Forked Android devices are starting to become a threat to Google

Android is beating the pants off iOS and other mobile platforms in terms of market share. But a rise in forked Android devices may threaten Google’s control of the Android platform. The Next Web reports that these forked devices might become a huge headache for Google. As the article notes, Google is aware of this problem and has created Android One to help combat it. The Verge has a good article that delves into Android One and explains how it might affect lower-cost Android smartphones.

Android dominates the world’s smartphone market.A new report from analyst firm Strategy Analytics pegs the Google-owned operating system’s global market share at 85 percent. That means that nearly nine in ten phones shipped are built on Android. That domination is colossal. But while Google has ‘won’ the smartphone market share war — revenue is different, iOS is far ahead — the company faces a growing issue: the rise of non-Google Android. Android is available in two different flavors. There’s the Google-endorsed Android, which is used by companies that agree to the terms and conditions of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Essentially, OHA members include the Google services that are baked into Android, and agree to limitations on how they can customize the software on their devices.