How to check the Android version on your device: All you need to know

Do you know how to check the Android version on your smartphone or tablet? Sometimes, it seems like my Android is getting a new update every day, and it’s hard to keep up with the changes. However, if you need help using your device or want to see if a cool new app or feature is available for it, you may find yourself struggling to remember: “What Android version do I have?”. Well, you don’t have to guess anymore, because this tutorial illustrates how to check the current Android version on your device, including on Samsung Galaxy:

Contents

1. How to check the Android version on your smartphone or tablet
2. How to check the Android version on Samsung devices
3. Android version names
4. What name would you choose for an Android version or, simply put, what’s your favorite dessert?

How to check the Android version on your smartphone or tablet

Android is the operating system running on your smartphone or tablet, and it’s important to know which one you’re using. The Android version affects the features available on your device and its compatibility with the apps you want to install.

The process of figuring out what version of Android you have on your device is pretty straightforward. To begin, open the Settings app on your Android smartphone or tablet. Because the app is organized differently depending on your device, manufacturer, and Android version, we find it easier to search for the setting we need. A search bar should be available at the top of your screen. If you don’t see it, look for the magnifying glass icon on the upper side of your screen, and then tap on it to open the search field.

Use the Search bar inside the Settings app

Type “about phone” inside the search box, and then tap on the result with that name to open it. If you’re trying to find the Android version on your tablet, insert “about tablet” instead.

Search for About phone

If you scroll down on the About phone/tablet screen, you see a lot of information regarding your device. The data can be organized differently, but you should have no issues finding the Android version entry, which is present on all smartphones and tablets - on a Google Pixel 4a smartphone, it’s located under Device details. The version number should be displayed next to it - in our case, 12.

Check your Android version

TIP: If you hate typing on your Android or can’t find the search bar, you can access the screen above by tapping the About phone entry instead. On stock Android, the option should be available either at the bottom of the Settings menu, as seen below, or in “Settings -> System -> About phone.”

Tap About phone to check the Android version

NOTE: On some Android devices, you might have to first access another section inside the About phone menu to find out what you need. Look for a section with the words software or firmware in its name, tap to open it, and you should see the Android version entry within. That also applies to Samsung smartphones and tablets, as you can read in the next chapter.

How to check the Android version on Samsung devices

Checking the Android version on your Samsung Galaxy is not that different from other devices. First, open the Settings app, scroll down to the bottom, and tap on About phone. If you prefer, you can also search for the entry by pressing the magnifying glass icon, as described in the first section of this tutorial.

Access About phone on your Samsung Galaxy

The data on the About phone screen on your Samsung Android is structured into several sections. To see what version of Android you have on your smartphone or tablet, tap on Software information.

Access Software information

On the Software information page, you can see the Android version entry on top. Your current Android version is displayed within the same entry, as seen below.

Find out the current Android version on Samsung

That was it. You now know the current Android version running on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet. Continue reading to learn more about Android version names.

Android version names

You might have come across the name Android, followed by your favorite dessert. Maybe you read somewhere about Android Oreo, or perhaps, at some point, your friends were discussing Android Pie or Marshmallow while you were eating salad. 🙂 What’s that about? Well, it turns out that Google was using names of desserts (in alphabetical order) for major Android versions. The cutesy codenames have stopped with the launch of Android 10, as you can see in the following list, which includes all the Android version names released to date, starting with the most recent:

• Android 12
• Android 11
• Android 10 - was supposed to be called Queen Cake, but the final product name is Android 10.
• Android 9 - Pie
• Android 8 - Oreo
• Android 7 - Nougat
• Android 6 - Marshmallow
• Android 5 - Lollipop
• Android 4.4 - Kit Kat
• Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean
• Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich
• Android 3.0 - Honeycomb
• Android 2.3 - Gingerbread
• Android 2.2 - Froyo
• Android 2.0 - Eclair
• Android 1.6 - Donut
• Android 1.5 - Cupcake

NOTE: If you are trying to download and install something from the Google Play Store, keep in mind that apps and games are not displayed for you unless your device meets the minimum Android version requirements.

What name would you choose for an Android version or, simply put, what’s your favorite dessert?

While removing the version codenames does avoid confusion, some users had fun with the sweet nicknames given to each Android release. Luckily, Google still uses sweet-inspired Internal codenames, as you can learn from the chart on this page. Before closing this tutorial, let us know what dessert name you’d choose to name an Android version. Leave your answers in the comments below.