Google’s Android Silver program faces uncertain future

Google's Android Silver program  has reportedly been put ‘on hold' for the foreseeable future as Google employees have expressed doubt it would ever be a success. The rumored program was said to replace the Google Play edition program, showcasing the best high-end phones around, running stock Android with updates direct from Google.

Android Silver would have been backed with heavy advertisement and retail store presence, encouraging buyers to switch to a stock Android device, which would in turn help Google slowly regain control over its mobile OS. This would allow Google to issue swifter updates, synchronized across a range of devices. However, The Information, is now reporting that Google's own employees have “serious doubts” about the project.

The departure of key executive, Nikesh Arora, didn't help matters either. Arora was in charge of Google's business relationships in the mobile industry and without support from major manufacturers, such as HTC, LG, Samsung and Sony, the Android Silver program would become a tough sell.

In addition, carrier support would be necessary in order to gain retail space and advertisement of these new devices. However, it is also reported that partner reactions to Google's latest idea were mixed at best. Now the Android Silver program faces an uncertain future, so don't expect a sudden influx of flagship devices all running stock Android any time soon.

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KitGuru Says: Google has slowly been working to take back control of Android and the Silver program would have helped a lot, particularly when it comes to pushing out synchronized updates. However, the idea seems too good to be true for now. Would you guys like to see flagship devices come out with stock Android? Do you think that manufacturers should bother modifying Android as much as they do? I don't think I know anybody who legitimately prefers Touch Wiz to Google's stock look.

Source: The Information

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