Is Brillo the Next Android? Exploring Google’s IoT OS and Weave Protocol

As the winner of the mobile‑Internet era, Android has achieved massive success but still faces high hardware requirements that make it unsuitable for many IoT devices. Google, leveraging Android’s popularity, is expanding its OS strategy to cover all device categories.

Android’s reliance on Java and its demanding architecture limit its use in low‑memory embedded hardware; a simple temperature‑control device should not need 512 MB of RAM. This mismatch drives the need for a lighter OS.

Brillo was introduced to fill this gap. Although not officially confirmed, it is likely a re‑engineered version of Android optimized for IoT, supporting devices with as little as 32 MB of RAM, which is welcomed by developers who previously struggled with Android‑based IoT solutions.

Weave is the underlying IoT communication protocol that enables Brillo devices, smartphones, and the Internet to interoperate. Originally developed by Nest, it was incorporated into Google after the acquisition. Built on IPv6, Weave offers low power consumption, low bandwidth, low latency, and high security, allowing direct device‑to‑device communication even when the Internet is down.

Google’s ambition mirrors the early mobile‑Internet boom: just as Android reshaped smartphones, Brillo and Weave aim to create a closed IoT ecosystem that could dominate the next decade of connected devices.

Google’s hardware partners for this effort include Intel, Marvell, Qualcomm, NXP, and Imagination, covering ARM, x86, and MIPS architectures.

Currently, Brillo and Weave are not openly available; developers must apply for a trial, and no public release timeline has been announced, suggesting ongoing internal testing.

Google’s motive appears to be locking in seed users—developers who apply for trials become potential evangelists for the platform, as evidenced by a questionnaire that collects email addresses for future engagement.

The reality of IoT, however, presents challenges: fragmented hardware requirements and memory constraints mean that even a 32 MB minimum may be too high for many ultra‑low‑power devices, limiting Brillo’s market reach. Power consumption and the lack of an open trial further hinder adoption.

In conclusion, Google views Brillo as the next Android, while other vendors are pursuing their own IoT operating systems such as Microsoft’s Windows IoT.