Google’s Vice President of Engineering and head of Android, Andy Rubin, has rejected reports that the company’s hugely popular Android mobile phone operating system is becoming less open, claiming that the Android is as open as ever. Writing on the Android Developers blog, Rubin says “recently, there’s been a lot of misinformation in the press about Android and Google’s role in supporting the ecosystem. I’m writing in the spirit of transparency and in an attempt to set the record straight”.
Rubin added that the first Android device was launch in 2008 and since then Google has been “committed to fostering the development of an open platform for the mobile industry and beyond”. Recently some experts have said that Rubin has adopted stricter controls on allowing access to the source code in order to improve the experience of the users of the Android. Rubin however, says now that “if someone wishes to market a device as Android-compatible or include Google applications on the device, we do require the device to conform with some basic compatibility requirements.”
Rubin added that the “anti-fragmentation” program started by Google has been in place since Android 1.0 and the company’s top priority is to provide a great user experience for consumers and give a consistent platform to developers to come up with new ideas. He remarked that all of the founding members of the Open Handset Alliance decided not to fragment Android in 2007, the year when the operating system was first announced. “Our approach remains unchanged: there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs,” stressed Rubin.
