Google shifts Android development to private branch for better control

On March 26, 2025, Google announced a significant change in its Android development process, deciding to keep all future development within its internal branch. This marks a transition from its historical practice of frequently updating the public Android Open Source Project (AOSP) branch. The company stated that this shift aims to simplify the development process for both developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and is an extension of recent changes in trunk-based development practices. By moving to an internal branch, Google intends to streamline efforts and maintain better synchronization between different working versions of Android. Previously, discrepancies between public and private branches often required tedious merging of features and APIs for every release. Developers and OEMs faced challenges keeping track of the features in the public version of Android as Google worked privately. Although developers will now be able to focus on supporting their apps without monitoring pending changes, this development approach may limit transparency regarding future features before official releases. The decision comes amidst a backdrop of increasing control by Google over the Android ecosystem. Over the years, the company has progressively transitioned Android components from AOSP into closed-source packages. This shift allows Google to maintain greater oversight and flexibility in updating core components without necessitating full operating system updates, further centralizing its power over the platform. The gradual move to private development has resulted in the majority of Android's current work taking place in the internal branch, with only select components like Bluetooth and the kernel being developed openly. While this change could simplify the software development process for Google's team and reduce potential friction with OEMs, it raises concerns about diminishing opportunities for external developers and users to influence the platform. By limiting insight into the development process, Google may face criticism for restricting open dialogue regarding upcoming changes and features. For many in the Android community, this evolution represents a broader trend of Google tightening its grip on Android's development, which some believe could lead to less innovation and responsiveness to user feedback in future versions.