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The version history of the Android mobile operating system began with the release of the Android beta in November 2007. The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released in September 2008. Android is under ongoing development by Google and the Open Handset Alliance, and has seen a number of updates to its base operating system since its original release. These updates typically fix bugs and add new features. Since April 2009, Android versions have been developed under a codename and released in alphabetical order: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and Jelly Bean. As of 2012, over 400 million active devices use the Android OS worldwide. The most recent major Android update was Jelly Bean 4.2, which was announced in October 2012, and was released on commercial devices in November.

Android alpha
There were at least two internal releases inside Google/OHA before the Android beta was released November 2007. The second of these releases was code-named (in a temporary naming scheme) "R2-D2". Dan Morill created some of the first mascotte logos, but the well-known green Android logo was designed by Irina Blok. Ryan Gibson thought of the confections naming scheme that would be used for the public releases (starting with "Cupcake").

Android beta
The Android beta was released on 5 November 2007, while the software development kit (SDK) was released on 12 November 2007. The 5 November date is popularly taken to be Android's "birthday".

Public beta versions of the SDK were released in the following order:
 * m3-rc22a
 * m3-rc37a
 * m5-rc14
 * m5-rc15
 * 0.9
 * 1.0-r1

Android 1.0
Android 1.0, the first commercial version of the software, was released on 23 September 2008. The first Android device, the HTC Dream, incorporated the following Android 1.0 features:

Android 1.1
On 9 February 2009, the Android 1.1 update was released, initially for the HTC Dream only. Android 1.1 was known as "Petit Four" internally, though this name was not used officially. The update resolved, changed the Android API and added a number of features:

Android 1.5 Cupcake
On 30 April 2009, the Android 1.5 update was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.27. This was the first release to officially use a name based on a dessert ("Cupcake"), a theme which would be used for all releases henceforth. The update included several new features and UI amendments:

Android 1.6 Donut
On 15 September 2009, the Android 1.6 SDK – dubbed Donut – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. Included in the update were numerous new features:

Android 2.0/2.1 Eclair
On 26 October 2009, the Android 2.0 SDK – codenamed Eclair – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. Changes included:

Android 2.2.x Froyo
On 20 May 2010, Android 2.2 (Froyo, short for Frozen Yogurt) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32.

Android 2.3.x Gingerbread
On 6 December 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35. Changes included:

Android 3.x Honeycomb
On 22 February 2011, the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first tablet-only Android update – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.36. The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, was released on 24 February 2011. The update's features included:

Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich
The SDK for Android 4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich), based on Linux kernel 3.0.1, was publicly released on 19 October 2011. Google's Gabe Cohen stated that Android 4.0 was "theoretically compatible" with any Android 2.3.x device in production at that time. The source code for Android 4.0 became available on 14 November 2011. The update introduced numerous new features, including:

Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean
Google announced Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) at the Google I/O conference on 27 June 2012. Based on Linux kernel 3.0.31, Jelly Bean was an incremental update with the primary aim of improving the functionality and performance of the user interface. The performance improvement involved "Project Butter", which uses touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended vsync timing and a fixed frame rate of 60 fps to create a fluid and "buttery-smooth" UI. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was released to the Android Open Source Project on 9 July 2012, and the Nexus 7 tablet, the first device to run Jelly Bean, was released on 13 July 2012.

Google was expected to announce Jelly Bean 4.2 at an event in New York City on 29 October 2012, but the event was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. Instead of rescheduling the live event, Google announced the new version with a press release, under the slogan "A new flavor of Jelly Bean". The first devices to run Android 4.2 were LG's Nexus 4 and Samsung's Nexus 10, which were released on 13 November 2012.