What is the latest version of Android and how to check yours

Many people, especially our readers, use the Android operating system on a daily basis when interacting with their Android phones and tablets. Still, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest Android version. The change in naming convention from Marshmallow and Nougat on Android 12 and 13 made things a bit easier, but you might still be wondering.

So what is the latest version of Android? We bring you up to date.

The answer isn’t quite as simple as you might expect. At the time of writing, Android 13 is the latest full Android version released in August 2022.

However, Android 14 is in beta and many users can already try it out. The first Android 14 developer preview was released on February 8, 2023, and on May 10, Google unveiled Android 14 Beta 2 at its I/O developer conference. You may have missed it from the hardware announcements and AI demonstrations.

The second Android 14 beta is available on multiple phone brands, not just Google Pixel phones. It’s not the finished product yet and some users – most notably Samsung owners – can’t access it just yet, but it’s on track to have a full release later in 2023.

How to check the Android version of your phone

You can easily check your phone’s Android version from the settings menu. The exact steps depend on which handset you own, but the process of finding it is pretty much the same on all Android devices.

These steps show how to do it on the OnePlus 10 Pro.

1. Go to yours settings menu. It can be accessed from the app widget or from the pull-down drawer, as in the screenshot above. It is usually represented by a gear icon.
2. Scroll down until you see this Via phone or About the device option and tap on it.
3. On the next page, scroll down until you see the following Android version, and you should see a number next to it indicating which version you have. Tapping this button will also show you the latest Android security update you installed.

You can see your current OS version by following the steps above. For an Android phone, this is likely to be the OEM system on an Android version such as Android. B. OxygenOS on the OnePlus devices. By tapping on this version you can then press Check for updates and proceed to install the latest Android version. Check out our dedicated guide on how to update your phone to the latest Android version.

While Google releases the latest Android version on a schedule, it’s up to individual manufacturers to figure out when to push the updates out to their users. If you are unable to update your phone to the latest version, your OEM may not have released a tailored update yet.

If you have an older device, there is a chance that you will no longer receive updates. Each device only receives a certain number of Android updates. So if you keep your handset long enough, eventually it will stop updating.

For example, the Samsung Galaxy S23 was released earlier this year and Samsung has committed to four software updates for the series. That means Android 14 will be the first update and Android 17 will be the last, probably in 2026. If you still own this device in 2027 when Android 18 comes out, you won’t be entitled to it.