Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Android on Raspberry Pi rumours are ‘promising’, says Pi creator

The Raspberry Pi could soon work with Google’s Android operating system, at least according to a new report.

A Wired article quotes Raspberry Pi creator Eben Upton as saying that early reports of Android support for the microcomputer are “encouraging”, adding: “It’s a promising sign and a nice compliment to the open source community.”

In a surprise move last month, Google assembled an AOSP build repository for the Raspberry Pi, strongly hinting at the possible introduction of an official Android fork. Speaking to Wired, developer Matt Brailsford said:

“Given the wealth of libraries, add-ons and apps for the Android OS, I would assume that wouldmake a lot of these reusable on the Pi, which again may open up some pretty interesting doors, and with mobile dev being the big thing right now, it could bring in some pretty interesting people to the community with some fresh ideas.”

android

So what are the advantages of official support for Android on Raspberry Pi? First, Android is familiar, which makes it accessible to users who are savvy with the OS. Android also supports millions of apps, has extensive community support and, if featured on the Pi, could offer a cheap way of accessing Android TV.

Related: Best DIY Raspberry Pi Projects

The Refresh: Catch up on the latest tech news

What’s the coolest Raspberry Pi-powered invention you’ve seen so far? Let us know in the comments.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words