Apple Envy
Google is trying to shift Android from an open legacy system to one more like Apple’s closed system.
History
In 2005, Google acquired Android Inc. for $50 million to develop software for mobile devices. As Google lacked the resources to develop a mobile platform itself, it opted for an open-source approach.
In 2007, Google established the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), a collaboration between Google and the Open Handset Alliance that brought together manufacturers, carriers, chipmakers, and community developers with the aim of creating an open-source foundation for the Android operating system under the Apache license.
AOSP
AOSP provides all the core components needed to build a functional operating system (OS), including the Linux kernel, the hardware abstraction layer (HAL), the Android Runtime (ART), and the essential system apps.
Key Aspects of the Project Include
- Customization and Independence: Manufacturers and developers can download, modify, and build custom versions of Android without being tied to Google Mobile Services (GMS). This enables the creation of devices such as the Amazon Fire OS, as well as custom ROMs such as LineageOS and GrapheneOS
- Broad Ecosystem: AOSP supports a wide range of hardware beyond smartphones, including IoT devices, wearables, Android Automotive, and embedded systems
- Source Access: The code is hosted in public Git repositories
Development Shift
In 2025 & 2026, Google shifted its commitment to open source. The company has moved all AOSP development to internal, private branches, which effectively ends real-time public visibility into the operating system’s development process.
- Consolidated Workflow: Previously, Android development took place across two different branches: public AOSP and internal, GMS-licensed branches. Google now consolidates all work into its internal branch
- Open Source Status: Google maintains that Android remains an open-source platform. However, source code will only be published to the public AOSP repository once features have been finalised in the internal branch, rather than during development
- Release Cadence Change: From 2026 onwards, Google will reduce public code dumps to twice a year (Q2 and Q4) to align with a ‘trunk stable’ development model. This replaces the previous quarterly release schedule
Impact on Ecosystem
This change significantly reduces transparency for developers and the tech press, who previously tracked early features and device code names through live AOSP commits.
Android Developer Verification
Google’s next step in this shift will begin in September 2026. Google will release a silent update that will block every Android app developer who does not:
- Register with Google
- Sign a contract with Google
- Pay Google
- Provide Google with their government-issued ID
In other words, Google is doing everything it can to prevent third-party app stores like F-Droid from existing, where all software is open source and free. This essentially kills the independence of what was once an open platform. And this is coming soon.
Google’s Proposed Opt-Out
Google has created a nine-step method for users to install what they want on their phone. This includes a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period to install software on a device you own. Moreover, this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS.
A website has been created by those who are putting up a fight. You can read more at https://keepandroidopen.org/.
Bottom Line
Twenty years ago, Google started Android as an open-source mobile platform. However, Google is suffering from Apple envy. Google is trying to shift Android from an open platform to a more closed, Apple-like platform. The next major step in this shift will come in September, when Google will introduce mandatory Android developer verification.
You bought your phone; you own your phone. Should Google decide what is installed on it, or should you? Let us know in the comments what you think about Google’s shift in Android development, particularly with regard to Android developer verification.
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