may be working on improving the overall customer experience for Android handset buyers, Android Police has learned, by creating a new support system for Android customers that will offer extended assistance to consumers. Dubbed Android Silver, the project will include carrier partners, which will provide support to buyers when it comes to data migration, stolen devices and information backup, and even live support sessions.
The publication has posted several slides that detail the Android Silver support program from a presentation that took place last year. Thus, it’s not clear when the program will be rolled out, and whether Google is still working on it, but Android Police says the company “was or is planning something like Android Silver.”
In order for devices to be included in the Android Silver program, they will have to “run the latest version of Android with no or very limited customizations.” Furthermore, Google will not sell these devices exclusively, and carriers will be responsible for implementing the support system in place. Also of importance is the fact that Google will select at least five handsets for Silver status at any given time.
Mobile operators will have an Android Silver display in stores, showcasing the supported devices and accessories, and carrier personnel will be specifically trained for Android Silver purposes.
Android Silver customer care personnel will help users set up Google accounts and assist with the first Google Play Store app purchase, migrate data from an old to a new device, locate lost/stolen devices, backup data and provide replacement devices for the lost/stolen ones. Furthermore, an online “hangout assistant” from Google will provide Amazon Mayday-like support to customers.
Interestingly, Google wants the migrate data process to take less than five minutes, with the company expected to come up with a tool that carriers could use to quickly move data between devices. Also, the company is said to rebrand its Android Device Manager into “Never Lost,” a new program that will locate, lock, rename a phone, suspend wireless service, and even display battery life.
Even though it’s not clear when an Android Silver program will be launched, or what it’ll be called, and even though it’ll be limited to a handful of devices, Android Silver certainly seems to be a program that aims to fix a variety of issues for Google with a single blow. For starters, the supported devices will run an Android version close to Google’s latest OS update, with little OEM or carrier bloatware on top – thus Google will further fight fragmentation within the OS. Also important is the fact that Google aims to provide actual customer support to Android device buyers, giving them “peace of mind” in the process, which will surely be welcomed by users that aren’t that tech savvy, and who are yet to learn how to fix their Android issues with help from the large Android community. Finally, from the looks of it, Google may also be interested in getting more users to download more apps or digital content from the Google Play Store, pushing this smartphone feature in Android Silver.
The slides from the presentation shown to Googlers received by Android Police follow below.
