A mobile operating system is an

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...

for

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

s, tablets,

smartwatch A smartwatch is a wearable computer in the form of a watch; modern smartwatches provide a local touchscreen interface for daily use, while an associated smartphone app provides management and telemetry, such as long-term biomonitoring. While ea ...

es, smartglasses, or other non-laptop

personal Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...

mobile computing device A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

s. While computers such as typical laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are generally not considered mobile ones, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific ''mobile'' features. This line distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile unlike hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being com ...

s and light-weight laptops and the hybridization of the two in

2-in-1 PC A 2-in-1 PC, also known as convertible laptop, 2-in-1 tablet, 2-in-1 laptop, 2-in-1 detachable, laplet, tabtop, laptop tablet, or simply 2-in-1, is a portable computer that has features of both tablets and laptops. Before the emergence of ''2- ...

s. Mobile operating systems combine features of a desktop computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use, and usually including a wireless inbuilt modem and SIM tray for telephony and data connection. In Q1 2018, over 383 million smartphones were sold (highest ever recorded) with 86.2 percent running Android and 12.9 percent running

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

. Nonetheless, although not as many as 2018 (1.56 billion), 2021 still had soaring sales, 1.43 billion to be exact with 83.32 percent being Android. Android alone is more popular than the popular desktop operating system Microsoft Windows, and in general smartphone use (even without tablets) outnumbers desktop use. Mobile devices, with mobile communications abilities (e.g.,

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

s), contain two mobile operating systemsthe main user-facing software platform is supplemented by a second low-level proprietary real-time operating system which operates the radio and other hardware. Research has shown that these low-level systems may contain a range of security vulnerabilities permitting malicious base stations to gain high levels of control over the mobile device. Mobile operating systems have majority use since 2017 (measured by web use); with even only the smartphones running them (excluding tablets) having majority use, more used than any other kind of device.TechFoogle, June 30, 2019
Top 10 Mobile Operating System
Thus traditional desktop OS is now a minority-used kind of OS; see usage share of operating systems. However, variations occur in popularity by regions, while desktop-minority also applies on some days in countries such as United States and United Kingdom.

Timeline

Mobile operating system milestones mirror the development of

s, PDAs, and

Pre-1993

* 1973–1993 –

Mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

s use

embedded system An embedded system is a computer system—a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It is ''embedded'' ...

s to control operation.

1993–1999

* 1993 ** April –

PenPoint OS The PenPoint OS was a product of GO Corporation and was one of the earliest operating systems written specifically for graphical tablets and personal digital assistants. It ran on AT&T Corporation's EO Personal Communicator as well as a number ...

GO Corp. GO Corporation was founded in 1987 to create portable computers, an operating system, and software with a pen-based user interface. It was famous not only for its pioneering work in Pen-based computing but as well as being one of the most well- ...

becomes available on the

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

EO Personal Communicator The EO is an early commercial tablet computer that was created by Eo, Inc. (later acquired by AT&T Corporation), and released in April 1993. Eo (Latin for "I go") is the hardware spin-out of GO. Officially named the AT&T EO Personal Communicat ...

. ** August –

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

launches

Newton OS ''Newton OS'' is a discontinued operating system for the Apple Newton PDAs produced by Apple Computer, Inc. between 1993 and 1997. It was written entirely in C++ and trimmed to be low power consuming and use the available memory efficiently. Man ...

running on their Newton series of portable computers. * 1994 ** March –

Magic Cap Magic Cap (short for Magic Communicating Applications Platform) is a discontinued object-oriented operating system for PDAs developed by General Magic. Tony Fadell was a contributor to the platform, Bill Atkinson shows the credits screen on Magic ...

OS by

General Magic General Magic was an American software and electronics company co-founded by Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld, and Marc Porat. Based in Mountain View, California, the company developed precursors to " USB, software modems, small touchscreens, to ...

is first introduced on the

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

Magic Link The Magic Link was a Personal Intelligent Communicator marketed by Sony from 1994, based on General Magic's Magic Cap operating system. The Magic Link PIC-1000 was brought to market by Jerry Fiala Sr at Sony. The "Link" part of the name refers ...

PDA. ** August – The first

, the

IBM Simon The IBM Simon Personal Communicator (simply known as IBM Simon) is a handheld, touchscreen PDA designed by International Business Machines (IBM), and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric. Although the term "smartphone" was not coined until 199 ...

, has a touchscreen,

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...

, and PDA features. * 1996 ** March – The

Palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

Pilot 1000 The Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000 were the first generations of PDAs produced by Palm Computing (then a subsidiary of U.S. Robotics). It was introduced in March 1996. The Pilot uses a Motorola 68328 processor at 16 MHz, and had 128 kB (Pilot 1 ...

personal digital assistant A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in part ...

is introduced with the

Palm OS Palm OS (also known as Garnet OS) was a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants (PDAs) in 1996. Palm OS was designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is pro ...

mobile operating system. ** August –

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...

releases the

Nokia 9000 Communicator The Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first product in Nokia's Communicator series, announced at CeBIT 1996 and introduced into the market on 15 August 1996. The phone was large and heavy at but powerful at the time. It is powered by an Intel 24&n ...

running an integrated system based on the PEN/GEOS 3.0 OS from

Geoworks GEOS (later renamed GeoWorks Ensemble, NewDeal Office, and Breadbox Ensemble) is a computer operating environment, graphical user interface (GUI), and suite of application software. Originally released as PC/GEOS, it runs on DOS-based, IBM PC ...

. * 1997 – EPOC32 first appears on the

Psion Series 5 The Psion Series 5 was a personal digital assistant (PDA) from Psion. It came in two main variants, the ''Series 5'' (launched in 1997) and the ''Series 5mx'' (1999), the latter having a faster processor, clearer liquid crystal display (LCD), a ...

PDA. Release 6 of EPOC32 will later be renamed to

Symbian OS Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system (OS) and computing platform designed for smartphones. It was originally developed as a proprietary software OS for personal digital assistants in 1998 by the Symbian Ltd. consortium. Symbian OS ...

. * 1998 – Symbian Ltd. is formed as a joint venture by Psion,

Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informa ...

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...

, and

, Psion's EPOC32 OS becomes Symbian's EPOC operating system, and is later renamed to

. Symbian's OS was used by those companies and several other major mobile phone brands, but especially Nokia. * 1999 ** June – Qualcomm's pdQ becomes the first smartphone with

. ** October –

Nokia S40 Series 40, often shortened as S40, is a software platform and application user interface (UI) software on Nokia's broad range of mid-tier feature phones, as well as on some of the Vertu line of luxury phones. It was one of the world's most wide ...

Platform is officially introduced along with the

Nokia 7110 The Nokia 7110 is a GSM mobile phone announced in February 1999 and released in October 1999. It was the first mobile phone to run Series 40 and to come with a WAP browser. It was preceded by the Nokia 8146/8148 which was released in 1996 and it ...

, the first phone with T9

predictive text Predictive text is an input technology used where one key or button represents many letters, such as on the numeric keypads of mobile phones and in accessibility technologies. Each key press results in a ''prediction'' rather than repeatedly ...

input and a

Wireless Application Protocol Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network. A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that use the protocol. Introduced in 1999, WAP achieve ...

(WAP) browser for accessing specially formatted Internet data.

2000s

* 2000 – The Ericsson R380 is released with EPOC32 Release 5, marking the first use on a phone of what's to become known as

(as of Release 6). * 2001 ** June –

's Symbian Series 80 platform is first released on the

Nokia 9210 Communicator The Nokia 9210 Communicator is a third-generation Communicator series smartphone produced by Nokia, announced on 21 November 2000 and released in June 2001. It greatly improved on the second generation Nokia 9110 Communicator, providing a colour ...

This is the first phone running an OS branded as Symbian, and the first phone using that OS that allows user installation of additional software. ** September – Qualcomm's

Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (Brew MP, Brew, Qualcomm BREW, or BREW) is an application development platform created by Qualcomm, originally for code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile phones, featuring third-party applications such ...

(BREW) platform on their REX

real-time operating system A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating system (OS) for real-time applications that processes data and events that have critically defined time constraints. An RTOS is distinct from a time-sharing operating system, such as Unix, which m ...

(RTOS) is first released on the

Kyocera QCP-3035 is a Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. It manufactures industrial ceramics, solar power generating systems, telecommunica ...

. * 2002 ** March ***

BlackBerry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

releases its first smartphone, running Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME). *** UIQ is first released, at v2.0, on

, and becomes available later in the year on the

Sony Ericsson P800 The Sony Ericsson P800 is a smartphone introduced in 2002 based upon UIQ version 2.0 (which itself is based upon Symbian OS v7.0) from Sony Ericsson. The P800 is considered the successor of the Ericsson R380, and initial design work was done withi ...

, the successor to the Ericsson R380. ** June ***

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

's first

Windows CE Windows Embedded Compact, formerly Windows Embedded CE, Windows Powered and Windows CE, is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard, which is base ...

(Pocket PC) smartphones are introduced. ***

's Symbian Series 60 (S60) platform is released with the

Nokia 7650 The Nokia 7650 is a 2.5G consumer-oriented smartphone belonging to the fashion and experimental ( 7xxx) series. It was introduced in Barcelona on 19 November 2001, and was described by CEO Jorma Ollila as the company's most important launch of th ...

, Nokia's first phone with a camera and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). S60 would form the basis of the OS on most of Nokia's smartphones until 2011, when they adopted Microsoft's

Windows Phone 7 Windows Phone 7 is the first release of the Windows Phone mobile client operating system, released worldwide on October 21, 2010, and in the United States on November 8, 2010. It runs on the Windows CE 6.0 kernel. It received multiple large upda ...

. S60 was also used on some phones from

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

and others, and later by

Sony Ericsson Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. ...

after the consolidation of some Symbian UI variants in 2008. ** October – The

Danger Hiptop The Danger Hiptop, also re-branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick, Mobiflip and Sharp Jump is a GPRS/EDGE/UMTS smartphone that was produced by Danger, Inc. from 2002 to 2010. The Hiptop software was designed by Danger, Inc., which was located in Palo ...

(T-Mobile Sidekick in U.S.) is first released by Danger, Inc., running DangerOS. * 2003 –

introduces first Linux-based cellphone

Motorola A760 The Motorola A760 is a Linux-based camera equipped mobile telephone ('cell phone') developed at Motorola's laboratory in China and released in the Chinese market on February 16, 2003. The particular Linux distribution used was MontaVista Li ...

base on Linux MontaVista distribution. * 2005 ** May –

announces Windows Mobile 5.0. ** November –

introduces

Maemo Maemo is a software platform originally developed by Nokia, now developed by the community, for smartphones and Internet tablets. The platform comprises both the Maemo operating system and SDK. Maemo played a key role in Nokia's strategy to c ...

OS on the first, small Internet tablet, the N770, with a 4.13" screen. * 2007 ** January – Apple's iPhone with

(named "iPhone OS" for its first three releases) is introduced as a "widescreen iPod", "mobile phone", and "Internet communicator". ** February –

announces Windows Mobile 6.0. ** May –

announces the

Palm Foleo The Palm Foleo was a planned subnotebook computer that was announced by mobile device manufacturer Palm Inc. on May 30, 2007, and canceled three months later. It intended to serve as a companion for smartphones including Palm's own Treo line. ...

, a "Mobile Companion" device similar to a

subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...

computer, running a modified

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...

kernel and relying on a companion

Palm Treo The Palm Treo (stylized as Trēo) is a discontinued line of smartphones originally developed by Handspring, which was bought by Palm, Inc. They were then manufactured and maintained by Palm, Inc. Treos had a number of integrated features such a ...

smartphone to send and retrieve mail, as well as provide data connectivity when away from WiFi. Palm canceled Foleo development on September 4, 2007, after facing public criticism. ** June - World's very first iPhone is released in the United States. ** November –

Open Handset Alliance The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) is a consortium of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Google, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, T-Mobile, ...

(OHA) is established, led by

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

with 34 members (

HTC HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...

, Dell,

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

, LG, etc.) * 2008 ** February –

LiMo Foundation The Tizen Association, formerly the LiMo Foundation (short for Linux Mobile), is a Non-profit organization, non-profit consortium which develops and maintains the Tizen mobile operating system. Tizen is a Linux-based operating system for smartphone ...

announces the first phones running the LiMo mobile Linux distribution, from

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...

, Panasonic Mobile, and

, released later in the year. The LiMo Foundation later became the Tizen Association and LiMo was subsumed by Tizen. ** June –

becomes the sole owner of

Symbian Ltd Symbian Ltd. was a software development and licensing consortium company, known for the Symbian operating system (OS), for smartphones and some related devices. Its headquarters were in Southwark, London, England, with other offices opened in C ...

. The

Symbian Foundation The Symbian Foundation was a non-profit organisation that stewarded the Symbian operating system for mobile phones which previously had been owned and licensed by Symbian Ltd. Symbian Foundation never directly developed the platform, but evangelis ...

was then formed to co-ordinate the future development of the Symbian platform among the corporations using it, in a manner similar to the

with Android. Nokia remained the major contributor to Symbian's code. ** July –

releases iPhone OS 2 with the

iPhone 3G The iPhone 3G (also known as iPhone 2) is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc.; it is the second generation of iPhone, successor to the original iPhone, and was introduced on June 9, 2008, at the WWDC 2008 at the Mosco ...

, making available

App Store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the c ...

. ** October – OHA releases Android (based on Linux kernel) 1.0 with the

HTC Dream The HTC Dream (also known as the T-Mobile G1 in the United States and parts of Europe, and as the Era G1 in Poland) is a smartphone developed by HTC. First released in September 2008, the Dream was the first commercially released device to use th ...

(T-Mobile G1) as the first Android phone. ** November – Symbian^1, the

's touch-specific S60-based platform (equivalent to

S60 5th edition The S60 Platform (formerly Series 60 User Interface) was a software platform for smartphones that runs on top of the Symbian operating system. It was created by Nokia based on the 'Pearl' user interface from Symbian Ltd. It was introduced at ...

) is first released on

's first touchscreen Symbian phone, the

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a smartphone part of the XpressMusic line, announced by Nokia on 2 October 2008 in London and started shipping in November of that year. Code-named "Tube", it was the first touchscreen-equipped S60 device by Nokia – ...

, with a resistive screen and a stylus. Symbian^1 being derived from S60 meant that support for UIQ disappeared and no further devices using UIQ were released. * 2009 ** January ***

announces

Moblin Moblin, short for 'mobile Linux', is a discontinued open source operating system and application stack for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), netbooks, nettops and embedded devices. Built around the Intel Atom processor, all builds were designed to ...

2, specifically created for netbooks that run the company's

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, ...

processor. In April 2009 Intel turned Moblin over to the Linux Foundation. ***

introduces

webOS webOS, also known as LG webOS and previously known as Open webOS, HP webOS and Palm webOS, is a Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system for smart devices such as smart TVs that has also been used as a mobile operating system. Initially ...

with the

Palm Pre The Palm Pre , styled as palm prē, is a multitasking smartphone that was designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux-based mobile operating system, webOS. Th ...

(released in June). The new OS is not backward-compatible with their previous

. ** February ***

announces that no further devices with

are going to be released by the company. (The last was the

Palm Centro The Palm Centro is a smartphone marketed by Palm, Inc. beginning its release on October 14, 2007 offering the functionality of the larger Treo 755p in a smaller size. The Centro is one of the last devices to run the Palm OS operating system. T ...

, released October 14, 2007.) ***

announces Windows Mobile 6.5, an "unwanted stopgap" update to Windows Mobile 6.1 intended to bridge the gap between version 6.1 and the then yet-to-be released Windows Mobile 7 (later canceled in favor of

). The first devices running it appeared in late October 2009. ** May – DangerOS 5.0 becomes available, based on NetBSD. ** June –

releases iPhone OS 3 with the iPhone 3GS. ** November –

releases the

Nokia N900 The Nokia N900 is a smartphone made by Nokia. It supersedes the Nokia N810. Its default operating system, Maemo 5, is a Linux-based OS originally developed for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. It is the first Nokia device based upon the Texas ...

, its first and only smartphone running the

OS intended for "handheld computers...with voice capability", while stating that they remain focused on Symbian S60 as their smartphone OS. (Nokia had previously released three Mobile Internet devices running Maemo, without cellular network connectivity.)

2010s

2010

* February **

MeeGo MeeGo is a discontinued Linux distribution hosted by the Linux Foundation, using source code from the operating systems Moblin (produced by Intel) and Maemo (produced by Nokia). Primarily targeted at mobile devices and information appliances ...

is announced, a mobile

distribution merging

from

and

from

and Linux Foundation, to be hosted by Linux Foundation. MeeGo is not backward-compatible with any previous operating system. **

introduces the

Bada Bada (stylized as bada; Korean: ) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Samsung Electronics for devices such as mid- to high-end smartphones and tablet computers. The name is derived from " (bada)", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in ...

OS and shows the first Bada smartphone, the

Samsung S8500 The Samsung Wave (or Samsung Wave GT-S8500) is a smartphone developed and produced by Samsung Electronics. It is the first smartphone to run the Bada operating system developed by Samsung Electronics, which was commercially released on May 24, 201 ...

. It was later released in May 2010. * April **

releases the

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...

( first generation) with iPhone OS 3.2. This is the first version of the OS to support tablet computers. For its next major version (4.0) iPhone OS will be renamed

. ** HP acquires

in order to use

in multiple new products, including smartphones, tablets, and

printers Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer ( fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * Jam ...

, later stating their intent to use it as the universal platform for all their devices. * May –

Kin __NOTOC__ Kin usually refers to kinship and family. Kin or KIN may also refer to: Culture and religion *Otherkin, people who identify as not entirely human *Kinism, a white supremacist religious movement * Kinh, the majority ethnic group of V ...

phone line with KIN OS (based on

and a "close cousin" to

Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design l ...

) become available. * June –

releases iOS 4, renamed from iPhone OS, with the

iPhone 4 The iPhone 4 is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation of the iPhone lineup, succeeding the iPhone 3GS and preceding the 4S. Following a number of notable leaks, the iPhone 4 was first unvei ...

. * July –

phones and KIN OS are discontinued. * September **

releases a variant of

powering the new 2nd generation Apple TV. **

Symbian^3 Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system (OS) and computing platform designed for smartphones. It was originally developed as a proprietary software OS for personal digital assistants in 1998 by the Symbian Ltd. consortium. Symbian OS ...

is first released on the

Nokia N8 The Nokia N8 is a touchscreen-based smartphone developed by Nokia. Announced on 27 April 2010, the Nokia N8 was the first device to run on the Symbian^3 mobile operating system and it was the company's flagship device for the year. It was relea ...

. This would be Nokia's last flagship device running Symbian (though not their last Symbian phone), before switching to

for future flagship phones. ** The

line and DangerOS are discontinued as a result of

's acquisition of Danger, Inc. in 2008. * November **

assumes full control over Symbian as the

disintegrates. **

OS is released on

phones A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...

, LG,

, and Dell. The new OS is not backward-compatible with the prior

Windows Mobile Windows Mobile is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones and personal digital assistants. Its origin dated back to Windows CE in 1996, though Windows Mobile itself first appeared in 2000 as Pock ...

OS.

2011

* February ** Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the first version to officially support tablet computers, is released on the

Xoom. **

abandons the Symbian OS and announces that it would use

as its primary smartphone platform, while Symbian would be gradually wound down. * April –

BlackBerry Tablet OS BlackBerry Tablet OS is an operating system from BlackBerry Ltd based on the QNX Neutrino real-time operating system designed to run Adobe AIR and BlackBerry WebWorks applications, currently available for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer ...

, based on

QNX Neutrino QNX ( or ) is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. QNX was one of the first commercially successful microkernel operating systems. The product was originally developed in the early 19 ...

is released on the

PlayBook Playbook may refer to: * BlackBerry PlayBook, a tablet computer by BlackBerry *A book that contains a script or story for a theatrical play. This written version of the composition is used in preparing for a performance **Fleury Playbook, a medieva ...

. * July **

Mozilla Mozilla (stylized as moz://a) is a free software community founded in 1998 by members of Netscape. The Mozilla community uses, develops, spreads and supports Mozilla products, thereby promoting exclusively free software and open standards, w ...

announces their ''Boot to Gecko'' project (later named

Firefox OS Firefox OS (project name: ''Boot to Gecko'', also known as ''B2G'') is a discontinued open-source operating system made for smartphones, tablet computers, smart TVs, and dongles designed by Mozilla and external contributors. It is based on the ...

) to develop an OS for handheld devices emphasizing standards-based Web technologies, similar to

. **

3.0, the first version to support tablet computers, is released on the HP

TouchPad A touchpad or trackpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on the operating system that is made output to the screen. Touchp ...

. * August – HP announces that

device development and production lines would be halted. The last HP webOS version, 3.0.5, is released on January 12, 2012. * September **

is introduced with the limited-release

Nokia N9 The Nokia N9 (codename '' Lankku'') is a flagship smartphone developed by Nokia, running on the Linux-based MeeGo mobile operating system. Announced in June 2011 and released in September, it was the first and only device from Nokia with MeeGo, ...

's first and only consumer device to use the OS. (A small number of the Nokia N950, a MeeGo phone available only to developers, were released in mid-2011.) ** After

's abandonment of

and the Linux Foundation announce a partnership with

to launch Tizen, shifting their focus from MeeGo (Intel and Linux Foundation) and

(Samsung) during 2011 and 2012. * October **

releases

iOS 5 iOS 5 is the fifth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 4. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6, 2011, and was released on October 12, 201 ...

with the

iPhone 4S The iPhone 4S (originally styled as iPhone 4 S, retroactively stylized with a lowercase 's' as iPhone 4s as of September 2013) is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the fifth generation of the iPhone, succ ...

, integrating the

Siri Siri ( ) is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and audioOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer qu ...

voice assistant. ** The Mer project is announced, based on an ultra-portable core for building products, composed of

HTML5 HTML5 is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. It is the fifth and final major HTML version that is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation. The current specification is known as the HTML ...

QML QML (Qt Modeling Language) is a user interface markup language. It is a declarative language (similar to CSS and JSON) for designing user interface–centric applications. Inline JavaScript code handles imperative aspects. It is associated wi ...

, and

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, of ...

, which is derived from the

codebase. * November –

Fire OS Fire OS is a mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project, it is developed by Amazon for their devices. Fire OS includes proprietary software, a customized user interface primarily centered on content consumption, and heavy ...

, a fork of the Android operating system, is released by

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

on the

Kindle Fire The Amazon Fire, formerly called the Kindle Fire, is a line of tablet computers developed by Amazon. Built with Quanta Computer, the Kindle Fire was first released in November 2011, featuring a color 7-inch multi-touch display with IPS tech ...

tablet.

2012

* May –

releases the

Nokia 808 PureView The Nokia 808 PureView is a Symbian-powered smartphone first unveiled on 27 February 2012 at the Mobile World Congress. It is the first smartphone to feature Nokia's PureView Pro technology, a pixel oversampling technique that reduces an im ...

, later confirmed (in January 2013) to be the last Symbian smartphone. This phone was followed by a single last Symbian software update, "Nokia Belle, Feature Pack 2", later in 2012. * July ** Finnish start-up

Jolla Jolla Oy (sometimes referred to as Jolla Ltd.) is a Finnish technology company; vendor and developer of Sailfish OS. Headquartered in Tampere, Finland, Jolla has its own research and development offices in Helsinki, Tampere and Cyberport, Hong ...

, formed by former

employees, announces that

's community-driven successor Mer would be the basis of their new

Sailfish The sailfish is one or two species of marine fish in the genus ''Istiophorus'', which belong to the family Istiophoridae ( marlins). They are predominantly blue to gray in colour and have a characteristically large dorsal fin known as the ...

smartphone OS. **

announces that the project formerly named ''Boot to Gecko'' (which is built atop an Android Linux kernel using Android drivers and services; however it uses no Java-like code of Android) is now

(since discontinued) and has several handset OEMs on board. * August –

announces they won't ship further phones using their

OS, instead focusing on

Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone 8 is the second generation of the Windows Phone mobile operating system from Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat user interface based on the Metro design language. It was s ...

and Android. * September –

releases

iOS 6 iOS 6 is the sixth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc, being the successor to iOS 5. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11, 2012, and was released on September 19, 2 ...

with the iPhone 5.

2013

* January –

releases their new operating system for smartphones,

BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry 10 is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research In Motion). BlackBerry 10 is based on QNX, a Unix-like operating system that was ...

, with their Q10 and Z10 smartphones. BlackBerry 10 is not backward-compatible with the

BlackBerry OS BlackBerry OS is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system developed by Canadian company BlackBerry Limited for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized i ...

used on their previous smartphones. * February – HP sells

to LG. * September –

releases

iOS 7 iOS 7 is the seventh major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 6. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, 2013, and was released on September 1 ...

with the iPhone 5S and

iPhone 5C The iPhone 5C (marketed as iPhone 5c) is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the sixth generation of the iPhone. The device was unveiled on September 10, 2013, and released on September 20, 2013, alon ...

. * October **

Canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical examp ...

announces

Ubuntu Touch Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, ...

, a version of the Linux distribution expressly designed for smartphones. The OS is built on the Android Linux kernel, using Android drivers and services, but does not use any of the Java-like code of Android. **

releases Android KitKat 4.4. * November –

releases

Sailfish OS Sailfish OS is a Linux-based operating system based on free software, and open source projects such as Mer as well as including a closed source UI. The project is being developed by the Finnish company Jolla. The OS first shipped with the ...

on the Jolla smartphone.

2014

* February **

releases

Windows Phone 8.1 Windows Phone 8.1 is the discontinued third generation of Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system, succeeding Windows Phone 8. Rolled out at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco, California, on April 2, 2014, it was released ...

introduces their Nokia X platform OS as an Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean fork on the

Nokia X family The Nokia X family was a range of budget smartphones that was produced and marketed by Microsoft Mobile, originally introduced in February 2014 by Nokia. The smartphones run on the Nokia X platform, a Linux-based operating system which was a for ...

of smartphones. Similar to

, it replaces

's apps and services with ones from Nokia (such as

HERE Maps HERE WeGo is a web mapping and navigation service, operated by HERE Technologies and originally developed by Nokia. In 2013, HERE Technologies released this web mapping application for Windows Phone and the World Wide Web as a revamped version ...

, Nokia Xpress and

MixRadio MixRadio was an online music streaming service owned by Line Corporation. The service was first introduced by Nokia in 2011 as ''Nokia Music'' for Windows Phone, serving as a successor to Nokia's previous Nokia Music Store/Comes with Music/Ovi ...

, and Nokia's own app store) and

(such as

Skype Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...

and

Outlook Outlook or The Outlook may refer to: Computing * Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft * Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft * Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...

), with a user interface that mimics the

UI. After the acquisition of Nokia's devices unit,

announced in July 2014 that no more Nokia X smartphones would be introduced, marking the end of the platform just a few months later. * August – The Samsung SM-Z9005 Z is the first phone released running Tizen, with v2.2.1 of the OS. * September **

releases

iOS 8 iOS 8 is the eighth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 7. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 2, 2014, and was released on September 17, ...

with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. **

releases

version 10.3 with integration with the

Amazon Appstore Amazon Appstore is an app store for Android-compatible platforms operated by Amazon.com Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. The store is primarily used as the storefront for Amazon's Android-based Fire OS. including Amazon Fire tablets, a ...

* November – Google releases Android 5.0 "Lollipop"

2015

* February – Google releases Android 5.1 "Lollipop". * April ** LG releases the LG Watch Urbane LTE

running "LG Wearable Platform OS" based on

. This is a version of their Android Wear OS-based

LG Watch Urbane The LG Watch Urbane is a smartwatch released by LG Corporation on April 27, 2015. There are gold and silver models, each with a 22mm-wide interchangeable strap. The watch has IP67 dust and water resistance. The LG Watch Urbane was equipped wit ...

, with added LTE connectivity. **

watchOS watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only d ...

, based on

, is released by

with the

Apple Watch Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was rel ...

. * September **

releases

iOS 9 iOS 9 is the ninth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 8. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8, 2015, and was released on September 16, ...

with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus,

iPad Pro The iPad Pro is a premium model of Apple's iPad tablet computer. It runs iPadOS, a tablet-optimized version of the iOS operating system. The original iPad Pro was introduced in September 2015, and ran iOS 9. The second-generation iPad P ...

, and

iPad Mini 4 The iPad Mini 4 (stylized and marketed as iPad mini 4) is the fourth-generation iPad Mini tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced along with the iPad Pro on September 9, 2015, and released the same day. ...

, plus watchOS 2.

tvOS tvOS (formerly known as Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. Starting with the second-generation, ...

9 is also made distinct from iOS, with its own App Store, launching with Apple TV 4th generation. ** Google releases Android 6.0 "Marshmallow". * October –

announces that there are no plans to release new APIs and software development kits for

, and future updates would focus on security and privacy enhancements only. * November – Microsoft releases

Windows 10 Mobile Windows 10 Mobile is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Microsoft. First released in 2015, it is a successor to Windows Phone 8.1, but was marketed by Microsoft as being an edition of its PC operating system Windows 10. Wind ...

2016

* February –

releases the

Lumia 650 The Microsoft Lumia 650 is a smartphone developed by Microsoft, officially revealed on February 15, 2016. It is the successor to the Microsoft Lumia 640 and is aimed primarily at business users, with support for Microsoft's business applications ...

, their last

phone before discontinuing all mobile hardware production the following year. * July – The

BlackBerry Classic The BlackBerry Classic, originally known as the BlackBerry Q20, is a touchscreen-based smartphone with a physical QWERTY, AZERTY or QWERTZ keyboard developed by BlackBerry, previously known as RIM (Research In Motion). The BlackBerry Classic was ...

, the last device to date running a BlackBerry OS is discontinued. While

BlackBerry Limited BlackBerry Limited is a Canadian software company specializing in cybersecurity. Founded in 1984, it was originally known as Research In Motion (RIM). As RIM, it developed the BlackBerry brand of interactive pagers, smartphones, and tablets ...

claimed to still be committed to the

operating system, they have since only shipped Android devices after releasing the

BlackBerry Priv The BlackBerry Priv is a slider smartphone developed by BlackBerry Limited. Following a series of leaks, it was officially announced by BlackBerry CEO John Chen on September 25, 2015, with pre-orders opening on October 23, 2015, for a release ...

, their first Android smartphone in November 2015. * August ** Google posts the

Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' () is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first to be scientifically described, ''Fuchsia triphylla'', was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) ...

source code on GitHub. ** Google releases Android 7.0 "Nougat". * September –

releases

iOS 10 iOS 10 is the tenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 9. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, 2016, and was released on September ...

with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and watchOS 3 with the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. * November ** Tizen releases Tizen 3.0. ** BlackBerry releases

version 10.3.3.

2017

* April **Development of

is transferred from

Canonical Ltd. Canonical Ltd. is a UK-based privately held computer software company founded and funded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu and related projects. Canonical employs staff ...

to the UBports Foundation **Samsung officially launches Android-based

Samsung Experience Samsung Experience (stylized as SΛMSUNG Experience) was a software overlay for the Android "launcher" by Samsung for its Galaxy devices running Android 7.x “Nougat” and Android 8.x “Oreo”. It was introduced in late 2016 on a beta build ...

custom firmware starting with version 8.1 on

Samsung Galaxy S8 The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ are Android smartphones produced by Samsung Electronics as the eighth generation of the Samsung Galaxy S series. The S8 and S8+ were unveiled on 29 March 2017 and directly succeeded the Samsung Gal ...

. * May **Samsung announces Tizen 4.0 at Tizen Developer Conference 2017. * August **Google releases Android 8.0 "Oreo". * September **

releases iOS 11 with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and

iPhone X The iPhone X (Roman numeral "X" pronounced "ten", also known as iPhone 10) is a smartphone designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the 11th generation of the iPhone. Available for pre-order from October 27, 2017, it was re ...

, and watchOS 4 with the

Apple Watch Series 3 Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was re ...

. * October **Microsoft announces that

development is going into maintenance mode only, ending the release of any new features or functionality due to lack of market penetration and resultant lack of interest from app developers, and releases the final major update to it, the "

Fall Creators Update Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (also known as version 1709 and codenamed "Redstone 3") is the fourth major update to Windows 10 and the third in a series of updates under the Redstone codenames. It carries the build number 10.0.16299. PC version ...

." **

Cherry Mobile Cherry Mobile is a Philippine mobile phone and electronics brand by Cosmic Technologies, established by Maynard Ngu in 2009. In 2010, barely two years after it started, Cherry Mobile was voted IT Company of the Year in the 3rd CyberPress Awards, ...

release CherryOS based on Android

2018

* February **Samsung releases Samsung Experience 9.0 based on Android "Oreo" 8.0 globally to Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. * March ** Google and partners officially launches Android Go (based on Android "Oreo" 8.1 but tailored for low-end devices) with Nokia 1, Alcatel 1X, ZTE Tempo Go, General Mobile 8 Go, Micromax Bharat Go and Lava Z50. ** Google releases Android "9" as a developer preview. * April **Microsoft release

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...

Version 1803 "April 2018 Update". * May **Huawei release

LiteOS Huawei LiteOS was a lightweight real-time operating system (RTOS) developed by Huawei. It is an open source, POSIX compliant operating system for Internet of things (IoT) devices, released under a three-clause BSD license. Microcontrollers of di ...

version 2.1. * August ** Google releases Android 9.0 "Pie". ** UBPorts released Ubuntu Touch OTA-14, upgrading the OS based on the Canonical's long-term support version of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus". ** Xiaomi officially introduces MIUI for POCO for their Poco series smartphone. ** Samsung officially introduces Tizen 4.0 with the release of Samsung Galaxy Watch series. * September **

releases

iOS 12 iOS 12 is the twelfth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. Aesthetically similar to its predecessor, iOS 11, it focuses more on performance than on new features, quality improvements and security updates. Anno ...

with the iPhone XS and XS Max, and watchOS 5 with Apple Watch Series 4. ** Huawei releases EMUI 9.0. * October **Microsoft releases

Version 1809 "October 2018 Update". * November **Samsung announces the One UI as the latest version of the Samsung Experience UI. **Amazon released Fire OS 6 to supported Fire HD devices.

2019

* January ** Microsoft announces that support for

would

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

on December 10, 2019, and that Windows 10 Mobile users should migrate to

or Android phones. * June **

announces

iOS 13 iOS 13 is the thirteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for their iPhone, iPod Touch, and HomePod lines. The successor to iOS 12 on those devices, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Develop ...

6, and

iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It is a rebranded variant of iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones, renamed to reflect the diverging features of the two product ...

as a distinct variant of iOS. * August **

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

officially announces

HarmonyOS HarmonyOS (HMOS) () is a distributed operating system developed by Huawei to collaborate and interconnect with multiple smart devices on the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. In its current multi-kernel design, the operating system selects ...

* September **

releases

with the

iPhone 11 The iPhone 11 is a smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the 13th generation of iPhone, succeeding the iPhone XR, and was unveiled on September 10, 2019 alongside the iPhone 11 Pro at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple ...

series, watchOS 6 with

Apple Watch Series 5 Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was r ...

, and

with the 7th generation iPad. ** Google releases Android 10. ** The

Librem 5 The Librem 5 is a smartphone manufactured by Purism that is part of their Librem line of products. The phone is designed with the goal of using free software whenever possible, includes PureOS, a Linux operating system, by default, and as of 2021 ...

, the first phone running

PureOS PureOS is a Linux distribution focusing on privacy and security, using the GNOME desktop environment. It is maintained by Purism for use in the company's Librem laptop computers as well as the Librem 5 smartphone. PureOS is designed to include ...

, is released. * October ** Samsung announces the One UI 2.0 as the latest version of their Galaxy Smartphone and Smartwatch UI . * November ** Microsoft releases the Windows 10 November 10, 2019 Update.

Current software platforms

These operating systems often run atop

baseband In telecommunications and signal processing, baseband is the range of frequencies occupied by a signal that has not been modulated to higher frequencies. Baseband signals typically originate from transducers, converting some other variable int ...

or other

s that handle hardware aspects of the phone.

Android

Android (based on the modified Linux kernel) is a mobile operating system developed by

. The base system is open-source (and only the kernel

copyleft Copyleft is the legal technique of granting certain freedoms over copies of copyrighted works with the requirement that the same rights be preserved in derivative works. In this sense, ''freedoms'' refers to the use of the work for any purpose ...

), but the apps and drivers which provide functionality are increasingly becoming

closed-source Proprietary software is software that is deemed within the free and open-source software to be non-free because its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner exercises a legal monopoly afforded by modern copyright and inte ...

. Besides having the largest installed base worldwide on smartphones, it is also the most popular operating system for general purpose computers (a category that includes desktop computers and mobile devices), even though Android is not a popular operating system for regular (desktop)

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

s (PCs). Although the Android operating system is free and open-source software, in devices sold, much of the software bundled with it (including Google apps and vendor-installed software) is

proprietary software Proprietary software is software that is deemed within the free and open-source software to be non-free because its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner exercises a legal monopoly afforded by modern copyright and i ...

and closed-source. Android's releases before 2.0 (1.0, 1.5, 1.6) were used exclusively on mobile phones. Android 2.x releases were mostly used for mobile phones but also some tablets. Android 3.0 was a tablet-oriented release and does not officially run on mobile phones. Both phone and tablet compatibility were merged with

Android 4.0 Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 4.0) is the 9th major version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google. Unveiled on October 19, 2011, Android 4.0 builds upon the significant changes made by the tablet-only release Androi ...

. The current Android version is

Android 13 Android 13 is the thirteenth major release of the Android mobile operating system, developed by Google, released for the public on August 15, 2022. History Android 13 (internally codenamed Tiramisu, after the Italian dessert) was announc ...

, released on August 15, 2022.

Android One

Android One, a successor to

Google Nexus Google Nexus is a discontinued line of consumer electronic devices that run the Android operating system. Google managed the design, development, marketing, and support of these devices, but some development and all manufacturing were carried ...

, is a software experience that runs on the unmodified Android operating system. Unlike most of the "stock" Androids running on the market, the Android One

User Interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...

(UI) closely resembles the

Google Pixel Google Pixel is a brand of consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Android operating system. The Pixel brand was introduced in February 2013 with the first-generation Chromebook Pixel. The Pixel line inc ...

UI, due to Android One being a software experience developed by

and distributed to partners such as Nokia Mobile (HMD) and

Xiaomi Corporation (; ), commonly known as Xiaomi and registered as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home appliances, and household items. Behind Samsung, it is the second largest m ...

. Thus, the UI is intended to be as clean as possible.

Original equipment manufacturer An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

(OEM) partners may tweak or add additional apps such as cameras to the firmware, but most of the apps are handled proprietarily by Google. Operating system updates are handled by Google and internally tested by OEMs before being distributed via an OTA update to end users. :Current Android One version list *Android One versions follow those of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), starting from Android 5.0 "Lollipop"

BlackBerry Secure

BlackBerry Secure is an operating system developed by

, based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). BlackBerry officially announced the name for their Android-based front-end touch interface in August 2017, before which BlackBerry Secure was running on BlackBerry brand devices, such as

, DTEK 50/ 60 and

BlackBerry KeyOne The BlackBerry KeyOne (stylized as BlackBerry KEYone, also known as BlackBerry Key 1, BlackBerry Key1) is a touchscreen-based Android smartphone with an integrated hardware keyboard that is manufactured by TCL Corporation under the brand name o ...

. Currently, BlackBerry plans to license out the BlackBerry Secure to other OEMs. :Current BlackBerry Secure version list * BlackBerry Secure version 1.x - based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.x and "Nougat" 7.x

CalyxOS

CalyxOS is an

for

s based on Android with mostly free and open-source software. It is produced by the Calyx Institute as part of its mission to "defend online privacy, security and accessibility."

ColorOS

ColorOS is a custom front-end touch interface based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and developed by OPPO Electronics Corp. In 2016, OPPO officially released ColorOS with every OPPO and

Realme Realme (stylized as realme) is a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It was founded by Li Bingzhong (known as Sky Li) on May 4, 2018, who was former vice president of Oppo. Started originally as a sub-brand o ...

device and released an official

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

for the

OnePlus One The OnePlus One (colloquially abbreviated to OPO and also known as OnePlus 1) is an Android smartphone manufactured by OnePlus. Unveiled in April 2014, it is the first product by OnePlus. The OnePlus One was designed to compare favorably – ...

. Future Realme devices will have their own version of ColorOS. :Current ColorOS version list * ColorOS 1.x - based on Android "Jelly Bean" 4.2.x and "KitKat" 4.4 * ColorOS 2.x - based on Android "KitKat" 4.4 and "Lollipop" 5 * ColorOS 3.x - based on Android "Lollipop" 5, "Marshmallow" 6, and "Nougat" 7 * ColorOS 5.x - based on Android "Oreo" 8 * ColorOS 6.x - based on Android "Pie" 9 * ColorOS 7.x - based on Android 10 * ColorOS 11.x - based on Android 11 * ColorOS 12.x - based on Android 11 and 12

CopperheadOS

CopperheadOS CopperheadOS is a mobile operating system for smartphones, based on the Android mobile platform. It adds privacy and security features to the official releases of the Android Open Source Project by Google. CopperheadOS is developed by Copperhead ...

is a security-hardened version of Android.

DivestOS

DivestOS is a soft fork of LineageOS. Includes Monthly Updates, FOSS Focus, Deblobbing, Security and Privacy focus, and F-Droid

EMUI

Huawei EMUI is a front-end touch interface developed by

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equip ...

and its sub-brand

Honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

which is based on Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP). EMUI is preinstalled on most Huawei and Honor devices. While it was based on the open-source Android operating system, it consists of closed-source proprietary software.

/e/

/e/ is an operating system forked from the source code of LineageOS (based on Android). /e/ targets Android smart phone devices and uses

MicroG MicroG (typically styled as microG) is a free and open-source implementation of Proprietary software, proprietary Google Library (computing), libraries that serves as a replacement for Google Play Services on the Android (operating system), Andr ...

as a replacement for

Google Play Services Google Play Services is a proprietary software package produced by Google for installation on Android devices. It consists of background services and libraries for use by mobile apps running on the device When it was introduced in 2012, it pro ...

. /e/OS is not completely

open source software Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software and its source code to anyone and for any purpose. Open ...

, because it comes with the proprietary Magic Earth 'Maps' app.

Fire OS

Amazon Fire OS is a mobile operating system forked from Android and produced by

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

for its Fire range of tablets,

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

and Echo Dot, and other content delivery devices like

Fire TV Amazon Fire TV (stylized as amazon fireTV) is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed via the Internet to a connected ...

(previously for their

Fire Phone The Fire Phone was a 3D-enabled smartphone developed by Amazon and manufactured by Foxconn. It was announced on June 18, 2014, and marked Amazon's first foray into the smartphone market, following the success of the Kindle Fire. It was available ...

). Fire OS primarily centers on content consumption, with a customized user interface and heavy ties to content available from Amazon's own storefronts and services. :Current Fire OS version list * Fire OS 1.x * Fire OS 2.x * Fire OS 3.x * Fire OS 4.x * Fire OS 5.x * Fire OS 6.x * Fire OS 7.x

Flyme OS

Flyme OS Meizu Technology Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer based in Zhuhai, Guangdong. Founded in 2003 by Jack Wong, Meizu began as a manufacturer of MP3 players and later MP4 players. In 2008, Meizu moved its focus to smar ...

is an operating system developed by Meizu Technology Co., Ltd., an open-source operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Flyme OS is mainly installed on Meizu smartphones such as the MX series. However, it also has official

support for a few Android devices. :Current Flyme OS version list * Flyme OS 1.x.x (based on Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" 4.0.3, initial release) * Flyme OS 2.x.x (based on Android "Jelly Bean" 4.1.x – 4.2.x) * Flyme OS 3.x.x (based on Android "Jelly Bean" 4.3.x) * Flyme OS 4.x.x (based on Android "KitKat" 4.4.x) * Flyme OS 5.x.x (based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0.x – 5.1.x) * Flyme OS 6.x.x (based on Android "Nougat" 7.x, "Marshmallow" 6.0.x and "Lollipop" 5.0.x – 5.1.x for old devices) * Flyme OS 7.x.x (based on Android "Pie" 9.0, "Oreo" 8.x and "Nougat" 7.x) * Flyme OS 8.x.x (based on Android 10, "Pie" 9.0, "Oreo" 8.x and "Nougat" 7.x) * Flyme OS 9.x.x (based on Android 11 and 10)

FuntouchOS

FuntouchOS is a custom user interface developed by Vivo that is based on the Android Open Source Project. FuntouchOS 10.5 had a redesigned UI that resembled stock Androids. :Current FuntouchOS version list * FuntouchOS 2.x - Based on Android "KitKat" 4.4, Android "Lollipop" 5 and Android "Marshmallow" 6, initial release * FuntouchOS 3.x - Based on Android "Marshmallow" 6 and Android "Nougat" 7 * FuntouchOS 4.x - Based on Android "Oreo" 8 * FuntouchOS 9.x - Based on Android "Pie" 9 * FuntouchOS 10.x - Based on Android "Pie" 9 and Android 10 * FuntouchOS 10.5 - Based on Android 10 and Android 11, redesigned UI * FuntouchOS 11.x - Based on Android 10 and Android 11 * FuntouchOS 12.x - Based on Android 11 and

Android 12 Android 12 is the twelfth major release and 19th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The first beta was released on May 18, 2021. Android 12 was released publicly on October 4 ...

GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS is a variant of Android for

Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the ...

hardware.

HiOS

HiOS is an Android-based operating system developed by

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

mobile phone manufacturer

Tecno Mobile Tecno Mobile is a Chinese mobile phone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China. It was established in 2006. It is a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings. Tecno has focused its business on the African, Middle East, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Lat ...

, a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings, exclusively for their smartphones. HiOS allows for a wide range of user customization without requiring rooting the mobile device. The operating system is also bundled with utility applications that allow users to free up memory, freeze applications, limit data accessibility to applications among others. HiOS comes with features like Launcher, Private Safe, Split Screen and Lockscreen Notification. :Current HiOS version list * HiOS 1.x - based on Android "Marshmallow" 6 * HiOS 2.x - based on Android "Nougat" 7 * HiOS 3.x - based on Android "Nougat" 7 * HiOS 4.x - based on Android "Oreo" 8 * HiOS 5.x - based on Android "Pie" 9 * HiOS 6.x - based on Android 10 * HiOS 7.x - based on Android 10 * HiOS 7.6.x - based on Android 11 * HiOS 8.x - based on Android 11

HTC Sense

HTC Sense is a software suite developed by

, used primarily on the company's Android-based devices. Serving as a successor to HTC's

TouchFLO 3D TouchFLO 3D is a graphical user interface designed by HTC. It is used in the HTC Touch Family of Pocket PCs and was preceded by TouchFLO. TouchFLO 3D has been ported to Windows Mobile and Android, and is used in the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch P ...

software for

, Sense modifies many aspects of the Android user experience, incorporating added features (such as an altered home screen and keyboard), widgets, HTC-developed applications, and redesigned applications. The first device with Sense, the

HTC Hero HTC Hero (marketed as T-Mobile G2 Touch by T-Mobile in the UK, Austria, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Hungary; and as Era G2 Touch in Poland) is the third phone manufactured by HTC running the Android platform, announced on Ju ...

, was released in 2009. * HTC Sense 1.x (based on Android "Eclair" 2.0/2.1, initial release) * HTC Sense 2.x (based on Android "Eclair", "Froyo" and "Gingerbread" 2.0/2.1, 2.2.x and 2.3.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 3.x (based on Android "Gingerbread" 2.3.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 4.x (based on Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" and "Jelly Bean" 4.0.x and 4.1.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 5.x (based on Android "Jelly Bean" 4.1.x – 4.3.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 6.x (based on Android "KitKat" 4.4.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 7.x (based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 8.x (based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.0.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 9.x (based on Android "Nougat" 7.x, redesigned UI) * HTC Sense 10.x (based on Android "Oreo" 8.x and "Pie" 9.0, redesigned UI)

iQOO UI

iQOO UI is a custom user interface that is based on Vivo's Funtouch OS, which itself is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The UI mostly resembles its predecessor, but with a customized UI on top of the Funtouch OS. :Current iQOO UI version list * iQOO UI 1.x - Based on Funtouch OS

Indus OS

Indus OS is a custom mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It is developed by the Indus OS team based in India. No longer valid as of 2018, Indus OS is available on

Micromax Micromax (Scott Wright) is a fictional character, a mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Micromax was created by Alan Davis and first appeared in ''Excalibur'' #44 (Dec. 1991). ...

, Intex,

Karbonn Karbonn Mobiles is an Indian smartphone manufacturing company, founded in March 2009. It is a vendor of feature phones, smartphones, tablets and mobile phone accessories. Karbonn is a joint venture between United Telelinks Ltd., a Bangalore- ...

, and other Indian smartphone brands. :Current Indus OS version list * Firstouch OS (based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0) * Indus OS 2.0 (based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.0) * Indus OS 3.0 (based on Android "Nougat" 7.0.1)

LG UX

LG UX (formerly

Optimus UI Optimus UI is a front-end touch interface developed by LG Electronics with partners, featuring a full touch user interface. It is sometimes incorrectly identified as an operating system. Optimus UI is used internally by LG for sophisticated featu ...

) is a front-end touch interface developed by

LG Electronics LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest '' chaebol'' in South Korea, and often considered a ...

and partners, featuring a full

touch user interface A touch user interface (TUI) is a computer-pointing technology based upon the sense of touch ( haptics). Whereas a graphical user interface (GUI) relies upon the sense of sight, a TUI enables not only the sense of touch to innervate and activate ...

. It is not an operating system. LG UX is used internally by LG for sophisticated

feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...

s and

s, and is not available for licensing by external parties. Optimus UI 2, based on Android 4.1.2, has been released on the Optimus K II and the Optimus Neo 3. It features a more refined user interface compared to the prior version based on Android 4.1.1, along with new functionalities such as voice shutter and quick memo. :Current LG UX version list * Optimus UI 1.x – based on Android "Gingerbread" 2.3.x, initial release * Optimus UI 2.x – based on Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" and "Jelly Bean" 4.0.x and 4.1.x – 4.3.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 3.x – based on Android "KitKat" and "Lollipop" 4.4.x and 5.0.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 4.x – based on Android "Lollipop" and "Marshmallow" 5.1.x and 6.0.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 5.x – based on Android "Marshmallow" and "Nougat" 6.0.x and 7.0.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 6.x – based on Android "Nougat" 7.0.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 6.x+ – based on Android "Oreo" 8.0.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 7.x – based on Android "Oreo" 8.x, redesigned UI * LG UX 7.x+ – based on Android "Oreo" 8.x., redesigned UI * LG UX 8.x – based on Android "Pie" 9.0, redesigned UI * LG UX 9.x – based on Android 10 redesigned UI

LineageOS

Lineage Android Distribution is a custom mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It serves as the successor to the highly popular custom ROM,

CyanogenMod CyanogenMod ( ; CM) is a discontinued open-source operating system for mobile devices, based on the Android mobile platform. It was developed as free and open-source software based on the official releases of Android by Google, with added origi ...

, from which it was forked in December 2016 when Cyanogen Inc. announced it was discontinuing development and shut down the infrastructure behind the project. Since Cyanogen Inc. retained the rights to the Cyanogen name, the project rebranded its fork as LineageOS. Similar to CyanogenMod, it does not include any proprietary apps unless the user installs them. It allows Android users who can no longer obtain update support from their manufacturer to continue updating their OS version to the latest one based on official release from Google AOSP and heavy theme customization.

Magic UI

Magic UI is a front-end touch interface developed by

as a subsidiary of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd before Honor became an independent company. Magic UI is based on Huawei

EMUI EMUI (formerly known as Emotion UI, and also known as Magic UI on Honor smartphones since 2019) is an Android-derived mobile operating system developed by Chinese technology company Huawei. It is used on the company's smartphones and tablets. ...

, which is based on Google's

Android Open Source Project Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of ...

(AOSP). The overall user interface looks almost identical to EMUI, even after the separation. While it was based on the open-source Android operating system, it consists of closed-source proprietary software. Due to sanctions imposed by the US on Huawei, new devices released by both Huawei and Honor are no longer allowed to include

Google Mobile Services Google Mobile Services (GMS) is a collection of proprietary applications and application programming interfaces (APIs) services from Google that are typically pre-installed on Android devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. GMS ...

. To allow Honor to regain access to Google services, Huawei sold off Honor to become an independent company, thereby allowing them to pre-install Google Mobile Services on their latest devices. * Magic UI 1.x - Based on EMUI 8 with Android "Oreo" 8 (Initial released) * Magic UI 2.x - Based on EMUI 9 with Android "Pie" 9 (Minor UI update) * Magic UI 3.x - Based on EMUI 10 with Android 10 (Minor UI update) * Magic UI 4.x - Based on EMUI 11 with Android 10 and Android 11 (Minor UI update) * Magic UI 5.x - Based on EMUI 11 with Android 10 and Android 11 (Minor UI update) * Magic UI 6.x - Based on EMUI 12 with Android 12 (Major UI redesigned)

Microsoft Launcher

Microsoft Launcher Microsoft Launcher (formerly known as Arrow Launcher) is an application launcher for the Android mobile platform developed by Microsoft and intended to provide a more convenient integration between Windows desktop PCs and Android smartphones. Ori ...

(formerly known as Arrow Launcher) is an

application launcher An application launcher is a computer program that helps a user to locate and start other computer programs. An application launcher provides shortcuts to computer programs, and stores the shortcuts in one place so they are easier to find. In th ...

for the Android mobile platform developed by

and intended to provide a more convenient integration between Windows desktop PCs and Android smartphones. Originally available as a beta in October 2015 and published to the

Google Play Store Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating syst ...

on October 5, 2017. It does not replace the stock Android operating system, but adds an additional graphical layer with a focus on Microsoft applications and services. It was pre-installed on both the Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2. Starting from Android 12 onwards, the UI on both Surface Duo and Duo 2 has been updated with the

Fluent Design System Fluent Design System (codenamed "Project Neon"), officially unveiled as Microsoft Fluent Design System, is a design language developed in 2017 by Microsoft. Fluent Design is a revamp of Microsoft Design Language (popularly known as "Metro") ...

, which closely resemble to those of

Windows 11 Windows 11 is the latest major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released in October 2021. It is a free upgrade to its predecessor, Windows 10 (2015), and is available for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 ...

MIUI

Mi User Interface (MIUI), developed by the Chinese electronic company

, is a mobile operating system based on the

(AOSP). MIUI is mostly found in Xiaomi smartphones such as the Mi and

Redmi Redmi is a subsidiary company owned by the Chinese electronics company Xiaomi. It was first announced in July 2013 as a budget smartphone line, and became a separate sub-brand of Xiaomi in 2019 with entry-level and mid-range devices, while Xia ...

Series. However, it also has official

support for a few Android devices. Although MIUI is based on AOSP, which is open-source, it consists of closed-source proprietary software.

=MIUI for POCO

= A specific version of MIUI developed for Xiaomi sub-brand (Currently an independence brand)

POCO Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassis ...

, the overall experience of the "skin" is similar to those of standard MIUI expect during the early release of MIUI for POCO where compared to standard MIUI it has an app drawer and allowed for 3rd party Android icon customization. Whereas the current MIUI for POCO shared all the common experience with those of standard MIUI, expect the icon and the 3rd party icon customization which remained only available to MIUI for POCO.

MyOS

MyOS (formerly called MiFavor) is a custom Android UI developed by

ZTE ZTE Corporation is a Chinese partially state-owned technology company that specializes in telecommunication. Founded in 1985, ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. ZTE's core business is wireless, exchange, opt ...

for their flagship smartphones. MyOS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This is a redesign from their previous custom Android UI, MiFavor. :Current MyOS version list * MiFavor 1.x – based on Android "KitKat" 4.4.x, initial release * MiFavor 2.x – based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0.x – 5.1.x, redesigned UI * MiFavor 3.x – based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.x, redesigned UI * MiFavor 4.x – based on Android "Nougat" 7.x, redesigned UI * MiFavor 5.x – based on Android "Oreo" 8.x, redesigned UI * MiFavor 9.x – based on Android "Pie" 9.0, redesigned UI * MiFavor 10.x – based on Android 10, redesigned UI * MyOS 11.x - based on Android 11, initial release migrate from MiFavor * MyOS 12.x - based on Android 12, redesigned UI

My UI

My UI (formerly called My UX) is a custom Android UI developed by

for their devices. My UX used to look like the stock Android user experience up until My UI 3.x. :Current My UX version list * My UX 1.x - based on Android 10, initial release * My UI 2.x - based on Android 11 * My UI 3.x - based on Android 12 * My UI 4.x - based on Android 12

nubia UI

nubia UI is a custom Android UI developed by

and

nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

for their smartphones. nubia UI is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). :Current nubia UI version list * Nubia UI 6.x - based on Android 8 "Oreo" * Nubia UI 7.x - based on Android 9 "Pie" * nubia UI 8.x - based on Android 10 * nubia UI 9.x - based on Android 11

One UI

One UI (formerly called

TouchWiz TouchWiz was a user interface developed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd with partners, featuring a full touch user interface. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an operating system. TouchWiz is used internally by Samsung for smartphones, ...

and

) is a front-end touch interface developed by

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...

in 2008 with partners, featuring a full

. It is not a true operating system, but a user experience. Samsung Experience is used internally by Samsung for

s and

s, and is not available for licensing by external parties. The Android version of Samsung Experience also came with Samsung-made apps preloaded until the

Galaxy S6 The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a line of Android-based smartphones manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Succeeding the Samsung Galaxy S5, the S6 was not released as a singular model, but instead in two variations unveiled and ...

, which removed all Samsung pre-loaded apps except

Samsung Galaxy Store Samsung Galaxy Store (marketed as Galaxy Store; formerly known as Samsung Apps and Galaxy Apps) is an app store used for devices manufactured by Samsung Electronics that was launched in September 2009. The service is primarily supplied pre-inst ...

(formerly Galaxy Apps) to save storage space due to the removal of its MicroSD. With the release of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung Experience 8.1 was preinstalled on it with new functions, known as Samsung DeX. Similar to the concept of Microsoft Continuum, Samsung DeX allowed high-end Galaxy devices such as S8/S8+ or Note 8 to connect into a docking station, which extends the device to allow desktop-like functionality by connecting a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Samsung also announced "Linux on Galaxy", which allows users to use the standard Linux distribution on the DeX platform. :Previous Samsung Android UI version list * TouchWiz 3.x (based on Android 2.1 "Éclair" and Android 2.2 "Froyo") (Initial release for Android UI) * TouchWiz 4.x (based on Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" and Android 3.0 "Honeycomb") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX (based on Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX 2.x (based on Android 4.2 "Jellybean") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX 3.x (based on Android 4.4 "KitKat") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX 4.x (based on Android 5 "Lollipop") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX 5.x (based on Android 5 "Lollipop") (Major UI update) * TouchWiz Nature UX 6.x (based on Android 6 "Marshmallow") (Minor UI update) * TouchWiz Grace UX (based on Android 6 "Marshmallow") (Major UI update) * Samsung Experience 8.x (based on Android 7 "Nougat") (Initial release migrate from TouchWiz) * Samsung Experience 9.x (based on Android 8 "Oreo") (Minor update) * Samsung Experience 10.x (based on Android 9 "Pie) (Minor and Last update before redesign One UI) :Current One UI version list * One UI 1.x (based on Android 9 "Pie") (Initial release) * One UI 2.x (based on Android 10) (Minor UI update) * One UI 3.x (based on Android 11) (Minor UI update) * One UI 4.x (based on Android 12) (Minor UI update)

Origin OS

Origin OS is a custom user interface developed by Vivo that is based on Android. It is a redesigned skin of Funtouch OS. It is currently only available in China but may someday be released globally. :Current Origin OS version list * Origin OS 1.0 - based on Android 10 and Android 11 (initial release) * Origin OS Ocean - based on Android 12 * Origin OS HD - based on Android 12 (currently only used in Vivo Pad)

OxygenOS

OxygenOS is based on the open source Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is developed by OnePlus to replace Cyanogen OS on OnePlus devices such as the

. It is preinstalled on the

OnePlus 2 The OnePlus 2 (also abbreviated as OP2) is a smartphone designed by OnePlus. It is the successor to the OnePlus One. OnePlus revealed the phone on 28 July 2015 via virtual reality, using Google's Cardboard visor and their own app. OnePlus sol ...

OnePlus X The OnePlus X is an Android smartphone developed by OnePlus. It was released on 29 October 2015, three months after the release of the company's second flagship, the OnePlus 2 on 27 July. The OnePlus X's internals are similar to the OnePlus O ...

OnePlus 3 The OnePlus 3 (also abbreviated as OP3) is a smartphone produced by OnePlus. It was revealed on 14 June 2016. The phone was unveiled in a virtual reality event and OnePlus offered its customers Loop VR headsets to experience the event using th ...

OnePlus 3T The OnePlus 3T (also abbreviated as OP3T) is a smartphone made by OnePlus. It is the successor to the OnePlus 3 and was revealed on 15 November 2016. It is an incremental update to the company's flagship phone being released only 6 months la ...

OnePlus 5 The OnePlus 5 (also abbreviated as OP5) is a smartphone made by OnePlus. It is the successor to the OnePlus 3T, which was released in 2016. The OnePlus 5 was officially unveiled during a keynote on 20 June 2017 and first released on June 20, 20 ...

OnePlus 5T The OnePlus 5T is an Android-based smartphone produced, released and marketed by OnePlus. It was unveiled on 16 November 2017 via a live streamed press event which aired on YouTube. It went on sale on 21 November 2017. It is an incremental up ...

, and

OnePlus 6 The OnePlus 6 is an Android smartphone made by OnePlus. It was unveiled on 2 May 2018 and went on sale on 21-22 May 2018. History In March 2018, it was announced that the phone would have a "notch", but that there would be an option to hide i ...

. As stated by Oneplus, OxygenOS is focused on stabilizing and maintaining of stock Android functionalities like those found on

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...

devices. It consists of mainly Google apps and minor UI customization to maintain the sleekness of stock Android. :Current OxygenOS version list * Oxygen OS 1.0.x (based on Android 5.0.x "Lollipop") (initial release) * Oxygen OS 2.0.x (based on Android 5.1.x "Lollipop") (overall maintenance update) * Oxygen OS 3.0.x (based on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 3.1.x (based on Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow") (minor maintenance update) * Oxygen OS 3.2.x (based on Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 4.x.x (based on Android 7.x "Nougat") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 5.x.x (based on Android 8.x "Oreo") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 9.x.x (based on Android 9.0 "Pie") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 10.x.x (based on Android 10.0 "10") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 11.x.x (based on Android 11.0 "11") (major Android update) * Oxygen OS 12.x.x (based on Android 12.0 "12") (major Android update)

Pixel UI (Pixel Launcher)

Google Pixel UI or Pixel Launcher is developed by

and based on the open-source Android system. Unlike

phones, where Google shipped with stock Android, the UI that came with first-generation

phones was slightly modified. As part of the Google Pixel software, the Pixel UI and its home launcher are closed-source and proprietary, so it is only available on Pixel family devices. However, third-party mods allow non-Pixel smartphones to install Pixel Launcher with

Google Now Google Now was a feature of Google Search of the Google app for Android and iOS. Google Now proactively delivered information to users to predict (based on search habits and other factors) information they may need in the form of informational ...

feed integration. :Current Google Pixel Launcher version list * Pixel Launcher – "7.1.1" (based on Android 7.x "Nougat") (Initial release) * Pixel Launcher – "8.1.0" (based on Android 8.x "Oreo") (Minor UI update) * Pixel Launcher – "9.0" (based on Android 9.0 "Pie") (Minor UI update) * Pixel Launcher – "10.0" (based on Android 10.0 "10") (Moderate UI update that support themes) * Pixel Launcher – "11.0" (based on Android 11.0 "11") (Minor UI update) * Pixel Launcher – "12.0" (based on Android 12.0 "12") (Major UI update)

realme UI

realme UI is a mobile operating system developed by

which is based on OPPO

ColorOS ColorOS is a mobile operating system created by Oppo Electronics based on the Android Open Source Project. Initially, Realme phones used ColorOS until it was replaced by Realme UI in 2020. Starting from OnePlus 9 series OnePlus will preinsta ...

, which itself is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The UI mostly resemble its predecessor, but with a custom UI on top of ColorOS to match Realme's target audience. :Current realme UI version list * realme UI 1.0 - Based on ColorOS 7.0 - Android 10 - Initial Release * realme UI 2.0 - Based on ColorOS 11.0 - Android 11 * realme UI 3.0 - Based on ColorOS 12.0 - Android 12

=realme UI R edition

= realme UI R edition is a custom Android skin that Realme developed for their lower-end device line with "C" and Narzo series, the Android based line of is based on Android Go, hence the overall experience is tune down to allowed for smoother experience on budget Realme devices.

Red Magic OS

Red Magic OS is a mobile operating system developed by

and

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

for their Red Magic devices. :Current Red Magic OS version list * Red Magic OS 1.x - based on Android 8 "Oreo", initial release * Red Magic OS 2.x - based on Android 9 "Pie", redesigned UI * Red Magic OS 3.x - based on Android 10, redesigned UI * Red Magic OS 4.x - based on Android 11, redesigned UI * Red Magic OS 5.x - based on Android 12, redesigned UI

Replicant OS

Replicant is a custom mobile operating system based on the Android with all proprietary drivers and bloated closed-source software removed.

TCL UI

TCL UI is a custom user interface developed by

TCL Technology TCL Technology (originally an abbreviation for Telephone Communication Limited) is a Chinese electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. It designs, develops, manufactures, and sells consumer products including televisio ...

for their in-house smartphone series. The OS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). :Current TCL UI version list * TCL UI 1.x - Based on Android 9 "Pie" and Android 10 - Initial Release * TCL UI 2.x - Based on Android 10 - Minor UI upgrade * TCL UI 3.x - Based on Android 11 - Minor UI upgrade * TCL UI 4.x - Based on Android 12 - Minor UI upgrade

VOS

VOS is a custom Android UI developed by BQ Aquaris and Vsmart. :Current VOS version list: * VOS 1.x - based on Android "Nougat" 7.1, "Oreo" 8 * VOS 2.x - based on Android "Pie" 9 * VOS 3.x - based on Android 10 * VOS 4.x - based on Android 11

XOS

XOS (formerly known as XUI) is an Android-based operating system developed by

mobile phone manufacturer

Infinix Mobile Infinix Mobile is a China-based smartphone company founded in 2013 by Transsion Holdings. Infinix mobile phones are manufactured in France, India, Indonesia, Korea, China, Pakistan and are available in Asia and in about 30 countries in the Mi ...

, a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings, exclusively for their smartphones. XOS allows for a wide range of user customization without requiring rooting the mobile device. The operating system comes with utility applications that allow users to protect their privacy, improve speed, enhance their experience, etc. XOS comes with features like XTheme, Scan to Recharge, Split Screen and XManager. :Current XOS version list: * XUI 1.x - based on Android "Lollipop" 5, initial release * XOS 2.x - based on Android "Marshmallow" 6 and "Nougat" 7 * XOS 3.x - based on Android "Nougat" 7 and "Oreo" 8 * XOS 4.x - based on Android "Oreo" 8 * XOS 5.x - based on Android "Pie" 9 * XOS 6.x - based on Android 10 * XOS 7.x - based on Android 10 * XOS 7.6.x - based on Android 11 * XOS 10.x - based on Android 11, redesigned UI * XOS 10.6.x - based on Android 12, latest update

Xperia UI

Sony Xperia UI (formerly known as Sony Ericsson Timescape UI) was the front-end UI developed by

Sony Mobile Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. ...

(formerly Sony Ericsson) in 2010 for their Android-based

Sony Xperia Xperia () is the brand name of smartphones and tablets from Sony. The name Xperia is derived from the word "experience", and was first used in the Xperia X1 tagline of "I Xperia the best". Sony Mobile was previously known globally as Sony Er ...

series. Sony Xperia UI mostly consisted of Sony's own applications such as Sony Music (formerly known as Walkman Music player), Albums and Video Player. During its time as Timescape UI, the UI differed from the standard Android UIinstead of traditional apps dock on the bottom part, they were located at the four corners of the home screen, while the middle of the screen consisted of the widget. However, recent UI developments more closely resemble those of stock Android. :Current Xperia UI version list: * Timescape version 1 – based on Android "Eclair" 2.0/2.1, initial release * Timescape version 2 – based on Android "Gingerbread" 2.3.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 3 – based on Android "Gingerbread" and "Ice Cream Sandwich" 2.3.x and 4.0.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 4 – based on Android "Jelly Bean" 4.2.x – 4.3.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 5 – based on Android "KitKat" 4.4.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 6 – based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0.x – 5.1.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 7 – based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.0.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 8 – based on Android "Nougat" 7.x, redesigned UI * Xperia UI version 9 – based on Android "Oreo" 8.x, redesigned UI

ZenUI

ZenUI is a front-end touch interface developed by ASUS with partners, featuring a full

. ZenUI is used by ASUS for its Android phones and

s, and is not available for licensing by external parties. ZenUI also comes preloaded with ASUS-made apps like ZenLink (PC Link, Share Link, Party Link & Remote Link). :Current ZenUI version list: *ZenUI 1.0 – based on Android "Jelly Bean" and "KitKat" 4.3.x and 4.4.x, initial release *ZenUI 2.0 – based on Android "Lollipop" 5.0.x – 5.1.x, redesigned UI *ZenUI 3.0 – based on Android "Marshmallow" 6.0.x, redesigned UI *ZenUI 4.0 – based on Android "Nougat" 7.x, redesigned UI *ZenUI 5.0 – based on Android "Oreo" 8.x, redesigned UI *ZenUI 6.0 – based on Android "Pie" 9.0, redesigned UI *ZenUI 7.0 – based on Android 10, redesigned UI *ZenUI 8.0 – based on Android 11, redesigned UI

ZUI

ZUI is a custom operating system originally developed by Lenovo subsidiary

ZUK Mobile ZUK Mobile was a Chinese smartphone company founded in May 2015, and a subsidiary of Lenovo. It was headquartered in Beijing. The brand ceased operations in 2017, when Lenovo shifted its smartphone focus to Motorola. History ZUK Mobile was foun ...

for their smartphones. However, after the shutting down of ZUK Mobile, Lenovo took over as the main developer of ZUI. The operating system is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). :Current ZUI version list: * ZUI 1.x - Initial Release * ZUI 2.x * ZUI 3.x * ZUI 4.x * ZUI 4.x * ZUI 10.x (Based on Android 9 "Pie") * ZUI 11.x (Based on Android 9 "Pie" and Android 10) * ZUI 12.x (Based on Android 11) * ZUI 13.x (Based on Android 11)

Wear OS

Wear OS (also known simply as Wear and formerly Android Wear) is a version of

's Android

designed for

es and other

wearables A wearable computer, also known as a body-borne computer, is a computing device worn on the body. The definition of 'wearable computer' may be narrow or broad, extending to smartphones or even ordinary wristwatches. Wearables may be for general ...

. By pairing with

s running Android version 6.0 or newer, or

version 10.0 or newer with limited support from Google's pairing application, Wear OS integrates

Google Assistant Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike t ...

technology and mobile notifications into a smartwatch form factor. In May 2021 at

Google I/O Google I/O (or simply I/O) is an annual developer conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. "I/O" stands for Input/Output, as well as the slogan "Innovation in the Open". The event's format is similar to Google Developer Day. Hi ...

, Google announced a major update to the platform, internally known as Wear OS 3.0. It incorporates a new visual design inspired by

, and Fitbit exercise tracking features. Google also announced a partnership with

, who is collaborating with Google to unify its Tizen-based smartwatch platform with Wear OS, and has committed to using Wear OS on its future smartwatch products. The underlying codebase was also upgraded to Android 11. Wear OS 3.0 will be available to Wear OS devices running Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 system on a chip, system on chip, and will be an opt-in upgrade requiring a factory reset to install. :Current Wear OS version list: * Android Wear 4.4w (Based on Android 4.4 "KitKat") - (Initially release) * Android Wear 1.0 - 1.3 (Based on Android 5.0 "Lollipop) - (Minor update) * Android Wear 1.4 (Based on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow) - (Minor update) * Android Wear 2.0 - 2.6 (7.1.1W2) (Based on Android 7.1 "Nougat") - (Minor update) * Android Wear 2.6 (7.1.1W3, 8.0.0 W1) - 2.9 (7.1.1W6, 8.0.0W4) (Baded on Android 8.0 "Oreo") - (Minor update) * Wear OS 1.0 (Based on Android 8.0 "Oreo") - (Renamed and Minor update) * Wear OS 2.0 (Based on Android 8.0 "Oreo") - (Minor update) * Wear OS 2.2 (Based on Android 9.0 "Pie") - (Minor update) * Wear OS 3.0 (Based on Android 11) - (Major UI and system update)

One UI Watch

One UI Watch is the user interface Samsung developed for their Wear OS based smartwatch, officially announced after both Google and Samsung confirmed they would unify their respective wearable operating systems (Google Wear OS 2.0 and Samsung Tizen) into Wear OS 3.0. :Current One UI Watch version list: * One UI Watch 3.0 (Based on Wear OS 3.0 - Android 11)(Initially release)

ChromeOS

ChromeOS is an operating system designed by

that is based on the Linux kernel and uses the Google Chrome web browser as its principal user interface. As a result, ChromeOS primarily supports web applications. Google announced the project in July 2009, conceiving it as an operating system in which both applications and user data reside in the cloud computing, cloud: hence ChromeOS primarily runs web applications. Due to increase of popularity with 2-in-1 PCs, most recent Chromebooks are introduced with touch screen capability, with Android applications starting to become available for the operating system in 2014. And in 2016, access to Android apps in the entire Google Play Store was introduced on supported ChromeOS devices. With the support of Android applications, there are Chromebook devices that are positioned as tablet based instead of notebooks. ChromeOS is only available pre-installed on hardware from Google manufacturing partners. An open-source software, open source equivalent, ChromiumOS, can be compiled from downloaded source code. Early on, Google provided design goals for ChromeOS, but has not otherwise released a technical description.

Sailfish OS

Sailfish OS is from

. It is open source with GNU General Public License (GPL) for middleware stack core which comes from MER. Sailfish due to Jolla's business model and due to alliances with various partners and due to intentional design of OS internals, is capable to adopt in several layers third-party software including Jolla software e.g. Jolla's UI is

(closed source), so such components can be proprietary with many kinds of licences. However, user can replace them with open source components like e.g. NEMO UI instead Jolla's UI. After Nokia abandoned in 2011 the

project, most of the MeeGo team left Nokia, and established Jolla as a company to use MeeGo and Mer business opportunities. The MER standard allows it to be launched on any hardware with kernel compatible with MER. In 2012, Linux Sailfish OS based on MeeGo and using middleware of MER core stack distribution was launched for public use. The first device, the Jolla smartphone, was unveiled on May 20, 2013. In 2015, Jolla Tablet was launched and the BRICS countries declared it an officially supported OS there. Jolla started licensing Sailfish OS 2.0 for third parties. Some devices sold are updateable to Sailfish 2.0 with no limits. Nemo Mobile is a community-driven OS, similar to Sailfish but attempting to replace its proprietary components, such as the user interface. Each Sailfish OS version release is named after a Finnish lake:

Tizen

Tizen (based on the Linux kernel) is a mobile operating system hosted by Linux Foundation, together with support from the Tizen Association, guided by a Technical Steering Group composed of

and

. Tizen is an operating system for devices including smartphones, tablets, in-car entertainment, In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) devices, however currently it mainly focuses on wearable and smart TVs. It is an open source system (however the SDK was closed-source and proprietary) that aims to offer a consistent user experience across devices. Tizen's main components are the Linux kernel and the WebKit runtime. According to Intel, Tizen "combines the best of LiMo and MeeGo."

apps are emphasized, with MeeGo encouraging its members to transition to Tizen, stating that the "future belongs to HTML5-based applications, outside of a relatively small percentage of apps, and we are firmly convinced that our investment needs to shift toward HTML5." Tizen will be targeted at a variety of platforms such as handsets, touch pc, smart TVs and in-vehicle entertainment. On May 17, 2013, Tizen released version 2.1, code-named Nectarine. While Tizen itself was open source, most of the UX and UI layer that was developed by Samsung was mainly closed-source and proprietary, such as the TouchWiz UI on the Samsung Z's series smartphone and One UI for their Galaxy Watch wearable lines.

KaiOS

KaiOS is from Kai. It is based on Firefox OS, Firefox OS/Boot to Gecko. Unlike most mobile operating systems which focus on smartphones, KaiOS was developed mainly for feature phones, giving these access to more advanced technologies usually found on smartphones, such as app stores and Wi-Fi/4G capabilities. It is a mix of closed-source and open-source components. FirefoxOS/B2G was released under the permissive Mozilla Public License, MPL 2.0. It does not redistribute itself under the same license, so KaiOS is now presumably proprietary (but still mostly open-source, publishing its source code). KaiOS is not entirely proprietary, as it uses the copyleft GPL Linux kernel also used in Android.

Smart Feature OS

HMD Global#Smart Feature OS, Smart Feature OS is a custom version of KaiOS that was developed and solely used by HMD Global for their KaiOS line of Nokia feature phone, the main differences between stock KaiOS and Smart Feature OS is mainly on the atheistic such as the icon and some UI element, including custom Nokia ringtone and notification tone.

Fully open-source, entirely permissive licenses

Fuchsia

Fuchsia is a capability-based, real-time operating system (RTOS) currently being developed by Google. It was first discovered as a mysterious code post on GitHub in August 2016, without any official announcement. In contrast to prior Google-developed operating systems such as ChromeOS and Android, which are based on Linux kernels, Fuchsia is based on a new microkernel called "Zircon", derived from "Little Kernel", a small operating system intended for embedded systems. This allows it to remove

and the copyleft GPL under which the Linux kernel is licensed; Fuchsia is licensed under the permissive licenses, permissive BSD licenses#3-clause, BSD 3-clause, Apache 2.0, and MIT licenses. Upon inspection, media outlets noted that the code post on GitHub suggested Fuchsia's capability to run on universal devices, from embedded systems to smartphones, tablets and personal computers. In May 2017, Fuchsia was updated with a user interface, along with a developer writing that the project was not a for experimental, prompting media speculation about Google's intentions with the operating system, including the possibility of it replacing Android.

LiteOS

LiteOS is a lightweight open source real-time operating system which is part of Huawei's "1+2+1" Internet of Things solution, which is similar to Google Android Things and Samsung Tizen. It is released under the permissive license, permissive BSD licenses#3-clause license, BSD 3-clause license. Huawei LiteOS features lightweight, low-power, fast-response, multi-sensor collaboration, multi-protocol interconnect connectivity, enabling IoT terminals to quickly access the network. Huawei LiteOS will make intelligent hardware development easier. Thereby accelerating the realization of the interconnection of all things. Currently LiteOS are introduce to the consumer market with the Huawei Watch GT series and their sub-brand Honor Magic Watch series.

OpenHarmony

OpenHarmony is an open-source version of HarmonyOS developed and donated by Huawei to the OpenAtom Foundation. It supports devices running a mini system with memory as small as 128 KB, or running a standard system with memory greater than 128 MB. The open source HarmonyOS is based on the Huawei LiteOS kernel. OpenHarmony LiteOS Cortex-A brings small-sized, low-power, and high-performance experience and builds a unified and open ecosystem for developers. In addition, it provides rich kernel mechanisms, more comprehensive Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), and a unified driver framework, Hardware Driver Foundation (HDF), which offers unified access for device developers and friendly development experience for application developers.

Fully open-source, mixed copyleft and permissive licenses

Fedora Mobility

Fedora Mobility is under developing mobile operating system by the Fedora Project that are porting Fedora to run on portable devices such as phones and tablets.

LuneOS

LuneOS is a modern reimplementation of the Palm/HP

interface.

Manjaro ARM

Manjaro ARM is a mobile operating system with Plasma Mobile desktop environment that is running and default operating system on the PinePhone, an ARM-based smartphone released by Pine64.

Mobian

A mobile Debian focused for PinePhone and soon Librem.

Plasma mobile

Plasma Mobile is a Plasma variant for

s. Plasma Mobile runs on Wayland (display server protocol), Wayland and it is compatible with

applications,

applications, and eventually Android applications via KDE's Shashlik (software), Shashlik project also sponsored by Blue Systems, or Anbox. It is under the copyleft GPLv2 license. The Necuno phone uses Plasma Mobile. It is entirely open-source and thus does not have a cellular modem, so it must make calls by VOIP, like a pocket computer.

PostmarketOS

PostmarketOS is based on the Alpine Linux Linux distribution. It is intended to run on older phone hardware. it is in Alpha testing, alpha.

PureOS

PureOS is a Debian, Debian GNU/Linux derivative using only free software meeting the Debian Free Software Guidelines, mainly the

GPL. PureOS is endorsed by Free Software Foundation as one of the freedom-respecting operating systems. It is developed by Purism (company), Purism, and was already in use on Purism's laptops before it was used on the Librem, Librem 5 smartphone. Purism, in partnership with GNOME and KDE, aims to separate the central processor unit, CPU from the baseband processor and include hardware kill switches for the phone's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, and baseband processor, and provide both GNOME and KDE Plasma 5#Plasma Mobile, KDE Plasma Mobile as options for the desktop environment.

Ubuntu Touch

Ubuntu Touch is an open-source (GNU General Public License, GPL) mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system originally developed in 2013 by

and continued by the non-profit UBports Foundation in 2017. Ubuntu Touch can run on a pure GNU/Linux base on phones with the required drivers, such as the

and the PinePhone. To enable hardware that was originally shipped with Android, Ubuntu Touch makes use of the Android Linux kernel, using Android drivers and services via an LXC container, but does not use any of the Java-like code of Android. As of February 2022, Ubuntu Touch is available on 78 phones and tablets. The UBports Installer serves as an easy-to-use tool to allow inexperienced users to install the operating system on third-party devices without damaging their hardware.

Closed source

iOS

iOS (formerly named iPhone OS) was created by Apple Inc. It has the second largest installed base worldwide on smartphones, but the largest profits, due to aggressive price competition between Android-based manufacturers. It is closed-source and proprietary, and is built on the open source Darwin (operating system), Darwin operating system. The iPhone, iPod Touch,

, and second and third-generation Apple TV all use

, which is derived from macOS. Native third-party applications were not officially supported until the release of iPhone OS 2.0 on July 11, 2008. Before this, "iOS jailbreaking, jailbreaking" allowed third-party applications to be installed. In recent years, the jailbreaking scene has changed drastically due to Apple's continued efforts to secure their operating system and prevent unauthorized modifications. Currently, jailbreaks of recent iterations of iOS are only semi-untethered, which requires a device to be re-jailbroken at every boot, and exploits for jailbreaks are becoming increasingly hard to find and use. Currently all iOS devices are developed by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn or another of Apple's partners.

iPadOS

iPadOS is a tablet operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. specifically for their iPad line of tablet computers. It was announced at the company's 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), as a derivation from iOS but with a greater emphasis put on multitasking. It was released on September 24, 2019.

watchOS

watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on the iOS operating system and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS. It is currently the most widely used wearable operating system. Its features focus on convenience, such as being able to place phone calls and send texts, and health, such as fitness and heart rate tracking. The most current version of the watchOS operating system is watchOS 8.

bridgeOS

bridgeOS is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. for use exclusively with its hardware. bridgeOS runs on the Apple silicon#T series, T series Apple silicon processors and operates the OLED touchscreen strip called the "Touch bar, Touch Bar" as well as multiple other functions, including managing the data encryption, encrypted data in their IOS#Secure Enclave, Secure Enclave and acting as a gatekeeper and video codec to the device's cameras. bridgeOS is a heavily modified version of Apple's

Kindle firmware

Kindle firmware is a mobile operating system specifically designed for Amazon Kindle e-readers. It is based on a custom Linux kernel, however. It is entirely closed-source and proprietary.

HarmonyOS

HarmonyOS is a distributed operating system developed by Huawei that was specifically designed for smartphones, tablets, TVs, smartwatches, smart devices of Huawei brand and its ecosystem. It is based on a proprietary multi-kernel and Linux kernel subsystem. Released officially for smartphones on June 2, 2021, from its initial launch on August 9, 2019, for smart screen TVs.

Nintendo Switch system software

The Nintendo Switch system software (also known by its codename Horizon) is an updatable firmware and operating system used by the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch hybrid video game console/tablet and Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch Lite handheld game console. It is based on a proprietary microkernel. The UI includes a HOME screen, consisting of the top bar, the screenshot viewer ("Album"), and shortcuts to the Nintendo eShop, News, and Settings.

PlayStation Vita system software

The PlayStation Vita system software is the official firmware and operating system for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV video game consoles. It uses the LiveArea as its graphical shell. The PlayStation Vita system software has one optional add-on component, the PlayStation Mobile Runtime Package. The system is built on a Unix-base which is derived from FreeBSD and NetBSD. Due to it capabilities on browsing the internet and multimedia capabilities, it is treat as an gaming tablet or tablet replacement by community and reviewer/publisher.

Intel Management Engine

The Intel Management Engine (ME), also known as the Intel Manageability Engine, is an autonomous subsystem that has been incorporated in virtually all of

's Central processing unit, processor chipsets since 2008. It is located in the Platform Controller Hub of modern Intel motherboards. While not an actual operating system or even a mobile one, the firmware which installed in the microprocessor was in fact based on the Minix 3 operating system, starting with Intel ME 11. Due to it was install on the mobile (Laptop) version of Intel chips, hence it can considered as a mobile operating system that running on the subsystem of the microprocessor of a mobile devices.

Windows 10

Windows 10 (not to be confused with

—see below) is a personal computer operating system developed and released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT Microsoft Windows, family of operating systems. It was released on July 29, 2015, and many Windows 10 editions, editions and Windows 10 version history, versions have been released since then. Just like its predecessors, it was designed to run across multiple Microsoft product such as PCs and Tablets. The Windows user interface was revised to handle transitions between a mouse-oriented interface and a touchscreen-optimized interface based on available input devices‍—‌particularly on 2-in-1 PCs. Windows 10 also introduces the universal apps, expanding on Metro-style apps, these apps can be designed to run across multiple Microsoft product families with nearly identical code‍—‌including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and Mixed Reality.

Windows 11

Windows 11 is a major version of the Windows NT

developed by

that was announced on June 24, 2021, and is the successor to

, which was released n 2015. Windows 11 was released on October 5, 2021, as a free upgrade via Windows Update for eligible devices running Windows 10. Microsoft promoted that Windows 11 would have improved performance and ease of use over Windows 10; it features major changes to the Windows shell (computing), shell influenced by the canceled Windows 10X, including a redesigned Start menu, the replacement of its "live tiles" with a separate "Widgets" panel on the taskbar, the ability to create tiled sets of windows that can be minimized and restored from the taskbar as a group, and new gaming technologies inherited from Xbox Series X and Series S such as high-dynamic-range video, Auto HDR and DirectStorage on compatible hardware. Internet Explorer is fully replaced by the Blink layout engine-based Microsoft Edge, while Microsoft Teams is integrated into the Windows shell. Microsoft also announced plans to offer support for Android Mobile app, apps to run on Windows 11, with support for

and manually-installed APK file, packages. Similar to Windows 10, it was designed to run across multiple Microsoft product such as PCs and Tablets. The Windows user interface was further revised to combine the UI element of both mouse-oriented interface and a touchscreen-optimized interface based into a hybrid UI that combined touch and traditional desktop UI.

Minor proprietary operating systems

Other than the major mobile operating systems from the major tech companies, some companies such as Huami (Amazfit), Huawei, realme, TCL, and Xiaomi have developed their own proprietary RTOSes specifically for their own smartbands and smartwatches that are designed to be power efficient and low battery consumption and are not based on Android or Linux Kernel. *Proprietary Amazfit OS Operating System that is primarily designed for their Bip series, however, Huami is currently developing the operating system to run on other company smartwatches as well. (Not to be confused with the Android-based Amazfit OS as both of them sharing the name yet both are based on different operating system, for their Android-based Amazfit OS, kindly refer to the Android section) *Huawei/Honor Band Operating System Huawei Band Operating system is an operating system specifically designed and developed by Huawei for their fitness tracker, including smartband series from Honor. (Not to be confused with another RTOS (LiteOS) which was also developed by Huawei.) *Lenovo RTOS Proprietary OS develop by Lenovo for their fitness tracker and smartwatch. *realme Wearable Operating System A proprietary operating system design to run on realme smartband and smartwatch. *TCL Wearable Real Time Operating System A proprietary RTOS powering TCL and Alcatel brand smartband and smartwatch. *Xiaomi Mi Band Operating System Proprietary RTOS that is develop by Huami for Xiaomi Mi Band series. (Not to be confused with Xiaomi MIUI for smartwatch which is based on Wear OS)

Discontinued software platforms

Open source

CyanogenMod

CyanogenMod was a custom mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It was a custom ROM that was co-developed by the CyanogenMod community. The OS did not include any proprietary apps unless the user installed them. Due to its open source nature, CyanogenMod allowed Android users who could no longer obtain update support from their manufacturer to continue updating their OS version to the latest one based on official releases from Google AOSP and heavy theme customization. The last version of the OS was CyanogenMod 13 which was based on Android Asus On December 24, 2016, CyanogenMod announced on their blog that they would no longer be releasing any CyanogenMod updates. All development moved to LineageOS.

=Cyanogen OS

= Cyanogen OS was based on

and maintained by Cyanogen Inc; however, it included proprietary apps and it was only available for commercial uses.

Firefox OS

Firefox OS (formerly known as "Boot to Gecko" and shortly "B2G") is from

. It was an open source mobile operating system released under the Mozilla Public License built on the Android Linux kernel and used Android drivers, but did not use any Java-like code of Android. According to Ars Technica, "Mozilla says that B2G is motivated by a desire to demonstrate that the standards-based open Web has the potential to be a competitive alternative to the existing single-vendor application development stacks offered by the dominant mobile operating systems." In September 2016, Mozilla announced that work on Firefox OS has ceased, and all B2G-related code would be removed from mozilla-central.

MeeGo/Maemo/Moblin

MeeGo (operating system), MeeGo was from non-profit organization The Linux Foundation. It is open source and GPL. At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona,

and

both unveiled ''MeeGo'', a mobile operating system that combined

and Maemo to create an open-sourced experience for users across all devices. In 2011 Nokia announced that it would no longer pursue MeeGo in favor of Windows Phone. Nokia announced the

on June 21, 2011, at the Nokia Connection event in Singapore. LG announced its support for the platform.

was a platform developed by Nokia for

s and Internet tablets. It is open source and GPL, based on Debian GNU/Linux and draws much of its graphical user interface (GUI), software framework, frameworks, and library (computing), libraries from the GNOME project. It uses the Matchbox (window manager), Matchbox window manager and the GTK-based Hildon as its GUI and application framework.

webOS

webOS was developed by

. webOS is an open source mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel, initially developed by Palm, which launched with the

. After being acquired by HP, two phones (the HP Veer, Veer and the HP Pre 3, Pre 3) and a tablet (the

) running webOS were introduced in 2011. On August 18, 2011, HP announced that webOS hardware would be discontinued, but would continue to support and update webOS software and develop the webOS ecosystem. HP released webOS as open source under the name Open webOS, and plans to update it with additional features. On February 25, 2013, HP announced the sale of webOS to

, who used the operating system for its "smart" or Internet-connected TVs. However, HP retained patents underlying WebOS and cloud-based services such as the App Catalog.

Closed source

Bada

Bada platform (stylized as bada; Korean: 바다) was an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It was developed by Samsung Electronics. Its name is derived from "바다 (bada)", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in Korean. It ranges from mid- to high-end smartphones. To foster adoption of Bada OS, since 2011 Samsung reportedly has considered releasing the source code under an open-source license, and expanding device support to include Smart TVs. Samsung announced in June 2012 intentions to merge Bada into the Tizen project, but would meanwhile use its own Bada operating system, in parallel with Google Android OS and Microsoft Windows Phone, for its smartphones. All Bada-powered devices are branded under the Wave name, but not all of Samsung's Android-powered devices are branded under the name Galaxy. On February 25, 2013, Samsung announced that it will stop developing Bada, moving development to Tizen instead. Bug reporting was finally terminated in April 2014.

BlackBerry OS

In 1999, Research In Motion released its first BlackBerry devices, providing secure real-time push-email communications on wireless devices. Services such as BlackBerry Messenger provide the integration of all communications into a single inbox. In September 2012, RIM announced that the 200 millionth BlackBerry smartphone was shipped. As of September 2014, there were around 46 million active BlackBerry service subscribers. In the early 2010s, RIM has undergone a platform transition, changing its company name to

and making new devices on a new platform named "

BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 10 (based on the QNX OS) is from

. As a smartphone OS, it is closed-source and proprietary, and only runs on phones and tablets manufactured by BlackBerry. One of the dominant platforms in the world in the late 2000s, its global market share was reduced significantly by the mid-2010s. In late 2016, BlackBerry announced that it will continue to support the OS, with a promise to release 10.3.3. Therefore, BlackBerry 10 would not receive any major updates as BlackBerry and its partners would focus more on their Android base development.

Nintendo 3DS system software

The Nintendo 3DS system software is the updatable operating system used by the Nintendo 3DS.

Symbian

Symbian platform was developed by

for some models of smartphones. It is proprietary software, it was however used by Ericsson (SonyEricsson), Sending and Benq. The operating system was discontinued in 2012, although a slimmed-down version for basic phones was still developed until July 2014. Microsoft officially shelved the platform in favor of Windows Phone after its acquisition of Nokia.

Palm OS

Palm OS/Garnet OS was from Access Co. It is closed-source and proprietary.

was introduced by Palm in January 2009, as the successor to Palm OS with Web 2.0 technologies, open architecture and multitasking abilities.

Microsoft

=Windows Mobile

= Windows Mobile is a family of proprietary operating systems from

aimed at business and enterprise users, based on

and originally developed for Pocket PC ( PDA) devices. In 2010 it was replaced with the consumer-focused

. Versions of Windows Mobile came in multiple editions, like "Pocket PC Premium", "Pocket PC Professional", "Pocket PC Phone", and "Smartphone" (Windows Mobile 2003) or "Professional", "Standard", and "Classic" ( Windows Mobile 6.0). Some editions were touchscreen-only and some were keyboard-only, although there were cases where device vendors managed to graft support for one onto an edition targeted at the other. Cellular phone features were also only supported by some editions. Microsoft started work on a version of Windows Mobile that would combine all features together, but it was aborted, and instead they focused on developing the non-backward-compatible, touchscreen-only

=Windows Phone

= Windows Phone is a proprietary mobile operating system developed by

for smartphones as the replacement successor to

and Zune. Windows Phone features a new touchscreen-oriented user interface derived from Metro design language. Windows Phone was replaced by

in 2015.

=Windows 10 Mobile

= Windows 10 Mobile (formerly called

) is from

. It is closed-source and proprietary. Unveiled on February 15, 2010, Windows Phone includes a user interface inspired by Microsoft's Metro Design Language. It is integrated with Microsoft services such as OneDrive and Office, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, Xbox Live games, and Microsoft Bing, Bing, but also integrates with many other non-Microsoft services such as Facebook and Google Account, Google accounts. Windows Phone devices were made primarily by Microsoft Mobile/

, and also by

and

. On January 21, 2015, Microsoft announced that the Windows Phone brand will be phased out and replaced with

, bringing tighter integration and unification with its PC counterpart

, and provide a platform for smartphones and tablets with screen sizes under 8 inches. On October 8, 2017, Microsoft officially announced that they would no longer push any major updates to Windows 10 Mobile, instead it would put it in maintenance mode, where Microsoft would push bug fixes and general improvements only, therefore Windows 10 Mobile would not receive any new feature updates. On January 18, 2019, Microsoft announced that support for

would

on December 10, 2019, with no further security updates released after then, and that Windows 10 Mobile users should migrate to

or Android phones. Current Windows 10 Mobile version list: * Windows 10 Mobile – Version 1511 (November Update "Threshold") – major UI update * Windows 10 Mobile – Version 1607 (Anniversary Update "Redstone 1") * Windows 10 Mobile – Version 1703 (Creators Update "Redstone 2") * Windows 10 Mobile – Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update)

Market share

Usage

In 2006, Android and iOS did not exist and only 64 million smartphones were sold. In 2018 Q1, 383.5 million smartphones were sold and global market share was 85.9% for Android and 14.1% for iOS. Other OS smartphones were 0,131 million, counting the 0.03% of the total. According to StatCounter web use statistics (a proxy for all use), smartphones (alone without tablets) have majority use globally, with desktop computers used much less (and Android, in particular, more popular than Windows). Use varies however by continent with smartphones way more popular in the biggest continents, i.e. Asia, and the desktop still more popular in some, though not in North America. The desktop is still popular in many countries (while overall down to 44.9% in the first quarter of 2017), smartphones are more popular even in many developed countries (or about to be in more). A few countries on any continent are desktop-minority; European countries (and some in South America, and a few, e.g. Haiti, in North America; and most in Asia and Africa) are smartphone-majority, Poland and Turkey highest with 57.68% and 62.33%, respectively. In Ireland, smartphone use at 45.55% outnumbers desktop use and mobile as a whole gains majority when including the tablet share at 9.12%. Spain is also slightly desktop-minority. The range of measured mobile web use varies a lot by country, and a StatCounter press release recognizes "India amongst world leaders in use of mobile to surf the internet" (of the big countries) where the share is around (or over) 80% and desktop is at 19.56%, with Russia trailing with 17.8% mobile use (and desktop the rest). Smartphones (alone, without tablets), first gained majority in December 2016 (desktop-majority was lost the month before), and it wasn't a Christmas-time fluke, as while close to majority after smartphone majority happened again in March 2017. In the week from November 7–13, 2016, smartphones alone (without tablets) overtook desktop, for the first time (for a short period; non-full-month). Mobile-majority applies to countries such as Paraguay in South America, Poland in Europe and Turkey; and most of Asia and Africa. Some of the world is still desktop-majority, with e.g. in the United States at 54.89% (but no not on all days). However, in some territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico, desktop is way under majority, with Windows under 30% overtaken by Android. On October 22, 2016 (and subsequent weekends), mobile showed majority. Since October 27, the desktop hasn't shown majority, not even on weekdays. And smartphones alone have showed majority since December 23 to the end of the year, with the share topping at 58.22% on Christmas Day. To the "mobile"-majority share then of smartphones, tablets could be added giving a 63.22% majority. While an unusually high top, a similarly high also happened on Monday April 17, 2017, with then only smartphones share slightly lower and tablet share slightly higher, with them combined at 62.88%. , the world has turned desktop-minority; at about 49% desktop use for the previous month, but mobile wasn't ranked higher, tablet share had to be added to it to exceed desktop share. By now, mobile (smartphones) have full majority, outnumbering desktop/laptop computers by a safe margin (and no longer counting tablets with desktops makes them most popular).

By operating system

Notes: # Windows includes all versions. # BlackBerry includes all versions. # Other includes all other smartphone OSes but not feature phone OSes. World Wide Smartphone Sales

Mobile_OS_market_share_from_IDC_till_2016_Q3

References

External links

Android

Apple
{{Authority control Mobile operating systems, Mobile phones Operating systems Software wars