Is the Kindle Fire HD6 Kids Edition an Android Tablet?

The version of Android that a tablet runs can make a difference to what it is compatible with. However, the Kindle Fire HD 6 Kids Edition, being one of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet range, does not run on Google’s version of Android. As the Android operating system is open source, other companies can take it and design their own operating system using it as a base, which is what Amazon has done.

The HD 6 Kids Edition therefore runs on something different to the standard Android OS and can’t be directly compared to it. Instead, it runs on Fire OS, the current version of which is Fire OS 4 “Sangria”.

Fire OS 4 integrates the Android system with Amazon’s own products, with some exclusive features such as the Family Library which links to an Amazon account, and allows different profiles to be set up, four for children and two for adults.

Although most normal Android apps will work on the Kindle, some will not, so it’s important to check compatibility. In addition, there are also some apps designed to be used specifically on the Kindle Fire. These will normally be found in the Amazon Appstore.