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Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

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Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#11

Post by pedro2 »

phh wrote: post #9

I'm happy to see some interest in custom ROM. I personally think that nowadays this is the best way for a software engineer to have a meaningful impact on their own daily life. If your goal is just to peak behind the curtain and see how those things gets built other comments will probably be more relevant than mine. You'll need a pretty beefy Linux machine 200GB SSD storage, 32GB RAM, >8 CPU cores is recommended. You…

Oh hi! Thanks for your GSI!

Currently on Pixel 6a but before was on Xiaomi Mi A3 -- laurel_sprout. I largely ignored GSI because I assumed most important things were broken and tried to focus on a non-GSI ROM (and later gave up). (Just rechecked now and it requires some random files stored on random Google Drives so I ignore them).

Anyway I explored your work for some time and it seemed very cool, so thanks for it!

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#13

Post by RealStickman_ »

mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Personally, I'd stick for experimenting with something well supported by LineageOS - to get started, Pixel 3 or later series. These are as close to AOSP as you can get. The Pixel 6 is the most current model to be supported by Lineage, and at least stock firmware will get you security updates until at least 2026. Stay away from Samsung (their Knox security stuff and custom bootloader is nasty , Samsung deviates quite…

For Samsung devices there's Heimdall, an open source tool to flash firmware like Odin does.

https://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#14

Post by Froedlich »

mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Personally, I'd stick for experimenting with something well supported by LineageOS - to get started, Pixel 3 or later series. These are as close to AOSP as you can get. The Pixel 6 is the most current model to be supported by Lineage, and at least stock firmware will get you security updates until at least 2026. Stay away from Samsung (their Knox security stuff and custom bootloader is nasty , Samsung deviates quite…

> Samsung

Samsung also sells "Euro spec" (can install new bootloader) and "America spec" (locked in hardware) phones under the same SKU. You can't tell the difference until you try to flash it. I got bit by that one.

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#15

Post by mschuster91 »

RealStickman_ wrote: post #13
mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Personally, I'd stick for experimenting with something well supported by LineageOS - to get started, Pixel 3 or later series. These are as close to AOSP as you can get. The Pixel 6 is the most current model to be supported by Lineage, and at least stock firmware will get you security updates until at least 2026. Stay away from Samsung (their Knox security stuff and custom bootloader is nasty , Samsung deviates quite…

For Samsung devices there's Heimdall, an open source tool to flash firmware like Odin does. https://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/

Doesn't work on any recent macOS version, which is part of the problem.

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#16

Post by mschuster91 »

Froedlich wrote: post #14
mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Personally, I'd stick for experimenting with something well supported by LineageOS - to get started, Pixel 3 or later series. These are as close to AOSP as you can get. The Pixel 6 is the most current model to be supported by Lineage, and at least stock firmware will get you security updates until at least 2026. Stay away from Samsung (their Knox security stuff and custom bootloader is nasty , Samsung deviates quite…

> Samsung Samsung also sells "Euro spec" (can install new bootloader) and "America spec" (locked in hardware) phones under the same SKU. You can't tell the difference until you try to flash it. I got bit by that one.

That's ridiculous. I wonder two things... why is this even legal, and why does Samsung do this in the first place?

Anyway, for a lot of US models, there are ways to get them unlocked [1].

[1] https://www.thecustomdroid.com/samsung-galaxy-bootloader-unl...

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#17

Post by skrowl »

Froedlich wrote: post #14
mschuster91 wrote: post #4

Personally, I'd stick for experimenting with something well supported by LineageOS - to get started, Pixel 3 or later series. These are as close to AOSP as you can get. The Pixel 6 is the most current model to be supported by Lineage, and at least stock firmware will get you security updates until at least 2026. Stay away from Samsung (their Knox security stuff and custom bootloader is nasty , Samsung deviates quite…

> Samsung Samsung also sells "Euro spec" (can install new bootloader) and "America spec" (locked in hardware) phones under the same SKU. You can't tell the difference until you try to flash it. I got bit by that one.

I have a Samsung Tab S8 Ultra that's US spec and the bootloader is unlocked and it's rooted.

The same goes for phone you buy DIRECT FROM SAMSUNG.

The locked ones are the ones you get from Verizon / AT&T / etc.

Re: Ask HN: Where to Start with Android Custom ROM or AOSP Development?

#18

Post by zozbot234 »

The best long term case for AOSP ROM development is probably Droidian. Run the vendor-provided downstream kernel and binary drivers, but keep everything else (i.e. the actual system image) as close as possible to a generic Linux distribution. (Apparently, recent version of AOSP have made this kind-of feasible by reducing the delta between normal Linux and AOSP-specific kernels.)
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