The Pixel and Pixel XL from 2016 are getting an update to Android 15 — though not Google itself. This is made possible by LineageOS 22.1, the latest version of the custom ROM that has been tried and tested for years. As announced Available for download. This means that the original Pixels are still running with current software, 7 years after release and 4 years after their official support ended.
The first two Pixel models were launched in October 2016 and came with Android 7.1 Nougat. Google subsequently provides new Android versions for three years, an exemplary length for that period. Unexpectedly, the manufacturer even upgraded to Android 10 in 2019 – the ultimate and indeed unexpected update for the Pixel and Pixel XL.
More notable is the jump to Android 15, which is unofficial but still impressive. The developers of LineageOS have ported Google’s latest software platform to numerous devices in just two months:
We’ve been hard at work since the release of Android 15 in September, adapting our unique features to this new version of Android. […] Additionally, it’s far and away the easiest fetch cycle from a device perspective we’ve seen in years. This means that many more devices are ready on day one than we would normally expect early in the cycle!
Apart from many current smartphones from Google itself, manufacturers like Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola and Sony, even Pixel veterans can now enjoy Android 15. LineageOS 22.1 will provide new features and current security updates until November 2024.
Anyone who still owns the nearly historic Google Phone and isn’t completely uncomplicated installation If you want to give it a try, LineageOS 22.1 can be downloaded from now Edit Download Center Downloads may still have minor issues here and there, but basically the operating system has become a complete alternative to Google Android.
Two new LineageOS apps are also on board: music player “Twelve”, which replaces the old “Eleven” player, and PDF viewer “Camelot”, which closes a gap in the basic repository.
Also worth mentioning are the “under the hood” advancements. The developers rewrote the extraction routines from scratch and greatly accelerated them. Switching to a common kernel base for many supported SoCs is intended to make maintenance easier and enable faster security updates.
With an adjusted version number – LineageOS 22.1 for Android 15 QPR1 – developers are responding to Google’s move to a major version and quarterly patches (“quarterly platform releases”). LineageOS 23.2 should then be compatible with Android 16 QPR2. All devices must be checked again for compatibility for each QPR.
With the new version, the project is also advancing its ambition to establish LineageOS as a universal Android operating system. Built for Android TV and select tablets in the past, but now support has been expanded.
Using the so-called Generic System Image (GSI), LineageOS 22.1 can be installed on compatible devices via Project Treble. An experimental Android TV image exists for media player operation, while tablets and foldables are also considered.
The Pixel and Pixel XL exemplify the philosophy of LineageOS: extending the life cycle of Android devices without official manufacturer support (I found this particularly shameless with the Galaxy S3, which received Android 14 this way 12 years after its release). With active community development, users get access to the latest software and security patches even years after release. It’s great that something like this exists and the project has recently become more and more popular with committed developers who are spending their precious free time on it.
through AndroidSage
