Android

Android is a Mobile Operating system, originally built by Android Inc and later bought by Google in 2005. It is used as an operating system for many smartphones across a wide range of manufaturers and holds a significant market internationally, with 75% of smartphones sold in 2013 running on some version of Android OS.

Android Versions
Android has been through a number of significant updates to it's operating system since it's release. Below are the major changes and functionality that each update introduced. This table begins with Android 1.5, the first Android version that ran on a Telecom supported device. For earlier versions please see the full list of Android versions here.

Manufacturer 'Overlays'
Because of Android's open source nature, manufacturers are able to make changes to the look and operation of Android on their devices. This can mean that two devices running the same version of Android can have a vastly different look with vastly different features. In Telecom supported devices there are two major manufacturers that add these overlays to their devices, HTC (HTC Sense) and Samsung (Touchwiz), although almost every manufacturer makes at least subtle changes to the look of Android.

Updates
In order to ensure all new versions of Android function correctly on the Smartphone network, all updates are tested thoroughly by our own technicians after they are released by the manufacturer. This testing can occasionally result in the delayed release of updates to our customers but reduces the risk of a device becoming faulty or not performing to standard on our network.