this.....that comments just to poke at other os's with no basis seriously not support crap like that

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:17 AM 4

22. TreyTreyTaylor

Posts: 728; Member since: Dec 21, 2010

Your not lying. It was awful. But he's just referring to features it had that current rivals in 2013 don't.

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:31 AM 14

23. chaoticrazor

Posts: 2347; Member since: Aug 28, 2012

what features are these though? except for bluetooth transfer which ios still lacks there isnt anything im just bored of this ''android was and is the best ever and all others are crap'' theme running through the comments section just look at sleepingoz hes prime example and he will have his android backup help him soon android now is a great os, best for some but the term best is subjective

posted on Apr 10, 2013, 10:37 AM 1

25. SleepingOz unregistered

Why don't you directly reply to my comment? Again, no argument.. So ad hominem, right? When you can't argue with someone, bash him instead. "im just bored of this ''android was and is the best ever and all others are crap'' theme running through the comments section" FACT is that Android is the most advanced OS right now. Don't agree? TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG! =] And like I said many times before, truth is a bitter pill to swallow, especially if you're a butthurt hater.