Why Android Oreo is a game-changer
Version 8.0 of the popular Google operating system has landed, but with one fundamental change to benefit us all – eventually. Darren Yates explains.
Much has already been made regarding the arrival of the latest version of Android, from improved notifications and faster boot times to ‘picture-in-picture’ dual-app capability. But make no mistake – it’s easy to think this is just another Android release, however, Oreo/8.0 is as fundamental a shift in thinking for Android as we’ve seen. Plenty of new Android OS releases have come and gone, but this is the one that could change the future of Android. If Google gets it right, Oreo will be the beginning of the end for the Android ecosystem’s greatest bugbear – the OS update lottery.
ANDROID COMET ‘TALE’
Head online to the Android Developers’ Dashboards page ( tinyurl.com/ qfquw3s) and you’ll quickly see why solving the problem of Android OS updates is so important. The ‘Platform Version’ table (or what I like to call the ‘Android comet tale’) reveals just how fragmented the Android ecosystem has become. By mid-September 2017 and a year on from launch, Nougat/7.x ran on barely one-in-seven Android devices, while 54.2% of devices accessing Google Play during the week ending 8 August 2017 were still on some form of Lollipop/5.x. That’s more than half of all Android devices running an OS version that’s basically three years old – hardly a glowing endorsement of the Android update system. Damningly, a quarter of all Android devices are still running KitKat/4.4 or older – the ‘comet tail’ of older-generations of devices. Throw in the fact that many of these older devices no longer receive security updates and there’s clear reason for concern. By contrast, Apple seemed to have solved this issue ages ago and it’s only been the release of iOS 10 that has seen Apple end the update life of older iPad 2 and 3 tablets.
PROJECT TREBLE
For Android, however, this is where ‘Project Treble’ comes into the frame. In short, it’s a complete architectural rethink of how Android works, with its goal to make life easier for Google, System-on-a-Chip (SoC) processor makers and device brands to deliver OS updates to devices on a longer-term basis. Or, ending for consumers what I call the ‘pay and pray’ model – pay for an Android device, then pray for the OS updates to arrive.
Google itself briefly describes Treble as ‘the biggest change to the foundations of Android to date: a modular architecture that makes it easier and faster for hardware makers to deliver Android updates’ ( tinyurl. com/ycztbuqh).
HOW PROJECT TREBLE WORKS
Until Oreo, the Android operating system essentially operated in two major, but not clearly-defined layers – first, the general operating system framework that takes care of the file system, data and apps, followed by a second device-specific layer, the ‘vendor implementation’. This layer allows the specific components within your device – the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) processor, the graphics engine, audio, the communications processor talking to your network provider and so on – to talk to the Android OS. Each component section has what’s called a ‘hardware abstraction layer’ (HAL) acting as a go-between for that hardware component and the operating system, enabling the OS to be somewhat removed from the hardware and to work more easily with the myriad of different hardware components available.
And it works – to a degree. Hardware vendors create a specific ROM for each Android device they release based on a particular Android codebase, but there’s no set standard interface between the HALs and the OS – that means while an Android device manufacturer can create an initial device ROM, any subsequent update requires a substantial amount of re-work to hook up new HALs to the new codebase. The cost of doing so is the reason you rarely see updates for budget devices, only for a time for flagship models and why they take so long to appear when they do.
Project Treble re-architects the operating system, formalising a greater separation between OS and hardware abstraction layers to make the whole thing more modular. Google calls this separation the ‘vendor interface’ and it’ll act like a series of universal entry-points. Think of it a bit like how USB mass storage devices work –
a standardised USB mass storage device interface ensures any USB flash drive connects and talks with any compatible USB port, regardless of the hardware beyond the interface.
To get hardware vendors on-board, Google has also created a new Vendor Test Suite (VTS) that automates HAL and OS testing (swapping hats for a moment, what’s cool about VTS is that it’s built using the Python programming language... who said Python wasn’t versatile, eh).
WHAT TREBLE MEANS FOR ROMS
Like many Android users, I’ve been quite partial to my old devices, in particular, my Galaxy S III phone, Samsung’s flagship model from 2012 that arrived with Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich, was dumped by Samsung at Jelly Bean/4.3 and has been lovingly supported by the developer community with custom ROMs ever since – right up to Nougat/7.1.2. However, forum users have complained unofficial releases are often accompanied by reduced overall performance. Now, yes, this could have happened anyway as the result of the ageing SoC, but with loads of previousgeneration driver code and typically no official developer help, custom OS/ hardware optimisation often has to give way to simply having features work ‘well enough’.
But importantly, Treble is part of the Android Open-Source Project (AOSP) release of Oreo and as others have rightly noted, this should make it much simpler to create custom ROMs for new devices in the future. In fact, thanks to Oreo, ‘custom ROMs’ could take on a whole new meaning. Because of the new vendor implementation layer, an Android ROM will no longer have to include driver code – all it needs are the HAL hooks in place to allow existing Oreo drivers to lock into. That means ROMs will only need to be ‘custom’ in their UI or app collection, since Treble should enable a post-Oreo custom ROM to work on any post-Oreo Android device. For the first time, your Android device could start to feel like a PC, where OS updates aren’t normally prefaced with the question ‘will it work on my device?’. There is one proviso to all of this, however – and that’s the need for devices to have unlocked bootloaders that can be pointed to other-than-stock ROMs, a feature some vendors are more attuned to than others.
THE END OF BLOATWARE?
Still, that’s not all. If any post-Oreo ROM can work on any device, you could potentially say ‘good-bye’ to vendor bloatware – just load on your particular brand of vanilla AOSP ROM instead and you’re instantly driving a clean, lean device. It sounds awesome in theory and could work on devices purchased ‘outright’, but we can’t imagine it’ll be made so easy for pre-paid or contract devices, but we’ll live in hope.
WILL MY DEVICE GET OREO?
So, this really is the ‘money’ question. One clear benefit of buying Google factory-branded devices has been the immediacy with which most receive new OS updates. The Pixel, Pixel XL and Pixel C devices all had Oreo OTA (over the air) and sideload updates on day of release – so too, the Nexus 6P and 5X. That’s actually an excellent run for the 5X – near enough to two years old and one of the few Marshmallow/6.0 devices to make the official jump to Oreo. Over the page, we take a look at what we know is happening (so far) with the other major brands.
Samsung – the Korean giant had made no official pronouncements by time of writing, but reports suggest the devices likely to receive an Oreo update include 2017-era Galaxy A3, A5 and A7, the Galaxy S7 and S8, plus their variants, the new Galaxy Note 8, the 2017-versions of the Galaxy J5 and J7, the C7 Pro and C9 Pro, along with the Galaxy Tab S3 tablet. Sony – the Japanese firm released its update list shortly after Oreo’s launch, and includes the Xperia X, Xperia XZ, Xperia XA1 and their respective family variants, plus the Xperia Touch ( tinyurl.com/ y8p37a7j). LG – At time of writing, LG was yet to announce its device update list, but it’d be reasonable to assume all of its 2017 flagship releases such as the LG G6 and V30 families get the nod. ≠ We like the odds of the Q6, Q8 and V20 also, although when exactly is anyone’s guess for now. HTC – Owners of HTC’s U11, U Ultra and 10 phones are confirmed to be soon receiving Oreo updates. The HTC 10 is another Marshmallow/6.0 device lining up for its third Android OS. HTC made an announcement on Twitter, saying the U11 will be first in line with an update during the October 2017 quarter ( tinyurl.com/ yagq8mgd). Motorola – With Motorola no longer under the Google umbrella, we won’t be surprised if updates roll out slower than they used to. That said, rumours anticipate Motorola releasing the first Oreo updates to the Moto Z and Z2 series, followed by the Moto G4 and G5 models. There’s no confirmation on the recentlyreleased Moto C and Moto E4 models, either – assume nothing until Motorola says otherwise. Oppo – With the R9 still running Marshmallow/6.x, we won’t hold our breath for an Oreo update. The popular R11 with Nougat/7.1.1 on-board is a more likely candidate, depending on Oppo’s next moves. The medium-grade F1s and A57 models are also still on Marshmallow/6.x, making these less likely as well. Nokia – We’re certain that the new Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8, all of which run Nougat/7.x, will receive an upgrade, as Nokia had pledged its phone would get security updates upon release. Huawei – The Chinese phone maker has reportedly made it official that the Honor 6X and 8 Pro phones will see an Oreo update. Neither of these phones are available to buy in Australia, however, so best guess is a few months of waiting. The company will release its Mate 10 with Oreo preinstalled. Prepaid phones – budget pre-paid phones locked to a local network provider are popular, but our tip is don’t hold your breath for an update. Most low-cost pre-paid models sold in Australia under the $150 mark are still to reach Nougat/7.x (Motorola’s budget $149-retail Moto C sold with Nougat/7.0 is the only example we know of) and, in our experience, these devices rarely receive updates once you’ve taken them home.
CUSTOM OREO ROMS FOR OLDER DEVICES
While the number of devices receiving official Oreo updates will be limited, there’s still unofficial hope for older devices – if you’re prepared for some ‘do it yourself’. At time of writing, Oreo has been out and about for just over a week, yet the developer community has already begun churning out unofficial Oreo ROMs for older devices. Keep an eye on xda-developers.com/ list-android-oreo-unofficial-ports – this is a growing list of custom ROMs released so far and it already includes options for popular devices like the HTC One M8, the Nexus 5, plus the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Tab S2.
Installing custom ROMs isn’t for the faint-hearted, though – there’s every chance a custom ROM will still have bugs somewhere along the line and cause your device to malfunction in some way. But if you’re desperate for Oreo and your device isn’t on its maker’s update list, this could be your most likely option.
WILL IT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?
Unfortunately, it all means that, as good news as Project Treble is, it won’t affect the great majority of Android devices, for which, official OS updates are nothing more than a fond yet distant memory. That’s a real shame, because as we anticipate, once your device gets aboard the ‘Project Treble’ bus, future OS updates should be, by definition, all but guaranteed. Still, at the very least, community-built Oreo ROMs could in theory keep devices going until they fall over for lack of speed, not lack of support.
THE BEST REASON TO UPGRADE
We don’t normally suggest things as blatant as this at Masterclass Central, but Project Treble could be just about the best reason we’ve seen to upgrade your Android device – or at least cross your fingers and toes for an Oreo update. There’s no doubt the Android team has put in some seriously hard yards to ≠ make Treble work, given the software complexity of what it’s trying to do. But if Google has done it right, it could revolutionise the whole Android update landscape – not to mention the benefits to security it should also bring.
Put it this way, Treble is such a fundamental paradigm shift, I won’t buy another Android device until I can guarantee it comes with or will receive an update to Oreo.