Android phones are rarely never built by Google. For most of the part, the operating system is run on devices that other companies build for them like Samsung, HTC, Huawei, LG and other OEMs.
Rarely do we see a smartphone carry the orginial "clean" version of Android's operating system copy, says Business Insider. That's because phone makers add their own software and preferences to make their "version" of the system more distinguishable.
Google has always been flexible in allowing OEMs to stretch and further their own versions of the operating system, but sometimes to the dismay of Android users as they give birth to various "bloatware." That is going to change as Android is now increasing it's sternness in implementing certain rules that third-party phone makers will have to follow.
Tech Republic lays down for us plainly how specific the text in the Marshmallow Compatibility Definition Document is:
Permissions with a protection level of dangerous are runtime permissions. Applications with targetSdkVersion > 22 request them at runtime. Device implementations:
- MUST show a dedicated interface for the user to decide whether to grant the requested runtime permissions and also provide an interface for the user to manage runtime permissions.
- MUST have one and only one implementation of both user interfaces.
- MUST NOT grant any runtime permissions to preinstalled apps unless: the user's consent can be obtained before the application uses it or the runtime permissions are associated with an intent pattern for which the preinstalled application is set as the default handler.
What that simply means is that while an OEM or carrier might be able to replace certain features into their own style and variation of the feature, they cannot grant permissions to the bloatware for the user. The OEM must provide a means for the bloatware to be disabled if the user prefers not to have it. Neuro Gadget says this is important because it can now control what application can be accessed by other applications.
There is no guarantee that OEMs will not be able to find a loophole. They can opt to target lower API and grant the necessary permissions. However, there is still hope that this loophole can be closed before Google continues to shell out Marshmallows to Android users.
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