Android 12L, the version of the green robot operating system optimized for tablets and folding, is available from the beginning of the month in a stable version. It can only be officially used with a small number of Google Pixel devices, but things change when we move on to examine the progress of the community of independent developers who have developed a ROM that can be installed on the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Pi 400. More in detail, the project was developed as an unofficial ROM of LineageOS 19.1.
Before we rejoice, we need to know that the adaptation of the operating system is not entirely without problems – but there are also big bugs in native Android 12L. Among the most relevant is the lack of support for video encoding/decoding using hardware acceleration, the inability to use the official Raspberry Pi camera modules both with the native app and with third-party photo apps, and finally the fact that SELinux (the security module to manage access control) is set in permissive mode.
#Android 12L tablet UI on #Raspberry Pi 4. pic.twitter.com/cIxd7mlEjD
— Konsta🌻 (@KonstaKANG) March 13, 2022
ROM installation can be done via microSD card or using USB storage media, after flashing a compatible EEPROM image. After installation, you can decide whether to install the GApps or not. All things that Raspberry Pi owners and geek Android users know very well.
At this point, it is legitimate to ask the question of why to venture into the installation of Android 12L on Raspberry Pi 4 (it is the most sensible one compared to the hypothesis of using it on the Pi 400): the answer concerns the possibilities offered by the hardware compatible with the mini.
Raspberry computer. Someone, for example, might decide to create a low-cost tablet by adding a touch screen and battery to the Raspberry Pi 4, having an operating system optimized for the device. Just a little creativity is enough, and usually, the target audience of Raspberry products is not lacking.
Anyone wishing to deepen the project carried out by KonstaT – a senior member of XDA – has to do is connect to the link reported in the SOURCE.