Google hides Android development from the public — what it means

Google has officially confirmed that it will soon move all Android development to internal code branches. Previously, some processes took place in the open source repository AOSP (Android Open Source Project), but now the company wants to simplify the workflow and reduce conflicts when merging patches.

Android Authority writes about it.

Why Google is making Android more private

Android has been based on open source software for over 16 years: any manufacturer or developer can use what Google publishes as part of AOSP. The company has long maintained two branches of the code: open source (AOSP) and closed source, available to partners with a Google Mobile Services license. This approach has repeatedly caused difficulties: internal developments are ahead of the public code, which leads to frequent conflicts when merging changes.

Google admits that it spent most of its time synchronising the two branches. Now, all major Android development (including the system kernel and new APIs) will take place exclusively in internal repositories. The finished changes will be published in the public domain when the next version of Android is released.

The company emphasizes that Android remains open source. As before, Google will release the source code after the release of a new version (for example, Android 16), as well as publish changes to the Linux kernel, as this is required by the GPLv2 license. The main difference is that frequent (step-by-step) code updates for many parts of the system will no longer be published in real time.

For most users, these changes will go unnoticed, as Android updates will continue to be released as before, although Google expects their internal development to become more coherent.

Ordinary app developers are also unlikely to feel the difference. But the custom firmware and platform-level development community will receive the code after the official release. Therefore, they will be less aware of future features and details until they are released in finished builds.

The journalists will also lose many of the early clues in the AOSP code. Previously, it was in public repositories that we were able to find references to new features and Google's plans for Pixel devices.

As a reminder, Google has updated the Find My Device feature on Android. Now it will show not only your devices but also the geolocation of friends and family members.

We also wrote that Android has long had the phone screen recording feature. Recently, the developers added the ability to record what's happening on an external monitor connected to the device.