Lockheimer is the man in charge of Google’s popular mobile platform (as well as Chrome OS), and he recently sat down with The Telegraph for an in-depth interview to discuss the future of Android. The first topic discussed in the interview was the motivation for launching the Pixel smartphone this year. Lockheimer says Google looks at the company’s new hardware division as a completely separate OEM, which is now run under Rick Osterloh.
It seems Google may be worried about OEMs pushing their own technologies instead of services provided by Google. Lockheimer gave the example of Samsung promoting Samsung Pay on their phones, while Google can promote Android Pay on theirs. He was then asked about when Google Assistant would be available on other smartphones. We’re told that there isn’t anything to announce yet, but reminded us that Google has a history of wanting their services available to as many people as possible. His example here was Google Now being available on Android first but was later expanded to iOS. The interview also highlights on Android’s fragmentation issue and Lockheimer shows they’re doing a lot of work with the CDD (Compatibility Definition Document) and the CTS (Compatibility Test Suite) to keep true fragmentation as low as possible. He feels most fragmentation complaints are about OEM skins and how some people aren’t a fan of Samsung or LG’s take on the Android UI.
Android security was another topic brought up, and Lockheimer says he’s proud of how Google and other OEMs are dedicated to providing monthly security updates. They spoke about the possibility of Android and Chrome OS merging, which Lockheimer says will not happen, and they touch on the accusations of the European Union saying Google is abusing a monopoly to promote their services.
The interview touches on some other points as well, like Instant Apps and Android’s presence in China, so it’s an interview that’s definitely worth checking out.
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