AOSP isn't dead, but Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROM developers
Android Authority
AOSP isn't dead, but Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROM developers
Google has confirmed it isn't discontinuing AOSP, but it's making a change that makes it harder for devs to build Android for Pixel phones.
Others have [mentioned](
https://stacker.news/items/1005055) this but this article is a pretty good summary.
## Is AOSP going away? Google says no
>As promised, Google published the source code for Android 16 this week, allowing independent developers to compile their own builds of the new operating system. This source code was uploaded to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), as usual, under the permissive Apache 2.0 license.
>However, multiple developers quickly noticed a glaring omission from the Android 16 source code release: the device trees for Pixel devices were missing. Google also failed to upload new driver binaries for each Pixel device and released the kernel source code with a squashed commit history. Since Google has shared the device trees, driver binaries, and full kernel source code commit history for years, its omission in this week’s release was concerning.
>These omissions led some to speculate this week that Google was taking the first step in a plan to discontinue AOSP. In response, Google’s VP and GM of Android Platform, Seang Chau, refuted these claims. He addressed the speculation in a post on X, stating that “AOSP is NOT going away.”
## How does this impact developers of OS's like Graphene and CalyXOS?
> Previously, Google made it simple for developers to build AOSP for Pixel devices, but that support is now gone. Developers simply had to “pull the configurations [that] Google created,” add their customizations, and then build. Now, however, they will need to take the old device trees that Google released for Android 15 and “blindly guess and reverse engineer from the prebuilt [binaries] what changes are needed each month.”
So this is not good at all but not game over.
> These omissions led some to speculate this week that Google was taking the first step in a plan to discontinue AOSP. In response, Google’s VP and GM of Android Platform, Seang Chau, refuted these claims. He addressed the speculation in a post on X, stating that “AOSP is NOT going away.”
> He also confirmed the omission of Pixel device trees is intentional, stating that “AOSP needs a reference target that is flexible, configurable, and affordable — independent of any particular hardware, including those from Google.” Instead of supporting AOSP builds on Pixel devices, Google will support the virtual Android device “Cuttlefish” as its reference target. Cuttlefish runs on PCs, allowing Google and platform developers to test new hardware features. Google will also continue to support GSI targets, which are generic system images that can be installed on nearly any Android device.
And this little tidbit seems very concerning.
> Furthermore, Google’s decision to squash the kernel source code’s commit history also hinders custom development. The Pixel’s kernel source code was often used as a “reference point for other devices to take features, bug fixes, and security patches from,” but with the history now reduced to a single commit, this is no longer feasible.
## My Take
Google is doing this intentionally and strategically to limit the reach and competition it is getting from alternative ROMS. The popularity of Graphene and other ROMS has grown since 2020 when I first started trying these systems out.
This is a pattern we have seen in companies built on open source over the past few years. There are business reasons for some of the changes but also there are technical reasons. I don't like it one bit. Google has long claimed to be a champion of open source and honestly while the custom ROM space is growing the idea that its a threat to Google is laughable.
It is possible that this is just Google tightening the belt and reducing dev overhead. Either way its not good for people who develop more privacy respecting mobile computers and signals a massive need for open hardware and a truly open phone OS.
Stacker News
AOSP isn't dead, but Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROM developers \ stacker news
Others have mentioned this but this article is a pretty good summary. Is AOSP going away? Google says no As promised, Google published the source c...
