Android
A smartphone operating system (OS) and software platform created by Google. Android is based on Linux.
Multiple manufacturers make phones that run Android. As a software platform, Android allows apps (software) written for Android to run on all Android-based phones, regardless of manufacturer.
Besides app compatibility, Android has a specific user interface. This means all Android phones work in a somewhat similar way; learning to use one Android phone will make using other Android phones familiar. However, Android permits greater customization (by carriers and manufacturers) than most other platforms, so there can still be significant interface differences between various Android-based phones.
Android competes with Apple's iOS and other smartphone platforms, but Android is dominant for phones not made by Apple.
Last updated Jan 26, 2024 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
