Since the beginning of Android, it’s been developed out in the open as part of the Android Open Source Project. However, it seems that they now will take this private, and develop the Android OS fully behind closed doors. This does not mean that Google is going closed source (like Apple and iOS), but instead, the development won’t be out in the public. Once the release is final, it’ll be added to AOSP, like usual.
Google has told Android Authority that it is doing this to streamline the development of Android.
Currently, the way it works is, Android is able to accept code contributions from third-party developers. Even though the majority of the AOSP development is done by Google itself, others can still contribute. And others can also see what changes have been made, before Google pushes it to devices. But, Google does treat “the Android project as a full-scale product development operation” as an effort to “ensure the vitality of Android as a platform and as an open-source project”. Basically meaning that Google has final say on what code is able to be merged with AOSP.
Google is eliminating a branch of Android
Currently, Google has two branches of Android. There’s AOSP (Android Open Source Project) that is open to anyone to use however they like. In fact, companies like Amazon do use it to an extent for their Fire Tablets. Then there’s Google’s internal brand, which is only available to companies that have a Google Mobile Services (GMS) licensing agreement. We heard more about this when Huawei was banned from working with US companies a few years ago. They were able to keep using Android, but they wouldn’t get help from Google.
Now, Google is eliminating that public branch of development to make things simpler. As having two branches can sometimes create code conflicts, making things tougher to get new versions of Android out the door.
Google has confirmed that they are not going closed-source with Android. It will continue to publish the source code for new Android releases. It will also continue to publish the source code for Android’s Linux kernel fork, since it is licensed under GPLv2.
This is all set to begin next week, with all Android development happening in Google’s internal branches. Source code will only be added for changes once Google publishes a new branch containing those changes. This is already normal for most Android component changes, so Google is consolidating its development into a single branch.
For regular users, this will not change a single thing. It will only change for companies that are using the open source version of Android and those individuals that submit code to AOSP.
