Google’s action seems to say enough is enough, the fact that Android is an open source Operating System(OS) doesn’t mean it should be rubbished.
Android is an open source OS, so companies pick it and customize or tweak to suit their purpose, even when their systems are not built to good standard. Today Android has almost lost its brand essence, as anything that is not IOS is called Android. And one would wonder why an android would work perfectly well on one device but behaves half hazard on another device with the same version of OS, or even vulnerable to virus attack easily. This is not good for Google’s Rep.
XDA Developers say that an anonymous person said Google has started blocking, from March 16, uncertified devices or devices that don’t conform to the set of rules in their Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) from accessing its Apps and Services. Google says manufacturers of devices have to pass the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) before they can be allowed to pre-load their devices with Google’s apps and services.
This is going to be a problem for countries like Nigeria that has a large inflow of cloned and fake phones from China. A lot of them without brand names, some with names just scribbled on the phone bodies along some streets in China. Or, worst still, a fake phone of an existing known brand. A situation where one buys a phone branded as Samsung, one calls customer care of a telecoms network only to be told the name of the phone is Xiyan, but it is Samsung, you ague. For countries with this kind of market, Gmail and some other Google services might not work on such phones anymore.
Even for good brand owners, Google wants to ensure their device peripherals work properly on android consistently. Hence the need for their compatibility test.
If you get the uncertified warning message, contact the company you bought it from. But if you bought it by the wayside…your guess is as good as mine, get another phone!
