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Verizon Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S 4G added to Android Open Source Project, 'no plans' to add Sprint Galaxy Nexus

Verizon Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S 4G added to Android Open Source Project, 'no plans' to add Sprint Galaxy Nexus

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After announcing that Android 4.1 had been submitted to the Android Open Source Project, Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru responded to the inevitable flood of questions that followed with a few more details. Specifically, he noted that the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus has been brought into the AOSP, but that "there are no plans to support" the "toroplus," aka Sprint's version of the Galaxy Nexus

galaxy nexus verizon lte_640
galaxy nexus verizon lte_640

After announcing that Android 4.1 had been submitted to the Android Open Source Project, Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru responded to the inevitable flood of questions that followed with a few more details. Specifically, he noted that the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus has been brought into the AOSP, but that "there are no plans to support" the "toroplus," aka Sprint's version of the Galaxy Nexus. Sprint's not left entirely out of the cold, however, as a week earlier it was announced that the Nexus S 4G was back in the AOSP as well.

What's all this mean? Well, firstly that Google's been working to get support for adding proprietary pieces of software (specifically some of the drivers and other bits for these CDMA phones) into the AOSP and has progressed far enough along to add in these two devices. Secondly, Android developers hoping for a full Android Open Source Project release for the Sprint Galaxy Nexus should probably stop holding their breath.

What does all this not mean? It doesn't mean that Sprint's Galaxy Nexus that it won't get the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. It also doesn't mean that it isn't a "Nexus" device. In a perfect world, everything that gets branded a Nexus device would also see its complete source code added to the AOSP — but a perfect world this is not. There is plenty of software that ships on various Nexus devices (from Google Wallet to Google Chrome to MyVerizon) that isn't included in the AOSP and, conversely, now at least one "Nexus" device whose source isn't in the AOSP. C'est la Android.