Android is an open source software platform and operating system used for mobile devices. It is based on the Linux kernel and developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. Android has seen many version updates since its initial release in 2008. It is a multi-layered software stack with the ARM architecture, libraries, runtime, application framework, and core apps. Android is popular due to being free, open source, customizable, and having a large selection of applications. The future looks promising with Android sales projected to surpass iPhone and more companies adopting the platform.