Google has changed the schedule for its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) from quarterly to half yearly. Until now, the releases have followed those of Google's closed Android operating system. Security updates will continue to be made more frequently. 

AOSP is an open source version of the Android operating system that supports a variety of devices with different form factors. The documentation and source code for Android is available to anyone as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). You can use AOSP to create custom variants of the Android OS for your own devices.

It doesn't include proprietary Google services such as the Play Store and core apps. Google Android is updated quarterly, and until now AOSP has followed close behind. Google wants to have fewer releases with more changes to simplify development and minimize the need to manage multiple code branches. 

The statement on the AOSP overview documentation says:

"Effective in 2026, to align with our trunk stable development model and ensure platform stability for the ecosystem, we will publish source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4. For building and contributing to AOSP, we recommend utilizing android-latest-release instead of aosp-main. The android-latest-release manifest branch will always reference the most recent release pushed to AOSP."

Google launched Android in 2008 having acquired it Android Inc. It is designed around a Linux kernel. The open source version is used by many devices such as in-car entertainment systems, and wearables as well as the more obvious smartphones and tablets. Google used to organize releases of the open source components as part of the Open Handset Alliance, which was launched by Google in partnership with a number of embedded system suppliers in 2007. This technique of releases has in recent years been replaced by Google doing the releases directly.  AOSP will now be updated in the second and fourth quarters of the year.

More Information

Android Open Source Project

Announcement of Change of Release Schedule

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