The Hidden Challenges in Porting AOSP

It's dangerous to go alone! Take us with you!

In this episode, we're joined by our very own Jon West and Nikhil Punathil at Esper to discuss a key part of what we do here — getting AOSP up and running on ARM and x86 hardware. If you want to port AOSP, it's not as easy as just compiling an image from Google's git repos and slapping it onto a device.

• 05:59 - What is a device bring-up? What are some of the challenges in doing a bring-up?
• 10:58 - How do AOSP developers deal with a lack of kernel source code?
• 18:16 - How did Project Treble affect building AOSP?
• 26:54 - How does Android on x86 differ from Android on ARM?
• 29:48 - What problem does the Generic Kernel Image try to solve?
• 35:22 - How long does Google support a particular AOSP release? What can AOSP developers do once support has ended?

About the Podcast

Android Bytes (powered by Esper)

A weekly show that dives deep into the Android OS

Android Bytes (powered by Esper) is the podcast that dives deep into the engineering and business decisions behind the world’s most popular OS. 

Android powers over 3 billion devices worldwide and is the platform of choice for over a thousand companies. You’ll find Android on smartphones, tablets, watches, TV, cars, kiosks, and so much more. How does Google architect Android to run on so many form factors, and how do companies fork AOSP to make it run on even more devices? These are the kinds of questions the Android Bytes podcast considers each week.

Join cohosts Mishaal Rahman and David Ruddock, two journalists with extensive knowledge covering the Android OS platform and ecosystem, as they speak to system architects, kernel engineers, app developers, and other distinguished experts in the Android space.

Get in touch with us at Esper if you’re looking to use Android device management for GMS or non-GMS devices — we have the experience you need.

Our music is “19” by HOME and is licensed under CC BY 3.0.