Amazon Fire tablets are powered by the Fire OS – the company’s own operating system. Fire OS is founded on Android by Google, however it does not run any Google services or apps. Based on experts who sell electronics, it’s incorrect to say that an Amazon Fire tablet runs the Android OS. But it also can’t be denied that the said tablet runs several Android codes. In fact, all the apps and services you can download and install on a Fire tablet are from Android.

The Big Difference

For an average person, the big distinction between Amazon Fire and Google Android is that the former doesn’t run Google Play Store. This means you are restricted to the Amazon Appstore, only having access to what’s within the Amazon network. In addition, you will not have access to any service or app from Google. For instance, rather than Chrome, you’ll be using the Silk Browser.

Amazon also makes it impossible to change or switch the gadget launcher as you can normally do with an Android device. You have to use the company’s home screen experience where a grid of apps is shown, alongside with eBooks, music, and videos from Amazon. It even displays the Amazon shopping site for easy shopping access.

Fire OS comes with a kid-friendly feature called Kindle Free Time. This add-on can be merged with your unlimited subscription to gain access to hundreds of educational apps, books, movies, and television shows intended for children. Amazon’s pro-kids parental control features are among the operating system’s more exceptional features.

The Value

What does the difference between the two mean for users? If you just need an affordable tablet for the basics – browsing the internet, sending and replying to emails, listening to music,

and watching videos – there is not much of a difference. But if you want the complete Android ecosystem (apps and services) without complications, buy a generic Android tablet. All things considered, that is the value proposition of Amazon. You can buy a cheap $50 Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, but you are required to just use Amazon apps and services rather than Google’s. From a marketing perspective, the company can get more profit from you in terms of digital sales.

The Need for Fire OS

Amazon developed its own operating system for its tablets. But, instead of starting from the very beginning, the company used the Android Open Source Project code and developed the Fire OS. Android is an open source project, which is the AOSP. This code is certified under the permissive open-source license. This means any vendor or developer can use and alter the code for whatever reason they want.

The AOSP was a tremendous help, not just for Amazon, but for other amateur and professional developers. With Amazon, the code saved the company a lot of time and effort since they can just piggyback off Google’s endeavors as opposed to starting from scratch. All active Android apps can easily be ported to the Fire, which is essentially how Android works.