The Android OS | Android Introduction #2
You now know that the Android OS is one of the most used operating systems across the world, powering billions of devices. In this reading, you will learn more about the Android OS, including its features and architecture.
What is an Android OS?
Android is a Linux-based OS primarily designed for touch screen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. However, the operating system has evolved in recent years into a complete set of operating systems for various other devices, such as wearables, Chromebook laptops and smart TVs.
Some of the unique features and characteristics of the Android OS include:
- Near-field communication (NFC)
- Wi-Fi
- Custom home screen
- Widgets
- App downloads
- Custom ROMs
Let’s explore these features.
NFC
Most Android devices support NFC. This feature makes it easy for electronic devices to communicate over short distances. You can use your NFC enabled Android devices to make contactless payments from a supported debit card, credit card or PayPal account.
Wi-Fi
Android provides an in-built technology that includes support for various Wi-Fi protocols and modes such as Wi-Fi hotspot, and Wi-Fi Direct. With this feature, users can connect to various wireless access points around them.
Custom Home Screen
Android OS allows you to further personalize your home screen the way you like it. While users have the capability to make adjustments to their experience, there are some limits to what you can do.
Widgets
When it comes to home screen customization, widgets are key components. You can see them as at-a-glance views that allow users to see the most important data.
App Downloads
Google provides a seamless way for Android operating system users to download apps on their devices. This way, users can unlock the full potential of the Android operating system.
Custom ROMs
One major feature that distinguishes Android from Apple devices is the ability to run customized and modified versions of the Android operating system to enjoy both user interface experience changes and access to features of a recent operating system on an older device.
The Android OS architecture
The Android OS architecture is made up of different components that any Android device needs to function effectively. Android software is built on top of an open-source Linux kernel and many other C or C++ libraries exposed via application framework services.
Among all the components, the Linux kernel provides the main OS functions for smartphones and the Android Runtime (ART) provides a platform for running an Android application. ART was introduced as a faster replacement for the Dalvik Virtual Machine. An Android OS is a stack of software components roughly divided into five sections:
- Applications
- Applications Framework
- Android Runtime
- Platform Libraries
- Linux Kernel
These are separated into 4 layers, as shown in the architecture diagram below.
