Google Mobile Services is not part of the Android open source project, and lots of things that people think of as “Android” - including the Google Play Store and all of Google’s services - aren’t included in Android.
The AOSP code is licensed under a permissive open-source license, and any manufacturer or developer can take the code and use it for what they want.
The open source project is known, simply enough, as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
The device uses the Android OS, and ships with Google Mobile Services, which includes the Google Play Store and other Google apps like Gmail and Google Maps.īut Android is also an open source project. And this isn’t just the Android OS-it’s an Android device the manufacturers have had certified by Google. There’s the Google “Android” you see on devices from Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, and other big device manufacturers. Android, Google Mobile Services, and AOSP The cheapest version of the tablet even ships with lock screen advertisements, and you have to pay a little extra if you want to remove them. Amazon hopes to make more money off you in digital sales. You can get an inexpensive, $50 Kindle Fire tablet-but you’ll have to use Amazon’s appstore and services instead of Google’s. That’s Amazon’s value proposition, after all. If you want the entire ecosystem of Android apps without jumping through hoops, you might want to get a more typical Android tablet.
RELATED: How to Turn an Android or Fire Tablet Into a Kid-Friendly Device with FreeTimeīut what does the difference really mean? Well, if you just want an inexpensive tablet for browsing the web, going through emails, and watching videos, there isn’t that big a difference. These kid-friendly parental-control features are one of Fire OS’s more unique features. Amazon even sells a Fire Tablet designed specifically for kids that bundles in a number of services and adds a nice, “kid-proof” case. The home screen even contains Amazon’s shopping site, making it easy to buy more stuff - and give Amazon more money.įire OS does have a nice, kid-friendly “ Kindle FreeTime” feature that can be combined with an “Unlimited” subscription for access to thousands of kid-friendly educational apps, books, movies, and TV shows. Amazon’s home screen experience can show a grid of apps, but it also shows you videos, music, and ebooks from Amazon. Amazon doesn’t make it possible to change the launcher as you normally can on Android devices, so you’ll be using Amazon’s home screen experience. RELATED: What Custom Android Launchers Are and Why You Might Want to Use One You’ll be using Amazon’s own apps-the Silk Browser instead of Chrome, for example. You also won’t have access to Google’s apps or Google’s services. Instead, you’re limited to Amazon’s Appstore and the apps available there. For the average person, the big difference between a regular Android tablet and Amazon’s Fire tablet is that the Google Play Store isn’t present on the Fire tablet.