Google’s new AOSP decision could jeopardize custom ROMs for Pixel phone users.

In March 2023, Google announced a shift in its Android development strategy, ending real-time code commits to public AOSP branches. Initially, this change had minimal impact on the development community. However, with the release of Android 16, Google is introducing a more significant alteration that will affect the development of custom ROMs specifically for Pixel devices.

Historically, Google has utilized its Pixel phones as reference devices for AOSP development, sharing device trees and driver binaries to enable developers to create fully functional AOSP builds for these devices. Custom ROM developers have depended on these resources to ensure that essential features operate correctly within their customized versions of Android. Moving forward, however, Google has opted not to release the device trees and driver binaries for compatible Pixel phones, despite already publishing the Android 16 source code.

There were claims by the Graphene OS team suggesting that Google might be planning to discontinue AOSP entirely. However, Seang Chau, VP and GM of Android Platform, clarified that Google remains committed to AOSP. The reference for AOSP development will transition from Pixel devices to Cuttlefish, a virtual Android device that offers a flexible and configurable platform suitable for development, whether run remotely or locally.

This transition marks a significant hurdle for custom ROM developers working with Pixel phones. Until now, the availability of device trees and binaries made ROM development more straightforward for these devices. Without these resources, developers must reverse-engineer prebuilt binaries to discern the modifications made by Google, a complex and labor-intensive task.

The absence of kernel source code commit history further complicates this process. Overall, Google’s recent changes to AOSP will likely have a profound impact, particularly for users relying on custom ROMs like LineageOS or GrapheneOS for their Pixel devices. While the popularity of custom ROMs has waned, this development represents a notable setback for prominent projects in this domain.