Google pulls Android development behind closed doors
The shift will end the long-standing dual-branch system, where one version lived publicly, and another version was developed privately
Google is making a major change to how it develops Android. From now on, all core Android OS development will happen privately, behind closed doors. The public version will no longer receive the same updates as Google's internal version.
For over 16 years, the Android Open Source Project — known as AOSP — has been the beating heart of every Android phone. From Samsung to Xiaomi, manufacturers dress it up in their own ways, but the core always comes from the same open-source base. Now, Google is bringing most of Android's public development in-house.
According to Android Authority, an independent platform unaffiliated with Google or Android, Google has confirmed that it will soon shift all Android OS development to its internal branch. The goal? Simplifying the process. The shift will end the long-standing dual-branch system, where one version lived publicly in AOSP, and another, more advanced version, was developed privately.
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AOSP allowed developers and companies to build their own Android-based systems freely. That is how we got Samsung's One UI or Amazon's Fire OS. But behind the scenes, Google has always controlled which code made the cut. And with time, keeping both branches aligned became a technical headache.
Merge conflicts — like a minor change in accessibility settings — can cause big delays when trying to unite the public and private versions. The differences between them were not just technical but also philosophical: openness versus product control.
Google is choosing control.
Not everything will disappear from public view. Some parts, like Android's Bluetooth stack, will still be developed in AOSP. But the core framework — the real engine — will now be private.
