Starting with Android 10, 11 or 12, what part of Android is NOT updated forever?

[Robin Goodfellow]

What part of Android is NOT updated forever?
(where "forever" simply means there is no stated EOL date for that APK)

Given Android 12 updates 25 core components (all also open sourced to the
AOSP community) of the operating system via automated mechanisms (Project
Mainline), and given even the hardware drivers are now being updated the
same way (Project Treble), what _else_ is needed to be updated on Android
for it to be considered updated forever?

All the key Android default apps are already updated forever on Google Play
(e.g., Chrome, Messages, GMail, YouTube, Maps, Google Play, Google, etc.)

The manufacture bloatware, for Samsung anyway, is updated for years (but who
cares about the manufacturer tools which they can get if they want anyway)?

There may be carrier bloatware, but who cares about any of that?

What's left on the later Android versions to update that isn't already
updated forever (with "forever" meaning there is no known EOL date).

[Andy Burns]

Robin Goodfellow wrote:

> the hardware drivers are now being updated the
> same way (Project Treble)

are they?

> What's left on the later Android versions to update that isn't already
> updated forever

kernel?
Soc firmware?

[Robin Goodfellow]

Andy Burns <use...@andyburns.uk> asked

>> the hardware drivers are now being updated the
>> same way (Project Treble)
>
> are they?

It's my understanding they are, but if you question it,
then I should bother to double check where I get my information
from since you're generally reliable (as am I, for the most part).

Here's my search:
<https://duckduckgo.com/?q=qualcomm+drivers+updated+over+google+play+android>

There are lots of hits from 2019 to 2021 showing the progress
which seems to span a bunch of Snapdragon hardware drivers,
including, at least these SoC's.

Based only on my quick skim of the results (see below)...
a. GPU (appears to be updated via Google Play Services in Android 12)
b. NNAPI (seems to be updated via Google Play Services in Android 13)

Here is a relevant hit from May 2021 summarizing the process.
*Regular Google NNAPI updates to Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms*
<https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2021/05/20/announced-google-io-2021-regular-google-nnapi-updates-qualcomm-snapdragon-mobile>
"In late 2019, Qualcomm Technologies announced GPU updatable drivers,
a first in the mobile industry. Just like how you get updates on your
desktop GPUs, smartphone users are now able to update their GPU
to take advantage of potential performance and feature gains."

"Today we have exciting news to share, working together with Google,
we are expanding updatable drivers in the AI realm for Snapdragon mobile
platforms. Starting later this year, Qualcomm Technologies and Google will
start offering regular updates for NNAPI. The drivers will be made
available to devices via Google Play Services, it will automatically
update in the background, and the updatable NNAPI drivers will not only
work on the latest and greatest Snapdragon processors but will also be
backward compatible with older Snapdragon processors as well."

Here's another relevant hit for _further_ improvements to the process.
*Google and Qualcomm partner to bring faster neural network updates*
<https://9to5google.com/2021/05/24/qualcomm-google-android-neural-updates/>
"What's new in this announcement is that Qualcomm and Google have partnered
to deliver this neural network updates to Android users through Google
Play Services. This allows Qualcomm to get updates out and even port them
to older Snapdragon-powered devices without needing complete system
updates."

>> What's left on the later Android versions to update that isn't already
>> updated forever
>
> kernel?

Thank you for hazarding a guess as one needs to fundamentally
understand what those 25 core Android components _do_ in order
to understand what they do _not_ do
(and then to ask how _those_ things not done, are updated).

Here's my search:
<https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+is+android+12+kernel+updated>

The first page of hits shows the kernel is open sourced apparently.
*Android 12 source code pushed to AOSP*
<https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/10/05/android-12-source-code-pushed-to-aosp/>
"You can download the code with the following command"
repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b android-s-beta-5
repo sync

Are these open source Android 12 kernels usable by we mere mortals?
*Android Common Kernels*
<https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/kernel/android-common>

They don't explain how we mere mortals can update the kernel though.
But some people are apparently working on "adaptive kernel updates."
*Adaptive Android Kernel Live Patching*
<https://www.usenix.org/system/files/conference/usenixsecurity17/sec17-chen.pdf>

This purports to tell us how to update the kernel on our own using kernels
supplied by, apparently, Linus Torvalds himself (based on a quick skim).
*How to Update your Android Kernel*
<https://appuals.com/how-to-update-your-android-kernel-to-latest-linux-stable/>

But I didn't see much on how we mere mortals can get our own kernel updates.

*Check & update your Android version*
<https://support.google.com/android/answer/7680439?hl=en>

> Soc firmware?

The SOC firmware may or may not matter (given Project Treble).

Here's my search:
<https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+is+android+12+SOC+firmware+updated>

The first page didn't really solve the question but it did have this.
*Android 12 Updates Via Google Play: What Does It Mean?*
<https://fossbytes.com/android-12-updates-via-google-play/>
"Project Mainline solves one of the critical problems related
to Android updates."

"The OS Framework is where crucial modules reside (Only Google manages
this); the lower-level software directory is where OEMs make changes."

"This makes Android asynchronous since Google and the manufacturers
no longer wait for SoC vendors to release the update."

"You may ask, "How are Google Play system updates different from regular
security patches?" Manufacturers will still be able to push regular
security patches. Still, if there's a vulnerability or a security hole
that needs to be patched quickly, Google can send an update right away.
This update would be similar to what Google sent to OEMs,
who then forward it to the users."

In summary, I think (please correct where I err) this is what is updated:
a. 25 Android Framework Modules (updated over GPS - but for how long?)
b. GPU,NNAPI hardware drivers (GPU is updated over GPS; NNAPI will be)
c. kernel (it's open source but mere mortals may not be able to update)
d. Other Soc's (it's not clear to me how the rest of the SOCs are updated)

Did I miss anything?

This is an important question for us to answer as to
*What is _not_ updated in Android 12?*

I don't presume to have the answer; but I think we, together, can arrive at it.