Android Version History: Every Release from 1.0 to 17 Explained

Seventeen major versions in eighteen years, and only the last four still get security patches.

Android launched commercially in September 2008 on a single phone with a slide-out keyboard.

It now runs on more devices than any other operating system on earth.

This page lists every release with its date and what it brought, and then answers the question most people actually arrive with: which version is safe to buy a phone on today.

The Early Years, 2008 to 2013

These versions are of historical interest only. No device running any of them can run current apps, receive security patches, or connect safely to a modern network.

Honeycomb is the odd one out. It was tablets only, it was never widely adopted, and it was absorbed into the next release within months.

The Shape of Modern Android, 2011 to 2021

This decade is where Android became recognisable. Everything you use today, from the notification shade to runtime permissions, was introduced somewhere in this table.

Lollipop is the dividing line. Screenshots from before it look like a different operating system, and screenshots from after it look broadly like the phone in your pocket.

The Versions That Still Matter

From here the detail is worth reading, because these are the versions you will actually encounter when buying a device.

Android 13, August 2022

Per-app notification permissions, a much-improved runtime with a new garbage collector, tablet taskbar work, and Bluetooth LE Audio with the LC3 codec.

It was a genuinely good release and it is now the problem version. Google ended security patches for Android 13 in March 2026, so a device sitting on it stops receiving fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities.

Android 14, October 2023

Font scaling to 200 percent, lock screen customisation, Ultra HDR photos, phone-as-webcam, and a block on installing apps that target very old APIs, which shut down a common malware trick.

This is currently the oldest version Google still issues security source code for, which makes it the practical floor for any purchase rather than a recommendation in its own right.

Android 15, September 2024

Lock screen widgets returned for tablets, Advanced Factory Reset Protection made stolen phones much harder to resell, and private space arrived for hiding sensitive apps behind a second lock.

A sensible target for a used purchase. Devices that shipped with it are now cheap and most still have update runway left.

Android 16, June 2025

Live Updates for progress notifications, an embedded photo picker, health records support, Privacy Sandbox, and the first version of desktop mode for external displays.

Google also moved to releasing the major version in June rather than the autumn, which is why 16 and 17 are only twelve months apart despite feeling closer.

Android 17 Cinnamon Bun, June 2026

The current release, out on 16 June 2026, and the dessert codenames are back in public view after years of being internal only.

Desktop mode is the headline. Connect a phone to an external display and you now get a real taskbar, a status bar, proper window snapping and much better handling of 4K panels.

Notification Rules are the quieter win. Rather than muting an entire app, you can highlight messages from one contact while silencing every group chat in the same app.

Lock screen widgets also came back properly, on a panel that swipes in from the right edge, and Live Updates now follow a delivery or a ride through the status bar, lock screen and always-on display.

Which Versions Still Get Security Patches

This is the table to buy from. Everything below Android 14 is unpatched, whatever the seller tells you.

What to Check Before You Buy

Version number alone is a poor guide, because a phone launched three years ago on a newer version may have less support left than a newer phone on an older one.

1. Find the current version on the device, under Settings, then About Phone.
2. Check the security patch date on the same screen. If it is more than six months old, updates have effectively stopped.
3. Look up that exact model on the manufacturer's own support page for its promised end date.
4. Note the launch year, not just the version. Support windows count from release, not from the version it happens to be running.
5. Confirm the apps you rely on still support that version before you commit.

Getting the Most From an Older Device

If you are keeping a phone rather than replacing it, the apps matter more than the version number.

VLC for Android carries its own decoders, so it plays formats the system cannot handle on its own, and our getting started with VLC for Android guide covers the setup.

MX Player Custom Codec restores AC3, EAC3 and DTS audio on devices whose manufacturer left those licences out.

For editing on the phone itself, CapCut for Android handles video and Hypic handles photos.

Both run happily on older hardware, and Hypic includes a free way to blur or remove a background without a subscription.

Everything else worth having sits in the Android APK section.

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