Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Android Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 4.0) is the fourth major version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google. Unveiled on October 19, 2011, Android 4.0 built upon the significant changes made by the tablet-only release Android Honeycomb, in an effort to create a unified platform for both smartphones and tablet computers. The first phone with Android Ice Cream Sandwich was the Galaxy Nexus.

Android 4.0 focused on simplifying and modernizing the Android experience through a new set of human interface guidelines. As part of these efforts, it introduced a new visual appearance codenamed "Holo", which was built around a cleaner, minimalist design, and a new default typeface named Roboto. It also introduced several other new features, including a refreshed home screen, near-field communication (NFC) support and the ability to "beam" content to another user using the technology, an updated web browser, a new contacts manager with social network integration, the ability to access the camera and control music playback from the lock screen, visual voicemail support, face recognition for device unlocking ("Face Unlock"), the ability to monitor and limit mobile data usage, and other internal improvements.

Android 4.0 received positive reviews from critics, who praised its cleaner, revamped appearance compared to previous versions, along with improved performance and functionality. However, critics still felt that some of Android 4.0's stock apps lacked quality and functionality compared to third-party alternatives. They regarded some of the operating system's new features, particularly the "face unlock" feature, as gimmicks.

As of January 2025, only 0.01% of all Android devices run Android Ice Cream Sandwich.