Except OEMS don't ship Windows forks with their own SDKs, UI frameworks, custom L&F, alternative stores.

Contrary to Google, Microsoft has a clear position on what OEMs are allowed to do with Windows.

Android OEMs largely don't do that either except for some specific markets where Google isn't a thing. Google does have rules for when you want to be certified and have Google Play and Google services on board, which you mostly do in the West and so OEMs comply.

Sure, they may ship a Samsung skin or preload some of their own junk, same as on Windows. That doesn't make what they ship a different OS.

The one exception would be HarmonyOS, but that's somewhat China specific.

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pjmlp 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Xioami, Huawei and Samsung all have the points I mentioned, with Android forks.

Harmony NEXT is no longer based on Android.

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Matl 4 hours ago | parent [-]

> Xioami, Huawei and Samsung all have the points I mentioned, with Android forks

If I buy a Samsung phone in North America or Europe today I get Google Play as the main app store, Google services etc. and if I want to develop an app for a Samsung Android phone, I use the official Google SDK and Kotlin like for every other Android phone.

They have their own skin and store, but nobody really uses that. Google Play it is, be it Samsung or Xioami. They're very far from offering any kind of genuine alternative to Google Play, Google or Android. Their stores are junkware no different than ASUS preinstalling some antivirus nobody wants.

> Harmony NEXT is no longer based on Android.

That's my point. Huawei is the only OEM offering something different, but not easy to get in Western markets and thus doesn't have app mindshare.

	▲	pjmlp 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Nothing prevents you from using Samsung, Xiaomi or Huawei stores and cloud services, Google Play is only the main store if you configure it as such. Google SDK naturally doesn't have the support for OEMs specific features. Leaving just one Samsung example here, too lazy to dump everything else, https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/galaxy-sdk-getting-star... I am yet to see anyone disable OneUI, MIUI, HyperOS, EMUI for bare bones AOSP UI.

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mitxela 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Google lets these forks do anything they want except things that take away money from Google.

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pjmlp 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Xioami, Huawei and Samsung have their own stores.

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mitxela 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Does this fact take money away from Google?

	▲	pjmlp an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Naturally.

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Matl 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Why are you pretending anyone uses them? These phones ship with Google Play and that's what people use.

	▲	pjmlp 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Because people do use them as well, especially outside Western countries.