After delays, it looks like Google's plan for modular smartphones has come to an abrupt end. 。

Project Ara, the company's foray into creating phones that can be built from interchangeable parts, has reportedly been scrapped according to a report by。 Reuters 。Reuters
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SEE ALSO:The Moto Z Play Droid is a more affordable modular phone。

It's a shock decision considering Google's proclamation in May that it would have a developer edition of Ara ready for Q4 2016, and that consumers would get an Ara phone sometime in 2017. 。

But perhaps the writing was on the wall: The first consumer modular smartphone to be released, LG's G5, has sold poorly amid customer complaints regarding modules breaking down and other phone issues. 。Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.。

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Thanks for signing up!。 While LG's effort doesn't have the same level of modularity as Google projected with Ara, it does suggest that building a reliable, long-lasting modular smartphone is a far more difficult task than expected.。While Google won't release a phone itself, it may considering partnering with other vendors to bring the Ara technology to market, according to a 。

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Ara comes from Google's mysterious Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, which has been developing new hardware, such as wearables and gesture-sensing technology. 。The end of Project Ara is one of the first steps in unifying Google's numerous hardware efforts in a division now led by Motorola's former president, Rick Osterloh.。TopicsGoogle 。TopicsGoogle
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