NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Google has revealed a new program called Android One which will specify a set of hardware and software guidelines for device makers to adhere to if they wish to attain official ‘Android One’ status.

Announced today at Google’s I/O conference, Android One guidelines are open to all device makers but are really intended to help cut down on the cost and time required to build an affordable smartphone in a short space of time.

For the end user, Android One will mean a more unified Android experience free from manufacturer’s own skins, like TouchWiz or Sense, fewer pre-installed apps and timely software updates. Essentially, the software will be plain Android, but will include the option for OEMs to include locally relevant software tweaks.