Did you know Google Reshapes Android: AOSP Access Tightens as Development Goes Internal

 

Android maker Google has just shared plans to move its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) behind closed doors.

For so long, the company created Android operating system (OS) in a manner that enabled the public to look into Google’s work. Now, that is changing as the tech giant just shared how it would begin developing this operating system as a whole inside the internal branch.

Google shared with Android Authority how Android development will take place within the company’s internal branches. This is a major shift from how we’ve seen Android develop over the past and also aligns with some recent decisions that Google continues to make.

For so long, Google’s AOSP branch only had some aspects of the company’s framework, like the kernel and Bluetooth. Now, it’s going to get a revamp and come to the same level as most of Google’s internal systems builds. This leaves developers and so many more to wait for the company to make public releases to get a host of different changes.

With the change to move things to the internal and private branch, Google shared how it won’t be altering the speed at which the new components arrive. Instead, it will streamline the whole process and stop conflicts from taking place when they merge the different branches.

This doesn’t mean the Android maker is making Android a closed-source deal. Instead, only the open source part of it gets released when new branches are rolled out for AOSP using such changes. This entails when new and fuller variants are launched or when the maintenance releases end.

At the end, Android users won’t see any major changes from the latest structure. App developers won’t be impacted either. The biggest change could be related to tidbits caught from the AOSP that make their way into the eyes of the public. This could be for the best, and such tidbits get misconstrued or get too hyped, giving rise to serious confusion later on.

A formal alert of this latest change was made about its arrival announcement during the latter part of this week. The change will take place by next week, so that means things are really taking place at a fast pace.