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Devices and hardware

Android smartphones

Summary

Android is the smartphone operating system developed by Google with the Open Handset Alliance, announced on November 5, 2007. The first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, went on sale in the US on October 22, 2008. Android phones are made by many companies and, as of September 2026, StatCounter counted Android on 69.17% of mobile page views worldwide and Google's Chrome browser on 67.64%.

Web Building Encyclopedia · Devices and hardware · Last reviewed October 22, 2026 · 10 min read

What Android is

Android is an operating system for smartphones and other devices, developed by Google together with a group of companies called the Open Handset Alliance.1 An operating system is the core software that runs a device and the apps on it, including its web browser.

Android’s code is published through the Android Open Source Project, known as AOSP. Its site invites device makers to use Android to power their own hardware and explains how to build and customize it.2 Most of that code is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which AOSP calls its preferred license, while the patches to the Linux kernel at Android’s core use the GPLv2 license.3 An open-source license lets anyone read, change and reuse the code under the license’s conditions.

Android phones come from many companies, not one. In September 2026, StatCounter’s count of mobile page views worldwide put Samsung at 23.52%, Xiaomi at 11.06%, Oppo at 5.79% and Vivo at 5.33%, against 30.8% for Apple, the only maker of iPhones.4

For anyone with a website, Android matters because of how many visitors use it. As of September 2026, StatCounter counted Android on 69.17% of mobile page views worldwide and iOS on 30.81%.5 In the United States the order was reversed: iOS had 53.59% and Android 46.39%.6 These figures measure web use, not phones sold. Google said at its developer conference in May 2021 that Android was running on 3 billion active devices.7

The newest version as of October 2026 is Android 17. Google released it on June 16, 2026, for most supported Pixel phones and published its source code to AOSP the same day.8

Origins and the first Android phone

Android started as a small company. In August 2005, BusinessWeek reported that Google had quietly acquired Android Inc., a company about 22 months old that appeared to be working on software for mobile phones.9

Google revealed its plan on November 5, 2007. Thirty-four companies, among them Google, T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola, formed the Open Handset Alliance to develop Android, which they described as “the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices.”1 The alliance said the first Android phones would reach consumers in the second half of 2008.1 Writing on Google’s blog the same day, Andy Rubin, then Google’s director of mobile platforms, said the company was not announcing a “Gphone”: the platform was the news.10

The alliance released an early version of its software development kit (SDK), the set of tools programmers use to write apps, the following week.1 IDG News Service reported that Android was built on the Linux 2.6 kernel, that its core apps included a browser based on WebKit, an open-source engine, and that Google would award $10 million in prizes to developers whose apps it judged innovative.11 WebKit is a browser engine, the part of a browser that turns HTML, CSS and JavaScript into the page on screen.

T-Mobile announced the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, on September 23, 2008. It was developed with HTC and Google, had a screen that slid open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and a trackball for one-handed use, and cost $179 with a two-year contract.12 T-Mobile promised a full HTML web browser that showed web pages as they were designed to be seen.12 The G1 went on sale in the United States on October 22, 2008.12 The day before, Google and its alliance partners released Android’s source code.13

The browser on Android: from WebKit to Chrome

Chrome for Android

Android’s first browser was the WebKit-based one that came with the system.11 Google’s own Chrome browser arrived on phones more than three years after the G1. Google released a beta, or test version, of Chrome for Android on February 7, 2012, for phones and tablets running Android 4.0, called Ice Cream Sandwich.14 The first stable release, version 18.0.1025123, followed on June 27, 2012, again for Android 4.0 or later.15

The same day, Google said Chrome would be the default browser on its new Nexus 7 tablet, which TechCrunch reported made the Nexus 7 the first Android device to use Chrome as its default browser out of the box.16

Chrome is now the most used browser on phones. In September 2026, StatCounter counted Chrome on 67.64% of mobile page views worldwide, Safari on 24.71%, Samsung Internet on 3.5%, Opera on 1.38%, UC Browser on 0.78% and Firefox on 0.69%.17 As of October 2026, Google’s system requirements for Chrome list Android 10 or later, so a phone that cannot update past an older Android version cannot run current versions of Chrome.18

Taps, zooming and the viewport

Phone browsers had to make desktop pages usable with fingers. A page without mobile settings is drawn on a virtual canvas wider than the screen, often 980 pixels, and then shrunk to fit. The viewport meta tag, a line of HTML with the setting width=device-width, tells the browser to lay the page out at the width of the device instead, and MDN, Mozilla’s developer reference, recommends it as the standard setting.19 The iPhone entry explains where the tag came from.

The tag also changed how taps worked on Android. Mobile browsers used to wait about 300 milliseconds after a tap before treating it as a click, to check whether a second tap was coming, because a double tap meant “zoom in.” Chrome 32 for Android removed that wait for pages that set width=device-width, while keeping pinch-zoom.20 A page that declares itself mobile-friendly therefore responds faster to taps.

Flash on Android

Android phones, unlike the iPhone, ran Adobe Flash for a time. In June 2010 Adobe announced Flash Player 10.1 for smartphones and tablets, to become a final release once users could upgrade to Android 2.2. Adobe presented it as the first release to bring the full web to both computers and mobile devices.21

The experiment was short. On November 9, 2011, Adobe said it would stop developing Flash Player for mobile browsers after version 11.1 and described HTML5 as “the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms.”22 In June 2012, Adobe said it would not develop Flash for Android 4.1, and that devices without Flash already installed would not be able to install it from Google Play after August 15, 2012.23 The end of Adobe Flash entry covers the rest of that story.

WebView, Custom Tabs and in-app browsing

Many web pages on Android are never opened in a browser app at all. Apps can show web content inside themselves using WebView, which Chromium’s documentation describes as “a system component of Android which enables the apps you use to show content from the web.”24

WebView has changed engines over the years. Android 4.4, called KitKat and announced on October 31, 2013, brought a completely new WebView built on Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome.25 Google said the new WebView supported most of the HTML5 features in Chrome for Android 30, used an updated version of the V8 JavaScript engine, and could be inspected live from a computer with Chrome DevTools.26 The same release was designed to run on phones with only 512MB of memory.25

In Android 5.0, called Lollipop, the Chromium part of WebView became updatable from Google Play. Apps on Android 5.0 and higher could then get new web features and bug fixes without waiting for a full system update.27 In Android 7, 8 and 9, WebView was built into Chrome itself, and switched to a standalone version if Chrome was disabled. From Android 10, the two appear as separate apps again.24

Custom Tabs, introduced by Chrome in version 45, are a middle path. They let an app open a page in the user’s own browser while keeping the app’s look around it.28 Google’s documentation says WebViews do not share state with the browser, while Custom Tabs share the browser’s cookie jar and permissions, so people do not have to sign in again.28 A cookie is a small piece of data a site stores in the browser, often to keep someone logged in; the HTTP cookie entry explains them.

So when someone taps a link to a business website inside another app on Android, the page may open in a WebView, in a Custom Tab or in a full browser, depending on how that app was built.28

Screens, versions and market share

Android runs on screens of many sizes and sharpnesses. Android apps measure layouts in density-independent pixels: one dp is roughly one pixel on a medium-density screen of 160 dots per inch (dpi). Google groups screens into density buckets running from about 120 dpi (ldpi) to about 640 dpi (xxxhdpi).29

Browsers solve the same problem with CSS pixels, the units web designers use. A page can read a value called devicePixelRatio, which tells it how many of the screen’s physical pixels are used to draw one CSS pixel. MDN notes that modern phone screens, with high resolution in a small space, often report a value greater than 2.30 So a sharp phone screen can have far more physical pixels than the width in CSS pixels that a page works with. The computer monitors and screen sizes entry covers the desktop side.

StatCounter’s most common mobile screen resolutions worldwide in September 2026, counting iPhones as well as Android phones, were 414×896 (13.35%), 360×800 (7.54%) and 384×832 (7.1%).31 On large screens such as tablets and foldable phones, Android 17 added a Bubble Bar to the system taskbar for floating app windows, and apps that target Android 17, other than games, can no longer opt out of being resized or rotated there.8 The iPad and tablets entry covers tablets.

Android phones also run many different versions of the system at once. StatCounter’s figures for September 2026 were:

Android versionShare of Android page views, mobile and tablet, worldwide (September 2026)
Android 1637.6%
Android 1515.9%
Android 1412.07%
Android 1311.6%
Android 127.64%
Android 116.35%

Source for the table: StatCounter.32 These six versions add up to 91.16%. StatCounter’s chart listed only these six for that month, so Android 17, released in June 2026, was not shown separately.328 Since Android 5.0, though, WebView can be updated from Google Play separately from the system itself.27

Web apps on Android

Chrome for Android added several features now associated with progressive web apps in 2015.33 A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that can be installed like an app, with its own icon and window.

In March 2015, the Chrome 42 beta brought two of them to Chrome for Android:33

  • Push notifications. Sites could send notifications after the page was closed, but only if the user had granted explicit permission. Each message has to show a notification the user can see, with a Site Settings button to turn that site’s notifications off.33
  • Add to home screen. Frequent visitors to qualifying sites would see a banner offering to add the site to their home screen in one tap. To qualify, a site needed a web app manifest (a small file giving the app’s name and icons), had to be served over HTTPS, and had to work at least partly offline using a service worker, a script that runs in the background.33

Installing went further later. When someone installs a PWA from Chrome on Android, Chrome generates and installs a special Android package for it, which Google calls a WebAPK. The installed app registers itself for the web addresses in its scope, so a tapped link inside that scope opens the app instead of a browser tab.34

Trusted Web Activity, available in Chrome for Android from version 72, lets an Android app open its developer’s own web app full screen. The app and the site must come from the same developer, which is checked with a system called Digital Asset Links.35

Chrome, Google Search and the EU Android case

Android’s deals with phone makers led to an EU competition case in which the browser was part of the dispute. On July 18, 2018, the European Commission fined Google €4,342,865,000.36 It found that Google had used three kinds of agreement to promote Google Search and Chrome on Android devices:36

  • Pre-installation. Manufacturers had to pre-install the Google Search app and Chrome to get a license for the Play Store.
  • Anti-fragmentation. Manufacturers could license Google Search and the Play Store only if they agreed not to sell devices running versions of Android that Google had not approved.
  • Revenue sharing. Manufacturers and mobile networks received part of Google’s advertising revenue in return for not pre-installing a competing general search service on a set of devices.

On September 14, 2022, the EU General Court upheld the decision except for the part about revenue-share agreements, which it annulled, and reduced the fine to €4,125,000,000.36 On July 2, 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU’s highest court, dismissed Google’s appeal and confirmed that fine.36

While the case was under way, Google began showing choice screens to Android users in Europe. Announced on April 18, 2019, the screens appear the first time a user opens Google Play after an update: one for search apps and one for browsers, each showing five options, including any already installed.37 The earlier contests among browser makers are covered in the browser wars entry.

Timeline

  1. EU Court of Justice dismisses Google's appeal and confirms the €4.125 billion Android fine36
  2. Google releases Android 17 to Pixel phones and AOSP8
  3. Google announces search app and browser choice screens for Android users in Europe37
  4. European Commission fines Google over Android agreements that promoted Search and Chrome36
  5. Chrome 42 beta brings push notifications and add-to-home-screen banners to Android33
  6. Android 4.4 KitKat introduces a WebView built on Chromium25
  7. Chrome for Android leaves beta; it is the default browser on the Nexus 715
  8. Google releases a beta of Chrome for Android 4.014
  9. Adobe stops developing Flash Player for mobile browsers22
  10. Adobe announces Flash Player 10.1 for Android 2.221
  11. The T-Mobile G1, the first Android phone, goes on sale in the US12
  12. Google and its partners release Android's source code13
  13. T-Mobile announces the G112
  14. Thirty-four companies form the Open Handset Alliance to develop Android1
  15. BusinessWeek reports that Google has acquired Android Inc.9

What it means for your website

Worldwide, more than two-thirds of mobile page views come from Android phones.5 In the United States the split is closer, so test on both kinds of phone.6

  • Test on a real Android phone. Chrome on your computer can inspect a page open on an Android phone through chrome://inspect, once USB debugging is turned on in the phone’s Developer Options.38 Older phones matter too: current Chrome needs Android 10 or later.18
  • Keep the viewport tag and allow zooming. Your theme or builder should add width=device-width to every page. Do not set user-scalable=no: MDN warns that it stops people with low vision from reading the page, and that WCAG requires at least 2x scaling.19 Our glossary entry on responsive design explains how layouts adapt.
  • Design for narrow screens. Common phone widths in September 2026 included 360 and 384 CSS pixels.31 Check that menus, buttons and forms fit at those widths.
  • Check links from other apps. A visitor who taps your link in a social or messaging app may see your site inside that app, where they may not be signed in.28 Test your booking or checkout pages that way.
  • Make the site installable if it helps. A web app manifest, HTTPS and a service worker let Chrome on Android offer to add your site to the home screen.33 Most hosts include a free SSL certificate for the HTTPS part.
  • Remove leftover Flash. Since August 15, 2012, Android devices without Flash have not been able to install it from Google Play.23 Replace any old Flash video or menu with HTML5 video or images.

Google indexes and ranks sites by their mobile version.39 See mobile-first indexing, and our guide to websites and SEO for what each builder lets you control.

See also

References

  1. Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform for Mobile Devices. Open Handset Alliance. 2007-11-05. accessed October 22, 2026.
  2. Android Open Source Project. Google, source.android.com. accessed October 22, 2026.
  3. Licenses. Android Open Source Project, source.android.com. accessed October 22, 2026.
  4. Mobile Vendor Market Share Worldwide (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  5. Mobile Operating System Market Share Worldwide (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  6. Mobile Operating System Market Share United States of America (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  7. Android now powers 3B devices. Frederic Lardinois, TechCrunch. 2021-05-18. accessed October 22, 2026.
  8. Android 17 is here. Matthew McCullough, Android Developers Blog. 2026-06-16. accessed October 22, 2026.
  9. Google Acquires Android Mobile Phone Software Start-Up. Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Watch. 2005-08-17. accessed October 22, 2026.
  10. Where's my Gphone?. Andy Rubin, Official Google Blog. 2007-11-05. accessed October 22, 2026.
  11. Google releases Android SDK. Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service, via Macworld. 2007-11-11. accessed October 22, 2026.
  12. T-Mobile Unveils the T-Mobile G1, the First Phone Powered by Android. T-Mobile USA. 2008-09-23. accessed October 22, 2026.
  13. Android is now Open Source. Android Developers Blog. 2008-10-21. accessed October 22, 2026.
  14. Introducing Chrome for Android. Sundar Pichai, Google Chrome Blog. 2012-02-07. accessed October 22, 2026.
  15. Chrome for Android out of Beta. Chrome Releases, Google. 2012-06-27. accessed October 22, 2026.
  16. Google's Chrome For Android Comes Out Of Beta. Frederic Lardinois, TechCrunch. 2012-06-27. accessed October 22, 2026.
  17. Mobile Browser Market Share Worldwide (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  18. Chrome browser system requirements. Google Chrome Enterprise and Education Help. accessed October 22, 2026.
  19. <meta name="viewport">. MDN Web Docs, Mozilla. accessed October 22, 2026.
  20. 300ms tap delay, gone away. Jake Archibald, Chrome for Developers. 2013-12-12. accessed October 22, 2026.
  21. Adobe announces Flash Player 10.1 for mobile. MacTech. 2010-06-22. accessed October 22, 2026.
  22. Adobe halts Flash Player development for mobile browsers. Mike Rose, Game Developer. 2011-11-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  23. Adobe kills off Flash for Android Jelly Bean. Brid-Aine Parnell, The Register. 2012-06-29. accessed October 22, 2026.
  24. WebView FAQ. Chromium project, chromium.googlesource.com. accessed October 22, 2026.
  25. Android 4.4 KitKat and Updated Developer Tools. Android Developers Blog. 2013-10-31. accessed October 22, 2026.
  26. Android KitKat (Android 4.4 APIs). Android Developers, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  27. Android 5.0 APIs (Lollipop). Android Developers, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  28. Overview of Android Custom Tabs. Chrome for Developers, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  29. Support different pixel densities. Android Developers, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  30. Window: devicePixelRatio property. MDN Web Docs, Mozilla. accessed October 22, 2026.
  31. Mobile Screen Resolution Stats Worldwide (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  32. Mobile and Tablet Android Version Market Share Worldwide (September 2026). StatCounter Global Stats. 2026-09. accessed October 22, 2026.
  33. Chrome 42 Beta: Push Notifications, Promoting Installable Web Apps, and ES6 Classes. John Mellor and Michael van Ouwerkerk, Chromium Blog. 2015-03-12. accessed October 22, 2026.
  34. WebAPKs on Android. web.dev, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  35. Trusted Web Activity. Chrome for Developers, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  36. The Court of Justice confirms the fine of approximately EUR 4.1 billion imposed on Google (Press release No 93/26, Case C-738/22 P). Court of Justice of the European Union. 2026-07-02. accessed October 22, 2026.
  37. Presenting search app and browser options to Android users in Europe. Paul Gennai, The Keyword, Google. 2019-04-18. accessed October 22, 2026.
  38. Remote debug Android devices. Chrome DevTools documentation, Google. accessed October 22, 2026.
  39. Mobile site and mobile-first indexing best practices. Google Search Central. accessed October 22, 2026.

Web Building Encyclopedia. First published October 22, 2026. Last reviewed October 22, 2026. Every fact on this page is linked to a source we opened. Spotted an error? Write to [email protected].