Google has a decent set of rules and regulations for Android software that manufacturers have to follow, but there are regulations and guidelines for the hardware as well, and Google’s recently updated Android 7.0 Nougat CDD (Compatibility Definition Document) states that they may end up requiring device manufacturers to follow USB Type-C standards for charging. Specifically, Google highlights that all future USB Type-C devices may have to support full interoperability with standard USB Type-C chargers.
The detail to note is that at the moment Google is not requiring device OEMs to follow any such regulation, but they are “strongly recommending” that they do so. The new section in the CDD that outlines these USB Type-C regulations states that this new requirement might be part of future versions of Android, so if Google does end up changing things in this way it might not apply to devices that are running on Nougat. It’s also possible that if they did set this new requirement that it could apply to devices running on Android 7.1, as while this is still part of Nougat, it is a future version of Android for most devices, or it could be put in place for whatever the next version of Android is after Nougat.
Although Google is not requiring OEMs to support full interoperability for standard USB Type-C chargers right now, they are now requiring that companies ensure that their devices can detect 1.5A and 3.0A chargers. In addition to this, Google is also requiring that device advertisements must state how much power a charger can send to the device. If this requirement is set and device manufacturers don’t follow the rule, then they could run into issues with the releasing the device until things are adjusted. It’s obvious that Google wants to have a USB Type-C charging standard in place, but this can only truly happen across the board if all manufacturers are implementing it, which is likely why they may be considering putting this rule in place. When and if these requirements are set by Google, it’s likely that consumers won’t see much of the detail as it’s a regulation meant for device manufacturers.