Google To Hide Android OS Development From Public, Citing Efficiency Needs - 1

Image by NordWood Themes, from Unsplash

Google To Hide Android OS Development From Public, Citing Efficiency Needs

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Google has announced that all the future Android development will take place internally without involving public-facing repositories.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Google will develop Android privately but still release its source code after official launches.
  • Android Open Source Project (AOSP) will no longer provide real-time development updates.
  • Independent developers and custom ROM creators will face challenges tracking Android updates.

This means that while Android remains open-source, external developers will no longer have real-time insight into its development process, as first reported by Android Authority (AA) .

Before, Google had two main branches of Android: the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) which was public, and an internal private branch. The Bluetooth stack was developed in the public domain, but the core OS features were developed internally, noted AA.

However, the process of maintaining both branches was quite complicated and sometimes resulted in merging code into conflicts. Google states that developing the operating system in-house will help to speed up the development process and will eliminate some inefficiencies, as reported by AA.

According to the company their “ aim is to focus attention on the current stable version of the Android source code while we create the next version of the platform. This allows developers and OEMs to use a single version without tracking unfinished future work just to keep up.”

The change will not affect the availability of Android’s source code. Google will also continue publishing updates after every official release and so when Android 16 launches later this year, the source code of Android 16 will be made public, as noted by AA.

The Linux kernel fork used in Android is also open source due to the GPLv2 license which requires source code disclosure, says AA.

The change will not affect the average Android user in any way. The process of updating devices will not change and app developers will not be affected as they work with the final releases of the code rather than the code in development, says AA.

But for those who are independent developers and who contribute to AOSP or create custom ROMs such as LineageOS, this change may be a challenge. Before, they were able to see what Google was working on in real time using AOSP updates, but now they will have to wait for full version releases, as noted by AA.

The AOSP commits will also be a problem for tech reporters and analysts who have used them to find out about upcoming features. The ability to leak such information, such as the discovery of the Pixel’s webcam feature and hints of when Android 16 would be released, was made possible by the AOSP code changes, as noted by AA.

Such information will become difficult to come by since development is now taking place behind the scenes. Although there is a problem with transparency, Google explains that the decision was made in order to improve the development of Android in the long run.

We expect more information about the change when Google makes its official announcement later this week.

Judge Rules in Favor of Anthropic in Early Stage Of Music AI Copyright Lawsuit - 2

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

Judge Rules in Favor of Anthropic in Early Stage Of Music AI Copyright Lawsuit

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

A Federal judge from California ruled in favor of the AI startup Anthropic and rejected a preliminary bid to block the company from training its AI model Claude with lyrics owned by multiple music publishers, including Universal Music Group (UMG) this Tuesday.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • A U.S. judge denied music publishers’ bid to block Anthropic from using song lyrics to train its AI model Claude.
  • The court said the publishers’ request was too broad and didn’t prove irreparable harm.
  • Copyright infringement claims remain unresolved, and publishers will continue to find alternatives.

According to Reuters , Eumi Lee, U.S. District Judge, said that the request sent by the publishers was too broad and didn’t show how Anthropic could cause “irreparable harm.”

“Publishers are essentially asking the Court to define the contours of a licensing market for AI training where the threshold question of fair use remains unsettled,” said Lee.

UMG, ABKO, and Concord sued Anthropic back in 2023 , accusing them of copyright violation using around 500 song lyrics from artists such as Beyonce, Rolling Stones, Bruno Mars, and Beach Boys for AI training. The publishers claimed Claude provided answers to queries using the lyrics without permission.

A spokesperson from Anthropic told Reuters that the company is content with the judge’s decision and described the case as a “disruptive and amorphous request.”

“Despite the Court’s narrow ruling, we remain very confident in our case against Anthropic more broadly,” said the publishers in a statement shared by Music Business Worldwide . “The Court explicitly declined to decide the fair use question or the merits of our infringement claims at this early stage of the proceeding.”

Publishers remain hopeful as the court didn’t disagree with the proposition to treat copyright and emerging technologies with care, and the copyright infringement remains “an open question.”

There are multiple lawsuits against AI companies in course—including media publishers such as the New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement as well—and new initiatives to find solutions for AI training.

Last year, UMG and the AI music company KLAY Vision announced a partnership to develop creative AI tools ethically and responsibly.