This CAF release can be useful for custom ROM developers who wish to use it as a starting point rather than pure AOSP, which is why you sometimes see “CAF-based” ROMs on our forums. CAF is where Qualcomm publically publishes these Linux kernel changes and AOSP framework changes. Qualcomm privately distributes its modified Linux kernel, AOSP framework, and other software tools to its partners as part of a Board Support Package, or BSP. In addition, Qualcomm makes changes to the AOSP framework to optimize Android for each of the company’s Snapdragon mobile platforms. This is what adds several layers of fragmentation. Qualcomm, as an SoC vendor, distributes a forked version of the Linux kernel to OEMs/ODMs, and those companies then add device-specific changes on shipping devices. Mainline greatly improved how quickly devices receive updated versions of important OS components, in turn improving the security of the Android ecosystem as a whole.įor example, Code Aurora Forum, or CAF for short, hosts the source code for various Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs. They then set up a delivery mechanism via Google Play so they could remotely roll out updates to these key components without having to wait for OEMs to apply the patches themselves. Google essentially took control of key OS components and forbid OEMs from modifying them. Google called this initiative Project Mainline when it introduced it alongside Android 10 in 2019. The next step in Google’s plans was to streamline the delivery of updates to key Android components. As a result, OEMs could ready their custom Android forks quicker than before, and by extension, roll out major OS updates more quickly. This made it easier for Android OEMs to rebase their OSes on top of the latest AOSP framework, as they could boot the latest version without needing updated code from vendors. Announced alongside Android 8.0 Oreo in 2017, Project Treble modularized Android by separating the OS framework from the vendor implementation (HALs and the device-specific Linux kernel fork). The first major initiative in Google’s long-term project to reduce the development burden was Project Treble. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Easing the Android update pain
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