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Will Gingerbread bring centralized updates?

One of the biggest issues I see with Android today is that security bugs do not get patched until my manufacturer releases a new firmware, while very few enjoy OTA updates.
Will Gingerbread change that, so that all phones "with Google" will get patched more or less in realtime?

Probably not until all manufacturers decided to use just vanilla android, and I don't see that happening anytime soon. Htc, Moto, and Sammy, for whatever reason, insist on inflicting their custom skins on us, and updating those is what takes so long.
Sent from my CDMA Hero. I got some hot Froyo on Hero action here!

user7618 said:
Htc, Moto, and Sammy, for whatever reason, insist on inflicting their custom skins on us, and updating those is what takes so long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that's what Gingerbread would try to solve?
Therefore my question if bugs will be patched promptly by rolling out patches OTA.
It would even suffice to have a "android-patch-announce" mailing list I could subscribe to. I'd then download and update by myself.

As far as I'm informed Google only stated that the new Android UI will be so good that it's not necessary that phone manufacturers develop their own UI over it. I have nowhere seen in written that they are not allowed anymore to build them.
But I wonder why automatic updates are still not possible? I mean look at your notebook. You have Windows 7 on it and the manufacturers (Toshiba, Acer, etc.) add their own stuff on top i.e. like an enhanced Desktop and whatever, but the Windows update is of course still working.
Maybe the problem is that Android quickly grew the few years since it's existence in order to have a "fullly working system" like we have it now. Once the main structures of the platform are stable, maybe it's easier to adapt 3rd party software. But then, the switch from 2.1 to 2.2 is not very heavy, isn't it?
I hope as well there's a solution soon! It's very annoying! I have a HTC Wildfire with 1&1 brand (German phone network). First you have to wait until HTC provides the update to 2.2 but then you still can't use it because 1&1 have to update their software as well. Maybe just installing the HTC firmware but then you loose the warranty of your phone.... stupid **** really!

Unsafe to run marshmallows ROMs no longer supported by dev

I've been using pure white Nexus ROM for a while but the dev Trevelyan announced he would no longer be supporting it with the monthly Google security updates.
Does this mean that any phone using this custom ROM is now insecure and users should find an alternative option or just go back to stock Google ROM to ensure they continue to get the monthly security patches?
Thanks.

I guess either no one cares about security or have moved on to nougat!

Yes, no more updates means you won't be secure anymore, since vulnerabilities will be found but never fixed. Note that going back to stock won't help you, as stock also no longer gets security updates (October was the last one). You'd need to switch to a different custom ROM.

I guess I'll need to find my new daily. Looks like nougat ROMs are still iffy in terms of full functionality.

Exactly my problem. Unstable / not anymore developed roms . I'm just gonna stick to good old SlimKat..

I guess I'll stick with pure white then. If no ROMs are getting any updates from Google then they will all have the same potential security risks? At least ElementalX kernel incorporates security patches and enforces SELinux. Maybe time to buy the new pixel.... The N5 had served me well, but security is paramount for me.

There are still some custom ROMs that get security updates (e.g., CyanogenMod).

How can CM get security updates if Google has stopped providing them for the Nexus 5? I don't understand? Thanks

For a few things (the non-free vendor drivers), you're right; those pieces don't get updated. But most of Android isn't device-specific, so the community takes the updates Google pushed to AOSP for the devices they do still support and ports them to the ones they don't.

OK. What's considered best daily CM ROM?

I'd personally recommend the latest official nightly.

Are there any Android 6.0 roms in active development?

I switched from Cyanogenmod 13.0 to LineageOS 14.1 when CM died in late December. Was very excited about Nougat at first, but there are a lot of bugs with mobile data, bluetooth, etc. After a couple months of flashing nightly builds hoping for things to get better, I gave up and went back to the last build of CM13 and all the bugs have disappeared and my battery life improved as well. Plus I can use Xposed which is nice.
Only problem is CM13 will never be updated so I'm stuck on December 2016 security patch level. Thus I am steadily getting more outdated. With no official Nougat ever coming to the G3, it makes me wonder if the bugs in LOS14.1 will ever be fixed since there will never be an official source to base it on. I know there are other Nougat-based roms out there but I imagine they must suffer from the same bugs as LineageOS.
I don't care about new features or anything, I just would like to have security updates because it seems like a bad idea not to.
Is this what I'm looking for? https://forum.xda-developers.com/20...nt/rom-lineageos-13-0-moto-g-3rd-gen-t3530402

Consider this - most folks with Moto G3 are on stock M. With no security updates.
With CM13 you say you are on Dec '16. That's a year and a half better than stock.
Maybe you aren't really so bad off...

Have you ever really felt any real harm having "outdated" security patch? I'm kin to hear exact cases when your phone needs a new security patch. Or maybe you are installing experimental software from deep web? There are a lot of users with devices with Android 5.0.2 or 5.1 that haven't even heard about security patches, and they feel themselves very comfortable using their daily package of normal and verified software. So I don't see any point to look for a developing MM 6.0.1 ROM, as it is already developed and bugless.

Mama Luigi said:
I switched from Cyanogenmod 13.0 to LineageOS 14.1 when CM died in late December. Was very excited about Nougat at first, but there are a lot of bugs with mobile data, bluetooth, etc. After a couple months of flashing nightly builds hoping for things to get better, I gave up and went back to the last build of CM13 and all the bugs have disappeared and my battery life improved as well. Plus I can use Xposed which is nice.
Only problem is CM13 will never be updated so I'm stuck on December 2016 security patch level. Thus I am steadily getting more outdated. With no official Nougat ever coming to the G3, it makes me wonder if the bugs in LOS14.1 will ever be fixed since there will never be an official source to base it on. I know there are other Nougat-based roms out there but I imagine they must suffer from the same bugs as LineageOS.
I don't care about new features or anything, I just would like to have security updates because it seems like a bad idea not to.
Is this what I'm looking for? https://forum.xda-developers.com/20...nt/rom-lineageos-13-0-moto-g-3rd-gen-t3530402
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mokee is in active development

I too had this confusion....all marshmallow roms stopped development and i never wanted to try any N rom coz i thought its not stable. i tried many nougat roms and they all had many bugs...... But now I'm settled for tesla rom......its a great rom and havent found any bugs...... Its the fastest rom among N roms....... I'm using it with optimus kernel and battery backup is also very good......
https://forum.xda-developers.com/2015-moto-g/development/rom-gzroms-tesla-t3350265

KrisM22 said:
Consider this - most folks with Moto G3 are on stock M. With no security updates.
With CM13 you say you are on Dec '16. That's a year and a half better than stock.
Maybe you aren't really so bad off...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A January 2017 security patch for the stock 6.0 XT1540 just came out just a few weeks ago.

Mama Luigi said:
I don't care about new features or anything, I just would like to have security updates because it seems like a bad idea not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The misconception here is that those "security updates" are actually of any real world use... they are not. There are no real security exploits of any real significance to modern Android devices, all of these horrible vulnerabilities like Quadrooter, Certi-gate, Stagefright, FakeID, Towelroot, and Dirty Cow are of not really problems as outside of a controlled lab environment, there are no working exploits of any of them.
Security updates by themselves are a marketing ploy that sounds good, unless your devices is 3 or 4 years old (in which case you should just be replacing it anyway since there are no security updates).
A lot of people will disagree with me, but all these security updates are just media hype and company propaganda, there is no real worry about them because of all the other stuff we have in Android, like app sandboxing, DMverity, SElinux, and other mechanisms that even if an exploit does get past one things it has to deal with the others.
I am not an naive and I know what I am talking about, I have worked in the telecommunications and networking industry for over 25 years and deal with security in both telecom and IT daily. You have far more important things to worry about than security updates for your Android phone, unless you live on pirate apps and porn.

georgearn said:
Have you ever really felt any real harm having "outdated" security patch? I'm kin to hear exact cases when your phone needs a new security patch. Or maybe you are installing experimental software from deep web? There are a lot of users with devices with Android 5.0.2 or 5.1 that haven't even heard about security patches, and they feel themselves very comfortable using their daily package of normal and verified software. So I don't see any point to look for a developing MM 6.0.1 ROM, as it is already developed and bugless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
acejavelin said:
The misconception here is that those "security updates" are actually of any real world use... they are not. There are no real security exploits of any real significance to modern Android devices, all of these horrible vulnerabilities like Quadrooter, Certi-gate, Stagefright, FakeID, Towelroot, and Dirty Cow are of not really problems as outside of a controlled lab environment, there are no working exploits of any of them.
Security updates by themselves are a marketing ploy that sounds good, unless your devices is 3 or 4 years old (in which case you should just be replacing it anyway since there are no security updates).
A lot of people will disagree with me, but all these security updates are just media hype and company propaganda, there is no real worry about them because of all the other stuff we have in Android, like app sandboxing, DMverity, SElinux, and other mechanisms that even if an exploit does get past one things it has to deal with the others.
I am not an naive and I know what I am talking about, I have worked in the telecommunications and networking industry for over 25 years and deal with security in both telecom and IT daily. You have far more important things to worry about than security updates for your Android phone, unless you live on pirate apps and porn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys. No, I haven't felt "unsafe" from not being totally updated, but if you were unsafe would you even know it? Isn't that part of the problem? At any rate, I suppose the real danger isn't my phone's OS but rather my online accounts, where my personal information is stored on the servers of who knows how many companies.
Between ad blocking and just careful habits and knowledge, I'm guessing I'm also much safer than the average smartphone user.
I will keep rolling with cm13 unless/until Alberto hammers out the Bluetooth bugs in Lineage. Nougat is cool but it's not worth my headphones disconnecting multiple times per day.

Maybe this reply is off topic, but as far as my xt1550 is considered, all bugs related to data and Bluetooth have been fixed.
Regarding the "staying updated" thing, maybe you will have to jump to Nougat one day or the other if you want to increase the life of the phone.

After nearly three years Still No Custom roms

I wonder why after roughly 3 years Still no one showing interest in developing a custom rom for our first grade phone? Before they claimed that it is on pause because no has the kernel source code, but now we have access to the official source code and yet no one developed a brand new custom rom for Nokia phone.
Please if anyone could help write a comment below.

to be honest, at this point i simply dont care whatever is happening in this community. If you have knowledge of building a custom rom then why not giving it a go?
i simply dont possess the knowledge at the same time i am also not complaining.

Ok, so first: Nokia 8 launched in September 2017. According to my calculator, thats roughly one and a half year since it came out. Not three.
Then, regarding kernel sources: The official kernel sources for our phone are from the Oreo 8.0 release. It's possible to use older kernels for newer ROMs, but it is really not recommended. And I am not even speaking of the fact that those official kernel sources still require edits to even work. There is no support from Nokia / HMD for development on this phone. Even their unlocker app doesn't work on the majority of versions and completely broke after 2 security patches.
I would be suprised if you can find any developer who is willing to spend their time fighting the stuff that gets thrown between our feet. (broken kernel source, not being able to temporary boot images and having to flash them instead, no working kernel sources from hmd, no reliable bootloader unlock, no official rescue tool etc. etc.) And usually, developers make things because their either need them themselves, or for the joy of creating something and sharing it with people who appreciate it. And when you can port a ROM, you can make the edits you want for yourself with Magisk, so reason 1 is already not applicable.
And as hard as it might sound, this community is by no means large enough to justify porting a ROM you dont need and risking your device stability / userdata in the process.
So the TL;DR; is probably: Either do it yourself, or expect it to never actually happen, as harsh as it sounds, sadly.

THMSP said:
Ok, so first: Nokia 8 launched in September 2017. According to my calculator, thats roughly one and a half year since it came out. Not three.
Then, regarding kernel sources: The official kernel sources for our phone are from the Oreo 8.0 release. It's possible to use older kernels for newer ROMs, but it is really not recommended. And I am not even speaking of the fact that those official kernel sources still require edits to even work. There is no support from Nokia / HMD for development on this phone. Even their unlocker app doesn't work on the majority of versions and completely broke after 2 security patches.
I would be suprised if you can find any developer who is willing to spend their time fighting the stuff that gets thrown between our feet. (broken kernel source, not being able to temporary boot images and having to flash them instead, no working kernel sources from hmd, no reliable bootloader unlock, no official rescue tool etc. etc.) And usually, developers make things because their either need them themselves, or for the joy of creating something and sharing it with people who appreciate it. And when you can port a ROM, you can make the edits you want for yourself with Magisk, so reason 1 is already not applicable.
And as hard as it might sound, this community is by no means large enough to justify porting a ROM you dont need and risking your device stability / userdata in the process.
So the TL;DR; is probably: Either do it yourself, or expect it to never actually happen, as harsh as it sounds, sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't agree with you more, I was just wondered how this newly released phone still has no custom rom while my LG G3 still after those years received many from lots of developers.
So sad to see our beloved NOKIA has no juice to compete in this race.

error748 said:
I can't agree with you more, I was just wondered how this newly released phone still has no custom rom while my LG G3 still after those years received many from lots of developers.
So sad to see our beloved NOKIA has no juice to compete in this race.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all found out the hard way what Nokia was about by being early adopters. To me they are only interested in pushing their next device and Android One is making that easier for them. So much so the 8 is long since off their radar. It was an 'OK' phone for the money, but there's better now and it's them I'll be looking to this year.

At this point its best to just modify the current stock rom yourself by debloating it, installing kernel tweking modules via magisk, installing themes via substratum and customizing the interface using GravityBox and Xposed Edge. Thats the closest we will come to having a custom rom experience. Ive accepted that no developer will bother with this phone given all the devices that have come out since its release.
Its a lesson learnt. I love this phone but I will never buy another Nokia phone ever again. Im currently saving up for a Xiaomi phone and will use this Nokia 8 as a secondary phone in due time.

MDV106 said:
At this point its best to just modify the current stock rom yourself by debloating it, installing kernel tweking modules via magisk, installing themes via substratum and customizing the interface using GravityBox and Xposed Edge. Thats the closest we will come to having a custom rom experience. Ive accepted that no developer will bother with this phone given all the devices that have come out since its release.
Its a lesson learnt. I love this phone but I will never buy another Nokia phone ever again. Im currently saving up for a Xiaomi phone and will use this Nokia 8 as a secondary phone in due time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poco or 1+ here

MDV106 said:
At this point its best to just modify the current stock rom yourself by debloating it, installing kernel tweking modules via magisk, installing themes via substratum and customizing the interface using GravityBox and Xposed Edge. Thats the closest we will come to having a custom rom experience. Ive accepted that no developer will bother with this phone given all the devices that have come out since its release.
Its a lesson learnt. I love this phone but I will never buy another Nokia phone ever again. Im currently saving up for a Xiaomi phone and will use this Nokia 8 as a secondary phone in due time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too, my next phone would be OnePlus 6T or Oppo.
Never ever ever go around nokia phones again

Android 12 support for P3?!

Starting off at version 9, the official P3 Rom thread now lists version 12...
I was under the impression that such devices usually received a max of 3 Android releases. So for P3, that would be 9, 10 and 11
I had also read elsewhere that version 11 will be the final release that Google will issue for the P3
12.0.0 (SP1A.210812.015, Oct 2021)FlashLinkc5f3469cfd9ac914377eac1d05eb60bde3b88d109c9e618eecf82a938bad562512.0.0 (SP1A.210812.016.A1, Oct 2021, Verizon)FlashLink514272b9973ab900dd92ab7652291498e868d9778be77979291e9ed60c287838
Now I see this
I am not interested in the Verizon release. But there is still SP1A.210812.015 which seems to be unbranded one
Is there any reason behind Google's intention to further support the P3 into yet another Android release?

jstoner said:
Starting off at version 9, the official P3 Rom thread now lists version 12...
I was under the impression that such devices usually received a max of 3 Android releases. So for P3, that would be 9, 10 and 11
I had also read elsewhere that version 11 will be the final release that Google will issue for the P3
12.0.0 (SP1A.210812.015, Oct 2021)FlashLinkc5f3469cfd9ac914377eac1d05eb60bde3b88d109c9e618eecf82a938bad562512.0.0 (SP1A.210812.016.A1, Oct 2021, Verizon)FlashLink514272b9973ab900dd92ab7652291498e868d9778be77979291e9ed60c287838
Now I see this
I am not interested in the Verizon release. But there is still SP1A.210812.015 which seems to be unbranded one
Is there any reason behind Google's intention to further support the P3 into yet another Android release?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's more of a time thing. Google typically supports devices for 3 years from their release date. The Pixel 3 was released in October 2018, so its last update is Oct 2021.
Additionally, Google avoids the fragmentation we see among other manufacturers - they use that month's AOSP for the core of the update. It so happens that October 2021 was the official release of Android 12.
But, the Pixel 3 / 3XL have been sunsetted as of that 3 year mark, so they will no longer receive any updates.
The 3a/3aXL will be supported to May of this year; the 4/4XL will be supported to October; and so on.
My Pixel 5 will no longer be supported beyond October 2023.

V0latyle said:
It's more of a time thing. Google typically supports devices for 3 years from their release date. The Pixel 3 was released in October 2018, so its last update is Oct 2021.
Additionally, Google avoids the fragmentation we see among other manufacturers - they use that month's AOSP for the core of the update. It so happens that October 2021 was the official release of Android 12.
But, the Pixel 3 / 3XL have been sunsetted as of that 3 year mark, so they will no longer receive any updates.
The 3a/3aXL will be supported to May of this year; the 4/4XL will be supported to October; and so on.
My Pixel 5 will no longer be supported beyond October 2023.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So those two builds of Android 12 I mentioned above (SP1A.210812.015 and SP1A.210812.016.A1) are in fact the first and last ones for P3..?
Ackward approach to have this version 12 and leave it premature. I m sure there will be some sort of issues with it

jstoner said:
So those two builds of Android 12 I mentioned above (SP1A.210812.015 and SP1A.210812.016.A1) are in fact the first and last ones for P3..?
Ackward approach to have this version 12 and leave it premature. I m sure there will be some sort of issues with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the initial release of Android 12 on the Pixel 3 /3XL is also the last update the device will ever receive. That being said, the initial 12 release is quite stable, the only bugs I found were nothing that impaired usability.
I suspect the reason why the P3 / XL got Android 12 for its final release is because of the GSI architecture on Pixel devices. Google doesn't develop multiple ROMs for multiple devices - the only thing really different are the bootloaders, baseband, drivers, and maybe kernel. Android 12 on the Pixel 6 looks and performs exactly like Android 12 on the Pixel 3. So, all Pixels get updated at the same time; the fact that the initial release of Android 12 was the final update on the P3 is more of a coincidence, really.

V0latyle said:
Yes, the initial release of Android 12 on the Pixel 3 /3XL is also the last update the device will ever receive. That being said, the initial 12 release is quite stable, the only bugs I found were nothing that impaired usability.
I suspect the reason why the P3 / XL got Android 12 for its final release is because of the GSI architecture on Pixel devices. Google doesn't develop multiple ROMs for multiple devices - the only thing really different are the bootloaders, baseband, drivers, and maybe kernel. Android 12 on the Pixel 6 looks and performs exactly like Android 12 on the Pixel 3. So, all Pixels get updated at the same time; the fact that the initial release of Android 12 was the final update on the P3 is more of a coincidence, really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, thank you for the input
Way I see it, from security perspective, there isn't much of a benefit moving from latest v11 to v12 final (if its not to receive any further updates)
Perhaps someone may be tempted for a specific new feature on v12 (?), but so I far, I don't see a need for it

jstoner said:
Excellent, thank you for the input
Way I see it, from security perspective, there isn't much of a benefit moving from latest v11 to v12 final (if its not to receive any further updates)
Perhaps someone may be tempted for a specific new feature on v12 (?), but so I far, I don't see a need for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own. I disagree on the security perspective; Android 12 introduced a lot of privacy and security features that are a major improvement over Android 11. Even if there are no further updates, that alone would be of some benefit.
Of course, for those still using the P3, there may soon come a time when custom ROMs are safer as they often incorporate the latest kernel fixes and security updates from AOSP.

V0latyle said:
To each their own. I disagree on the security perspective; Android 12 introduced a lot of privacy and security features that are a major improvement over Android 11. Even if there are no further updates, that alone would be of some benefit.
Of course, for those still using the P3, there may soon come a time when custom ROMs are safer as they often incorporate the latest kernel fixes and security updates from AOSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello there new to the forum, pretty much a newb when it comes to tech talk, really..
But I am a Google Pixel 3 user, just found the news that it will no longer be supported. Asked some friends and they mentioned custom ROMs as a way around this... My old school nature finds all of this ridiculous, but it is what it is, I guess xD
In response to this, my question is when would a user like me consider switching to a custom ROM? "there may soon come a time..." ... what time might that be? When I start to see functions failing? When Android 12 updates globally but not for me?
Additionally, what would be the best resource to finding which custom ROM would fit my needs best?
Currently, my phone works great still. Hopefully I can exist for quite a while and not even think about it... but it works so good that I'd hate to go and buy a Pixel 6 when its security issues that render my device obsolete. If it means a custom ROM before $600, I'll probably take the shot.
Thanks!

neat_moss said:
Hello there new to the forum, pretty much a newb when it comes to tech talk, really..
But I am a Google Pixel 3 user, just found the news that it will no longer be supported. Asked some friends and they mentioned custom ROMs as a way around this... My old school nature finds all of this ridiculous, but it is what it is, I guess xD
In response to this, my question is when would a user like me consider switching to a custom ROM? "there may soon come a time..." ... what time might that be? When I start to see functions failing? When Android 12 updates globally but not for me?
Additionally, what would be the best resource to finding which custom ROM would fit my needs best?
Currently, my phone works great still. Hopefully I can exist for quite a while and not even think about it... but it works so good that I'd hate to go and buy a Pixel 6 when its security issues that render my device obsolete. If it means a custom ROM before $600, I'll probably take the shot.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When to switch depends entirely on your attitude towards monthly security updates. That would also effect what ROM you consider. Personally I switched about 4 months ago. I chose LineageOS because it reliably receives monthly security updates.
Do you have an unlockable bootloader? If not, all your questions are moot, because you must be able to unlock the bootloader to install a custom ROM.

dcarvil said:
When to switch depends entirely on your attitude towards monthly security updates. That would also effect what ROM you consider. Personally I switched about 4 months ago. I chose LineageOS because it reliably receives monthly security updates.
Do you have an unlockable bootloader? If not, all your questions are moot, because you must be able to unlock the bootloader to install a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LineageOS was the one recommended to me as well, sounds like a good bet.
"unlockable bootloader" is totally Greek to me though xD. Really have no idea what that means lmao. How might I find out if I have an unlockable bootloader? And if I do... how does one... unlock it? xD
And thanks for the insight!

neat_moss said:
LineageOS was the one recommended to me as well, sounds like a good bet.
"unlockable bootloader" is totally Greek to me though xD. Really have no idea what that means lmao. How might I find out if I have an unlockable bootloader? And if I do... how does one... unlock it? xD
And thanks for the insight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the "Unlocking the Bootloader" section in this thread. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-how-to-root-pixel-3-android-12.4366041/#post-86294311
Also, the LineageOS installation instructions have an "Unlocking the bootloader" section. https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/blueline/install
If you have a Verizon or AT&T variant, you cannot unlock the bootloader.

dcarvil said:
See the "Unlocking the Bootloader" section in this thread. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-how-to-root-pixel-3-android-12.4366041/#post-86294311
Also, the LineageOS installation instructions have an "Unlocking the bootloader" section. https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/blueline/install
If you have a Verizon or AT&T variant, you cannot unlock the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very cool, thanks! A lot of this documentation makes sense.
Verizon or AT&T variant though... you mean the phone itself? In my case, i bought the phone directly from google and just put an AT&T SIM card into it... is that the same thing?
Thanks!

neat_moss said:
Very cool, thanks! A lot of this documentation makes sense.
Verizon or AT&T variant though... you mean the phone itself? In my case, i bought the phone directly from google and just put an AT&T SIM card into it... is that the same thing?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T variant would be a phone purchased from AT&T. If you purchased it from Google, you probably have the unlockable version. If you can enable the OEM Unlocking toggle, you can unlock the bootloader. Unlocking will wipe your phone, though, so be sure to backup everything you need.

dcarvil said:
The AT&T variant would be a phone purchased from AT&T. If you purchased it from Google, you probably have the unlockable version. If you can enable the OEM Unlocking toggle, you can unlock the bootloader. Unlocking will wipe your phone, though, so be sure to backup everything you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you much! I'll likely be trying this soon enough

V0latyle said:
Additionally, Google avoids the fragmentation we see among other manufacturers - they use that month's AOSP for the core of the update. It so happens that October 2021 was the official release of Android 12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that more v12 releases are coming out. So the initial assumption that the P3 will receive updated v12 builds up till OCT21, doesn't seem to be the case anymore
(although I am not complaining!)
In addition to the OCT21 rels:
SP1A.210812.015
SP1A.210812.016.A1
I can now see JAN22 / FEB22 rels:
SP1A.210812.016.A2
SP1A.210812.016.B1 (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone AU)
SP1A.210812.016.C1
After reading some positive feedback on v12, I think I will be updating to that latest version
But I want an 'unbranded' ROM. So it would make sense to go for "SP1A.210812.016.C1", right?
I really hope that if this is one of the last v12 releases for P3, it is at least as stable as my latest v11 build. It would be nice to have those extra privacy features, but stability on that phone is no1 prio...

jstoner said:
It seems that more v12 releases are coming out. So the initial assumption that the P3 will receive updated v12 builds up till OCT21, doesn't seem to be the case anymore
(although I am not complaining!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I stated previously, Google only committed to 3 years of software updates on most of the Pixel line. The October '21 update was the end of the update agreement for the 3 / 3XL. Interesting that there are January and February releases too.
The 3a and 3aXL will be sunsetted in May of this year.
My Pixel 5 will receive its last update on Oct '23, and my wife's 5a will be supported up to Aug '24.
Software updates on Pixel devices
That being said, Pixel devices use AOSP, so it wouldn't be hard for someone to build updated firmware for the Pixels using the latest AOSP release. Google even makes the driver binaries available. The only caveat to this is that TWRP often doesn't keep up with the newer devices, so the update would have to be in the same format as either an OTA file, or factory image.

V0latyle said:
The October '21 update was the end of the update agreement for the 3 / 3XL. Interesting that there are January and February releases too.
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Then maybe there was something important on the OCT21 release that needed to be fixed? No idea. I wonder if that FEB22 release is going to be the final one (in which case I d rather wait a bit longer)
Just curious about those:
SP1A.210812.016.B1 (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone AU)
SP1A.210812.016.C1
Aren't all those releases supposed to be 'brand-less' (i.e. not associated with any provider)? So what's with that Telstra/Optus/Vodafone AU sidenote on that release?
Am I right in thinking that at the moment, "SP1A.210812.016.C1" is the one to go for? I m only interested in having a retail ROM - just as if I bought the device directly from Google..

jstoner said:
Then maybe there was something important on the OCT21 release that needed to be fixed? No idea. I wonder if that FEB22 release is going to be the final one (in which case I d rather wait a bit longer)
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Even if there were bugs in the October release, I'm surprised they bothered with January and February too. October '21 is the last one they committed to, any more will be out of the ordinary for them.
jstoner said:
Just curious about those:
SP1A.210812.016.B1 (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone AU)
SP1A.210812.016.C1
Aren't all those releases supposed to be 'brand-less' (i.e. not associated with any provider)? So what's with that Telstra/Optus/Vodafone AU sidenote on that release?
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Click to collapse
Baseband fixes, most likely. Bootloader, kernel and system are the same; usually the only difference is the baseband.
jstoner said:
Am I right in thinking that at the moment, "SP1A.210812.016.C1" is the one to go for? I m only interested in having a retail ROM - just as if I bought the device directly from Google..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably.

V0latyle said:
Even if there were bugs in the October release, I'm surprised they bothered with January and February too. October '21 is the last one they committed to, any more will be out of the ordinary for them.
Baseband fixes, most likely. Bootloader, kernel and system are the same; usually the only difference is the baseband.
Probably.
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Sorry to bother again - but do you by any chance know where I can find Rel notes for those releases
I would like to see what the changes are e.g. from SP1A.210812.016.A2 to SP1A.210812.016.C1
Are those not supposed to be releases to public? (only for Devs?)

jstoner said:
Sorry to bother again - but do you by any chance know where I can find Rel notes for those releases
I would like to see what the changes are e.g. from SP1A.210812.016.A2 to SP1A.210812.016.C1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pixel Update Bulletins | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
These are general topics across the board and not device specific so I have no idea what is different in the P3 updates. This article provides more information, looks like it's mainly a security update and bug fixes.
jstoner said:
Are those not supposed to be releases to public? (only for Devs?)
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No, they're intentional, the February update apparently includes fixes that were supposed to be rolled out in your last "official" update in November '21

V0latyle said:
Pixel Update Bulletins | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
No, they're intentional, the February update apparently includes fixes that were supposed to be rolled out in your last "official" update in November '21
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Click to collapse
According to that source, that FEB22 update, is almost certainly the last for P3 + P3 XL
And as it turns out, my initial assumption about a major bug fix was actually true - it was the 911 calling issue (which due to life critical scenarios) was handled with priority
So it would seem that SP1A.210812.016.C1 is the one to go for P3. No need to wait further, as there won't be any more rels. From what I also read on Reddit, v12, despite only being introduced for P3, is decent enough. No major bugs so far. So I guess it is stable
For this device that I need it for, stabi is more important than security. Don't know if that changes anything or whether I should not move to v12..