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'Android Things' Emerges From Beta as Google Dives Into IoT

Android Things attempts to solve the problem of bugs within Internet of Things devices by off-boarding the security work to Google.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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If Google has its way, more of your smart home products will be powered by its latest take on Android.

Android Things, the company's attempt to build an operating system optimized for IoT gadgets, is now out of beta. The tech giant made the announcement on Monday as it prepares to host thousands of developers at the company's annual Google I/O conference.

The development of Android Things has been a long time coming. The OS is essentially a stripped-down version of Android first announced in 2015 (then known as "Brillo"). It arrives when the IoT market is clearly booming, but Android Things tries to streamline the development of gadgets in this area so vendors can not only pump out new products, but keep them secure.

A big complaint about IoT gadgets has been security. Many are riddled with software bugs that vendors neglect to patch, leaving them vulnerable to hacking. Android Things attempts to solve this problem by off-boarding the security work to Google, which will update the gadgets' software over the air.

In a blog post on Monday, Google said free stability fixes and patches for Android Things will last for three years to any vendors who develop over the operating system's "long-term support version."

What happens after three years isn't totally clear. In the blog post, Google said: "Even after the official support window ends, you (the developer) will still be able to continue to push app updates to your devices." But the company hasn't elaborated on what this entails and if it means vendors will pay a fee.

Nevertheless, interest in Android Things appears to be gaining some traction among developers. Google said an earlier preview for the OS reached over 100,000 software development kit downloads.

In addition, several vendors have already built products using the beta version of the software. LG, for instance, incorporated Android Things into a new smart speaker model and Lenovo installed it into a "smart display" gadget reminiscent of Amazon's Echo Show.

On the same day, Google also announced that Android Things will support four new hardware platforms that use chips from NXP, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, opening the door for more product development around the fledgling OS.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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