Apple developed the iOS mobile operating system for the iPhone.
Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 with a software platform originally presented as a version of OS X. Apple later named the iPhone operating system iPhone OS, and it became iOS in 2010. The system powers Apple’s mobile devices and integrates hardware, software, security, and services under one company.
The App Store launched in 2008, allowing users to download third-party applications directly to the iPhone and creating a major software-distribution business. Apple controls the operating-system updates and the rules governing its app ecosystem.
Android is the main competing mobile operating system and is developed by Google. Samsung manufactures many Android phones, but it does not develop iOS. This distinction between a device maker and an operating-system developer is a common source of confusion.