Google Developing New Android Called MicroDroid

A new version of Android is in the works over at Google with the name MicroDroid. This new operating system is apparently a bare-bones version of Android made specifically for virtual machines. It would SEEM that Google is making way for the future – a future where even a smartphone operating system needs an iteration that can be operated in the cloud!

This new version of Android appeared in a commit description in development at Google. The description of MicroDroid says it'll be a "stripped down version of the generic Android system image (GSI)." According to analysis from XDA Developers, the goal will likely be to run virtual machines alongside Android "possibly for DRM-related applications."

This isn't quite as simple as the current most hyped-up and popular version of the virtual machine in the cloud: virtual gaming. Instead, this is far more likely all about making it simpler to run secure applications in the cloud, switch between OS iterations for secure profile abilities.

This may be related to the bits of Chrome that allow Android apps to run – re Chrome OS VMM (crosvm). It's not difficult to make the leap to virtual machines running Android in the cloud to allow all manner of Google-friendly software to appear on all machines.

Imagine a future where you can access Google Play and any Android app from any machine. What a wonderful world that would be. Or... maybe it'd make Chrome OS completely irrelevant? Either way – welcome to the future!

Cross your fingers for the best, and stay tuned as we follow this MicroDroid situation all the way to fruition.