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In February 2019, Google announced that it would “refocus” Android’s IoT platform so that it only catered to OEMs that build smart displays and speakers. Google is now shutting down Android Things for non-commercial purposes.
Originally, Google wanted to create an Internet of Things operating system where it would handle the “heavy lifting” of maintaining a platform so that developers could focus only on products. Originally known as Brillo, it became Android Things at the end of 2016. This name change was intended to reflect how Android developers could use their existing skills to create consumer, retail and industrial devices. .
However, at the start of last year, Google found that Android Things was primarily used by OEMs to create smart displays and assistant speakers. As such, it has ended support for those who use the platform to create other types of commercial products.
At the time, it still allowed “to experiment and create smart and connected devices”. It now ends with a banner on the existing Android Things developer documentation and frequently asked questions page (via Ars Technica) detailing the shutdown plans.
There are two key dates, with Android Things Console no longer allowing the creation of new NXP i.MX7D and Raspberry Pi 3B projects on January 5, 2021:
Developers can continue to use the Android Things console to create images and stream OTA updates for their existing projects until January 5, 2022.
A year later, Google will ditch the console and “all project data will be permanently deleted – including build setups and factory images,” completing the shutdown of Android Things.
Those looking for an alternative solution are advised to look into Cloud IoT Core. Available on Google Cloud, it is a “fully managed service that allows you to easily and securely connect, manage and ingest data from millions of devices around the world.” Edge TPUs are also available.
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