Nokia devices in the OEM’s current stable won’t be getting support for Google’s Project Treble initiative when they get their updates to Android 8.0 (Oreo), according to HMD Global’s chief product officer, Juho Sarvikas. A customer found a page on Nokia’s support site that clarified that devices that didn’t ship with Oreo on board would not support Project Treble, and when they reached out to Sarvikas over the matter, he put in the final word; no Nokia devices currently out will officially receive support for Project Treble. He also clarified that this doesn’t mean much for most users, but that Nokia will have to work a little harder to get updates ready for its devices.
Project Treble, a modular Android base framework that makes updates easier, has been making its way to a number of Android devices lately as they get their updates to Oreo. According to Nokia and HMD, only devices that ship with Oreo on board actually have the full support of Google for Project Treble, and apparently the companies have opted to ensure that if their devices are going to use Treble, they’re going to have Google’s backing. Essentially, Google has offered to partner with device makers to get Treble into their newer devices; in fact, it’s required with devices that launch on Oreo or later. Devices that launched with Android 7.0 (Nougat) or earlier, however, are entirely in OEMs’ hands, and they’re on their own with getting Treble working, if they choose to use it.
Project Treble is, as stated above, a modular framework that acts as a base for the Android operating system. It contains all of the key essential components that talk to and work with the kernel, which is a special file that hardware manufacturers build to allow their devices’ hardware to talk to Android’s software layer. Project Treble is, again as stated above, a mandatory part of all devices launching with Android Oreo and above. It creates a consistent core that developers and OEMs can build upon, making customizing Android vastly easier. This means quicker, easier updates from OEMs, and an easier time building custom ROMs and kernels for enthusiasts.