Google is making a sweeping structural change to the development of Android, confirming this week that all work on the operating system will now take place exclusively behind closed doors. Beginning next week, Google will shift the full development of Android OS into its private internal branches, ending its long-standing hybrid model that allowed for limited public transparency through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
The announcement, first reported by Android Authority, marks a historic shift for the mobile industry's most widely used operating system. "All Android development will occur within Google's internal branches," the company told the outlet. While the company maintains that Android will remain open source, developers and observers will no longer have access to ongoing changes until new versions are formally released.
For more than 16 years, Android has operated on a dual-branch model, with the public AOSP branch serving as a permissively licensed, modifiable framework under the Apache 2.0 License. This model enabled third-party contributions and allowed manufacturers such as Samsung to build custom user interfaces, like One UI, on top of the core Android architecture. But most core components-including the OS framework-have long been developed internally at Google, with only certain modules like the Bluetooth stack and parts of the Linux kernel remaining publicly visible.
This dual-branch setup has resulted in chronic synchronization issues between AOSP and Google's internal builds, often requiring developers to merge conflicting patches manually. For instance, a patch enabling screen magnifier features conflicted between the two branches due to differences in the accessibility settings file. Similarly, implementation of Android's unlocked-only storage area API required cherry-picking and reconciliation of internal flags into AOSP.
According to Google, streamlining into a single development track will eliminate these persistent merge conflicts. Developers familiar with trunk-based workflows will recognize this shift as an attempt to align Android's platform evolution with faster iteration and tighter version control.
- Dual-branch AOSP/internal model ends next week
- Core Android OS features will no longer be developed in public
- Source code will be released only when major versions are finalized
- App developers unaffected; custom ROM and platform developers may face delays in access
The move will have minimal immediate impact on end users and Android app developers, as Google confirmed that it will continue to release source code for finalized Android builds, including the upcoming Android 16. However, platform developers-particularly those building custom ROMs or forking Android-may find themselves weeks or months behind, with limited visibility into Google's development progress.
While this does not render Android a closed-source project, it fundamentally changes the cadence and transparency of source code availability. Currently, developers and journalists frequently glean hints about unreleased products from AOSP commits, such as references to the Pixel 10 or new Android features. These "breadcrumbs" will now be absent, reducing the flow of early technical leaks.
"This change makes sense, even if the optics look bad for Google," stated a report from Android Authority, citing the inefficiencies of maintaining two separate development pipelines. Google reportedly considered three options: maintaining the status quo, fully opening development, or consolidating under private control. The company chose the latter, citing the need to streamline Android's product lifecycle.
