Google may have put Android Silver on hold

Back in April rumours circulated about Android Silver, a “premium sale and support” experience for users, essentially this would mean Google would partner with more phone manufacturers to create more Nexus-like devices, rather than sticking to the current annual release system. Now it seems like the programme might be put on hold.

According to The Information delays have been caused by internal delays within the company, specifically the departure of Nikesh Arora, one of Google’s chief architects, who oversaw the partnerships between Google and phone manufacturers. It’s also speculated that the recently launched Android One programme, which aims to create a new baseline for budget smartphones, could be much more important to the company for the time being.

The Information also mentioned that various partners have questioned the commercial value of the programme, which is essentially one of the first steps towards the death of any venture. In a way the Google Play editions of various flagship smartphones means this type of thing already exists.

In any case Google never officially announced that Android Silver was actually something it was working on, so maybe we all got our hopes up or maybe a delay really is a delay and we’ll be seeing the programme soon. Until we hear from Google itself, we just don’t know.

Feature image via Android Police

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