No need to root

[anon(6142785)]

Can someone explain "vanilla Android"?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[piratefan]

This phone has reenergized my enthusiasm for Android!

 

[KWKSLVR]

Can someone explain "vanilla Android"?

Posted via Android Central App

It's just a term to refer to Android as Google "presents" it to the public. Samsung adds it's own "flavor" to Android with TouchWiz. HTC adds it's own "flavor" to Android with Sense, etc. "Vanilla" Android is what you find on Google's Nexus line of devices. They are devices that are optimized for Android, A' la carte Google-style. It used to be "AOSP" (Android Open Source Project) that you found on Nexus devices. Now, it's a little different than that, but generally speaking you can kind of call it the same thing.

What Android looks and feels like on the Moto X is "Vanilla Android" like you'd find if you built Android yourself from the AOSP or if you bought a Nexus off of the Play Store... with a few changes that are more functional than visual, like active notifications, always listening, flicking your wrist to activate the camera. Motorola kept it's version of Android close to how Google packages it and because of that updates come more quickly and potentially in larger number than you'd see with a device running TouchWiz or Sense. It also means that the software is "lighter". It takes up less storage space giving you more room for stuff, and it takes less hardware to make things go which is always beneficial (especially in the battery life department). We say that it's "Vanilla Android", but it really isn't. It's just really, really close.