Why Google Insisted On Inclusion Of ‘Powered By Android’ Boot Logo

Google’s Mobile Operating System is surging in adoption across the world, but Google is now insisting device makers to include a graphical confirmation at the time of the phone booting up.

As first reported by Geek.com, Google has mandated manufacturers who use Android in their products, to place a pre–defined set of graphics and words that confirm the device is indeed running Android. Smartphone makers will now have to mandatorily place the words “Powered by Android” at the bottom of boot-up screens.

Google has already outlined the exact dimensions in its updated Google Mobile Services license that manufacturers must abide by in order to ship devices with access to the Play Store or Google’s suite of first-party apps. In other words, phones that do not contain the ‘Powered by Android’ boot–logo, may not have legal access to Google Play Services which includes the burgeoning App Store. Interestingly, the guidelines don’t explicitly mention that inclusion of the logo is must, but AndroidPloice.com has confirmed that it is indeed the case.

The compulsion to include ‘Powered by Android’ could indicate Google is now quite serious in enhancing the Brand Image of its product that has already cornered almost 80% of the smartphone market. Unfortunately, though Google is now a household name, Android isn’t.

Moreover, smartphone makers continue to significantly alter the appearance of the Android OS cosmetically. Some of the modifications or ‘skinning’ or ‘themeing’ is so extreme, it is difficult to imagine that the base OS is Android.

Google has kept Android ‘Free to Implement’. Meaning, manufacturers aren’t charged any licensing fees, a management or policy decision that even Microsoft is slowly implementing. This resulted in widespread adoption of the OS and Android’s market share skyrocketed. However, since Google hadn’t laid out any restriction on the cosmetic appearance of the OS, many manufactures customize the looks to match their own brands closely. These devices may appear to run on an completely new OS which is essentially Android at the core.

However, Google now feels that Android as a Brand should get its due recognition too. Fortunately for the search giant, the Google Apps packages are still proprietary and are under license. Needless to say, these official apps are a big part of the Android experience and OEMs cannot afford, not delivering them on the phones they sell.

Android based smartphones without Google’s Apps wouldn’t be much appealing, but on the other hand, modern versions of Android seldom require a reboot. Nonetheless, Google has now officially flexed its muscles.

[Images via AndroidPolice and Geek]