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A 'Made for Google' program might be coming for third-party accessories

Google might soon announce a "Made for Google" certification program for third-party accessories at its October 4 event in San Fransisco.

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Published onOctober 3, 2017

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Google is preparing to launch a new “Made for Google” program, according to a new report. The new program would most likely see third-party accessory makers gain access to tools, documentation, and technical support much like in Apple’s MFi (Made for i) scheme. The details of such a program were confirmed by two sources with direct knowledge of the initiative and another with Google’s plans for its upcoming hardware announcement, according to 9to5Google.

While we don’t have a ton of details at this moment, the program seems to center around the USB Type-C standard. It’s easy to envision a plan by which Google certifies third-party accessories like battery packs, wall adapters, and USB cables that all carry the USB Type-C port. The USB Implementers Forum Inc. puts out a standard that all cables are supposed to adhere to but we’ve even seen some cables shipped by Android OEMs not meet spec. USB cables that don’t meet the Type-C specifications can be harmful and potentially deadly to devices. Famed Google Engineer Benson Leung recently had his Chromebook Pixel fried by some bad USB cables that he was testing for Amazon reviews.

What is USB Type-C? Or is it USB C?

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Under Apple’s certification program, third-party accessory makers are allowed to use the Apple branding and logo. At one time, companies had to pay a fee for each certified device sold but Apple later dropped that requirement. We could see Google do something similar with its logo and branding as it looks to further push the Google and Pixel names as consumer brands.

We might not have to wait too long for the full details. Google is expected to announce new hardware on October 4 in San Fransisco including. It would make sense for it to pass along details of this new program at that time too.

What do you think about this move from Google? Will it make you more likely to purchase an accessory if it’s Made for Google? Let us know down in the comments.