Well Google is finally putting their digital foot down. All I can say is…IT IS ABOUT TIME. If you are like me (and as well as the most of over here) you hate the different UI’s that inhabit the Android OS. Moto Blur, Sense, Touchwiz…BLAH. I do not know about you but I am all about AOSP. Just good ole’ stock Android. Yes, I understand that people like variety, which is what makes Android great.
Google announced via Android Developers blog that from now on, if a device has Android Market, it will have to keep the Holo themes as they were originally designed. Which means, if an App developer wants to stick to the stock Holo look even on a skinned device, there will be the necessary files on the device and will just need to call them via code. I actually love the theme so this really does not concern me nor does it probably concern a majority of the Android community.
Source: Androidos.in
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What? Might want to double check that Android Developers Blog post. Specifically check the bit about DeviceDefault theme families. If a manufacturer or themer wants to create an overall UI theme, they set it as the DeviceDefault theme. What’s mandatory is that Holo is included, even if the DeviceDefault theme is enabled. This way, if you want your app to look like ICS, you can force it.