Google has long talked a big game about open software and platforms, but its Amazon that’s opening up with Android apps on Windows 11.<\/b>
\nIt\u2019s taken the combined forces of Amazon and Microsoft to bring the core of the Android experience \u2014 the all-important apps \u2014 to millions more users with the introduction of native Android app support on Windows 11. The solution is a potential game-changer for the way users will interact with their favorite apps, smartphones, and PCs, but it\u2019s perplexing that the initiative hasn\u2019t been driven by Google but by one of its biggest rivals. Google has always talked strongly about the merits of open-source software at the heart of Android and the benefits of open platforms to drive innovation and bring technology to the masses. To quote Pichai once more, \u201cwhen you run a platform on scale, you have to make sure it\u2019s truly open. That way, not only do you do well, so do others.\u201d That\u2019s certainly true. Google\u2019s smartphone, smart home, and TV products wouldn\u2019t be the successful, cross-hardware ecosystems they are today without expansive partnerships and mutually beneficial collaboration. The recent Google and Samsung partnership for Wear OS 3.0 is just such an example. Considering Google has shown time and time again that it can\u2019t be trusted to properly integrate its behemoth service portfolio across even its own hardware, it\u2019s good that the search giant is ostensibly so open to playing nice with others. However, the company\u2019s actions over the past decade have often failed to live up to this ethos. On the one hand, Google preaches openness and competition yet retains an iron grip on its software with the other. This is particularly true when it comes to Android and its biggest tech rivals. See also: Why did Microsoft choose Amazon over Google for Windows 11 Android support? You don\u2019t have to look far to find examples of Google\u2019s uncooperative approach to rival ecosystems. Near the start of the last decade, Google infamously blocked Microsoft\u2019s YouTube app for the latter\u2019s ill-fated Windows Phones. For more recent examples, Google reportedly forbids Android TV partners from engaging with other Android forks (see: Amazon Fire TV). The Mountain View firm also dragged its heels updating its apps to meet Apple\u2019s new App Store privacy labels. Android may be open-source, but you have to play by Google’s rule if you want access to the ecosystem’s biggest app store. However, GMS licenses are only granted to devices that comply with Google\u2019s Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) and associated tests. This means you have to support all of Google\u2019s services, such as ads and the store, even if you just want to just use Google\u2019s location API. Even then, obtaining a license has strict conditions.2013\u2019s Play Store licensing agreement demanded that companies not take any actions that would cause \u201cfragmentation of Android.\u201d Such as developing a forked-OS. Competition is fine but only when it benefits Google. While Android remains free for anyone to use as they would like, only Android compatible devices benefit from the full Android ecosystem. Importantly, without GMS, your device can\u2019t run Google\u2019s own apps or other apps that rely on associated services and APIs. The loss of the Google Play Store is undoubtedly the biggest potential loss, but there are other features, such as locations for Uber, or WhatsApp\u2019s Drive backup feature, that rely on GMS for core functionality. This is the reason that Amazon and Huawei \u2014 the latter of which has seen its smartphone empire crumble outside of China without access to GMS \u2014 both have their own app stores and a more limited selection of software on their forked versions of Android OS. And yes, this also means that Windows 11 won\u2019t offer all the apps you\u2019re probably used to using inside Google\u2019s ecosystem. The result is a contradictory approach to open collaboration. The company has long touted the benefits of open software and standards, yet staunchly opposes competition at the edges of its ecosystem. Google could compromise and make GMS more readily accessible to bring its entire library of apps to Windows and other ecosystems, but it has chosen not to. Just like how it brought the Play Store to Chrome OS but not to Linux more widely. The irony is that Google had the right message for years but its actual approach is becoming increasingly flawed. Consumers are more likely to embrace platforms that enable them to run the same software across multiple devices. Ideally, I want to run exactly the same messaging, fitness tracking, and banking apps with identical features across all my gadgets. Amazon\u2019s Android app support on Windows is a major step towards this reality. Likewise, there\u2019s a similar direction of travel over at Apple, which is quickly aiming for app and hardware parity across iOS, iPad, and Macs. Google’s contradictory approach to open collaboration is preventing it from bringing apps and services to millions more devices and users.<\/p>\n