As noted by the news release from CalyxOS and Mastodon thread from GrapheneOS, Google did not release the Pixel device-specific source code alongside their Android 16 AOSP release like they usually do. I think many of us, including myself, are hoping this will be published in the near future, but considering they moved AOSP development behind closed doors earlier this year, it’s more likely Google has stopped publishing this section or their code altogether, making development of custom ROMs for Pixel devices significantly more difficult. Sad news for the Android ecosystem, and for open source in general.
I figured it’s not quite there yet. I hope market forces will solve this eventually. If Google manages to make android bad enough, demand for an alternative should arise. I’m already running Linux on my desktop quite happily, thanks to windows 11.
Yeah I think you’re right. This will be the main drive behind adoption; even as an enthusiast I was sceptical to try a Linux phone; but google’s predatory policies ultimately forced my hand; it’s only a matter of time before more end up feeling like they have no choice.
Android isn’t the bastion of open source freedom it once was. We need a new (or GNU heheh) approach.