Which company is the primary developer of Android?
Answer
Google is the primary developer of Android.
Android began at Android Inc., founded in 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. Google acquired the company in 2005 and brought its team into Google, where development shifted toward a Linux-based mobile platform for phones and other devices.
The Open Handset Alliance helped develop and promote Android, which is why some references list the alliance as Android’s developer. In practice, Google leads the Android platform, maintains the Android Open Source Project, develops major releases, and controls Google’s proprietary additions such as Google Mobile Services.
A common mix-up is confusing Android’s software developer with phone manufacturers. Samsung, Motorola, and HTC have produced Android devices, but they do not primarily develop the Android operating system itself. They customize it for their hardware and may add their own interfaces and applications.