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LineageOS 17.1 ROM arrives on 2016 Pixels and Nexus 6
Shamu, Marlin, and Sailfish live to see another day
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM out there, with dozens of supported devices and a few nice features over stock Android. The new Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 was just released earlier this month, and now the project is bringing back support for two classic Google phones.
LineageOS drops support for Nexus 6P, Pixel C, and 14 other Oreo devices
Saying goodbye to LineageOS 15.1
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, boasting support for dozens of popular phones. While most new development in the past year has focused on bringing Android 9 Pie to new devices, Lineage has continued to offer an Oreo ROM for older phones, but that option is sadly going away.
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom Android ROMs available, with over two million active installations. The project officially ended support for the 14.1 (Android 7.1) branch a few days ago, in preparation for LineageOS 16. The 16.0 branch is finally rolling out, and it's bringing Android 9 Pie to dozens of phones and tablets.
The Nexus 6 had a long run for a phone originally released in 2014, but last October seemed to mark the end of software updates. For a phone that stopped seeing major Android upgrades in 2016, Google kept security updates rolling until 2017—even if they sometimes came with some unfortunate and obnoxious baggage. Now here we are in 2018, and somewhat randomly a new update seems to be rolling out for the Nexus 6.
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- LineageOS 15.1 builds for the Pixel C (dragon), Nexus 6 (shamu), and OnePlus 2 (oneplus2) are now available to download.
After much anticipation, LineageOS 15.1 (based on Android 8.1) was announced last month. Only a handful of devices had official 15.1 builds at the start, but over time, more have been moved up to Oreo. The Nexus Player, OnePlus One, and Oppo Find 7 were recently added to the roster - and now three more devices are coming.
As of April 3rd, 2017 the Nexus 6/Shamu has truly reached end of life status. Although we knew it was coming, it seems it was easier to keep the buildbots running until more major changes were made. We’d like to take this time to sit back and reminisce on our fond, and large, memories of the device. Death, however, is not the end, but a new beginning. Or, at least, an excuse for those of us without upgrade fever to move ourselves over to a nice and shiny new ROM. While Google may have given up on Shamu, some devices just can’t stay down. And there are a few different flavors for your favorite fish out there.
If tonight can be compared to Christmas Eve, we've just seen a big, AT&T-shaped box sitting in the living room. As carriers are wont to do, it appears AT&T has already set up a URL for Motorola's Nexus 6, confirming that the carrier will carry the new whale-sized Nexus.
Just a couple of days ago, we posted a quick look at what the next Nexus phone would look like (along with some spec confirmations), based on new information and materials we had seen. That image however, as stated before, was just a reproduction of what we'd seen (redrawn to protect our source and eliminate any possible identifiers). Today, though, we have what looks like a photo of the device.
If you've been keeping up with any tech blogs over the past couple of weeks, you know that the next Nexus phone has been a hot topic. We saw rumored specs and rumored hardware photos that only added to the confusion created back when we first reported on a possible 5.9" Nexus. Today, however, we have something special to share. We've been provided with new information about the next Nexus phone, and can confirm that it will be a 5.9" device called the Nexus 6.
Relative to last year's downpour of Nexus 5 leaks, there's been a bit of a drought in Nexus phone rumors this season. So far, we know that Motorola is expected to have made a large Nexus device codenamed Shamu, which multiple sources have affirmed and which is supposed to share an impressive spec sheet with another device codenamed Quark. This device is supposed to be set for a November release.
We've been hearing a lot about Volantis lately, but what about the other supposed Nexus device - Shamu? Since we originally broke the story back in July (with the Information affirming Shamu's existence soon after) things have been relatively quiet, with only a benchmark test here or there popping up with alleged specs that seemed to point to a smaller device.
We first reported on Android Silver back in April this year as an attempt by Google to premiumify Android phones with more Google branding and stock software in partnership with OEMs and US carriers. The program was supposed to launch early next year, and according to our source, would even entail custom retail booths in carrier stores, supplied and funded by Google. Google would also provide marketing assistance, customer support, and help carriers with sell-through, providing employees training on selling and teaching customers how to use Silver devices. There would be a handful of Silver devices on the market at any given time, and for the initial launch, the initiative would be limited only to the US, where carriers exert much stronger leverage against phone OEMs than probably anywhere else in the world, bar Japan and Korea.
We provided some details a few days ago about a device that may very well be a Motorola Nexus phone, with the telling codename "Shamu" (because it's really big). Today The Information says it has independent confirmation from three sources that the device exists and that it is indeed a Nexus phablet. As for Android Silver? Well, that's looking a bit less certain.
We've come to have reason to believe that Motorola and possibly Google are working on a 5.9" phone codenamed Shamu. That's about all we know. We know it showed up in Google's issue tracker, and that the issue was created by a known testing company who check prerelease hardware for just this sort of thing. We know the device is running a Google-built kernel and that this points to a Nexus or, at least, something Nexus-like. (I'm hoping for the latter because, well, pie.)
There's been a lot of confusion lately over the fate of Google's Nexus program. Rumors swirled, after LG's planned Nexus was canceled (and later denied entirely), that the program was dead in favor of an upcoming Android Silver initiative. With the revelation that HTC is working on a 9" tablet device (code named Volantis), it seemed the Nexus program had at least one more device in store - expected to launch with Android's L release this fall. Then, during an interview at Google I/O, Dave Burke appeared to confirm that Google was still invested in the Nexus program, suggesting there might be another Nexus phone coming after all.