Pixel 3a XL - Vanadium still? Or switch to Bromite?

anachronisticwalrus64

Hello! I've been on GrapheneOS for maybe 2 years at this point, and for a while now my phone, a Pixel 3a XL, has been obsolete and no longer updated. Though I am very poor and can't afford a new phone yet. As Vanadium isn't updated by itself in Apps, and I can't update my phone anymore, is it worth still using Vanadium, or would it be worth switching to something like Bromite which I can update? Thanks!

brambler

As you noted, since Vanadium can currently be only updated through an OTA update, you should use a different browser since your Webview is out-of-date (see updated note below). Bromite is a decent choice for an everyday browser, but it sometimes lags behind Chromium during releases. You can also try Mulch, which uses some of Vanadium's patches and gets updated much faster.

Also since Vanadium System Webview is not getting any more updates on your 3a XL, you should go back to using Android System Webview for your main webview provider. Try and install Android System Webview from Aurora Store and then see if Android System Webview is available under 'Settings - Develoepr Options - Webview Implementation'. If it is, then you can use that as your webview provider. I haven't tested to see if this is possible, so hopefully that works for you.

Edit - It looks like the 3a XL received an update on November 28th, so maybe your Vanadium is only lagging behind by about a month?

anachronisticwalrus64

brambler sometimes there are ota updates, but I don't know if the webview or the browser are actually updated in them anymore.

I could install Android Webview thru the Play Store (but not Aurora, though I tried), but I could not switch to it in developer options - there was only the Vanadium Webview. Maybe it can't be switched so easy, c'est la vie.

brambler

anachronisticwalrus64 sometimes there are ota updates, but I don't know if the webview or the browser are actually updated in them anymore.

Yeah, I couldn't find any notes on the Releases page about the 3a XL November 28th update. What version is your Vanadium System Webview at?

anachronisticwalrus64 I could install Android Webview thru the Play Store (but not Aurora, though I tried), but I could not switch to it in developer options - there was only the Vanadium Webview. Maybe it can't be switched so easy, c'est la vie.

Ah, GOS must have only allowed Vanadium System Webview as the only webview provider. This isn't good for when devices are no longer maintained by GOS as is the case here. Can a GOS developer or maintainer add a new issue for this? I think it makes sense to allow Android System Webview to be a selectable webview provider if it is installed.

anachronisticwalrus64

brambler my Vanadium System WebView app info page says version 107.0.5304.141

brambler

anachronisticwalrus64 Judging by the webview version, it looks like the OTA covers Vanadium updates. You're just not getting frequent updates because the 3a XL is marked as obsolete. I did find a post on the forums discussing the update process for obsolete devices here: https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/1774-grapheneos-version-2022111000-released/6. I'm not sure when GOS will stop updating the 3a XL though, so what I would do is when you are waiting for the next OTA update, I would change my everyday browser to Mulch or Bromite.