Google leads $22 million investment in KaiOS to develop smart feature phone OS

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KaiOS Technologies, which is developing an operating system for advanced feature phones, announced it has landed a surprising round of funding from Google.

The maker of the Android smartphone operating system led a $22 million round of funding for the Hong Kong-based startup. The two companies said in a press release that the goal was to create better phones that would “bring the internet to the next generation of users.”

“This funding will help us fast-track development and global deployment of KaiOS-enabled smart feature phones, allowing us to connect the vast population that still cannot access the internet, especially in emerging markets,” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies, in a statement…