LOCKING DOWN DEVELOPERS
COURTESY OF MICHAEL LIEDTKE—AP
In late 2013, Google launched a service known as Google Play Services in order to defragment its scattered Android platform to achieve a better unity amongst all devices running Android, again, more specifically, Google’s Android. In the past, Google Updates were done first in the AOSP. They are then sent to the manufacturers to adapt to their devices, and the devices are sent to the hundreds of carriers around the world. Where, after testing, they are sent back to the manufacturer for revisions. This process repeats itself numerous times, and eventually the device will reach the consumer months after Google announced the release of a new version of Android. In such a case it is difficult for Google to apply the changes it wants to apply to its manufacturers. Now, instead of relying on delivering updates through new versions of the operating system and rebuilding the AOSP, Google tries to push system updates to its apps instead via the Play App Store. In such a case, not only does a device with all of Google Apps be
updated with brand new features just like a new phone with a new operating system, but Google is also moving completely from open sourced model to a closed sourced model. First in the form of apps and now in the form of system wide changes, which are now delivered through app installation/ updates instead of system wide updates. Moreover, if this transition becomes completed, it would mean, too, that apps running on Android depend on Google Apps installed (aka Google Play Services) instead of relying in the foundational platform that is the AOSP. This makes any app running with Google Play Services incompatible with any other devices that are not running Google’ s Android. But why exactly would developers depend solely on Google Play Services rather than fully on the Android AOSP platform? As a matter of fact, in the same way you lure consumers with features, you do the same with developers. However, you do so instead with selling possibilities. Briefly speaking, Google Play services offers a platform for apps along the lines of cloud saving of game,
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saving app data, the use of Google’s map data, location services, device tracking systems, and the list just goes on and on.
Google’s strategy with Google Play Services is to turn the “Android App Ecosystem” into the “Google Play Ecosystem” by making a developer’s life as easy as possible on a Googleapproved device—and as difficult as possible on a non-Google-approved device.—Ron Amadeo from Ars The sad story of the day is that since Google’s Android is the largest shareholder of the Android market, developers who develops for Google’s platform and developers only really care about how they can get their apps to their consumers as fast and as easy as possible. To achieve that, using Google’s Play Services is the only route.