Forks, Fragmentation, and the Future of Android

Android powers more than 80% of smartphones worldwide and shipped on over 1 billion devices in 2014. However the hidden story in these numbers is that Android forks now account for over 20% of the global Android ecosystem and 41% of new devices. Early on “fragmentation" was an issue of screen size, display density, and platform version. The new “fragmentation” is forked versions of the OS, proprietary APIs, and alternate app stores. This talk explores the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and popular forks like Cyanogen, FireOS, and MIUI, as well as Google Play Services (Google’s fork of Android). We introduce specific strategies to help developers reach a wider audience with their applications.

Transcript

1. Forks.
   Fragmentation.
   and the Future of
   Android.
   Chuck Greb
   Mapzen
   @ecgreb
   Download
   github.com/ecgreb/fork-aosp
   #DroidconSF
   #ForkAOSP
   

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2. Start where you are
   

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3. The global Android
   market
   #DroidconSF
   #ForkAOSP
   

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4. Global smartphone sales (2014)
   Operating System Units (Thousands) Market Share (%)
   Android 1,004,675 80.7
   iOS 191,426 15.4
   Windows 35,133 2.8
   Blackberry 7,911 0.6
   Other 5,745 0.5
   Source: Gartner (March 2015)
   #DroidconSF
   #ForkAOSP
   

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5. OHA
   65%
   AOSP
   20%
   Source: ABI Research (August 2014)
   #DroidconSF
   #ForkAOSP
   

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6. Source: ABI Research (January 2015)
   

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7. “Chinese and Indian vendors accounted for the majority
   of smartphone shipments for the first time with 51%
   share. While many of these manufacturers are low cost, some
   are making inroads in the mid-tier, including Xiaomi and
   Gionee, hence the growing challenge to Samsung in
   particular.”
   Source: ABI Research (January 2015)
   

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8. Android Open Source
   Project (AOSP)
   #DroidconSF
   #ForkAOSP
   

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12. Android forks
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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13. What is a fork?
    

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15. What is a fork?
    ● Modified OS based on AOSP
    ● A “skin” is a type of fork
    ● Greater degree of customization
    ● May not be compatible with Google Mobile Services (GMS)
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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17. CyanogenMod
    ● Popular AOSP fork
    ● Highly customized and optimized
    ● Strong developer community
    ● Google apps optional
    Cyanogen
    

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18. Fire OS
    ● Kindle Fire & Fire Phone
    ● Customized interface
    ● Not GMS compatible
    ● Amazon Appstore
    Amazon
    

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19. MIUI
    ● Most popular mobile OS in China
    ● Google services not available
    ● iOS-like interface
    ● Mi Appstore
    ● International version supports GMS
    Xiaomi
    

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20. OxygenOS
    ● Replaced CyanogenMod
    ● Similar to vanilla Android
    ● GMS compatible
    OnePlus
    

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21. SilentOS
    ● Privacy and security
    ● Encrypted data and communication
    ● Spaces
    ● Silent Store
    ● Android for Work
    Silent Circle
    

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22. Nextbit OS
    ● Cloud storage integration
    ● Smart backup
    ● Clean minimalist design aesthetic
    ● GMS compatible
    Nextbit
    

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23. Sailfish OS
    ● Nokia MeeGo project
    ● QML (Qt)
    ● Gesture based UI
    ● Not GMS compatible
    Jolla
    

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24. Google Play services
    ● Announced at Google I/O 2012
    ● Proprietary Google APIs
    ● Client library included in application
    ● Separate APK installed via Play Store
    Google
    

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26. Google Play services
    ● Google Analytics
    ● Google Cloud Messaging (GCM)
    ● Sign in with Google
    ● Location services
    ● Activity Recognition
    ● Maps
    ● In-App Billing
    ● AdMob
    ● Android Pay
    ● and more...
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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27. Compatibility Test Suite (CTS)
    ● Automated test suite
    ● Technical and stylistic requirements
    ● Prerequisite for licensing Google Mobile Services (GMS)
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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28. Advantages Disadvantages
    Google Play services
    ● Powerful features
    ● Newest APIs
    ● Independent updates
    via Google Play store
    ● Closed source
    ● Large footprint
    ● Not available on all devices
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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29. Apps stores
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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30. App Stores
    ● Google Play
    ● Amazon Appstore
    ● Mi App Store
    ● Silent Store
    ● Jolla Store
    ● Yandex.Store
    ● F-Droid
    ● Direct download
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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31. The new fragmentation
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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32. Fragmentation
    Old
    ● Screen size
    ● Display density
    ● Platform version
    New
    ● Forked OS
    ● Proprietary services & APIs
    ● Alternate app stores
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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33. Development strategies
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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34. Development strategies
    1. Alternate dependencies
    2. Product flavors
    3. Core library project
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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35. ● Replace environment-specific dependencies with open
    source alternatives
    ● Bundle all dependencies into your APK
    Alternate dependencies
    Strategy #1
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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36. Component
    ● Maps
    ● Analytics
    ● Location Services
    Project
    ● Mapbox, Tangram
    ● Countly, Adjust
    ● LOST, microG GmsCore
    Alternate dependencies
    Strategy #1
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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37. dependencies {
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:22.2.0'
    compile 'com.squareup.okhttp:okhttp:2.4.0'
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:8.4.0'
    compile 'com.mapzen.android:lost:1.1.0'
    ...
    }
    https://github.com/mapzen/lost
    Alternate dependencies
    Strategy #1
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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38. Product flavors
    ● Unique build type for each environment
    ● Common interface for flavor specific components
    ● Selectively include dependencies
    ● One project -> multiple APKs
    Strategy #2
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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39. android {
    buildTypes {
    productFlavors {
    google { ... }
    tangram { ... }
    }
    }
    }
    dependencies {
    googleCompile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-maps:8.4.0'
    tangramCompile 'com.mapzen.tangram:tangram:0.1-SNAPSHOT'
    }
    Product flavors
    Strategy #2
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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40. src/main/java/Map.java
    public interface Map {
    void buildMap();
    void setLocation(double lon, double lat);
    }
    Product flavors
    Strategy #2
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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41. src/google/java/MapImpl.java
    public class GoogleMap implements Map {
    @Override public void buildMap() { ... }
    @Override public void setLocation(double lon, double lat) { ... }
    }
    src/tangram/java/MapImpl.java
    public class TangramMap implements Map {
    @Override public void buildMap() { ... }
    @Override public void setLocation(double lon, double lat) { ... }
    }
    Product flavors
    Strategy #2
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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42. ● Extract core app logic into library module
    ● Shared dependency across all app versions
    ● Multiple projects -> one APK
    Core library project
    Strategy #3
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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43. dependencies {
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:22.2.0'
    compile 'com.squareup.okhttp:okhttp:2.4.0'
    compile 'com.yourcompany.android:yourcompany-core:1.0.0'
    ...
    }
    Core library project
    Strategy #3
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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44. Sample app
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    Download
    github.com/ecgreb/fork-aosp
    

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45. erasermap.com
    github.com/mapzen/eraser-map
    

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48. The Future of Android?
    ● Will Android remain the dominant smartphone platform?
    ● Will AOSP forks continue to grow in popularity?
    ● Will Google remain the dominant force behind Android?
    ● Will it become easier or more difficult for Android developers
    to target all markets and all devices with their applications?
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    

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50. Chuck Greb
    Mapzen
    @ecgreb
    #DroidconSF
    #ForkAOSP
    Thank you!
    Forks.
    Fragmentation.
    and the Future of
    Android.
    

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