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Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
LineageOS ROM releases first builds based on Android 10 (Update: Builds are back)
LineageOS 17.1 is here
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM in existence, and the project prides itself on bringing newer versions of Android to unsupported devices. However, Lineage has been a bit slow to roll out a version based on Android 10 — the Pie-based ROM was already available by this time last year. Thankfully, the next major version of LineageOS seems to be just around the corner.
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- So, when this update first landed, we thought it was bringing the Z2 Force compatibility with the 5G Moto Mod on Verizon. But now Motorola's got a fresh blog post up claiming that 5G support is arriving "starting this week."
The Moto Z2 Force, one of the earliest 5G-capable phones (well, with some help), is getting Android 9 Pie on Verizon starting today. "System Update 12," as Verizon and Moto are calling it, brings Pie, Motorola software version PCX29.159-21, and the June Android security patch.
Motorola said last year that it would update The Moto Z2 Force to Android Pie, along with a raft of newer phones. The Z2 Force was the last flagship phone from the company to launch on all major carriers, but Motorola isn't updating most of those. A Moto rep has now confirmed that it will only release Pie for the Verizon edition because it needs Pie for 5G Moto Mod support. Everyone else is out of luck.
Motorola's phones were once renowned for getting the latest Android OS updates extremely quickly, but that hasn't been the case for many years. Two of its phones, the Moto Z3 Play and Moto Z2 Force, are finally being updated to Android Pie. Given that we're now on our fourth beta release of Android Q, it's safe to say that Moto's lagging behind a bit.
Motorola has announced a new Moto Z phone, marking the fourth generation of devices with the same Mod connector. The new phone works with last year's 5G Mod on Verizon, but that's not the only new way to get 5G. Motorola also confirms that the Z2 Force will work with the 5G Mod soon.
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.
While Android Pie rolls out to phones from Google and Essential, most OEMs haven't announced which devices will receive the update. HTC revealed a few days ago which of its phones are being updated, and now it's Motorola's turn.
LineageOS 15.1, based on Android 8.1 Oreo, is slowly rolling out to more devices. Last month, Oreo builds for the OnePlus One, Galaxy S5 Plus, and other devices became available. Since then, more phones have been added to the LineageOS 15.1 build roster, including Motorola's 2017 flagship and the Sony Xperia XA2.
Google's ARCore technology is building steam since its initial test launch on Pixel and Galaxy S8 phones. This came with a promise to support more phones, which was followed a few weeks later with a half-dozen more phones added during MWC. To keep the momentum going, Google also featured nearly 90 new apps and games that made use of ARCore in some way. Now with the latest update, we can likely guess at the next phones on the list.
Motorola may be in the middle of a big staffing shake-up, but that's not stopping the company from keeping up with the flow of software updates for its existing hardware. Last year we saw Moto's flagship Z series, with its support for modular hardware add-ons, evolve with its second generation of handsets, including the high-end Moto Z2 Force. For the past couple months now, we've been watching Motorola's Oreo update for the Z2 Force spread to devices on more and more carriers, and now it looks like we're adding Sprint to that list.
Motorola has been pushing Moto Mods for its Z-series phones over the last few years, but few of the Mods have been any good. Serial leaker Evan Blass just outed an upcoming Moto Mod that will most likely continue that tradition. The Motorola Virtual Viewer is billed as a Mod, but it'll probably just be another Daydream headset.
The Moto Z2 Force is Motorola's current flagship device, and the Verizon model started receiving Android 8.0 Oreo in late December. Just a few days later, Oreo reached the T-Mobile variant. For some reason, it has taken AT&T two more months to deliver the update, but it's finally here.
TeamWin Recovery Project, better known as TWRP, is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to mod their device - from installing ROMs to simply making backups. The last time we covered TWRP, the project added support for the Razer Phone, Redmi 5, a handful of Galaxy Tab S2 models, and more. Over the past month, even more devices have been added to the official build roster, including Motorola's latest flagship.
The Moto Z2 Force is just the latest device to ship with Motorola's ShatterShield screen technology. That includes a plastic layer on top that won't crack, but it does scratch. That's not the only issue, apparently. Multiple owners of the Z2 Force are complaining that the top layer of the screen has a tendency to peel off after a few months of use.
The phrase 'buy one get one free' can be music to the ears of consumers but doesn't often apply to expensive devices like smartphones. For that reason, this deal from Verizon is looking pretty sweet. Getting in on the Valentine's Day spirit early, the carrier will give you 2 brand new phones if you trade in your current one. That's a phone for you, and one for your other half, perhaps.
It only took about a month for Motorola to release the Moto Z2 Force's kernel source code after it launched in August. As you may know, OEMs are required to publish their modifications to the Android kernel code, which is then used by developers to make custom ROMs and recoveries.
Lenovo-owned Motorola might have been onto something with its modular phone accessories for the Moto Z series, but a combination of slow development of compelling products and poor availability leaves them in a precarious position. Nevertheless, the company is pushing on with the project in 2018 and has some new Moto Mods coming soon, plus a new design competition.
Projector phones always seemed like an idea that made more sense in science fiction than in present reality, which is probably why the Galaxy Beam failed to gain much traction. Such as it is, the benefit of the Moto Mod design allows anyone with a compatible phone to add on a countless number of peculiar peripherals... one at a time. Now, at Verizon, you can get a free Insta-Share Projector Moto Mod for free when you purchase any other Moto Mod. At $300 off, it's quite the bargain.
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- T-Mobile has updated the Z2 Force support page with more information about the Oreo OTA.
Motorola announced which phones would receive Android 8.0 back in August. The Verizon Z2 Force was first to get the update, but now it looks like the T-Mobile model is up next. A few Z2 Force owners on T-Mobile have received the Oreo update notification, indicating that a mass rollout may start soon (if it hasn't already).