• General

  • Google will develop the Android OS fully in private

I am not a GOS dev, but as far as I know, GrapheneOS based its releases on fixed AOSP tags (like the recent Android 15 QPR2) and also does backports from fixed tags (quote from the recent release 2025032500: backport upstream brightness fluctuation fix from Android 16 Beta 3.1).

If I understand correctly, Google will still open-source those important tags. Just the rolling non-tagged rolling development will happen behind closed doors.

If both of those conclusions are correct, then there shouldn't be much disruption to the development of GrapheneOS.

jm1982 "Beginning next week, all Android development will occur within Google’s internal branches, and the source code for changes will only be released when Google publishes a new branch containing those changes"

Not much most likely, Android is still open source

    jm1982

    I can't check whether this is true, but this quote is from the article you linked to:

    This change will also have minimal impact on most developers. App developers are unaffected, as it pertains only to platform development. Platform developers, including those who build custom ROMs, will largely also see little change, since they typically base their work on specific tags or release branches, not the main AOSP branch. Similarly, companies that release forked AOSP products rarely use the main AOSP branch due to its inherent instability.

      I imagine it would mean the devs here couldn't work on new releases of android in advance and instead can't start porting until (the source for) a new version of android is officially released.

      From a reply on Mastodon

      It will have very little impact on it. We already have to wait for the stable tags to get most of the sources for a new stable release. We're working on obtaining partner access via an OEM so we can port our changes early. Only a small portion of AOSP was developed in the open in the main branch. The Beta releases never had non-GPL sources published, and that's what we actually need along with needing far more than just the changes to a small portion of the components early.

      https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114232243365863281

      Google has NEVER published their "master" branch. They've published a sort-of development branch, but it was always based on the previous release, and doesn't include much, if any, of the development towards the next major release, except for those that are community contributed. This is the reason why we are perpetually waiting for the "next version source code drop".

      From GrapheneOS:

      It was already almost entirely developed in private with the code released as open source for each stable release. This will change very little for us. We were already in the process on figuring out how to get reliable, long term access to the updates prior to stable tags.