14 DAY TRIAL // The next Android operating system version could arrive on devices with a brand new runtime packed inside, one that sports the name of ART.
The new Android Runtime (ART) has been spotted in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few months ago, when it featured a preview tag next to it, but it seems that Google might be finally ready to make it generally available.
As Android Police notes, a recent commit to AOSP suggests that ART will be included in the upcoming platform version, replacing Dalvik.
Of course, the currently available runtime will not be completely removed from the operating system, but will be only an alternative. At least for the time being, it will remain there, though there’s no telling on how long that would last, it seems.
With ART already showcased in a preview variant, chances are that the feedback received from the community was good enough to turn it into a stable release, and that Google considers it fit for general distribution.
On the other hand, Android Police notes that ART might not actually make it in official releases from Google for a while longer, despite the fact that it has been already pushed to the master branch.
The Android Runtime might have been included in AOSP so as to simplify testing, something that is not uncommon in the life of projects. However, not all final builds include all the changes that have been made during the development phase.
Basically, with no confirmation from Google that ART will indeed be included in the next Android release, there’s always the possibility that this change will be reverted in the future, and that Dalvik will stay just where it is at the moment.
However, Google has been already rumored to plan some other modifications in the next Android version as well, including one that would block many root apps, which suggests that the company might be getting ready for some great changes in the OS soon.