Android Open Source Project

= "The AOSP is an open source operating system development project maintained by Google".

URL = https://source.android.com/

Description

Robert Triggs:

"One of Android’s greatest strengths, and source of occasional frustrations, is its wide variety of software variations. Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and even Google offer their own take on the core Android experience, introducing their own unique features and ideas. This is all made possible thanks to a common base operating system (OS), providing core functionality. All of the Android OS variants that you know and love are based on AOSP – the Android Open Source Project.

The AOSP is an open source operating system development project maintained by Google. Anyone is free to contribute code and fixes to the project repository, but Google oversees its general direction and the bulk of development. The AOSP regularly incorporates the latest bug and security patches for Android. Google also unveils major new features of the OS each year at its I/O developer conference. Android 10 being the latest edition.

As well as being open to contributions, the Android Open Source Project is free to use and alter under an open source license. Smartphone manufacturers, like Samsung and others, are free to tweak the project for their own purposes. However, most phone manufacturers obtain versions of AOSP from a chipset vendor, such as Qualcomm. This is because Android has to be tailored to the low level hardware via drivers, which we’ll get to later on. Either way, Google is happy with this arrangement, as it encourages developers to use Android for a wide range of internet connected gadgets. In return, an array of companies each contribute fixes and improvements to the OS. It’s win-win." (https://www.androidauthority.com/aosp-explained-1093505/?)