Google Forces Handset Makers To Promote Android On Their Startup Screens

HTC-One-powered-by-Android

If you’ve watched any of those Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8 unboxing videos that are now taking over YouTube, then you’ve probably seen their new startup screens that proudly display a “powered by Android” logo.

Google is now forcing handset makers to display this logo in a supposed effort to raise awareness of the Android brand, with many third-party interfaces making the platform unrecognizable.

Google doesn’t mind if Samsung, HTC, LG, and other Android smartphone manufacturers apply their own skins to its popular operating system — but many of them modify the platform so heavily that some consumers don’t even know they’re using Android.

If you place a Nexus 5 running stock Android alongside a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running TouchWiz and an HTC One running Sense, it’s easy to assume they’re all running completely different platforms if you don’t know any better.

Hoping to change that, Google now requires that a “powered by Android” logo is displayed at startup — and the company is very particular about what that logo looks like.

The logo must always appear at the bottom of the screen, Google says, and it must take up no less than 40% of the width of the screen. It must be spaced correct and scaled proportionately, and only approved colors must be used.

Geek.com reports that all Android handsets with access to Google Play must now display this logo on their startup screens going forward — and it appears to be a permanent fixture. You can expect to see a lot more of it in the future, then.