Overview
- .android is a brand generic top-level domain (gTLD) associated with the Android name and ecosystem.
- The string was applied for by Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.) as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program and is intended to provide a dedicated domain space tied to the Android platform and members of the Open Handset Alliance.
History
- Applicant: Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.).
- Application revealed during ICANN's New gTLD process (Reveal Day, 13 June 2012).
- Registry Agreement with ICANN signed: 7 August 2014.
- Delegation to the DNS Root Zone / implementation date: 12 November 2014.
- TLD subtype: brand; TLD type: gTLD; status: delegated.
Usage and Audience
- Primary intended audience: members of the Open Handset Alliance and entities associated with the Android ecosystem.
- Purpose as stated by the applicant:
- Provide members of the Open Handset Alliance with a dedicated namespace for relevant second-level domains.
- Aggregate Android-related content, promote innovation, and signal the kind of content expected under the domain.
- The applicant indicated the .android space is intended to enhance consumer choice and support organization of Android-related resources.
Registration Rules
- Registry operator: Charleston Road Registry Inc. (Google).
- Registry services are to be made available to ICANN-accredited registrars.
- Eligibility intent and enforcement described by the applicant:
- Charleston Road Registry stated a plan to limit registrations to members of the Open Handset Alliance and to require registrars to confirm OHA membership via an established verification process.
- The registry reserved the right to impose registrant verification enforcement policies on registrars.
- The applicant also committed to implementing strong intellectual property rights protection mechanisms and a suite of rights protection measures building on ICANN's required policies.
- Note: the application text includes both a statement that domain names "will be available to the public for registration and use" and a later statement expressing the registry's belief that value is best added by limiting registrations to Open Handset Alliance members; this reflects the applicant's stated intentions regarding eligibility and verification.
SEO and Brand Impact
- .android is explicitly positioned as a brand gTLD tied to the well-known Android name and ecosystem, which signals Android-related content to users.
- The applicant framed the gTLD as a way to:
- Create a clear association between domain names and Android-related content.
- Enhance consumer choice and facilitate aggregation of relevant content.
- Support brand protection through rights protection mechanisms and registrant verification.
- As a Google-associated brand TLD, .android carries direct brand association that can influence user trust and expectation of Android-relevant content.
Notable Cases or Examples
- Operator and applicant: Charleston Road Registry Inc., a Google entity, is the registry operator for .android.
- Key milestones: successful application during ICANN's New gTLD Program, registry agreement signed on 7 August 2014, and delegation to the root on 12 November 2014.
Operator
Charleston Road Registry Inc.
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object
domain: ANDROID
organisation: Charleston Road Registry Inc.
address: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
address: Mountain View CA 94043
address: United States of America (the)
contact: administrative
name: TLD Admin
organisation: Google Inc
address: 111 8th Avenue
address: New York NY 10011
address: United States of America (the)
phone: +1 404 978 8419
fax-no: +1 650 492 5631
e-mail: iana-contact@google.com
contact: technical
name: TLD Engineering
organisation: Google Inc
address: 76 Ninth Avenue, 4th Floor
address: New York NY 10011
address: United States of America (the)
phone: +1 404 978 8419
fax-no: +1 650 492 5631
e-mail: crr-tech@google.com
nserver: NS-TLD1.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:32:0:0:0:69 216.239.32.105
nserver: NS-TLD2.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:34:0:0:0:69 216.239.34.105
nserver: NS-TLD3.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:36:0:0:0:69 216.239.36.105
nserver: NS-TLD4.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:38:0:0:0:69 216.239.38.105
nserver: NS-TLD5.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4805:0:0:0:0:69 216.239.60.105
ds-rdata: 4937 8 2 9d8e83dd4629ddae1597428c5352eb7b9cecb4854548d960ac8d7112d24c7f08
whois:
status: ACTIVE
remarks: Registration information: https://www.registry.google
created: 2014-10-30
changed: 2025-04-11
source: IANA
