Google has announced a major shift in how it manages the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), ending nearly twenty years of quarterly source code releases. Starting in 2026, the company will only publish AOSP source code details twice per year, specifically in the second and fourth quarters. This change is intended to align with Google’s “trunk stable” development model, which focuses on delivering more reliable and secure code to the broader Android ecosystem. While the operating system will still receive four updates annually, only two of those will be accompanied by public AOSP source code releases.
The AOSP is the foundation of the Android operating system, allowing third-party developers and hardware manufacturers to modify and distribute their own versions of Android without paying licensing fees to Google. By reducing the frequency of public code drops, Google aims to decrease the technical complexity involved in maintaining the platform. A spokesperson for the company stated that this new schedule will help developers receive more stable codebases, reducing the bugs and regressions that can sometimes occur with a more frequent, quarterly release cycle.
Despite the reduction in source code releases, regular security patches will not be affected. Google plans to maintain a dedicated security-only branch to ensure that critical vulnerabilities are addressed promptly and shared with partners throughout the year. The quarterly updates to the actual OS will also continue as planned, meaning users will still see new features and improvements on their devices every few months. The change primarily affects developers and manufacturers who rely on the full AOSP source code to build custom distributions of Android.
This move reflects a broader trend in the software industry toward prioritizing stability and security over rapid, incremental code updates. As Android has matured into a massive ecosystem powering billions of devices, the logistical challenge of coordinating quarterly code releases across thousands of hardware configurations has become increasingly difficult. By moving to a biannual schedule, Google is betting that a slightly slower but more robust development process will lead to a better experience for both developers and end users in the long run.
