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I know that 7.1.2 on the Nexus 6 is not supported by Google, but anyone know if any of the developers tried incorporating based on the AOSP 7.1.2 chain?
You realize those are preview builds for the other devices right? Code isn't pushed to AOSP yet AFAIK. I think the highest is 7.1.1_r22
edit: maybe it is? https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/android-n-mr2-preview-1
Not worth trying at the moment. The source will change from preview to the final build. It's better to wait until the final build gets pushed out and the full source code reaches aosp. In other words, patience, young grasshopper. We will get custom Roms based on 7.1.2 ?
Arju said:
Not worth trying at the moment. The source will change from preview to the final build. It's better to wait until the final build gets pushed out and the full source code reaches aosp. In other words, patience, young grasshopper. We will get custom Roms based on 7.1.2
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Thanks gentlemen! I understand you want to base on the final build to hopefully get rid of most of the bugs..
and the big improvements between 7.1.1 and 7.1.2 are what?
Personally I think we all get too excited by these updates. Me, I struggle to see the major differences between Kitkat and 7.1.1 (I'm pretty unobservant, but hey, it's just a communication/entertainment device, yeah?) so although I look forward to playing with the new version I raraly see any killer difference. Android, to my eyes, is about as advanced as it can get until it can actually give me a backrub and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee in the morning. I'm not holding my breath...
dahawthorne said:
Personally I think we all get too excited by these updates. Me, I struggle to see the major differences between Kitkat and 7.1.1 (I'm pretty unobservant, but hey, it's just a communication/entertainment device, yeah?) so although I look forward to playing with the new version I raraly see any killer difference. Android, to my eyes, is about as advanced as it can get until it can actually give me a backrub and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee in the morning. I'm not holding my breath...
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Are you also blind? Because Kitkat and Nougat are miles apart.
I'm short-sighted. No need to be offensive.
Examples? I can play videos, talk to people, text. What major (and I mean major) differences are there then? It's a phone and communications device. Kitkat did that. Nougat is just icing.
Go on, justify your statement rather than just being offended and offensive.
@admiralspeedy: No, @dahawthorne is right in that the changes in Android recently have been more evolutionary than revolutionary. The last really significant change in Android was switching from Dalvik to ART, which was experimental in Android 4.4.x and enabled in Android 5.x. and up.
Note that Material Design isn't a significant change, and neither is SEAndroid enforcement.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
@admiralspeedy: No, @dahawthorne is right in that the changes in Android recently have been more evolutionary than revolutionary. The last really significant change in Android was switching from Dalvik to ART, which was experimental in Android 4.4.x and enabled in Android 5.x. and up.
Note that Material Design isn't a significant change, and neither is SEAndroid enforcement.
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Click to collapse
Everything can't be "revolutionary" and being evolutionary hardly means that there are very few big changes. KitKat is the last iteration of Android to use the Holo theme and now through Lollipop, Marshmallow and Nougat we've had several major improvements to the entire Android interface through material design. The interface changes alone are enough to consider KitKat and anything newer, vastly different. You also mentioned Dalvik to ART, which is a huge change, but you failed to mention proper 64-bit support (beginning with Lollipop), more customization (such as the notification tray toggles), native multi-window, the official fingerprint API, and when the next iteration is released, KitKat will probably be dropped from security patches unless a ton of people are still hanging on to it.
Really the list goes on but I think it's quite ridiculous to say that the evolutionary changes made from KitKat to Nougat are hardly substantial.
But @dahawthorne never said there were no significant changes. All he said is he couldn't see them. As for what you've listed, nothing there is truly significant, not even 64-bit computing. That's not to say they're not welcome or anything like that, but Dalvik to ART is significant because it fundamentally changed how Android worked under the hood.
P. S. Calling other posters blind because you can't see their point? Ironic.
admiralspeedy said:
Everything can't be "revolutionary" and being evolutionary hardly means that there are very few big changes. KitKat is the last iteration of Android to use the Holo theme and now through Lollipop, Marshmallow and Nougat we've had several major improvements to the entire Android interface through material design. The interface changes alone are enough to consider KitKat and anything newer, vastly different. You also mentioned Dalvik to ART, which is a huge change, but you failed to mention proper 64-bit support (beginning with Lollipop), more customization (such as the notification tray toggles), native multi-window, the official fingerprint API, and when the next iteration is released, KitKat will probably be dropped from security patches unless a ton of people are still hanging on to it.
Really the list goes on but I think it's quite ridiculous to say that the evolutionary changes made from KitKat to Nougat are hardly substantial.
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I think that my point would be best-illustrated by handing two phones (Kitkat & Nougat) to a "normal" user (i.e. non-XDA person interested in using the phone and uninterested in the technology). I can easily imagine the scenario because I'm married to one. She might say that the new icons look nice, and the design is easy on the eye. Dalvik/ART? Couldn't care less. 64-bit? Even *I* couldn't care less. Multi-window? Impractical even on my N6's large screen, and effectively a tech showpiece, a solution looking for a problem. My N6 and my wife's N5 don't have a fingerprint reader, and in any case that's more of a hardware feature requiring software rather than a software feature in its own right. And persuading her to let me install new security versions is like pulling teeth.
I therefore stand full-square behind my original "little difference" statement, because to the "normal" user that's exactly the case.
this thread actually is about differences between 7.11 and 7.12
and, whether you think there are major differences between lollipop, kitkat and nougat, I think we ALL can agree that the differences between a 7.11 os and a 7.12 os will hardly be worth anyone's time to get excited about.
maybe when it moves to 8.0 it will be significant, but a one dot move in ANY OS generally means absolutely nothing
dahawthorne said:
I think that my point would be best-illustrated by handing two phones (Kitkat & Nougat) to a "normal" user (i.e. non-XDA person interested in using the phone and uninterested in the technology). I can easily imagine the scenario because I'm married to one. She might say that the new icons look nice, and the design is easy on the eye. Dalvik/ART? Couldn't care less. 64-bit? Even *I* couldn't care less. Multi-window? Impractical even on my N6's large screen, and effectively a tech showpiece, a solution looking for a problem. My N6 and my wife's N5 don't have a fingerprint reader, and in any case that's more of a hardware feature requiring software rather than a software feature in its own right. And persuading her to let me install new security versions is like pulling teeth.
I therefore stand full-square behind my original "little difference" statement, because to the "normal" user that's exactly the case.
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Agreed. The average person couldn't care less or even really tell a difference. My gf is the same way. She doesn't even Ike doing the monthly security updates to the point she made disable it lol. As long as it makes calls, texts, Facebook and a few websites then she is happy.
wase4711 said:
this thread actually is about differences between 7.11 and 7.12
and, whether you think there are major differences between lollipop, kitkat and nougat, I think we ALL can agree that the differences between a 7.11 os and a 7.12 os will hardly be worth anyone's time to get excited about.
maybe when it moves to 8.0 it will be significant, but a one dot move in ANY OS generally means absolutely nothing
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l2tp protocol should be fixed in 7.1..2 according to issue #196939. it is something i was waiting for almost two years.
never heard of that, never read about that, have no clue about that, and you wont find any discussion about it on XDA, so, its not an issue that is at the forefront in anyone I knows mind...
wase4711 said:
never heard of that, never read about that, have no clue about that, and you wont find any discussion about it on XDA, so, its not an issue that is at the forefront in anyone I knows mind...
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This is true that you are not seeing talks about it but just because you dont see anything said about it on XDA doesnt mean it is not in the forfront of anyones mind.
Talks like that really arent dont in the threads anymore but in private chats. 99% of any real development talks are done away from users these days.
As for 7.1.2 this will start to get really hard as this is when 32bit support dies and all of Google code is for 64 bit chips. Developers are already starting to see the change over and soo it will be true death for 32 bit devices. As porting it backwards is almost not conceivable.
To be honest, 32-bit supports won't go away, in fact it's required. Why? ARM Cortex A35 and A7 CPUs which will be here to stay, even though it's obviously true that industry and ROM developers are moving to 64-bit support (ie. AARCH64 AKA ARM64 mode) - ie. Cortex A53 and up to A73, the 32-bit ARM processors will still be used for many years to come, obviously for embedded battery life reasons, like Android Wear.
Otherwise, Nexus 6 will be my last 32-bit device (I know Android Oreo will still come onto Nexus 6 via Lineage OS, obviously because it will still support 32-bit mode for some reasons - Android Wear is based on full-blown Android OS, so if you remove 32-bit mode support, you risk breaking the watch ecosystem). I am kind of torn between ASUS ZenFone AR or Pixel 2. Hard choice.
Dr. Mario said:
To be honest, 32-bit supports won't go away, in fact it's required. Why? ARM Cortex A35 and A7 CPUs which will be here to stay, even though it's obviously true that industry and ROM developers are moving to 64-bit support (ie. AARCH64 AKA ARM64 mode) - ie. Cortex A53 and up to A73, the 32-bit ARM processors will still be used for many years to come, obviously for embedded battery life reasons, like Android Wear.
Otherwise, Nexus 6 will be my last 32-bit device (I know Android Oreo will still come onto Nexus 6 via Lineage OS, obviously because it will still support 32-bit mode for some reasons - Android Wear is based on full-blown Android OS, so if you remove 32-bit mode support, you risk breaking the watch ecosystem). I am kind of torn between ASUS ZenFone AR or Pixel 2. Hard choice.
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Just because those chips are here doesnt mean the OS has to support it. Plus with the adaption rate of devices, by the time that it would matter 99% of devices will already being running a 64 bit chip.
Look at it this way. Google only works on code for their base devices. All 64bit.
As of LOS. If they dont have a base to work from then it will be very hard indeed.
They will not risk that. It is already in the works if you think about it. Only the n6 is a 32bit device that google supports. So they already have it setup for 64bit to work with the watch.
If you watch google source code you will see the transition.
True, but who knows, as of now? Google occasionally pull the surprises (I don't trust commit notes from certain companies such as Google, they occasionally put too much eggs into a basket - recent Nexus and Pixel muck-ups proves that), so it's possible they would either continue with transition or just cancel it and stick with hybrid builds. It's now more of a wait and see thing.
Now that Android O developer preview has dropped. I feel like the devs should drop working on 7.1.2 and just go straight to Android O when they create an AOSP branch on it. Any devs planning on doing that?
That will almost be impossible as with 7.1.2 Android O will be 64 bit. Porting back to our 32 bit device will be next to impossible
zelendel said:
That will almost be impossible as with 7.1.2 Android O will be 64 bit. Porting back to our 32 bit device will be next to impossible
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Ok, so what's next, after 7.1.1 in AOSP for our Shamu? Nothing?
gothy.gothy said:
Ok, so what's next, after 7.1.1 in AOSP for our Shamu? Nothing?
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Android O is only in Dev preview stage. The code is bound to change and the full code is not there for us to compile. So if anyone actually are going to try then they are going to build a messy hacked build and have to start all over again when next preview comes. Best is to wait until Android O launched at fall when the final code gets pushed to aosp and that's the right time for developers to work on Android O for our Shamus. In short, now is not the right time.
gothy.gothy said:
Ok, so what's next, after 7.1.1 in AOSP for our Shamu? Nothing?
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Click to collapse
No one is sure. It very well maybe the last AOSP we see. It will still be worked on i am sure but I doubt we will see anything past it for the shamu. This is why many devs have moved to other devices like the 6p or the 3t.
Arju said:
Android O is only in Dev preview stage. The code is bound to change and the full code is not there for us to compile. So if anyone actually are going to try then they are going to build a messy hacked build and have to start all over again when next preview comes. Best is to wait until Android O launched at fall when the final code gets pushed to aosp and that's the right time for developers to work on Android O for our Shamus. In short, now is not the right time.
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No, not about the time I asked, but the possibility to have Android O, doesn't matter when.
I asked what will be after 7.1.1.
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 PM ----------
zelendel said:
No one is sure. It very well maybe the last AOSP we see. It will still be worked on i am sure but I doubt we will see anything past it for the shamu. This is why many devs have moved to other devices like the 6p or the 3t.
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Well, it is a pity, because it's a very good device!
@gothy.gothy We will probably see Android O through the unofficial route and I'm sure the Nexus 6 will live to see another year, but further than that it's hard to predict. Zelendel is right that it will only get harder and harder by time and when apps only starts supporting 64bit and looses support for 32bit then we're out of the game. We might get a sloppy hack of a build but loose app support in future major updates after Android O. So the best would be to move to a device that runs 64bit.
rester555 said:
Now that Android O developer preview has dropped. I feel like the devs should drop working on 7.1.2 and just go straight to Android O when they create an AOSP branch on it. Any devs planning on doing that?
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Click to collapse
No developers are "working" on 7.1.2 (except maybe a few brave kernel developers), because the source isn't pushed to AOSP until the final release.
zelendel said:
That will almost be impossible as with 7.1.2 Android O will be 64 bit. Porting back to our 32 bit device will be next to impossible
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Click to collapse
I don't mean to start a flame war, but this just isn't right. There has been no effort to "remove" 32-bit support. In fact, the Nexus Player is still a 32-bit device (albeit x86) which is supported by O, it may be 64-bit hardware, but due to proprietary firmware, they decided to have the 2nd-stage bootloader, and kernel/user-space boot in 32-bit mode. It has the O preview out now. Plus the 32-bit toolchains still get active support, and even 64-bit devices (i.e. angler/marlin) run some amount of arm(32) code in the form of their proprietary firmware/libraries, so we'll always need the ability to run 32-bit code on Android, and therefore, not stripping 32-bit compatibility from Android.
Also, there haven't been any specific moves by Google in terms of AOSP source away from 32-bit support.
gothy.gothy said:
Ok, so what's next, after 7.1.1 in AOSP for our Shamu? Nothing?
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Click to collapse
I'd bet just about any amount of money the Nexus 6 will see O once source drops.
zelendel said:
No one is sure. It very well maybe the last AOSP we see. It will still be worked on i am sure but I doubt we will see anything past it for the shamu. This is why many devs have moved to other devices like the 6p or the 3t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would O be the last AOSP we see? Android is mostly licensed under GPLv3, so they have to release source (that compiles) for the large majority of android. If you're refereeing to the fushcia OS they are creating, according to git logs, it is to be used on intergrated system's, as the kernel they wrote is very minimal.
My apologies gentlemen, I thought that AOSP was pushed on each developer preview. I didn't realize that it doesn't hit the AOSP Branch until the final build.
rester555 said:
My apologies gentlemen, I thought that AOSP was pushed on each developer preview. I didn't realize that it doesn't hit the AOSP Branch until the final build.
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Hence why you look silly putting up this thread...
npjohnson said:
No developers are "working" on 7.1.2 (except maybe a few brave kernel developers), because the source isn't pushed to AOSP until the final release.
I don't mean to start a flame war, but this just isn't right. There has been no effort to "remove" 32-bit support. In fact, the Nexus Player is still a 32-bit device (albeit x86) which is supported by O, it may be 64-bit hardware, but due to proprietary firmware, they decided to have the 2nd-stage bootloader, and kernel/user-space boot in 32-bit mode. It has the O preview out now. Plus the 32-bit toolchains still get active support, and even 64-bit devices (i.e. angler/marlin) run some amount of arm(32) code in the form of their proprietary firmware/libraries, so we'll always need the ability to run 32-bit code on Android, and therefore, not stripping 32-bit compatibility from Android.
Also, there haven't been any specific moves by Google in terms of AOSP source away from 32-bit support.
I'd bet just about any amount of money the Nexus 6 will see O once source drops.
Why would O be the last AOSP we see? Android is mostly licensed under GPLv3, so they have to release source (that compiles) for the large majority of android. If you're refereeing to the fushcia OS they are creating, according to git logs, it is to be used on intergrated system's, as the kernel they wrote is very minimal.
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Click to collapse
This is where you are mistaken. Android isn't under the GPL. Only the kernel is. Android is under the apache license. Google doesn't have to push any code for Android at all. They could completely stop. Or keep doing what they started with the 6p and that is make the system files like system ui closed sourced.
You really have not been paying attention much. Just look at the last issues the nexus had with the updates. Not to mention not getting all of the stuff in the update that the 62 bit devices got.
zelendel said:
This is where you are mistaken. Android isn't under the GPL. Only the kernel is. Android is under the apache license.
You really have not been paying attention much. Just look at the last issues the nexus had with the updates. Not to mention not getting all of the stuff in the update that the 62 bit devices got.
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Apologies for the typo there. GPLv3 (which requires source release) ==> Apache (which does not). As you noted though, kernel sources are GPLv3.
I really have been paying attention though. I too wondered why the Nexus 6 didn't get Nougat as quickly, and why the 6P's 7.1.2 updates were delayed. If you do some static disassembly/analysis on the Nexus 6's proprietary blobs (in specific, take a look at the prebuilt qcom binaries, like qmuxd and mm-qcamera and the date they were signed), you can deduce that the reason we saw a delayed 7.1.1 (and 7.0 for that matter) on the Nexus 6 was because QCOM either had issues with the specific hardware peripherals related, or just wasn't keen on working on them. An issue that isn't strictly related to 32-bit support, because we saw the same exact issue with Angler on the initial 7.1.2 Beta release (some blobs which are pre-signed being dated barely before the build date). Plus the Nexus 6 itself was never intended to be a Nexus phone. In an interview with one of the Engineer's who worked on the Nexus 6, they stated that there initially was another manufacturer who backed out last minute, forcing them to use the Moto X Pro shell that shipped in China (the hardware is identical + an IR sensor for Moto Display), so Google hasn't ever been to keen on the Nexus 6.
And, what are you referring to that 64-bit devices got that the Nexus 6 didn't? Other than some of the gestures, I don't see it. The 6, 6P, and 5x all got Assistant (well, everyone did), with 7.1.1, they all got gesture support (the 6 is missing one, I think double-tap to wake? And that's because it never worked reliably on the 6's display panel without significant battery repercussions). None of the Nexus series devices got Pixel Launcher (officially at least), but they're all capable of side-loading it (i.e. no 64-bit only libraries), and none of the Nexus series got the Pixel style navigation bar, but I suppose those two could be written off as 'Pixel Exclusives', and are 32-bit agnostic anyway.
One more shining example of 32-bit getting updates just fine is the Android One program, which contains a boatload of currently supported devices (many of which are expected to get O), many of which are not only 32-bit, but MediaTek powered (unrelated, but still interesting).
npjohnson said:
Apologies for the typo there. GPLv3 (which requires source release) ==> Apache (which does not). As you noted though, kernel sources are GPLv3.
I really have been paying attention though. I too wondered why the Nexus 6 didn't get Nougat as quickly, and why the 6P's 7.1.2 updates were delayed. If you do some static disassembly/analysis on the Nexus 6's proprietary blobs (in specific, take a look at the prebuilt qcom binaries, like qmuxd and mm-qcamera and the date they were signed), you can deduce that the reason we saw a delayed 7.1.1 (and 7.0 for that matter) on the Nexus 6 was because QCOM either had issues with the specific hardware peripherals related, or just wasn't keen on working on them. An issue that isn't strictly related to 32-bit support, because we saw the same exact issue with Angler on the initial 7.1.2 Beta release (some blobs which are pre-signed being dated barely before the build date). Plus the Nexus 6 itself was never intended to be a Nexus phone. In an interview with one of the Engineer's who worked on the Nexus 6, they stated that there initially was another manufacturer who backed out last minute, forcing them to use the Moto X Pro shell that shipped in China (the hardware is identical + an IR sensor for Moto Display), so Google hasn't ever been to keen on the Nexus 6.
And, what are you referring to that 64-bit devices got that the Nexus 6 didn't? Other than some of the gestures, I don't see it. The 6, 6P, and 5x all got Assistant (well, everyone did), with 7.1.1, they all got gesture support (the 6 is missing one, I think double-tap to wake? And that's because it never worked reliably on the 6's display panel without significant battery repercussions). None of the Nexus series devices got Pixel Launcher (officially at least), but they're all capable of side-loading it (i.e. no 64-bit only libraries), and none of the Nexus series got the Pixel style navigation bar, but I suppose those two could be written off as 'Pixel Exclusives', and are 32-bit agnostic anyway.
One more shining example of 32-bit getting updates just fine is the Android One program, which contains a boatload of currently supported devices (many of which are expected to get O), many of which are not only 32-bit, but MediaTek powered (unrelated, but still interesting).
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Click to collapse
If you look close at the one program, it was an epic fail. They seldom see an update. MTK bweing the main reason they dont get updates. Just ask anyone where andoid one is even sold. Many never even saw a single update.
If you look at the official software that was pushed (not what was pushed to AOSP as they are different) to the pixel you will notice things like the system ui being different as google now closed alot of that off.
Delayed/. You mean delayed, pushed, pulled and then reuploaded. Even with things still broken on the n6. I mean even the latest update for it disabled saftynet checks for the nexus 6 as a workaround for the changes in the code that didnt convert properly from 64bit to 32bit.
You have to understand that google doesnt care about anything older. All they are worring about is the pixel line now.
rignfool said:
Hence why you look silly putting up this thread...
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I don't think I look silly at all. Based on the conversation on the thread. I think it was a good discussion.
It's still possible for Nexus 6 to see Android 8.0 but it's now more of a chicken and egg issues. As for Android 7.1.2, I am sure it's still officially a hybrid build as well. All we can do is wait and see what's in Android 8.0 Oreo source code this early winter.
As for Nexus player, I doubt they locked Long Mode out of firmware, it's impossible because the kernel can call the stack register required for a jump from Protected Mode (32-bit) into Long Mode (64-bit) directly, no matter what (yes, even in MS-DOS). It's up to Google to decide if Nexus Player stay in 32-bit mode - I bet Android 8.0 will allow it to enter Long Mode this time, with the Long Mode option enabled in Linux kernel - only CPU-Z app will tell you whether it's running in 64-bit mode.
we believe in great developers like in lineageOS they are still supporting nexus 4 and nexus 5 without any problems with regularly updates , but if android o is 64 bit that will be the pain
Dr. Mario said:
It's still possible for Nexus 6 to see Android 8.0 but it's now more of a chicken and egg issues. As for Android 7.1.2, I am sure it's still officially a hybrid build as well. All we can do is wait and see what's in Android 8.0 Oreo source code this early winter.
As for Nexus player, I doubt they locked Long Mode out of firmware, it's impossible because the kernel can call the stack register required for a jump from Protected Mode (32-bit) into Long Mode (64-bit) directly, no matter what (yes, even in MS-DOS). It's up to Google to decide if Nexus Player stay in 32-bit mode - I bet Android 8.0 will allow it to enter Long Mode this time, with the Long Mode option enabled in Linux kernel - only CPU-Z app will tell you whether it's running in 64-bit mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I wish this was right, but the 2-nd Stage Bootloader (a LittleKernel derivative) runs in strictly 32-bit mode, and we are unable to load any 64-bit kernel's, plus, several device firmwares for the Nexus Player (as provided by Intel) are strictly 32-bit, and don't work in 64-bit contexts.
zelendel said:
If you look close at the one program, it was an epic fail. They seldom see an update. MTK bweing the main reason they dont get updates. Just ask anyone where andoid one is even sold. Many never even saw a single update.
If you look at the official software that was pushed (not what was pushed to AOSP as they are different) to the pixel you will notice things like the system ui being different as google now closed alot of that off.
Delayed/. You mean delayed, pushed, pulled and then reuploaded. Even with things still broken on the n6. I mean even the latest update for it disabled saftynet checks for the nexus 6 as a workaround for the changes in the code that didnt convert properly from 64bit to 32bit.
You have to understand that google doesnt care about anything older. All they are worring about is the pixel line now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Several of the One program's phones like, seed, seed2, general mobile 4g, have all not only been hosted on Google's factory image page, and some even got updates much faster than the Nexus 6 did (comical, and ridiculous I agree, but 32-bit non-the-less).
And, with the Pixel's I would agree that Google close sources several app (SystemUI, Frameworks-res, etc.) but it is worth questioning a few things:
1) If they'd given the Nexus's those apps, don't you suppose there'd be some backlash from owners who bought the phone because of its open source nature? The Pixel's made no promise of that.
2) Are the small features they contain even worth it? A blue color scheme (when the old teal is arguably more visually appealing), circular icons (which many hate), and a Night Light Overlay (this is useful, but requires a new hardwarecomposer setup that the 6P just doesn't have, and all the 3rd party/flashable solutions fall back to using a GL shader and the device's battery/performance takes a noticeable compared to the Pixels implementation).
And, as for the SafetyNet check disabling, though Android Police said that, there is literally no proof. The check tokens are still sent, and verified server side, and if you're rooted, the device still fails the authentication. AP threw out some unsubstantiated information. No deivce side-change was needed on the Nexus 6, so they re-uploaded the same factory image, and made a server side change. And nowhere was anything said about it being 64 ==> 32-bit code incompatibility. Do you have any source on that?
npjohnson said:
Well, I wish this was right, but the 2-nd Stage Bootloader (a LittleKernel derivative) runs in strictly 32-bit mode, and we are unable to load any 64-bit kernel's, plus, several device firmwares for the Nexus Player (as provided by Intel) are strictly 32-bit, and don't work in 64-bit contexts.
Several of the One program's phones like, seed, seed2, general mobile 4g, have all not only been hosted on Google's factory image page, and some even got updates much faster than the Nexus 6 did (comical, and ridiculous I agree, but 32-bit non-the-less).
And, with the Pixel's I would agree that Google close sources several app (SystemUI, Frameworks-res, etc.) but it is worth questioning a few things:
1) If they'd given the Nexus's those apps, don't you suppose there'd be some backlash from owners who bought the phone because of its open source nature? The Pixel's made no promise of that.
2) Are the small features they contain even worth it? A blue color scheme (when the old teal is arguably more visually appealing), circular icons (which many hate), and a Night Light Overlay (this is useful, but requires a new hardwarecomposer setup that the 6P just doesn't have, and all the 3rd party/flashable solutions fall back to using a GL shader and the device's battery/performance takes a noticeable compared to the Pixels implementation).
And, as for the SafetyNet check disabling, though Android Police said that, there is literally no proof. The check tokens are still sent, and verified server side, and if you're rooted, the device still fails the authentication. AP threw out some unsubstantiated information. No deivce side-change was needed on the Nexus 6, so they re-uploaded the same factory image, and made a server side change. And nowhere was anything said about it being 64 ==> 32-bit code incompatibility. Do you have any source on that?
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Click to collapse
People these days aways looking for proof when info like this can't be shared openly nor can sources. You would be amazed at things talked about in development chats that don't make it to the users.
Just sit back and watch. I like most other developers have already decided to leave the N6 and get newer devices. When asked about it they already said they will not be converting any 64bit code at all. So anything that is coded for 64 bit devices then the N6 will never see it.
At least I have two agendas on hand; 1. I am already planning on buying the next Nexus (Pixel 2) or similar phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SOC whose bootloader remain user-unlockable and usable on Verizon network (I absolutely hate Verizon's locked bootloader policy). 2. There's other options, like Ubuntu Touch.
npjohnson said:
No developers are "working" on 7.1.2 (except maybe a few brave kernel developers), because the source isn't pushed to AOSP until the final release.
I don't mean to start a flame war, but this just isn't right. There has been no effort to "remove" 32-bit support. In fact, the Nexus Player is still a 32-bit device (albeit x86) which is supported by O, it may be 64-bit hardware, but due to proprietary firmware, they decided to have the 2nd-stage bootloader, and kernel/user-space boot in 32-bit mode. It has the O preview out now. Plus the 32-bit toolchains still get active support, and even 64-bit devices (i.e. angler/marlin) run some amount of arm(32) code in the form of their proprietary firmware/libraries, so we'll always need the ability to run 32-bit code on Android, and therefore, not stripping 32-bit compatibility from Android.
Also, there haven't been any specific moves by Google in terms of AOSP source away from 32-bit support.
I'd bet just about any amount of money the Nexus 6 will see O once source drops.
Why would O be the last AOSP we see? Android is mostly licensed under GPLv3, so they have to release source (that compiles) for the large majority of android. If you're refereeing to the fushcia OS they are creating, according to git logs, it is to be used on intergrated system's, as the kernel they wrote is very minimal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sure hope to see Android O on our Shamu! Fingers crossed we'll start to slowly see ROMs after official release and AOSP! Hope it's possible!
---------- Post added at 08:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:58 PM ----------
rester555 said:
I don't think I look silly at all. Based on the conversation on the thread. I think it was a good discussion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no such thing as a dumb question, how else does one learn? :angel:
Hey I just got this phone a couple of weeks back and while its been awhile I used to be a recognized developer on XDA years ago and was wondering if there are any active developers (still) for this device as I notice the list of active development is basically 0. I am planning on building for the device but would like to know who if anyone is developing currently and what the goals are as it seems without anything outside of stock deodexed and (really the biggest one being the kernel with twrp) we have nothing for this phone even now. This makes it seem like either the proprietary information is extremely difficult (although I see the tree is working for the most part) or we just lack developers. Which is it? Thank you and I apologize if this is in the wrong place. I'd like to see what is the current state of things and see if any developers want to work together on this and at least get a clean aosp build or lineage os build. Stepping stones. Certainly with the Note being as similar as it is this shouldn't be lacking to the state it is today.
Hello jcole20
That would be awesome if some devs started doing something with the RP2! If I had the knowledge, I would!! I've had the RP2 since June of this year. I had some issues with it at first but they have been worked out. I really like the phone and it would be cool to see some devs show the RP2 some love lol. Hopefully you can get something started! Take care!
Dennis
jcole20 said:
Hey I just got this phone a couple of weeks back and while its been awhile I used to be a recognized developer on XDA years ago and was wondering if there are any active developers (still) for this device as I notice the list of active development is basically 0. I am planning on building for the device but would like to know who if anyone is developing currently and what the goals are as it seems without anything outside of stock deodexed and (really the biggest one being the kernel with twrp) we have nothing for this phone even now. This makes it seem like either the proprietary information is extremely difficult (although I see the tree is working for the most part) or we just lack developers. Which is it? Thank you and I apologize if this is in the wrong place. I'd like to see what is the current state of things and see if any developers want to work together on this and at least get a clean aosp build or lineage os build. Stepping stones. Certainly with the Note being as similar as it is this shouldn't be lacking to the state it is today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure people would love to see some device specific development. I have read that since the release of project treble most people just flash the system image from other roms. I specifically would love to see a stockish rom so I don't loose chroma but still get updated security patches.
I ordered this phone from amazon to try out. I am checking out the community and stuff in the 10 day trial period they give you. I really like the phone... i just hate the software side of things. I feel like its super premium hardware with outdated software... that probably isnt even going to get security patches. Anyway... off to see whats available.
Krazy_Calvin said:
I ordered this phone from amazon to try out. I am checking out the community and stuff in the 10 day trial period they give you. I really like the phone... i just hate the software side of things. I feel like its super premium hardware with outdated software... that probably isnt even going to get security patches. Anyway... off to see whats available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most functionalities work on Pie GSIs out-of-box (you need to manually install ims.apk in order to receive SMS while on LTE, see relevant threads here, or look for it on some GSI threads such as Havoc 2.9). exFAT also works on supported GSI (with arter97's kernel), while it's not supported on stock. The only problems I have so far are bluetooth-related, and also the inability to set SELinux to permissive (not sure which might be the real cause as arter97 stated the SELinux could be permissive).
Bluetooth media audio doesn't work at all on GSI, partly due to the crippling overlays (which prevents aptX from working, and probably some other limitations). Phone calls work with a bluetooth headset, but for some reasons I couldn't properly route phone calls to my Huawei Watch 2 (which means I always have to take the call from my phone directly).
Given the mostly positive result with numerous GSIs (and that some users are happy with stock ROM, or stock-based ROM modifications), active ROM developments for the device itself doesn't seem to be at a high priority (as some might be able to contribute patches for this device to their favorite GSI instead)...
I'm currently working on my own build of LOS. I haven't seen to much active development either I'm new to rom building but looks like we could use all the help we can get!
I think the only active dev we have for this phone is Arter97's kernel and people tinkering with GSIs to get them working as they should. I wish there was more being done with the stock ROM because I like a lot of it's features, but am having a hard time dealing with it's overall instability. I'd be happy to help develop or test in whatever way I can, though.
jcole20 said:
Hey I just got this phone a couple of weeks back and while its been awhile I used to be a recognized developer on XDA years ago and was wondering if there are any active developers (still) for this device as I notice the list of active development is basically 0. I am planning on building for the device but would like to know who if anyone is developing currently and what the goals are as it seems without anything outside of stock deodexed and (really the biggest one being the kernel with twrp) we have nothing for this phone even now. This makes it seem like either the proprietary information is extremely difficult (although I see the tree is working for the most part) or we just lack developers. Which is it? Thank you and I apologize if this is in the wrong place. I'd like to see what is the current state of things and see if any developers want to work together on this and at least get a clean aosp build or lineage os build. Stepping stones. Certainly with the Note being as similar as it is this shouldn't be lacking to the state it is today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it’s definitely just total lack of interest from other devs. We even have a guy with a prototype Razer Phone 2 with an intact DRM partition and unlocked bootloader (Allowing Netflix HD and Vudu HDX) but we couldn’t even pay anyone to try to port it.
I think if we had a fully working AOSP tree that it would possibly bring other devs into the scene. Who knows though, it has never been a popular device despite how great it is.
LSS4181 said:
Most functionalities work on Pie GSIs out-of-box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noob question:
Do we have to wait for a stock Android 10 for the device to be able to flash Android 10 GSIs?
EMJI79 said:
Noob question:
Do we have to wait for a stock Android 10 for the device to be able to flash Android 10 GSIs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A stock Android 10 (which means a stock vendor image for Android 10) is not necessarily required to have a usable Android 10 ROM (though it may speed up the development to some extent, if it does have one), but for GSI, having a stock Android 10 vendor image can be better (currently it's a hit-or-miss on existing Android 10 GSIs).
Another device that I have, Google Pixel C, never had stock Android 9 (so never had stock vendor images for Android 9, only for up to Android 8.1), but custom Android 9 ROMs are already available (thanks to followmsi's efforts) and are working well. For Android 9 ROMs, the build system builds new vendor images along with system image.
It's just whether we're going to see our device's trees being made possible, so we can start from there to develop our own custom ROMs. The existing materials might be a good starting point in making trees.
- Working with proprietary blobs (from Lineage)
- arter97's kernel (can be useful for making a kernel tree, though one can also consider using stock kernel source as a base)
- Razer factory images and kernel sources (for studying stock ROM/kernel details, and extracting necessary system and vendor blobs)
If you can port LineageOS to this device, great!
I don't understand why people aren't flocking to this device. I came from the LG G6 that probably will be stuck on Oreo forever that is way more popular. The RP2 is cheap, has killer specs + a micro SD card slot + a newer version of Android. Should be a developers dream, you would think. *shrug*
Not sure if anyone's active on this device at present. With RP2's 9.0 MR2 available on the official factory images page the latest proprietary blobs (as well as stock kernel source) are now publicly accessible.
Actually arter97 once mentioned that his RP2 kernel is almost inline with his OP6 kernel (which is also sdm845 and shares some similarities), so it's possible that OP6 (enchilada) trees may be a good starting point, but I'm not sure if any configurations are needed to keep 120Hz working as high refresh rate is relatively uncommon.
My time is very limited so I won't be able to dedicate too much time to experiment on this. At present most functionalities work fine with GSI (including Bluetooth, although tricky and aptX still not working).
IDK how relevant this is anymore but as a new razor phone 2 user to be soon I have been keeping up and it seems that @f(x)THaxxorX could be a possible candidate of what you're looking for I've been keeping up with development on the phone seems like he is doing pretty well even if we get patched gsi which properly work is better than nothing.
Bought this on Android 11 in Early 2021.
Currently on Android 12.
What version of Android will we be going up to?
Where does Samsung post the future/intended updates schedule?
Is it going to be Android 14 as the last version?
Android 12 - Late 2021
Android 13 - Late 2022
Android 14 - Late 2023 --> Last update?
Samsung promised 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates. Usually, as time passes and device becomes older, it slips down in priority for os updates. So while we got the A12 update (half cooked or not) at the top of Samsung's list, older phones eligible for the same are going to recieve it a little later, depending on how old they are. So A13 may come in early 2023 instead of Dec 2022 (when the S22U starts getting it) and A14 may come a little later in 2024. By that time the S23U will be in front of the line for A14.
I must admit that Samsung has really stepped up its game when it comes to pushing updates (I'm talking quantity here, quality is another matter) to its devices, both new and old. And they may actually improve the update situation for older devices if things go really well. Only time will tell.
But im fairly sure we'll get timely security updates till the end of 2024.
enigmaamit said:
Samsung promised 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates. Usually, as time passes and device becomes older, it slips down in priority for os updates. So while we got the A12 update (half cooked or not) at the top of Samsung's list, older phones eligible for the same are going to recieve it a little later, depending on how old they are. So A13 may come in early 2023 instead of Dec 2022 (when the S22U starts getting it) and A14 may come a little later in 2024. By that time the S23U will be in front of the line for A14.
I must admit that Samsung has really stepped up its game when it comes to pushing updates (I'm talking quantity here, quality is another matter) to its devices, both new and old. And they may actually improve the update situation for older devices if things go really well. Only time will tell.
But im fairly sure we'll get timely security updates till the end of 2024.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meanwhile, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus arrived in September 2015 running iOS 9.
It is currently on iOS 15.3!
That's 7 years!
IMO, this phone deserves to go up to Android 15! But, alas, 'tis only scheduled for going up to 14!
nixnixnixnix4 said:
Meanwhile, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus arrived in September 2015 running iOS 9.
It is currently on iOS 15.3!
That's 7 years!
IMO, this phone deserves to go up to Android 15! But, alas, 'tis only scheduled for going up to 14!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree that this would be very nice.
My feeling is that this is due to the pretty closed Apple ecosystem. They have everything in their own hand (hardware and software), thus its much easier for them to maintain compatability between both for longer time.
For Android the OS is evolving separately and is then spread out to all the hardware platforms out there - this is much more prone to create incompatabilities over time. Thus the shorter period of maintenance here.....
s3axel said:
I tend to agree that this would be very nice.
My feeling is that this is due to the pretty closed Apple ecosystem. They have everything in their own hand (hardware and software), thus its much easier for them to maintain compatability between both for longer time.
For Android the OS is evolving separately and is then spread out to all the hardware platforms out there - this is much more prone to create incompatabilities over time. Thus the shorter period of maintenance here.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They better lower their prices significantly then AND give 5 years of updates.
At this rate. the iPhone 10 will be supported beyond 2027, despite being released in 2017.
nixnixnixnix4 said:
They better lower their prices significantly then AND give 5 years of updates.
At this rate. the iPhone 10 will be supported beyond 2027, despite being released in 2017.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True enough !
I think in the end this topic may be one of the key differentiators between Android and IOS and, depending on preferences, may trigger a buying decision. This may also in the end push Android phone makers to move towards longer maintenance cycles..... On top of that I personally think its heavily advisable from an ecological standpoint !
nixnixnixnix4 said:
They better lower their prices significantly then AND give 5 years of updates.
At this rate. the iPhone 10 will be supported beyond 2027, despite being released in 2017.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With all the talk of increasing phone prices and plateauing phone performance, iPhones seem to have a lower cost of ownership per year if you look at the duration for which they are officially supported, despite the high initial cost. 'Technically' the only thing that degrades over time is the battery, which can be replaced fairly easily - even multiple times. But reality is sometimes different. I had an iPhone 6S until a year ago. New battery, 100% health. But it wasn't as good as it was on older iOS versions. Every update added a few features but somehow killed it a little bit. Just enough to keep it functional, but a little more limpy than before.
Getting new updates for years is amazing, but whether the OS updates add to the phone ownership experience or subtract from it is the thing to see here. If new OS updates slow down the phone or degrade battery life, isn't it better to stay on the OS version that is best optimised for that particular device during its peak years? And just get security patches, without messing around with OS version?
Updates nowadays seem to be a coin toss for most major version upgrades, both on iOS as well as Android. And usually the older phones suffer most. Sometimes a new major OS update almost cripples a phone. My OnePlus 6 worked so well on A10, till A11 borked it! Fortunately i was able to revert back. Apple doesn't even allow downgrading the OS after a short period (signing). Same with Android rollback prevention. Sometimes you're stuck with a bad 'upgrade' with no way to end the nightmare, except get a new device.
However, all said and done, apple neuters it's phones a lot less when compared to most Android manufacturers.
I've become very wary of updating software on anything nowadays unless there's an issue I need fixed or a new feature that I'm willing to risk anything for.
enigmaamit said:
Samsung promised 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates. Usually, as time passes and device becomes older, it slips down in priority for os updates. So while we got the A12 update (half cooked or not) at the top of Samsung's list, older phones eligible for the same are going to recieve it a little later, depending on how old they are. So A13 may come in early 2023 instead of Dec 2022 (when the S22U starts getting it) and A14 may come a little later in 2024. By that time the S23U will be in front of the line for A14.
I must admit that Samsung has really stepped up its game when it comes to pushing updates (I'm talking quantity here, quality is another matter) to its devices, both new and old. And they may actually improve the update situation for older devices if things go really well. Only time will tell.
But im fairly sure we'll get timely security updates till the end of 2024.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are in a dream. Woke up. Most of us we stop updating our phones after first update. I learn my lesson, after every samsung update something is broken or feature taken away. When you buy a new phone, you have to rooted and fix yourself what you need, otherwise you are stuck in a loop hole with updates, fixes, waiting till next month for fix . I never update my s20 ultra and working smoothly and better than s21 ultra with stupid android 12 and other updates
mihaiccccv said:
...Most of us we stop updating our phones after first update....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. What you describe isn't what 'most' people follow. It's just a minority of tech enthusiasts who can figure out how to block updates. Everyone else just follows the system prompt.
enigmaamit said:
I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. What you describe isn't what 'most' people follow. It's just a minority of tech enthusiasts who can figure out how to block updates. Everyone else just follows the system prompt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that is a minority, and I think most of the people who access XDA know what they doing or looking to learn. With all the information available here, you cannot stay androind sheep and dance how tech companies wants. I just love how android world it's define by developers " we are willing to share "
OK. So, apparently, Samsung is promising 4 OS generation updates with 5 years of security updates.
So, the S21 series will be going to Android 15.
I'll replace this phone in early 2025 then.
Hello
A bit of a beginner question.
I am looking for an option to avoid personal data leaks to corporations (paranoid version ). It makes me uncomfortable that every single word I say or text I write is being sent to the servers, being analysed by the online algorithms, etc. I believe that a phone is a personal device, and this is not acceptable.
Which is why I am looking for a phone that would allow to clean up the bloatware and telemetry modules, by either removing them from the stock firmware, setting up restrictive firewall rules, or by installing something like LineageOS or similar.
My question is whether it is reasonable to get the new Pixel 7 (in my area it costs around $600) or would you recommend looking into other models, some chinese models, for a similar price?
I am considering Pixel, as it is known to be one of the best phones in its price range (but as I understand mostly because of the software part, which I would like to meddle with).
Thanks for your opinions!
Yes, the pixel is a great phone. Paranoid Android (privacy ROM) supports it. The pixel is very easy to work with.
thetraveller1 said:
Hello
A bit of a beginner question.
I am looking for an option to avoid personal data leaks to corporations (paranoid version ). It makes me uncomfortable that every single word I say or text I write is being sent to the servers, being analysed by the online algorithms, etc. I believe that a phone is a personal device, and this is not acceptable.
Which is why I am looking for a phone that would allow to clean up the bloatware and telemetry modules, by either removing them from the stock firmware, setting up restrictive firewall rules, or by installing something like LineageOS or similar.
My question is whether it is reasonable to get the new Pixel 7 (in my area it costs around $600) or would you recommend looking into other models, some chinese models, for a similar price?
I am considering Pixel, as it is known to be one of the best phones in its price range (but as I understand mostly because of the software part, which I would like to meddle with).
Thanks for your opinions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Pixel is, at it's core, developed by Google (which is primarily an advertising company, which is why they have so many great "free" apps, which you pay for with your data), as is Android itself. When you buy a new Android phone, it will come preloaded with multiple proprietary Google apps, which you can not easily uninstall. If you really want a privacy oriented phone, the Pixel with a custom ROM might work. Personally, I use Lineage OS, also for the extra privacy, as it is open-source. Lineage OS does not have any Google apps installed by default, although you can install them if you wish. If you look at Lineage OS's website and click on "GET LINEAGEOS" you can see devices that are supported. Since creating a custom ROM takes time, most of the supported devices are over three years old (yes, the Pixel 7 is not officialy supported). However, certain newer devices are supported, as is my Samsung Galaxy A52 4G (2021), which I run Lineage OS on. You could get the Pixel 7 and run this unofficial build of Lineage OS on it, but if your only getting it because the camera software is good, don't, because your going to remove that software and replace it. Another thing to keep in mind is sometimes the camera support isn't really great with custom ROMs, so do you research to make sure the phone you get has good camera support with whatever ROM you choose. Lineage OS did just develop a much better camera app for it's 20th release, though. Hope this helps, and if you have any questions let me know!
Hi, =)
if privacy is a concern for you, using a Google Pixel device may not be the best option as Google is known to collect user data for targeted advertising and other purposes. You may want to consider other options that prioritize privacy such as phones running on the Android-based LineageOS, or the privacy-focused /e/OS, or a device from a vendor known to prioritize privacy, such as Fairphone or Purism. You may also want to consider alternative operating systems such as iOS or Ubuntu Touch. Ultimately, the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences, so consider your budget and requirements before making a decision.
If you want a device that protects your privacy out of the box with no modification, the Pixel series is not for you. In fact I'm not aware of any OEM Android device that is privacy oriented - Google services by nature depend largely on telemetry and user data for targeted advertising.
That being said, if you want a platform that can easily support a privacy oriented OS, the Pixel is honestly one of the best choices, due to the ease of which you can unlock the bootloader and flash a new OS such as LineageOS, CalyxOS, or others. This means you'll need to familiarize yourself with the concepts of ADB, flashing, bootloaders, etc.
ChristianMorris said:
Hi, =)
if privacy is a concern for you, using a Google Pixel device may not be the best option as Google is known to collect user data for targeted advertising and other purposes. You may want to consider other options that prioritize privacy such as phones running on the Android-based LineageOS, or the privacy-focused /e/OS, or a device from a vendor known to prioritize privacy, such as Fairphone or Purism. You may also want to consider alternative operating systems such as iOS or Ubuntu Touch. Ultimately, the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences, so consider your budget and requirements before making a decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I happen to have the Librem 5 phone, developed by Purism. Frankly, although it is extremely security and privacy oriented, it currently has many downfalls: high price (starts at $1,999), not many apps (Linux smartphones are pretty new), and the battery lasts less than 24 hours on a full charge (due to not having a good suspend mode, I assume)
V0latyle said:
If you want a device that protects your privacy out of the box with no modification, the Pixel series is not for you. In fact I'm not aware of any OEM Android device that is privacy oriented - Google services by nature depend largely on telemetry and user data for targeted advertising.
That being said, if you want a platform that can easily support a privacy oriented OS, the Pixel is honestly one of the best choices, due to the ease of which you can unlock the bootloader and flash a new OS such as LineageOS, CalyxOS, or others. This means you'll need to familiarize yourself with the concepts of ADB, flashing, bootloaders, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lmao remember “freedom phone” what a joke.
I wonder if even a rooted android phone will not give away all kinds of info. Some roms I presume will mitigate that somewhat, but I feel you are tracked everywhere you go in this world. How about a decent burner or 3? Use it for a week or so then destroy it. And then buy a pixel 7 for the features when you don't care who's looking. And don't forget your paid (forget free) VPN.
@thetraveller1 flash Graphene, relock the bootloader, and you'll basically have state of the art privacy and security on your Pixel 7.
GrapheneOS: the private and secure mobile OS
GrapheneOS is a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.
grapheneos.org
Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
ethical_haquer said:
You could get the Pixel 7 and run this unofficial build of Lineage OS on it, but if your only getting it because the camera software is good, don't, because your going to remove that software and replace it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?
thetraveller1 said:
Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the reasons people use custom ROMs is because they often support devices longer then the stock ROM. For example, a device that was only supported by the manufacture till Android 11 could be running a custom ROM on Android 13. Lineage OS official builds get weekly updates; unofficial builds typically still get updates, but not as often. In either case, it is up to the individual that developed the build to provide support, and the more popular a build is, the more likely it is that it will be supported for many years. To answer your questions: no, getting a non-google phone will not necessarily limit custom ROM options, or updates; and getting an unofficial build doesn't mean it wont get updates, but installing updates on unofficial builds requires flashing the new builds manually, which can be a hassle.
thetraveller1 said:
Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at Shizuku and the apps that use it like FreezeYou!. MySudo and Insular are another couple to check. You may find a solution without having to switch ROMs.