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In return, all new Android SoCs from 2017 on would use the Linux kernel 4.4 or newer.
From these discussions, the decision was made to increased Linux LTS’s lifespan to six years. The 4.4 Linux kernel, the first of the new LTS versions, was released on Jan. 10, 2016. It will be supported until early 2022.
Chip vendor Qualcomm’s popular 2017 SoC, the SnapDragon 835, already supports Linux 4.4.
The end result? Developers gain a more stable development platform. Vendors will be able to port new versions of Android for years after devices ship. And users will be able to get up-to-date operating systems and patches for their older hardware.
This, of course, depends on SoC and hardware vendors opting to support this new development standard. Since, it should help their own bottom-line, as they won’t have to constantly port new versions of Linux to their silicon and hardware. I hope to see Android device obsolescence becoming a thing of the past.
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Google streamlines vendor Android updates with Project TrebleAndroid Oreo: Google adds in more Linux kernel security featuresWhat’s new and nifty in Linux 4.4
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