What is stock Android?

 

We’ve all heard the term before, but what is stock Android exactly? Stock Android, also known by some as vanilla or pure Android, is the most basic version of the OS designed and developed by Google. It’s an unmodified version of Android, meaning device manufacturers have installed it as is.
Android is an open-source operating system, which means companies can modify it to their liking. They do so by adding what’s known as a custom skin or user interface on top of the OS, which changes its look and feel as well as adds new features. These skins include Samsung Experience, HTC Sense, EMUI (Huawei), and OxygenOS (OnePlus), to name a few.
Some skins, like Huawei’s EMUI, change the overall Android experience quite a bit. For example, until EMUI 5.0 came along, owners of Huawei smartphones didn’t have an app drawer. All the apps installed on a device were placed on the home screen, just like on iPhones.

On the other hand, we have skins like OxygenOS from OnePlus that have a different approach. OxygenOS looks and feels almost exactly like stock Android but does have a few extra features on board. These include Reading Mode that filters out blue light for a better reading experience, and App Locker which secures your data-sensitive apps from prying eyes. The software also allows you to open an app of your choice by drawing an O, V, S, M, or W on the display while it’s turned off, and much more.
With stock Android, you get none of that — you only get the features developed by Google. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Stock Android has many advantages over customized versions of the OS.