MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEM

A mobile operating system (OS) is the software that allows mobile devices like phones, tablets and other smart devices like wearable technology to run applications and other programs. Most mobile operating systems only work on specific hardware. For example, an iPhone runs on iOS and a Google Pixel runs on Android.

So, back to the first point. How many people do you know have a Windows phone? How about a Blackberry? Exactly. Now, Samsung is the outlier here, but it’s a little misleading. Most Samsung smartphones, such as the Galaxy branded devices, actually run on Android. Bada was discontinued in 2013, when Samsung developers merged it with the Tizen project. Tizen runs on Samsung Z phones, smartwatches, cameras, and other smart devices like refrigerators. Yes, you read that correctly.

The two biggest mobile operating systems are Android and iOS, with a combined 98.7% of the market share in the United States. Android has a slightly larger user base which is largely attributed to its availability on devices from a variety of manufacturers including HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and more. On the other hand, iOS only runs on Apple products.Android vs. iOS

Google had a head start on Apple, with Android first released in 2008. Known then as “Astro”, it went through a ton of updates to “Cupcake,” “Donut,” “Eclair,” “Froyo,” etc. See a pattern here? Android developers made the update codenames confectionary-themed, in alphabetical order of course. The latest update to Pie, aka Android 9.0, was released in 2018.

iOS 1.0, internally called “Alpine,” was first released in 2011 with the first iPhone. Apple doesn’t use public codenames for iOS as it does for macOS, but don’t worry they still exist within the company – named after ski resorts like “Big Bear” and Telluride.” The latest update to iOS 12, or "Peace," was released in 2018.