Google’s reportedly real Android Silver program is now reportedly dead. According to The Information, Google is shelving the project. Android Silver was supposed to get high-end stock Android phones into the hands of users, sort of like the Nexus program, but in a way that was more mainstream and inclusive of the rest of the industry. Silver would have given big ad dollars to OEMs and carriers in exchange for sticking to Google’s guidelines. Just like Nexus phones, Google would handle the software and updates, and it would be up to OEMs to create “premium” hardware. The program was expected to launch in the US, Germany, and Japan as early as next year, but now it seems like that isn’t happening. The Information pegs the July departure of Google Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora as the reason for the program’s cancellation.
Read the full story at Ars Technica. Read the original report at The Information (paywall).