Submitted 3 weeks ago by lzfm@lemmus.org to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-not-killing-aosp-3566882
TL;DR
Google has made it harder to build custom Android ROMs for Pixel phones by omitting their device trees and driver binaries from the latest AOSP release.
The company says this is because it’s shifting its AOSP reference target from Pixel hardware to a virtual device called “Cuttlefish” to be more neutral.
While Google insists AOSP isn’t going away, developers must now reverse-engineer changes, making the process for supporting Pixel devices more difficult.
The company says this is because it’s shifting its AOSP reference target from Pixel hardware to a virtual device called “Cuttlefish” to be more neutral.
This actually probably make sense, but they could still be cool and have pixel drivers be open source in a different repo if that was the only reason.
Yeah, just that this has shit to do with the stated reasons. Google hasn’t been an open source ally for quite some time now
Yup, the entire culture of Google has nearly changed. It used to be coder- and innovation-driven, and open-source was a natural thing to support. Make more money by growing the pie, creating markets with new tech.
Now it seems it’s middle managers and MBAs calling the shots, and their strategy is generic business zero-sum mindset - lock down, restrict, extract. They still see the PR value in open-source, but that’s it.
Do you think it may be related to the monopoly issues they are currently facing?
Would be great indeed, but “more neutral” in this case seems to mean OEM agnostic by abstracting the hardware away and have anything run on a closed source google distro.
Now more than ever we need more work on PostmarketOS, Mobian, Gnome Mobile etc…
Bummer that it’s still so hard to find a somewhat modern, affordable phone that is Linux compatible
Yeah, I’d totally buy a phone running one of those provided it does all the phone things properly: SMS/MMS, reliable calls, all day battery, etc. I don’t need fancy apps, I just need a working phone.
If I can get that, I could probably donate some time porting apps.
I really want to give furios phone a shot. It’s apparently close to supporting my carrier.
That and a sailfish phone. The community one though didn’t support my carrier (think it’s mainly EU specced only.)
I want a phone with only cellular data, no calling, no sms, just an open source browser capable of webasm and webrtc
It’s so crazy (technically understandable, but still crazy) to me that reliably receiving calls is still such a major issue
I know someone at a company that built and sold a Linux phone 19 years ago.
You’re not upset you can’t find a Linux phone: you’re upset you can’t find one anymore.
Why can’t we install it on a Samsung Galaxy A06 A065F DS ? They are like, less than 200$ new without contracts
Does this mean Graphene is dead? Probably the real reason they would do this is to kill Graphene.
The GrapheneOS team is very aware of their dependence on google. They are planning to either find an OEM for their own line of hardware or a brand whose phones support their requirements other than google. That being said, it will complicate work a lot, but for now it would be to early to jump to that conclusion.
Also, Google couldn’t care less if <1% of buyers flash a custom ROM / OS on their phone, this is about tying the android ecosystem closer to google in general. Most other big phone manufacturers know this and are trying to come up with their own solution, like Huawei had to because of the ban when the orange man has been president the first time.
or a brand whose phones support their requirements other than google.
Wasn’t Graphene’s “selling point” for long being that nothing but Pixels can match their reqs? I don’t see why any current band would want to make it easier for them, and I also don’t see new brand significantly entering the market.
Graphene boiled themselves in their own frogpan.
What i understand is porting over android 16 is gonna be slow.
It certainly feels like it is judging by the general moodshifts occuring.
But I'm a moron, what alternative exists for a secure phone of comparable functionality? It feels like ditching phones is the only option to some extent(for me). If stupid, isn't the phone the most vulnerable weakpoint open to attack?
This fits into Google tying Android closer to them, same with the recent move of only making release source publicly available.
They’re regretting having started Android as an “open” platform and want to gain control fast, maybe preparing for the current anti-trust trials they are facing in the US.
That was bound to happen at some point. Buying a Google device to then “degoogle” it never sit quite right with me.
I bought mine secondhand because I had a bad feeling about giving google money just to degoogle as well but still really wanted to use GrapheneOS
Amen but here we are
Sundar Pichai strikes again!
I swear to good how many time it has to pass until developers realize open source is just a facade only Free Software licences are free as in freedom
Sorry how would have a GPL`d aosp helped here? Google would and could still have not published their drivers for the pixel. You’d need pixel drivers licenced by someone different from google to make them publish their changes to the drivers
Preach
Long time coming, Play Integrity (or whatever’s called nowadays) restrictions have effectively killed any alternative distributions.
I am running GoS on a Pixel 7, which means I’ve had this device for ~2.5 years at this point, and back when I transitioned to this setup I was aware they were talking about being beholden to Pixels due to the hardware security module not being available on other devices.
It has been a known issue. I understand it is a very difficult and costly undertaking to develop new hardware and new entrants would be competing against the big guys for fab space, manufacturing and assembly etc.
We need some kind of nonprofit or independently financed group to advance this cause. Could it be FUTO, Framework, or some other company/organization like this?
There would be market incentive to solve these problems - There has got to be a lot of demand for a neutral hardware platform that meets the hardware security module and other requirements for bootloader security, custom ROMs, etc.
Would fairphone be a good choice?
No. Sadly they lack the security requirements of GOS. mastodon.social/…/114673014257672676
huh, look at that. the thing people were warned about when buying pixel phones happened.
Google doing something bad? SAY IT ISN’T SO
I was about to buy one next year… what do you recommend instead?
fair phone has treated me well enough.
I have a FP4 that runs e/os. won’t lie, the software has bugs, but the hardware is pretty solid.
This fucking sucks. Cyberpunk dystopia
In cyberpunk dystopia you could buy normal things, just most wasn’t it.
Oneplus gang, how we feelin?
as a panicked graphene enjoyer, does oneplus measure up as a decent alternative or no?
I use a Onplus 7 pro and my rom maintainer still updates and I still get a new version once every two months or so. If you want to omit gapps, you are more than free to do so.
Idk man.
I love my OP12. But we’re switching carriers to a Verizon MVNO which “won’t work” with my OP12, so I bought a Pixel 8 Pro on sale last week and need to switch over.
I’m starting to wonder if that “it won’t work” is bullshit tho…I’ve got a Verizon SIM in slot 2 and it works fine…
Verizon MVNO
Christ, why?
Have a couple OP 9pros and they’ll be the last OP devices I buy.
There are severe bugs that OP never fixes and make using the phone for something like navigation unreliable. Battery life can be great one day and terrible the next when not even using the phone. Also OP sells carrier specific hardware. My TMO phones can’t be used at AT&T or Verizon, severely limiting our options. My understanding is unlocked Pixel phones can be used on any carrier.
I really wanted to load Graphene, but even without it I’ll consider a Pixel device.
More like A-no-SP
It’s Nopen Source
ACSP
So I installed LineageOS recently. Now that I’ve transferred my passwords and account info I’m quite happy. What will happen from here? Will some apps stop working? If not, is there a problem with just continuing to use the phone as is until I need a new phone (security, eg)?
No.
This would be sad if Pixel phones were worth buying, instead of being far inferior to midrange Motorola devices in battery life and performance while costing well over twice as much.
Anything being less open is sad regardless of your opinion of the hardware.
You must be ignoring the Motorola bloat that makes it's performance beyond subpar somehow
I have never had a Motorola smartphone… But Canta is a thing :)
All of which can be disabled.
People who use stock ROMs choose to suffer
I mean, you’re getting a lot of downvotes, but I’ve gone Motorola -> Motorola -> Motorola -> Pixel -> Pixel -> Motorola.
Both my Pixels died in less than a year. Each had battery life which, while it did improve over a few weeks as Pixel’s optimization stuff took hold, never reached an entire day. Both were unacceptably fragile. Both failed randomly, just out of warranty.
And the Motorola I’m using now has none of those problems, was cheaper, is faster, has a better battery, has a better screen, and in some ways is more customizable (fuck that unmovable search bar).
Like, really. Motorola is a sleeper brand. Not perfect, but damn good.
See? Pixel devices are nothing but a trip to the lemon grove, but people with debilitating chronic ass pain tearfully refuse to accept that they wasted their money on GETBRAND. I take those downvotes as an unofficial census confirming how many people don’t know ball.
So I bought a pixel device (an old one) for nothing ?
Google is doing a good job of discouraging some of us from buying Pixel phones. But they don’t care because the number of people installing Graphene etc. is relatively very low.
Yeah but what now ? I mean the Linux mobile ecosystem isn’t exactly mature nor widespread
If Pine64 can spec out a reasonably decent prototype of a phone and Purism can sell theirs for 2 grand (not worth it), then somebody else can legit come out with something just the same. Pine64 project and Purism cannot be the only communities that can somehow come out with these kinds of tech. Better yet, more people should be jumping to help out these guys to be free from Google and Apple dominance.
Teracube just came out with their 3 phone Teracube 2s, and of course there is Fairphone
What about the OS part of AOSP?
Don’t the ROM makers already fork AOSP to begin with?
Unrelated: The top bar in this article indicating the article position is so fucking stupid. Guess what the scroll bar on the right hand side is for?
It’s the year of the linux phone. /s
apple and google are doing their best to promote linux phones at this point.
dont buy american
Damn, I’ve just switched to Pixel 3a XL I got for $100 and then installed Evolution OS.
Like, I understand the more the merrier, and so I don’t hate on the whole Pixel, ROM development thingy, but I just don’t understand the appeal of Pixel phones. If you want to be a photographer, get a camera. Other than that, you really don’t need that great of a camera on your phone. Given the condition of America and the police state and corporate surveillance, I don’t know why anybody with a damn look of sense would put their information on these major platforms, let alone even on the outskirts. Some people make money on social media, but a lot don’t. I stick to my guns and I’m on the internet and computers to learn to educate myself, not to dick around with stupid shit. We need something other than Android. And we have to be weary of open source, especially when it’s sponsored by Google. Google is a terrorist organization.
kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
one less reason to buy a Pixel, well done Google!
metaphortune@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I don’t have any actual research, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pixel itself doesn’t really make money at all. One of those “get people hardcore into the Google ecosystem to get their money/data” things.
ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The absolutely criminal dark patterns that they pull on people via Google photos auto backup is insane.
Just in my own orbit 2 of my friends wives, my parents, and my in-laws all wound up paying Google because they thought they had to or lose all their photos. We helped most of them disconnect the autobackup (that they didn’t even know was activated) and move it to offline safely. But that was the most downright evil shit Google has ever done and literally a fire in me for manipulating the elderly and less tech savvy so blatantly.
cryptix@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
How badly would this affect graphine os?