Android Phones

Which version of Android am I using?

Which version of Android
KitKat or Oreo? Your Android version has a sweet name

Do you know which version of Android is running on your smartphone or tablet? If not, you’re far from alone. Working out which version of Android you’re running is no cakewalk.

With Apple’s iOS, you’re battered with daily reminders to install the latest update until one day the phone threatens to SMS your wife with details of the affair you’re having with Julie from accounts unless you install iOS 11.4.5.5.

Android devices, on the other hand, can be left languishing on older versions of the OS for months before an update is issued by their manufacturer – if said update even comes along at all.

So how do you tell which version of Android you’re using?

How to check which version of Android you’re running

These instructions will show you how to find which version of Android you’re running on Samsung Galaxy handsets, by far the most popular type of Android phone.

The instructions may vary for devices from other manufacturers, but they will be broadly the same. Look for similarly named settings.

On Samsung Galaxy devices, open the Settings app, scroll down to “About phone”, and then click on Software Information in the screen that opens. At the very top of that screen, you’ll see which Android version you’re running.

Different versions of Android have different confectionary-themed codenames, which you’ll often hear banded around on tech websites. Here are the codenames for the past few versions of Android, to help you make sense of it all:

Version number Codename
4.1 – 4.3 Jelly Bean
4.4 KitKat
5 Lollipop
6 Marshmallow
7 Nougat
8 Oreo

Those of you who weren’t dragged up through a state comprehensive will have noticed the codenames progress in alphabetical order. If version 9 isn’t p-p-p-pick up a Penguin, we’re gonna be furious.

Now read this: how do I run Android apps in Windows?

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About the author

Barry Collins

Barry has scribbled about tech for almost 20 years for The Sunday Times, PC Pro, WebUser, Which? and many others. He was once Deputy Editor of Mail Online and remains in therapy to this day. Email Barry at barry@bigtechquestion.com.

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