Is android a company or an operating system?

I find it weird when people compare Android with Apple.

I did some research about my own question, it seems that there used to be an Android, Inc. before google bought it. There is no longer any mention of android inc anywhere any longer

Yeah android now, as it has existed most of its lifetime, is an OS. The best thing to compare is android vs iOS

Only 1 company makes iPhones, so it makes sense to use Apple/iPhone interchangeably. Many companies make Android phones.

@psudo and that is another reason you should not compare an iPhone with Android. since you will be comparing 1 device with a few thousand devices 😂

Or you will be comparing one device with hand picked features of a few thousand devices.

However, it is also sad that many people are thinking that Android = Samsung @psudo

So there is an OS called Apple?...

Android Inc developed what today is marketed as Android. Google acquired them and improved it.

Maybe you remember HipTop. That was the company founded by the people (Andy Rubin) that created Android

Almost. Both iOS and macOS are using the same kernel @Linux

@kekkyojin yes, however, I was unable to find a trace of the company meaning that Google would be the owner of Android, but since Android is open source software, Google is a contributor and not the owner.

With the above, it would be wrong to compare software to a company(Apple Inc.)

There are in fact a few Android operating systems.

Pixel/Nexus's one.

Google's one. This is what is used on most of the major firms (LG, Sony, HTC, Samsung, Motorola...). It requires the device manufacturers to include Play Store and Play Services in order toe advertised as an Android smartphone

Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The one in which is based MIUI, Flyme, and all those Chinese devices which don't include Play Store.

@uziiuzair Google owns the trademarks around it, so while it could be forked, this new version couldn't call itself Android. That's close enough to ownership to me.

It is simple, I think. Google develops Android in secret and then, "when it is done" it frees source code. Then it can be used by the AOSP. except the play services, which are closed source.

Google has been playing a lot with calling open source what in fact it is not.

Same with Chrome.

@psudo actually sorry I forgot to consider trademark. Yes trademark is ownership indeed. Apologies for that.

@kekkyojin
The kernel is not called Apple....

Yes. But it is the same in both of them. @Linux

@kekkyojin
I know, but that is not what I said from the beginning.

@kekkyojin samseng is the worst. I mean common' together with huaweii they rhange every little android-spot and doesnt give u the possibility to root...

@kekkyojin no, their using a licensed version of freebsd