Figure out Your Mobile Operating System
With so many Smart Phones, and other Cell Phones in existence, it may be difficult to know what Operating System it is running. This article should outline what's what in the world of Smart Phone Operating Systems.
Steps
- Turn on your device. You may be able to tell what OS your device is running from its looks, and buttons, but it is best to see it up and running.
- Unlock the phone, if you need to, so you can see the first 'home' screen. By looking at this, you should be able to tell what your device is running.
- Check to see if its running iOS. iPhones, iPod touches and iPads all run iOS. These are the only devices which run it. From the first home screen, you should see a grid of 'floating' icons, with a bar at the bottom (dock) which holds some favourites. On the bottom of the device, there will be a button with a square inside. This quits apps and takes you back to your home screens. Tap settings, then general, then about, to see what version of iOS you are running.
- Check to see if its running Android. Most smartphones run Google's Android OS. Many different phones have many different GUIs so it may be hard to tell if your device is running android. Fish around your device to find the 'Settings' app. Scroll to the bottom of this, tab About Phone and you should find what version of Android you are running. Take a look at the images on this post, to see some different Android devices.
- Check to see if its running Windows Phone 7. When the device is unlocked, you should see many different coloured tiles, on a plain background. These tiles may be animated, and show data as it is received. In the top right, a small white arrow is visible. Tap this, scroll to settings, find the about section and you will see what version of the OS you are running. These phones are relatively new, and there are not many on the market yet.
- Check to see whether it is any other OS! There are so many different Mobile Operating Systems, it would be difficult to list them all. Take a look at the images to see whether your phone matches any. It could be Symbian or WebOS or many more!
- Try heading to a phone shop and asking. Staff will be happy to help in many electronic retailers.
Warnings
- Mobile Operating Systems are updated all the time and the look and feel may entirely change, this article is up to date on Wed 1 Jun 2011.
- iOS 5, the latest version of iOS will be announced in 6th June 2011, and may include large UI changes. Please be aware of this if you are reading the article after this date.
