Google confirms Android development will soon become fully private

In a nutshell: Google has confirmed that it will now develop Android privately as part of its efforts to streamline the development process. However, the company has assured users and developers that the operating system will remain open source, and it will continue to release the source code for new Android versions. Google told Android Authority that it will move all Android development to its internal branches next week, marking a significant shift from the system that has been in place for nearly 16 years. Currently, part of the development occurs on the public AOSP Gerrit, while the rest is done privately. While the AOSP branch remains accessible to everyone, Google's internal branch is available only to companies with a Google Mobile Services licensing agreement. AOSP is open source, whereas GMS is not. Instead, Google licenses GMS to device manufacturers for free, provided they adhere to specific terms and conditions. Some of the companies with a GMS agreement include Samsung, ... Read full article.