Google is fundamentally changing the way it develops future versions of Android, dramatically shifting the process toward its internal development branch. Previously, most of the development work for Android was done throughRegular updates to public Android open sourceproject (AOSP) repository, butAccording to the latest arrangement, all Android development work will be conducted within Google's internal infrastructure.

These internal branches are only available to Google employees and partner companies with Google Mobile Services (GMS) licenses, such as Samsung and Motorola.

Google explained that this change is to simplify development workflow and software release. This is a continuation of recent trends in trunk development. The company stated how much work they put into keeping synchronization between internal development branches and public AOSP branches, which vary in features and API support. Consolidating development should free them from these complexities.

Despite this shift during the active development phase, Google reiterated its commitment to open source. It remains committed to releasing the final source code for subsequent Android versions to AOSP once development is complete and ready for release, adhering to the open source nature of the finished product.

This change extends to all aspects of Android development, and some technologies such as Bluetooth and kernel will also be developed within the system.

Google is likely to announce more information about this development process change in the near future, and the changes may go into effect within a week.