Custom ROMs have been a savior for Android users who want to push the lifespan of their phones beyond official support. Google just made that path much more difficult, especially if you own a Pixel phone.
With the launch of Android 16 to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the firm has intentionally excluded device trees and driver binaries for Pixel phones, essentially closing off one of the biggest avenues for custom ROM developers.
Why Pixel Phones Are Losing Custom ROM Popularity
Google's VP of Android and GM, Seang Chau, reiterated the decision as a calculated one, explaining that the company needs a hardware-agnostic, flexible, and budget-friendly reference target for AOSP.
The change features a new age, however, one where Pixel phones might no longer be the preferred hardware on which to build custom versions of Android.
According to Android Authority, custom ROM creation depends heavily on open device trees and binaries to adapt software to a phone's specific hardware. Without them, developers are stuck with two undesirable choices: reverse engineering or "blind guessing."
Not only does this take longer, it also means there's a greater chance of major features not working, especially those attached to proprietary drivers, like high-end camera capabilities or motion sensors.
Although it is now technically feasible to create custom ROMs for Pixels with Android 16, the process is more complicated, and it may take weeks or even months to create a semi-stable ROM, Arol Wright of How-to Geek reported. Some features that used to work out of the box can be unstable or even unusable.
Cuttlefish is the New AOSP Reference Target
In a bid to make AOSP development more generic, Google is refocusing on a virtual reference device named "Cuttlefish." The virtual platform replaces hardware-specific development and aims at a wider base for Android development.
This, from a developer ecosystem perspective, makes sense, but it's a big blow to users who use actual hardware, such as Pixel phones, to maintain long-term software support through custom ROMs.
Moreover, this action effectively divorces AOSP from any particular manufacturer hardware, such as Google's own Pixel series, a first for Android's long history.
Pixel Owners Might Not Feel the Effect Right Away
The typical Pixel user might not know the pain right away. Most current Pixel phones include at least seven years of Android updates, a considerable policy by trade standards. After that official support, though, users who previously depended on the ROM community for extra longevity might be out of luck.
Without official device trees, the Pixel-exclusive custom ROM community can be expected to migrate in whole or part to more developer-friendly competitors like OnePlus or Xiaomi, firms that continue to offer relatively open AOSP-based development support.
Originally published on Tech Times
