What is Android? We’re not talking about robots. In this case, we’re talking about smartphones. Android is a popular Linux-based mobile operating system developed by Google. The Android operating system (OS) powers phones, watches, and car stereos. Let’s take a closer look and find out what Android really is.
What is Android? Back to Basics
Android is a widely adopted open-source project. Google actively develops the Android platform, but gives away parts of it for free to hardware manufacturers and carriers who want to use Android on their devices. Google only charges manufacturers if they also install the Google apps portion of the operating system.
Many (but not all) major devices that use Android also opt into the Google apps portion of the service. One notable exception is Amazon. While Kindle Fire tablets use Android, they do not use the Google portions, and Amazon maintains a separate Android app store.
Android powers phones and tablets, but Samsung has experimented with Android interfaces on non-phone electronics like cameras and refrigerators. Android TV is a gaming and streaming platform that uses Android.
