android operating system was acquired by google in
Android (operating system) In July 2005,[15] Google acquired Android Inc. for at least $50 million.[20] Its key employees, including Rubin, Miner and White, joined Google as part of the acquisition.[15] Not much was known about the secretive Android at the time, with the company having provided few details other than that it was making software for mobile phones.[15] At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel. Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers on the promise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system.[21] Google had "lined up a series of hardware components and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation".[attribution needed][22]
Google Play Applications are available through Google Play either free of charge or at a cost. They can be downloaded directly on an Android device through the Play Store mobile app or by deploying the application to a device from the Google Play website. Applications exploiting hardware capabilities of a device can be targeted to users of devices with specific hardware components, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling). The Google Play store had over 82 billion app downloads in 2016 and has reached over 2.7 million apps published in 2017. It has been the subject of multiple issues concerning security, in which malicious software has been approved and uploaded to the store and downloaded by users, with varying degrees of severity.
Android (operating system) Initially developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007, with the first commercial Android device launched in September 2008. The operating system has since gone through multiple major releases, with the current version being 8.1 "Oreo", released in December 2017. The core Android source code is known as Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and is primarily licensed under the Apache License.
Google Play Google has redesigned Google Play's interface on several occasions. In February 2011, Google introduced a website interface for then-named Android Market that provides access through a computer.[58] Applications purchased are downloaded and installed on an Android device remotely, with a "My Market Account" section letting users give their devices a nickname for easy recognition.[59] In May 2011, Google added new application lists to Android Market, including "Top Paid", "Top Free", "Editor's Choice", "Top Grossing", "Top Developers", and "Trending".[60][61] In July, Google introduced an interface with a focus on featured content, more search filters, and (in the US) book sales and movie rentals.[62] In May 2013, a redesign to the website interface matched the then-recently redesigned Android app.[63] In July 2014, the Play Store Android app added new headers to the Books/Movies sections, a new Additional Information screen offering a list featuring the latest available app version, installed size, and content rating, and simplified the app permissions prompt into overview categories.[64] A few days later, it got a redesign consistent with the then-new Material Design design language,[65][66] and the app was again updated in October 2015 to feature new animations, divide up the content into "Apps and Games" and "Entertainment" sections, as well as added support for languages read right-to-left.[67][68][69] In April 2016, Google announced a redesign of all the icons used for its suite of Play apps, adding a similar style and consistent look.[70][71] In May 2017, Google removed the shopping bag from the Google Play icon, with only the triangle and associated colors remaining.[72][73]