Beware, Android is shutting down: OS development will cease to be public, but there is no reason to panic

Android device makers can significantly customize the look and feel of the operating system, but they invariably borrow all the platform’s core capabilities from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). After more than 16 years of the OS’s existence, Google has decided to make significant changes to the Android development process to optimize the platform’s future development.

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Like other open source projects, AOSP is also driven by the efforts of third-party developers. However, the bulk of the development falls on Google’s shoulders, as the company “treats the Android project as a full-scale product development operation” to “ensure the viability of Android as a platform and as an open source project.” Google makes the final decisions on what code is included in AOSP and when a new version of the platform is released. The company develops elements of AOSP behind closed doors so that “developers and OEMs can use a single version” of Android.

To balance the openness of the AOSP project with its product development strategy, Google maintains two branches of Android development: the AOSP public branch and the Google internal branch. The public branch is available to anyone, while the internal branch is only available to companies that have signed a license agreement to use Google Mobile Services. Some elements, such as the Bluetooth software stack, are developed in the public branch, but most components, including the core Android framework, are created in the internal branch. Google now intends to move all Android development to the internal branch, which is expected to simplify the process of further development of the platform.

Since a significant part of Android is still developed in the internal branch, the public branch usually lags significantly. As a result, Google has to spend time merging patches between the public version of AOSP and its internal one. To optimize and speed up the development process, the company decided to abandon this practice, moving all development to the internal branch.

This change does not mean that Android will become a closed platform, as Google will continue to publish the source code for new versions of the OS. In addition, the company will continue to publish the source code for the Linux kernel for Android. However, the frequency of source code updates for individual Android components will change. Starting next week, all OS development will be carried out in an internal Google branch, and the source code for changes will be published only after a new version of the platform is released.

For regular Android users, this change will have no impact. The new approach is expected to simplify the Android development process, and potentially increase the speed of creating new OS versions and reduce the number of bugs in the code. However, the overall effect is likely to be unnoticeable, and you shouldn’t expect updates to be released for devices any faster.

This change will also not affect app developers, as it only affects the Android development process. However, third-party developers who want to contribute to AOSP development will likely be disappointed by Google’s decision. Without a GMS license, further participation in Android development becomes difficult, as the available source code will constantly lag behind the latest by weeks or even months.