The new Google has unveiled test suites for Android devices were created by the community and are meant to address power management and other problems.
For many years, Android has had the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS), an automated procedure that makes sure a phone, tablet, or other device that is still under development complies with all of Android’s standards. Of fact, the complete Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) is enormous and constantly expanding, so CTS will probably never be able to fully cover it.
As a result, several devices have been introduced over the years that don’t entirely adhere to Android’s specifications, which has had a negative effect on app developers. The way different Android device manufacturers handle things like foreground services and background apps is one of the more commonly used instances. The website Dont Kill My App built by Urbandroid, the creators of, features this problem.
By releasing Developer-powered CTS (CTS-D) tests that have been created and submitted by the community, Google has chosen to enable the developer community deal with these problems more directly. Because of this, these tests will be open source and available to any Android enthusiast or developer who wants to check if their device complies.
Petr Nalevka, the leader of the Urbandroid team, supplied the first batch of the CTS-D tests, which examines how foreground services and wake locks are used on Android devices. Google is looking for additional power management test contributions in the future.
It’s unclear, though, how much the Android environment will be improved by these CTS-D testing. Google is opting not to enforce these new tests despite the fact that it is only permitting tests that cover portions of the Android CDD listed as MUST, meaning any device that fails these tests is not an Android product.
The new tests should be used, Google will strongly advise Android partner companies. The Android community can conduct the CTS-D tests on their own smartphones and tablets in the interim and report any issues they discover to Google. Google will then collaborate with device manufacturers to find a solution.
Google’s 9TO5 I’m curious to see how seriously Google takes these CTS-D tests and their implementation. This appears to be Google’s posturing, giving the impression that it wants to address the concerns of the Android developer community while placing the blame on OEMs, at least until there is any action behind these testing.
Nevertheless, I want to hold onto my hope that this might result in genuine change from Android phone manufacturers, albeit more gradually than Google establishing and implementing these test standards on its own.
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