Google developed Android after acquiring Android Inc.
Google acquired Android Inc. in 2005, bringing the mobile operating-system project into the company. Android’s first commercial version appeared in 2008 on the HTC Dream, also known as the T-Mobile G1. The system was built on the Linux kernel and designed for touchscreen phones and other connected devices.
Android is now associated with the Google-led Android Open Source Project, while many commercial devices also include Google Mobile Services and the Google Play Store under separate licensing arrangements. This distinction matters because Android’s core code and Google’s proprietary applications are not exactly the same thing.
Samsung is one of Android’s largest device makers, but it did not create Android. Apple developed iOS for the iPhone, and Microsoft developed Windows Phone and related mobile software. Google’s acquisition therefore explains why the Android operating system is connected to the same corporate family as Google Search and YouTube.