Android 4.4+ KitKat will not ship with a browser, OEMs have to license Google Chrome or develop own browsers


Android is currently the number one smartphone OS in the world and as we all know Google owns Android(literally). However, because of various patent issues, Microsoft are reported to be making more money from Android than Google. This has been a huge problem for the search engine giant and they are working on it in their own terms. Android is open source and so every manufacturer forks Android and uses it, but they have to license Google Apps from Google. In the recent times, Google has been trying to distance itself from Android and trying to create a brand of its own which is profitable for them. This was evident when they renamed Android Market as “Google Play Store”.

android-4-4kitkat-overview-walkthrough

The latest development is that newer versions of Android  – Android 4.4+ KitKat will ship without a browser for OEM manufactures. OEM manufacturers can do two things – licence Google Chrome browser from Google or build their own browser. Samsung and Amazon seem to have benefited the most from the Android ecosystem as they have their own version of apps for Google Applications(Amazon have only their store while Samsung phones have both Google Play Store and Samsung Apps Store), so it won’t make much difference for the manufacturers who already have their own browsers.

Google Chrome Beta Channel for Andorid

This information means little to the end users as they already have various third party browsers to download from the “Google” Play Store, but it proves that Google is trying to get a grip on Android.

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Author: Monish Kumar

Monish is passionate about smartphones who is also interested in User Experience and Design. He is currently using Samsung Galaxy S3. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+