Google has just added a new version of Android to the AOSP project. It is called Microdroid. And it is defined as a minimalist version of the famous operating system. It is intended to run on Linux architectures. And it would be used with virtual machines.

Today, we are all gathered to celebrate the birth of a new operating system. It appeared a few days ago on the official site of Android Open Source Project. Its progenitor is called Google. And it is called Microdroid. A name that should give you some clues about its nature: it's Android, but in "micro" version. It is very light. It is devoid of many elements. Its creators even say that it is minimalist. And it's designed to work in ... virtual environments.

Let's make a slight parenthesis. You've probably already heard of "virtual machines". Or "virtualization". It's the act of running an application or operating system in an isolated environment. Virtualization is useful for developers who want to test an application in a different environment. It is useful in security to isolate an application from the rest of the operating system. And it is useful for creating virtual desktops.

MICRODROID WILL ALLOW TO ISOLATE APPLICATIONS ON SMARTPHONE

This technology has many applications. Virtual desktop services (you access a complete Windows system remotely). Cloud gaming services, such as Stadia, GeForce Now or xCloud. Or Android emulators for PC and Mac. In the case of a smartphone, this can be used, for example, to isolate an application or even duplicate it to create multiple instances.

And this is precisely what Microdroid should be used for. It's no coincidence that the Snapdragon 888, recently announced by Qualcomm, includes virtualization features. Not to mention that Microdroid could also be used as a basis for development environments (such as Microsoft Xamarin or Android Studio), as well as emulators (such as Nox Player or Bluestacks). The latter currently work with Android 7, for the most advanced. Of course, this is still only speculation. We hope to know more very soon.

Source : phonandroid