Yes—Android remains open source in the sense that Google continues to publish AOSP source code for released platform versions. What changed is how much of Android’s development is visible before release: Google’s documented workflow uses an internal development branch and public, read-only release branches. So AOSP source remains available, but the public repository is no longer a live view of all work in progress.
What “open source” means in this case
Open-source licensing and developing entirely in public are different things. A project can publish code that people can inspect and reuse while its principal developer keeps intermediate development in a private tree. The AOSP FAQ explicitly says some parts are developed privately and released when the next platform version is ready: AOSP frequently asked questions.
That distinction answers the headline question: Google has reduced public visibility into in-progress Android development; the available evidence does not support saying that AOSP source releases have ended.
What changed in Android development
AOSP’s release-lifecycle documentation describes a workflow with an internal development branch and public read-only release branches. Accepted proposed changes from the public latest release branch can be moved into Google’s internal development branch; Google later publishes code from an internal release branch to create a public release branch. This changes when outsiders can see source—not whether source for a release is published. See the AOSP release lifecycle.
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| Question | Earlier public-facing workflow | Documented current workflow |
|---|---|---|
| When does source become visible? | Some development could be followed on public-facing branches. | Some work happens in an internal tree; public release branches are populated from Google’s internal process. |
| Can you follow every intermediate change? | Public activity offered more visibility into work in progress. | No. Public branches are read-only release branches, not a complete live window into internal Android work. |
| Where should builders and contributors start? | The older workflow commonly centered on aosp-main. |
From March 27, 2025, AOSP guidance points to the android-latest-release manifest. |
| Does Google still publish released platform source? | Release source was available. | Yes. Google announced AOSP source availability for Android 15, Android 16 and Android 17. |
The workflow does not mean outside developers’ proposals are automatically accepted. Google oversees core AOSP development, and the lifecycle describes review and cherry-picking of accepted proposals. The AOSP site updates document the move to the recommended android-latest-release manifest.
Released Android source is still being published
Google’s dated announcements provide concrete examples after the workflow change: Android 15 source was announced as available at AOSP on September 3, 2024; Android 16 source was announced in June 2025; and Android 17 source became available on June 16, 2026. Google’s posts are Android 15 is released to AOSP, Android 16 is here and Android 17 is here.
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Those releases show why “Android is no longer open source” is too broad. They establish that source for those platform versions was published; they do not establish that every Google app, service or device-specific component is part of AOSP.
What the change means if you build or contribute
If you want to build AOSP
Use the current AOSP contributor and build guidance, which points to the android-latest-release manifest rather than treating aosp-main as the recommended route. The change in guidance took effect March 27, 2025. Consult the AOSP site updates and the release lifecycle for the branch and contribution model.
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If you want to contribute a change
You can propose changes through AOSP, but public access is not a promise of acceptance. Google oversees core AOSP development; proposed changes are reviewed, and accepted ones may be cherry-picked into the internal branch. The public release branch should not be mistaken for a public feed of every active feature or internal change.
If you want to inspect or modify released code
Google’s Android 15, 16 and 17 announcements confirm source availability for those releases at AOSP. That is distinct from seeing unreleased work as it happens. Use the release and repository guidance for the specific source version you intend to work with.
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Do not confuse source publication with SDK release cadence
Google’s October 2024 announcement about more frequent Android SDK releases concerned developer APIs and platform releases, not a promise that full AOSP source trees would be published at the same cadence. Google’s Android 16 announcement also discussed a Q4 2025 release that would include developer APIs. These are related platform schedules, but they answer a different question from when complete AOSP source becomes public. See More frequent Android SDK releases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How often will AOSP source appear?
A surfaced AOSP notice, reproduced by TechRadar Pro on January 8, 2026, says that effective in 2026 source would be published in Q2 and Q4 to align with the trunk-stable development model and support platform stability. The notice was not directly verified on the current unfiltered AOSP page, so treat the twice-yearly cadence as a reported current policy rather than a fully confirmed statement from the page itself. The report is Google set to reduce the Android source code releases to just twice a year.
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What is—and is not—known about Google’s decision
The cited AOSP materials document the workflow, but do not state why Google changed the March 2025 development process. The separate 2026 notice gives platform stability as the stated goal of its Q2/Q4 publication schedule; that does not establish the reason for the earlier workflow change. Nor do the cited documents quantify any effect on outside contributors’ acceptance rates or review times, or provide a component-by-component inventory of proprietary Android software.
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