TL; DR
- Very soon, the development of Android will take place privately, enabling the company to simplify the process.
- Google works on Android in two branches (or modes): the public brand called Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and the private (or internal) branch.
- Between the two branches, the internal development branch does most of the heavy lifting. As a result, the AOSP lags behind.
- Due to the difference in progress, Google has to spend a lot of time and resources bridging the gap between the two development branches.
- To avoid these conflicts, Google has decided to “shift all Android OS development to its internal branch.”
In a surprising turn of events, Google has confirmed changing the development strategy for its Android operating system. Until now, the developments were available for review in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
However, very soon, the development of Android will take place privately, enabling the company to simplify the process. Google will still publish the source code to AOSP only after the official release, says an Android Authority report.
How Does Android Development Work?
For the uninitiated, Google works on Android in two branches (or modes): the public brand called Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and the private (or internal) branch.
Similar to other open-source projects (which accept public contributions), AOSP also allows developers to view and contribute to the operating system’s development. On the other hand, the private branch is only accessible to companies with a valid Google Mobile Services (GMS) agreement.
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Google Spends Significant Resources On Catching Up The AOSP With Private Development
Between the two branches, the internal development branch does most of the heavy lifting. As a result, the AOSP lags behind (which is why the AOSP build doesn’t have the features and APIs available in the latest beta build). In simpler words, new updates and features aren’t accessible to developers as easily as they are in the private branch.
Due to the difference in progress, Google has to spend a lot of time and resources bridging the gap between the two development branches, often leading to merge conflicts. To avoid these conflicts, Google has decided to “shift all Android OS development to its internal branch.”
No, Android Isn’t Becoming Closed-Source
The change will be effective next week. No, this doesn’t mean that Google is not making Android closed-source, but it is streamlining the development process to avoid spending time catching up with the public development branch after floating the changes in the closed branch.
Google will continue to release the source code for the new changes, but only when the company “publishes a new branch containing those changes.” Hence, this is a change in the timing and the method of the public release; the internal branch becomes the primary focus (to make the process more efficient).
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Regular Users Remain Unaffected, But The Same Can’t Be Said For External Developers
While this doesn’t impact regular users (as updates will roll out as usual), the news might upset external developers. Google’s shift in focus to the internal development branch implies that the new features (and changes in the code) won’t be available to them for weeks or even months, depending on when they near stability.
The change will also impact tech reporters who rely on changes in the AOSP to speculate about upcoming changes in Android, product releases by Google, and other similar leaks.
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