Project Mainline delivers key OS updates through Google Play — here’s how it’s changing

  • Skull giver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl
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    1 year ago

    Treble has become a requirement for Google certification, though, and it’s on almost every phone out there today. They can choose to rip Treble out of Android, but then they would never be able to get Google Play on their phones, and that’s a necessity in most countries.

    Some of the Treble implementations may be buggy, but it has been a huge improvement to the custom ROM scene at the very least. Sure, hardware that integrates with a manufacturer’s ROM doesn’t work with generic software, but that’s to be expected, and it makes for a much easier jumping off point than getting all of Android and its drivers and binaries to work every time a new device comes out.

    Chinese phones need to be disconnected entirely from Google for obvious reasons. However, GSIs have been found to work on some Chinese devices from brands that also target western audiences. In a sense, GSIs provide you with more freedom if you import cheap no-name Chinese devices.

    Project Mainline is mostly intended for manufacturers to provide more updates, and for Google to take over the responsibility of updating stuff when manufacturers refuse to do it, like most Android critical people want Google to. Vendors have the choice between supporting it or going full Amazon/Huawei with their own cloud services and app store.

    • ChristianWS@lemmy.eco.br
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      1 year ago

      Treble is pretty good IMO, I’m using a device with LineageOS GSI, and it works pretty much perfectly. I do wish it was officially supported by LineageOS, as updating requires a PC right now, but it is pretty usable and a better alternative than using the Stock ROM.

      • Skull giver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl
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        1 year ago

        Interesting, is there no recovery image available for your device at all? You don’t specifically need LineageOS for a working TWRP build to exist, and TWRP can flash .img files for you.

        • ChristianWS@lemmy.eco.br
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          1 year ago

          Last I checked, TWRP couldn’t flash logical partitions that make up where the GSI is patched, but it was requested, maybe something changed? Idk, the guy who created the guide on how to flash GSI on my device’s XDA forum mentioned this issue a while ago and recommended flashing through ADB.

          Actually, I think the issue is that when I flashed my device, TWRP couldn’t unencrypt or something, it’s been a while and I know I should start the process from scratch

          • Skull giver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl
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            1 year ago

            I’ve never had to flash GSI images myself, thankfully, but I do regularly use the image flashing option to reinstall Magisk after a ROM update. Those images work fine for me.

            Ah, encryption and TWRP is always something. It usually works, but sometimes it doesn’t, and there’s no fix when it breaks. Broken TWRP decryption has causedme a factory reset or two but with OrangeFox the decryption stuff all seems to work flawlessly.