Android One's biggest features: 2-year software support, carrier billing for apps

We know that Google adopts an 18-month support programme for its Nexus devices; just ask the Galaxy Nexus owners left out of the KitKat update. So it was a pleasant surprise that the new Android One devices come with two-year software support.

That’s just one aspect of Android One, the programme launched by Google in India today and one which will come to other regions soon. Android One brings Google-controlled software in a hardware package that the Internet giant had a big role in developing. It’s really the first time that Google has made a foray into a concerted device programme such as this. The Nexus series has always been just the one or two devices per year, but Android One has kicked off with three low-cost smartphones that promise the best Android experience at the price point.

Google is obviously aiming to get first-time buyers on the Android bandwagon as quickly as possible, before that huge untapped audience moves towards Windows Phone or other OSes. It’s a very real possibility too because the growth potential is massive and absolutely dwarfs any other market in that regard. Google wants to get in on the game as early as possible. So it’s bringing carrier billing to help make app purchases easier and more transparent. No more worries about extra or hidden credit card charges. In fact, you don’t even a credit card with carrier billing.

However the single biggest feature is the two-year software support guarantee for Android One. That means the first fleet of devices will live to see a world beyond Android L too. It’s a feature no other vendor, software maker at this price point is offering. It also gives an extra padding of security to the brand-conscious among the budget audience who have favoured old brands like Nokia.

While it could be argued that most first-time buyers do not care about software versions, they would still want to know that their phone will last beyond the first few months. There’s no telling how hardware defect affect the experience, but absent those, Google is promising these phones are good enough for the long haul. In the light that these phones come with the Micromax, Karbonn and Spice branding , assurances such as these will help sooth any qualms about the quality of these devices.