Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software, built primarily for smartphones and tablets. Google commercially sponsors Android, which is created by a group of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance. It was revealed in November 2007, and the HTC Dream, the first commercial Android smartphone, was released in September 2008.

It is free and open-source software, with the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) as its source code, which is mostly licensed under the Apache License. Most Android devices, however, come pre-installed with additional proprietary software, the most notable of which being Google Mobile Services (GMS), which comprises core programs like Google Chrome, the digital distribution platform Google Play, and the accompanying Google Play Services development platform.