Rumors of a new program called Android Silver have been swirling for most of 2014, hinting at a new effort from Google to get high-end Android phones with limited bloatware in stores and in front of consumers. We haven’t heard much about the program lately, though, and now we may know why that is.
According to a report from The Information, Google has hit pause on its Android Silver plans. There are said to be multiple causes for this decision, including the departure of Nikesh Arora from Google — who led the charge for Silver — as well as doubt from Google execs that the effort would be successful. It’s also said that hardware makers gave “mixed reactions” to Android Silver because of the concessions that they’d have to make in order to participate.
The Android Silver program sounded interesting because it was purportedly going to offer several high-end, near-stock Android devices that would be easy to buy from brick and mortar retailers. Compare that to the Nexus line, which typically only includes one smartphone that’s available from Google and maybe a carrier or two. That’s why the news that Android Silver may be on hold is kind of a bummer. But hey, at least we’ve still got that HTC Nexus 9 tablet to look forward to.
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