Google imposes certain terms on phone and tablet manufacturers in return for key apps on that free operating system, says The Wall Street Journal. Android is free to device makers, but it seems there are a few catches.

Is the Android operating system free?

The Android mobile operating system is free for consumers and for manufacturers to install, but manufacturers need a licence to install Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play store – collectively called Google Mobile Services (GMS).

Is Android code open source?

Android’s code is open source, so we can’t prevent someone from using an old version to launch a device.