• GrapheneOS@grapheneos.socialOP
      1·
      4 days ago

      @[email protected] Pixel 9a is a newly launched device which is not supported by mainline Android. It still has Android 15 QPR1 with the stock Pixel OS instead of Android 15 QPR2 and it’s the same with GrapheneOS. It does not receive the regular releases of GrapheneOS yet and does not have the full Android or GrapheneOS feature set. It will have mainline Android with the launch of Android 16 in June. Until then, it has special releases using a Pixel 9a device branch based on the upstream branch for it.

        • GrapheneOS@grapheneos.socialOP
          1·
          3 days ago

          @[email protected] @[email protected] We backported most of the GrapheneOS features, bug fixes and improvements which were made after Android 15 QPR2 was launched. We didn’t backport any of the Android 15 QPR2 features or bug fixes though. The stock OS is based on Android 15 QPR1 so it’s not as if GrapheneOS would be worse due to this, it’s just behind the Android version used by the other devices we support. That will change in a bit over a month when Android 16 is released. It will be on mainline Android after that.

      • GrapheneOS@grapheneos.socialOP
        1·
        4 days ago

        @[email protected] You can see from https://grapheneos.org/releases#tegu that it’s not on the same version of GrapheneOS as the other devices.

        It’s normal for new devices to launch with a device branch. Pixel 8a and Pixel 9a are the first non-flagship devices launched after trunk-based quarterly releases started with Android 14 QPR2.

        Pixel 8a launched with Android 14 QPR1 in May 2024 instead of QPR2 from March 2024. Android 14 QPR3 was released weeks later in June, merging it into mainline Android. This is similar.

        • GrapheneOS@grapheneos.socialOP
          1·
          4 days ago

          @[email protected] They saved time not porting either to the QPR2 release prior to launch. It wasn’t as noticeable for the Pixel 8a since Android 14 QPR3 was launched weeks later and provided mainline Android support for it. It’s more noticeable for the Pixel 9a since it launched in April instead of late May.

          Android 16 is coming out this year in June instead of that being the QPR3 release as usual. We aren’t sure why. It’s possible they decided to move the month yearly releases come out going forward.