Licensing

Bliss Bass inherits the same Apache v2 licensing that AOSP uses for most of the components, while many of the other components like Android-Generic Project use GPL-2.0 license.
For product use, we do not include proprietary components like Google Apps, Native-Bridge, and widevine. Some features and toolkits like our rebranding toolkit would require additional licensing to be obtained by the customer.

- AOSP Licenses - Bliss OS License - Bliss ROM License - Android-Generic Project License - Boringdroid License -

For Bliss Bass/Bliss OS source, we do catalog all the repos used and their licenses. You can view that here.

All about that Bass, no Treble

FAQ

Q: Does Bliss Bass include proprietary software?

A: Yes. Our FOSS and Vanilla builds might include some proprietary parts for drivers, firmware and media codecs.

Proprietary redistributables in all Bliss OS public builds:
- linux-firmware blobs
- Proprietary linux drivers (broadcom-wl for example)
- some media codecs (for decoding H.264/HEVC)

Q: Is Bliss Bass suitable for individuals?

A: Yes, but we are targeting the product manufacturers directly with these releases, so the builds are all a little bare-bones and there are no plans of releasing Bliss Bass with any Proprietary Google components and services, like Play Store.

Q: Is Bliss Bass suitable for companies?

A: Yes. We produce minimal vanilla and FOSS builds of Bliss-Bass with x86/x86_64 PC hardware support. Bliss-Bass builds come with only proprietary drivers, firmware and media support included, and those are available to test with. While those builds are very basic, they do include much of what would be needed to base a product off of. If your product requires no additional changes on top of what is released to the public, then you are free to use it at no cost.
If your product requires Google Apps, ARM/ARM64 Native-Bridge, or Widevine, due to licensing restrictions from their holding companies, we are unable to provide support. In those cases, we suggest that you reach out and we can help you look into alternative options using open-source solutions.

Q: Is there a Bliss Bass version with Google Play Store?

A: No. Google Play Store and Google Mobile Services is not abailable to license for generic devices. This is why we use open-source alternatives for compatibility with most of what GMS offers. The open-source solutions we offer are:
- microG: A free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries.
- Aurora Store: An unofficial FOSS client to Google Play with an elegant design and privacy
- Neo-Store: An F-Droid client with modern UI and an arsenal of extra features.
- Need Your Own?: Custom F-Droid based store options are available

Q: Can my company use Bliss Bass in a product?

A: Yes, This applies to Android-PC (AOSP), Bliss OS, Bliss OS Go or Bliss Bass sources. If you are an individual developer, a startup, or represent some other business enterprise and you are interested in using our project, the open-source licenses we maintain allow you to use the source at no cost as long as you use it:
A) as-is, meaning you make no changes to how we release it.
B) you contribute any changes made back to our source repos.
C) produce the full source to the public independently, maintaining full git attribution.

If you would like to use our source and make changes to it that you do not plan on or are not able to release as open-source, we request you contact us to work out a per-device licensing agreement and/or setup a development contract for branding, optimizations and specific needs.

Q: Does my company have to release any changes made to the collective source code of Bliss Bass?

A: This all depends on where the changes in the source were made, as many repos in the project retain a different OSS Licenses, there are different requirements per repo. If you are unsure if your company needs to release the source for any of the changes made, please feel free to contact us.

Another thing to pay attention to is if the tools being used require the end product or alterations to be released. Some Apache 2.0 licensed projects allow for that requirement to be made. Some versions of Android-Generic Project also have similar licensing requirements. We have put together a toolkit to help identify these types of licenses within the source. You can find that here.

Q: Do Bass builds work with the Bliss installers for Windows/Linux?

A: No, the Bass builds use a new image setup for A/B OTA updates, and that prevents it from working when installed by the legacy Bliss OS/Android-x86 installers.

Q: Can I still dual-boot with Bass builds?

A: Yes, but we do not include a method in the installer to do this automatically. You will have to install to a separate ext4 partition, and make sure that you either A) update your host OS's bootloader to add entries for Bass builds. Or B) opt-in to let the installer install Grub, and manage using 2 bootloaders at the same time.

Licensing Questions?

We try to offer a wide variety of licensing options that cater to organizations of all sizes.

If you are not sure if you need a license, or just have some questions on our licensing options, please feel free to contact us. We love helping out others find the best way to contribute back to the source.

Contact Us

Need Some Help?

We work together with your team and can get things done quickly, or if preferred, take things one step at a time.
We are here to help you realize your dream, so let us know.

Here is how we typically plan things out with our customers:

Phase 1

We gather initial device requirements and put together a test build within a few weeks usually. This will cover the majority of the scope for the project.

Phase 2

We make any updates required based on initial feedback, and get you another test build to verify fairly quickly.

Phase 3

We finalize the builds, adding any final changes, and then run off a signed release build. These are what you will deplay to your devices.

Release

You install the release builds and deploy any future updates through our provided gateway, or we can handle LTS updates via a long-term support contract.