How to find your phone's platform / OS

What is a Mobile Platform / Operating System? 

Every mobile phone is built on a certain platform / operating system (OS) which uses the hardware of the phone to set up its basic functions like music playback, making / receiving calls, etc. It acts as the base on which all the activities of the phone are carried out. It is similar to the Windows, Linux, etc. that we are familiar to in regard to PCs. 

There are various different platforms in the mobile world. And usually, the applications, games & themes of mobiles are not cross-platform compatible, ie, the apps of one mobile platform will not work in a different platform. (There are some exceptions though) Thus, knowing the OS / Platform of your mobile phone can be important.

So, how do I know which platform my phone uses?

For a Nokia phone, visit their site's Devices section. It is an excellent resource where you have to simply select your phone model from the list. Then, you will be redirected to a page containing detailed technical specifications of the phone. And on the very top, the platform of the cell phone will be mentioned. Ex. Series 40 3rd edition, Symbian 60 1st edition, etc.

For a Sony Ericsson phone, visit its Phone Gallery. It is another excellent site. Select your phone model from the dropdown box on the left & you will be directed to a page containing some info & technical specifications of the selected phone. You will find the name of the phone's platform in the technical specs section of the page.

The Windows Mobile OS can be easily recognized because whenever a Windows phone is switched on, the Windows Mobile text & logo is shown. And, if you wish to know the version of your Windows, then read Microsoft's wonderful short article on finding your phone's version of Windows Mobile.

For a Samsung phone, visit their Products page. Then, select your phone model's series & the model from the Phone Search tab on the left. In the resulting phone information page, click on Specifications. Then, expand the Platform tab by clicking on the image on its right. This is where you will find the phone's OS.

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If you use some other phone, then you can follow these general instructions, which should work for most sites :

1. Visit your phone manufacturer's site (You can find the site by searching the manufacturer's name on a search engine)

2. Then, from the site, head over to the Phones / Products section.

3. Select your phone from the list or menu.

4. Check the technical specifications of the phone. This is usually the place where your phone's platform will be stated.

If you can't your phone's OS by this technique, then you can try searching for it. You can use the following syntax in a search engine :

i) "Phone model" platform

OR

ii) "Phone model" OS

where "Phone model" be replaced by the name of the phone model whose platform / OS is to be found. 

So, these are some of the techniques to find your phone's OS.