U.S. Government wants military to use Android phones

According to reports online, some U.S. officials this year are expected to get Android devices for the handling of classified government documents over cellular networks. While the issue has been discussed in the past before, it looks like the plans have finally been set into motion. The Android phones will first roll out to U.S. soldiers, federal agencies and then local governments and corporations eventually.

And if you’re wondering why the government has decided to go with Android instead of an alternative operating system like iOS – the government has the permission and ability to modify Android to suit its own purposes, while Apple has been reported to have denied the government such privileges.

The military will be given commercially available Android devices running a modified version of the Android operating system. It will be safer, more reliable and secure enough for storing classified documents, while retaining the core features of Android to function as a regular smartphone. The rollout of these Android phones is expected to happen sometime in the next few months.

[Image Credit]

George Wong
Categories: Cellphones, Military
Tags: Android, government