{"id":10207,"date":"2021-03-21T17:44:17","date_gmt":"2021-03-21T17:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/?p=10207"},"modified":"2021-03-21T17:45:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-21T17:45:02","slug":"what-mobile-operating-system-does-fire-os-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/what-mobile-operating-system-does-fire-os-use\/","title":{"rendered":"What Mobile Operating System Does Fire OS Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Amazon\u2019s enduringly popular Fire tablets run on Fire OS operating system, but what is this and why should you care?<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s what we\u2019ll be walking you through today with this brief guide to the stripped-down OS that keeps these devices ticking over.<\/span><\/p>\n While this operating system is based on Android, you won\u2019t benefit from any apps or services from Google. It\u2019s more accurate to say that Fire tablets run lots of Android code and make use of Android apps rather than claiming that they run on Android. They don\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fire OS, then, is a mobile operating system created by Amazon and based on Android.<\/span><\/p>\n This OS is intended for the Fire tablets, phone, and TV, as well as some Echo devices.<\/span><\/p>\n The operating system is forked from Android\u2019s open source operating system. It\u2019s packed with proprietary software, and the user interface is customized so it focuses primarily on content consumption. There are heavy links to content found in Amazon\u2019s own storefronts or services. This is not surprisingly, as most tech firms like to lock you into their ecosystem. Amazon is no different, it just does things bigger and better.<\/span><\/p>\n Since its inception, Kindle Fire has always utilized tweaked Android distributions, but the operating system was only labeled Fire OS starting with the third iteration of Fire tablets. The earlier models ran on an operating system \u201c<\/span>based on Android<\/span><\/i>\u201d, while Fire OS 3.0 is termed \u201c<\/span>compatible with Android<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Now, before we explore some of the core differences between Fire OS and Android upon which it\u2019s based, a glimpse at the Fire and other devices running this OS\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following devices all run on Fire OS:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the average consumer, the main difference between Fire OS and Android is obvious and striking: you can\u2019t access Google Play Store on Fire tablets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What can you do instead, then?<\/span><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, you\u2019ll be limited to the Amazon Appstore. You\u2019ll also be using all of Amazon\u2019s apps rather than Google apps, so that\u2019ll be Silk browser rather than Chrome.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond this ecosystem issue, there are other differences between these operating systems.<\/span><\/p>\n On Android devices, you get the freedom to tweak the launcher. With Fire OS, you\u2019ll get the default home screen experience whether you like it or not. This typically shows a grid layout of apps, but you\u2019ll also see music, videos, and e-books from Amazon here. There\u2019s even a portal for Amazon\u2019s own marketplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n None of these elements are unexpected. As mentioned, tech companies all like to draw you in and make it as hard as possible for you to leave their ecosystem while making them as much money as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n Fire OS offers a nice touch with Kindle FreeTime. This is a kid-friendly feature allowing you to combine an Amazon Unlimited subscription to yield child-appropriate content like books, movies, TV shows, and educational apps. As an added bonus, the <\/span>Fire Kids Edition<\/span><\/a> coms in a rugged case and a 2-year worry-free warranty. Fire OS, then, is designed with kids in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n What does the difference between these operating systems really boil down to, then?<\/span><\/p>\n For anyone who just wants a cheap tablet for basic web browsing, accessing email, and watching a movie, there\u2019s little material difference between the operating systems. You\u2019ll only be scratching the surface of the capabilities of either.<\/span><\/p>\n If you want access to the full ecosystem of Android apps without rooting and otherwise jumping through hoops, Fire OS won\u2019t make the grade.<\/span><\/p>\n All said, this seems a reasonable trade-off: get an inexpensive tablet for fifty bucks, but use Amazon\u2019s app store and services in place of the mighty G\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n The bottom line, Amazon wants to make as much money as possible from you in terms of digital sales. Think about the cheapest version of Fire, for instance. This comes loaded with lock-screen ads you can only remove by paying.<\/span><\/p>\n Ultimately, there are actually two Androids\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n On devices like those made by LG, HTC, and Samsung, you\u2019ll get an Android device that\u2019s certified by Google. All these devices use Android OS. They all come bundled with Google Mobile Services, including Google Play Store and the full suite of Google apps like Google Maps and Gmail.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond this, Android is also an open source project.<\/span><\/p>\n The AOSP (<\/span>Android Open Source Project<\/span><\/a>) code is open source-licensed so that any developer or manufacturer can take and use the code for their own purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n AOSP does not include Google Mobile Services, though, and it doesn\u2019t include other components of Android that are licensed separately.<\/span><\/p>\n This code is used on the cheapest Chinese Android tablets, and you\u2019ll need to install all the Google apps separately.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Amazon launched its own tablets, the company wanted to build its own operating system. It made economic sense to work from the Android AOSP code rather than starting from scratch to create a new operating system from the ground up.<\/span><\/p>\n Not only did this approach save Amazon time and money, but all existing Android apps can be ported to Fire OS.<\/span><\/p>\n This brings an obvious question: why didn\u2019t Amazon decide to use Google\u2019s Android instead?<\/span><\/p>\n Well, we return to the same point already raised: Amazon wants to remain in control of the entire experience. It\u2019s clearly in the company\u2019s interests to get you using Amazon Appstore, Prime, Amazon Music and the Kindle apps rather than handing you over to Google Play for your purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ultimately, the raison d\u2019etre for the Fire tablets is to provide a cheap window into the Amazon suite of services.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The similarities between Android and Fire OS mean there are some simple steps you can take to recreate the Android experience without going to the trouble of <\/span>rooting your Fire device<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n You can:<\/span><\/p>\n It goes unsaid that these moves are supported by neither Amazon nor Google, but you can achieve this if you\u2019re prepared to put in a little groundwork. We\u2019ll leave it to you to make your own decision and do your own research here.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you want an inexpensive tablet that\u2019s ideal for reading books, browsing a variety of media, and checking your email and social media accounts, an Amazon Fire tablet makes perfect sense.<\/span><\/p>\n For all those looking to embrace the whole Google ecosystem without hacking their way around, Android is the best option.<\/span><\/p>\n You should now be clear on the differences between Fire OS and Android, and we hope you enjoyed today\u2019s quick guide. Bookmark <\/span>Pick My Reader<\/span><\/a> before you go, and be sure to pop back soon!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amazon\u2019s enduringly popular Fire tablets run on Fire OS operating system, but what is this and why should you care? That\u2019s what we\u2019ll be walking you through today with this brief guide to the stripped-down OS that keeps these devices … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"modified_by":"Filip","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10208,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10207\/revisions\/10208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickmyreader.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Is Fire OS?<\/b><\/h2>\n
What Devices Run on Fire OS?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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What\u2019s The Difference Between Fire OS and Android?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Why Did Amazon Create Fire OS Rather Than Using Google\u2019s Android?<\/b><\/h2>\n
How Can You Make Fire OS More Like Android?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h2>\n