Cult-favorite Paranoid Android ROM has big OTA update dreams, but the project could die without donations
The popular Paranoid Android ROM lives on, with beta versions of an Android 12.1/12L-based Sapphire release expected to start landing for some supported devices as early as this week. As part of the announcement, friend of the site and Paranoid Android developer Hernán Castañón explained some of the difficulties the project currently faces and why we never saw any “stable” releases for the ROM over the last two years. In short, the project held back the “stable” label pending a functional OTA system, but a lack of cash prevented that from happening. Now the project could use your donations to help build the system — and, without the money, it might not last the month.
In a Twitter thread published today (together with a follow-up chat), Castañón explained that the AOSPA project only has enough money left to maintain a single month of Gerrit and website hosting, though he says he’ll pay for it himself past that, if he has to. But AOSPA has bigger plans.
The project has developed a custom recovery solution for supported devices that dovetails with an in-development OTA system and should allow for delta updates. That means future updates for supported devicesmightbe able to be delivered with a single on-device tap, much like smartphone manufacturers can do it. And the fact that it’s delta-based means OTA updates can be delivered as smaller multi-megabyte packages rather than requiring downloads for massive GB+ sized zip files.
With enough money, Castañón tells me that Paranoid Android could have implemented its OTA system in November or December of last year. The project has held back from using the “stable” label for any release pending an OTA system — it’s an internal requirement the project imposed before it can use the label, together with other requirements for things like image signing and SELinux status for the “beta” label. If it weren’t for that self-imposed requirement, I’m told that Sapphire builds would otherwise have been labeled as “stable” since the beginning of the year.
The project now plans to release Sapphire (i.e., Android 12) builds with a “stable” name at some point, whether or not the OTA system is finished in time. But with cash, a stable release could include OTA support, as well as time-saving tools for the project like buildbots and expanded hosting (also required for OTA support).
All of the Paranoid Android developers are volunteers, maintaining devices and contributing to the project in their free time. Prior developers (who sometimes still lend a hand) helped build OnePlus’s original and much-loved OxygenOS. But right now, I’m told most of the Paranoid Android developers are students, helping in between classes and homework.
With the project strapped for cash, it’s not just an OTA system or “stable” release that’s at risk. It’s “come back from the dead” afew times, but without an infusion of money, there’s a real chance the cult-favorite AOSPA ROM could die again. Without a Gerrit or buildbots, volunteers will have a much harder time contributing to the project. Once its own cash runs out, if Castañón were unable to pay other necessary expenses, the project could be in serious trouble.
An AP-exclusive teaser for the upcoming Sapphire Beta releases.
Android 12L-based builds are expected to start rolling out in beta later this week. Paranoid Android’s Sapphire (Android 12) alpha currently supports the following devices:
If you’d like to lend a hand,the project is accepting donations via PayPal(full disclosure: I have donated to the project) and if you have excess hosting capacity hanging around or other development resources the project might be able to use, you’re encouraged to reach out. But, if you’ve flashed Paranoid Android to your phone, remember prior days using AOSPA fondly, or you’d just like to see another alternative ROM succeed in the sadly shrinking space, consider tossing them a few bucks — it adds up.
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