Full AOSP compatibility for Pixel devices is a huge reason to buy a Pixel instead of a 3rd party OEM. They’re shooting themselves in the foot.
Rumour: Google intends to discontinue the Android Open Source Project – OSnews
Submitted 3 days ago by LWD@lemm.ee to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
woelkchen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
That is probably a fraction of one percent of the pixel purchases.
woelkchen@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Maybe but those 1% of buyers are multiplicators incentivizing others to buy the same phone.
Vanilla_PuddinFudge@infosec.pub 1 day ago
Yep. Thanks to this, I’m moving to IOS with a x64 handheld. I won’t need a smartphone beyond calls and tethering so, why bother. Google can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
woelkchen@lemmy.world 1 day ago
the EU needs a smartphone brand like…yesterday
Germans, get cooking!
LWD@lemm.ee 3 days ago
Maybe Google is comfortable enough offering the Pixel as a typical consumer device now, instead of a developer one. They used to be able to differentiate themselves from their competitors, but there aren’t many competitors left.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 day ago
Of course they are. They always did. The entire ecosystem is so closely tied to google services that it’s almost impossible to use the phone without them (if you want to use banking and security apps). For now the only alternative is iOS and I’m starting to doubt if mobile Linux will ever become usable.
Rancor_Tangerine@lemmy.world 1 day ago
iOS isn’t any better. I’m looking to OnePlus and maybe LineageOS. Hopefully GrapheneOS isn’t dead.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 day ago
I think iOS is better than stock Android because Apple is not in ad business so it has better privacy protections. It’s locked ecosystem sucks but privacy wise it’s better.
I went with GrapheneOS because it’s fairly large user base means that it will last longer than other, less used mods. But in the end it will only survive for as long as Google let’s it.
Feitan@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Lineage os and graphene os are both based on AOSP, no ? How to expect these projects to survive if AOSP becomes closed source ?
What worries me the most is the support for our phone. Constructor provides bad to average support for new android versions. Meanwhile, these projects can last for a long time. I have a one plus 7 pro and it is running on YAAP, receives OTA security updates every month and all the major versions of Android. Killing AOSP will lead to killing long term support of our phone.
0x0@lemmy.zip 3 days ago
They planned so from the start.
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Soooo, that means that android is fucked but custom roms should be able to continue from android 15, not?
LWD@lemm.ee 2 days ago
The more time goes by, the worse the divergence will be. (I think this is basically the idea, but correct me if I’m wrong:) Right now, we might have GrapheneOS 15 vs Android 16. But eventually, there will be an Android 17 and an Android 18. GrapheneOS developers will either have to trudge along with an older OS, or hire more developers to recreate the missing pieces of the code - pieces Google has already created but will never release . The missing pieces will get bigger and more significant. Android 15 will age out of security updates.
This is pretty bad.
xavier666@lemm.ee 1 day ago
How will Samsung/OnePlus use Android 17 and 18?
LWD@lemm.ee 3 days ago
From the article, Google can technically let AOSP still exist while destroying it in practice:
From the author, a sentiment I fully agree with: