Android Things’ days are numbered. Google has revealed that the Internet-of-Things platform is joining its ever growing pile of retired products in an FAQ page for developers. The tech giant originally launched Android Things as an operating system for all kinds of IoT devices until it decided to change the platform’s focus and make it a dedicated OS for speakers and displays OEMs can use for their products last year. “Following in line with those updates,” Google wrote in the FAQ page, “we are turning down the Android Things Console for non-commercial use.”
The Android Things console will stop accepting new projects starting on January 5th, 2021, which is just a few weeks away. Developers can continue using the console to roll out over-the-air updates, among other things, for their existing projects for another year. On January 5th, 2022, Google will shut the console down and delete all projects and data.
As Ars Technica notes, Android Things pretty much failed to conquer the IoT space, and Google itself didn’t even build a device based on the OS. Its own displays and speakers use a modified version of the Google Cast platform instead. Google has written detailed answers for some common questions developers may have in the FAQ page, such as if the console will still receive updates — the company may roll out some bug fixes — and what will happen to their current projects.
Author: Mariella Moon, @mariella_moon
4h ago
Source: Engadget
