Is the Pixel Android still Pure Android? Or Pixel Android?

[arthurhkt]

Well, after the announcement, clearly we can see that Pixel version of Android is not "Vanilla/Pure" as we known anymore....

So what should we call it? Pixel Android? Or it is still Pure Android?

 

[Aquila]

Google has always had its own changes over what's actually vanilla on its devices. I don't see this as different yet, but that could change depending on how things go.

 

[tdizzel]

I'm not sure why we need to call it anything other than Android

 

[arthurhkt]

Google has always had its own changes over what's actually vanilla on its devices. I don't see this as different yet, but that could change depending on how things go.

Yeah, I agree on that. But from what I see here, it's seem the current changes for Pixel UI are quite different compare to the previous Vanilla Android.

Start from the buttons and the icons, it's seem Google want to have their own unique version of Android, not just any version where later on other MOD will follow the UI design.

 

[Aquila]

So it's still android and still "pure" android if we think of the android that was on nexus devices as "pure", but it also has it's own "skin" similar in concept to that which HTC, Moto, Samsung, etc. apply with Sense, Blur, TouchWiz, etc. So far it sounds that UI is being called Pixel UI, but I am not sure if that's official.

 

[arthurhkt]

I'm not sure why we need to call it anything other than Android

That because that's the whole point of Android, there is many version of it, not just OS version, but even the UI too. Previously people call the Nexus version of Android as Pure Android because it was how Google want it to be, fast and bloatware-less, everything just Pure and Google, like the UI on Motorola devices. However, since the introduce of Pixel, it seem to me that Google wanted a Android version of it own, not just some Pure Android, but a Android really just for Google itself.

 

[Ry]

Pure Google.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

It's still Android, just with Google's improvements on top. Whether or not it's "pure" Android is open to your interpretation. Is what Google did before your idea of pure? Then yes, this is still essentially pure Android with added fixin's. Is AOSP your idea of pure Android? Then no, this is not pure Android (and Google's version on the Nexus hasn't been for a while, in that case).

For what it's worth, I consider it still to be pure Android with extra bits sprinkled on top, since Android these days is mostly what Google makes of it.

 

[cactuspete23]

I heard that Pixel(s) have some Android features that no other phones will have... So it may be a slightly enhanced version of Android?

 

[TerryTheTerror]

If the previous definition of pure Android for the Nexus devices was Android as Goggle intended then that's surely what the Pixel phone will be. OK, it's going to have some stuff no other devices will have but, as the owner of the platform, this is going to be how Google want it to be.

 

[arthurhkt]

Pure Google.

Well yeah, I guess that how it goes, it will no longer as Pure Android, but fully Pure Google.

 

[arthurhkt]

It's still Android, just with Google's improvements on top. Whether or not it's "pure" Android is open to your interpretation. Is what Google did before your idea of pure? Then yes, this is still essentially pure Android with added fixin's. Is AOSP your idea of pure Android? Then no, this is not pure Android (and Google's version on the Nexus hasn't been for a while, in that case).

For what it's worth, I consider it still to be pure Android with extra bits sprinkled on top, since Android these days is mostly what Google makes of it.

Hm.... but at least the during the Nexus era, the latest version functionality will baked into Android it self, but with the latest Pixel, it seem Google had it own functionality which only available on the Pixel device, just like what Samsung does to TouchWiz.

 

[arthurhkt]

I heard that Pixel(s) have some Android features that no other phones will have... So it may be a slightly enhanced version of Android?

From what I can see, it seem Google would add more propriety functionality to Pixel series, which make them doesn't just slightly enhanced

 

[arthurhkt]

If the previous definition of pure Android for the Nexus devices was Android as Goggle intended then that's surely what the Pixel phone will be. OK, it's going to have some stuff no other devices will have but, as the owner of the platform, this is going to be how Google want it to be.

Well, I agree on your last sentence, it's belong to Google and Google have every right to do what they want to it.

 

[Richard Servello]

It is "pure" Android. Install now launcher if you want a more AOSP experience. Pixel launcher looks a lot better imho tho.

 

[arthurhkt]

It is "pure" Android. Install now launcher if you want a more AOSP experience. Pixel launcher looks a lot better imho tho.

I tried to install on my Nexus 4 and it's not working, while it's working on my Nexus 5, but we couldn't get the updated icons

 

[anon(9419666)]

I am not sure rather the google pixel is pure or not, but the Verizon version is probably not.

 

[Don Chill]

Doesn't really matter what kind of Android it's called. What's important is that the software updates and security patches are timely and regular.

 

[Momi7]

It is pure Android with some extra features. It is a strategy to differentiate Pixel (or Nexus) phones from other Android phones. So that the Pixel phones would stand out and sell more.

 

[cactuspete23]

I just hope that Android will keep improving and adding more functions for Pixels,and ALL Android phones/tablets etc !