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Android Gingerbread

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Android Gingerbread
Version of the Android operating system
Android 2.3.7 on an Android SDK emulator
DeveloperGoogle
Initial releaseDecember 6, 2010; 13 years ago (2010-12-06)[1]
Final release2.3.7_r1 (GWK74)[2] / September 21, 2011; 12 years ago (2011-09-21)
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
Preceded byAndroid 2.2.3 "Froyo"
Succeeded byAndroid 3.0 "Honeycomb" (tablets)
Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" (smartphones)
Official websitedeveloper.android.com/about/versions/android-2.3-highlights.html Edit this at Wikidata
Support status
Unsupported, Google Play Services support dropped since January 2017[3]

Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the seventh version of Android, a codename of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google and released in December 2010, for versions that are no longer supported.

Version

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The Gingerbread release introduced support for near field communication (NFC)—used in mobile payment solutions—and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)—used in VoIP internet telephones.[4] The first phone with Android Gingerbread was the Nexus S.

Gingerbread's user interface was refined, making it easier to master, faster to use, and more power-efficient. A simplified color scheme with a black background gave vividness and contrast to the notification bar, menus, and other user interface components. Improvements in menus and settings resulted in easier navigation and system control.

The Nexus S smartphone, released in December 2010, was the first phone from the Google Nexus line that ran Gingerbread, and also the first one from the line with built-in NFC functionality.[5]

As of October 2022, statistics issued by Google indicate that 0.11% of all Android devices accessing Google Play were running on Gingerbread.[6] Google ceased sign-in support for Gingerbread on September 27, 2021.[7]

Features

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See also: Android version history § Android 2.3 Gingerbread

New features introduced by Gingerbread include the following:

  • Updated user interface design, providing increased ease of use and efficiency.
  • Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher).
  • Native support for SIP VoIP internet telephones.
  • Improved text input using the virtual keyboard, with improved accuracy, better text suggestions, and voice input capability.
  • Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowing users to select a word by press-holding, copying, and pasting.
  • Support for Near Field Communication (NFC), allowing the user to read NFC tags embedded in posters, stickers, or advertisements.
  • New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost.
  • New Download Manager, giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application.
  • Support for multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available.
  • Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding.
  • Improved power management, including more active management of power-consuming applications.
  • Enhanced support for native code development.
  • A switch from YAFFS to ext4 file system on newer devices.
  • Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers.
  • Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance.
  • Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers).
  • The first Android easter egg, which depicts the Android mascot standing beside a zombified gingerbread man in a field of other zombies talking on cell phones, presumably Android smartphones.
  • Improved speed over Froyo due to system updates.
Three modern phones showing Android Gingerbread's Easter Egg image

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Android 2.3 Platform and Updated SDK Tools". Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  2. ^ "Android Source". Google Git. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  3. ^ "Google to drop the support from Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) devices". November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Graham, Flora (December 7, 2010). "What's new in Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread?". CNET. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. ^ Hollister, Sean (November 15, 2010). "The Nexus S: a closer look". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Distribution dashboard". Android Developers. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Pollack, Zak (July 26, 2021). "Sign-in on Android devices running Android 2.3.7 or lower will not be allowed starting September 27". Google. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
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