Google officially launched Android 11 today for Pixel devices, and now it’s sending the source code over to AOSP (the Android Open Source Project).
From there, once the source code is completely uploaded, developers will be able to take full advantage of the code and use it for numerous things. For the tinkering community within Android, custom ROMs are likely the most anticipated here.
As developers of custom ROMs can use the source code to create all the new skinned versions of Android. This is more or less the same thing that manufacturers do with their own skinned versions. So users unfamiliar with custom ROMs should at have at least some idea of what can be done.
You can download the Android 11 source code from the AOSP website
Whether you’re a developer or just someone who likes to play around with the software, you should now be able to get the source code for Android 11 from AOSP.
If Google has finished the upload then it’ll be available from the AOSP website. Keep in mind though that this isn’t the actual software download for Android 11. That will come in the form of Factory Images and OTA files. As well as the OTA rolling out directly to devices.
And as of right now it doesn’t look like the OTA files are available for download other than the ones Google is sending out. In time it should also put them up for download on the Android website. And that could happen later today.
You can however grab the factory images if you know how to flash the software to your device. And if you’re ok with wiping the device as a factory image installation will delete all of your data.
OEMs can now start working on their own versions of Android 11
As noted earlier now that Google has the source code out there, OEMs, like Samsung, LG, OnePlus, Motorola, ASUS and others, can start working on their own versions of Android 11.
There’s no telling how long it will take for that complete though. Most OEMs aren’t exactly super quick to update their devices. So there’s still a good chance many phone owners will still be waiting a while to get the new update.
Some OEMs, like Samsung and OnePlus, will likely be quicker than others. That being said, the quickest updates will hit their most current flagship products first. So older devices probably have a wait ahead of them as well.