Stock Android. It’s a term you’ll have likely read across the internet, but one that nevertheless can sometimes not make much sense. Surely all iterations of the Android operating system are ‘stock’ in their own way? Well, not exactly. Stock Android is regarded as the proper, Google-optimised version of the OS, the kind of which you’d find running on a Nexus or Google Play Edition device, and indeed is the sort of OS you really should be running. Why? Well, it’s quite simply a better OS than manufacturer-optimised Android iterations.

Stock Android is great because it lacks the bugs and lagging that can plague devices running ‘optimised’ versions of the OS. Whilst this sort of issue has indeed been resolved by LG, HTC, Samsung and Sony, to name but a few vendors, Google simply knows the operating system better, and as such the experience provided was better, not requiring users to delve in to the firmware – voiding their warranties – in an effort to stabilise their OS.

Of course, simply having a stable OS is a rather basic requirement in the melee that is the smartphone market, and here Google have consistently strived to provide the best product for users. The Google Play store, home of all of those important apps, has ballooned from hosting 1 million apps in July 2013 to 1.4 million in February 2015, offering players the ability to learn from the skies with Star Chart, to providing exciting casino entertainment via www.europalace.com/; today, it’s the best place to find apps and lacks the compatibility and release issues that sometimes plague iOS users.

Android Mobile OS

Then there’s Android for Work, Google’s 2014 effort at providing a set of tools for enterprise users. Work was a roaring success and a very useful addition to the OS, offering work-centred apps such as word processors, email, productivity and office apps that were designed to be completely separated from one’s personal apps.

All of this has been bolstered by a great number of security upgrades. App permissions were given a re-think in March this year, providing users with far greater control over their devices in a manner reminiscent of Facebook’s approach to app management. Google Play’s security mechanisms have also been continually boosted, and with the inclusion of SELinux – an additional layer of security for the OS upon which Android is based – Android phones have become some of the safest out there.

So what could we see in the future from Stock Android? Well, Android M is supposedly being produced with improvements in battery and RAM usage planned, whilst possible changes to privacy controls should give users more freedom concerning what information they choose to share with applications. Android could be poised to get even better!

(Picture: Creative Commons Pixabay)