CalyxOS

March update bugfix

CalyxOS 4.7.5 - Bugfix for March 2023 Quarterly Platform Release and Security update is now available for the Pixels and the Fairphone 4

Released to stable on Friday, 24 March.

Background

Google releases security updates every month, which are usually easy to integrate. However, every 3 months, they also released what’s called a Quarterly Platform Release (QPR).

That’s currently December, March, and June. Then in August / September we have the new Android version. These quarterly updates include a LOT of code changes. They’re also that month’s security update, meaning we have to get it all integrated quickly.

This led to a scenario where the first build of this month had a bunch of bugs that we couldn’t catch before the release, and we didn’t want to delay security updates either so we didn’t wait too long to test out every single thing.

We’re looking into ways to maintain stability while also not delaying security updates. See this GitLab issue for the existing discussion. We’ll post an update once we have something implemented.

As noted in the changelog below, 2 button navigation has been dropped. It had a bug after Google’s March 2023 changes, wherein the recents menu (list of running apps) would only show on the homescreen.

Google never included 2 button navigation on devices newer than Pixel 4, and given that those are all no longer supported, this feature doesn’t get tested or fixed by them.

As such, given we had already kept it alive for years longer than Google did, we decided to drop it, because even if we fixed it now (which may have taken a lot of time), it could’ve broken again in the future. We’d much rather spend time on privacy and security related features.

Changelog

Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a:

Pixel 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL

FP4

Note

  • Over-the-air(OTA) Updates: Starting from CalyxOS 7.2.2.0, CalyxOS updates resume automatically over the air. No manual install of updates needed. However, if you would like to manually update your CalyxOS device, see our OTA installation instructions.
  • Security Updates for Pixel devices: The Pixel 9a, 9 Pro Fold, 9 Pro XL, 9 Pro, 9, 8a, 8 Pro, 8, Fold, Tablet, 7a, 7 Pro, 7, 6a, 6 Pro, and 6 stock OSes follow a monthly release schedule in direct alignment with the AOSP security bulletin. However, Google has stopped publishing the source code for AOSP QPR1 and QPR3 releases. As a result, CalyxOS is not able to timely include updates of the proprietary components, such as the bootloader, modem, and vendor firmware, for versions based on those specific QPR branches. The CalyxOS releases for the above models only contain the latest fixes to the open-source components, such as the operating system and the Linux kernel. Proprietary components get updates as soon as the corresponding AOSP source code becomes available.
  • Security Updates for non-Pixel devices: The Fairphone 5, 4, Motorola moto g 5G 2024, moto g84 5G, moto g34 / g45 5G, and SHIFTphone 8 stock OSes follow a different security update release schedule, which is usually behind AOSP updates by a month or two. The CalyxOS releases for these devices only contain the latest fixes to the open-source components. Proprietary components get updates as soon as the stock OS update becomes available.
  • End-of-life: The Motorola moto g52, moto g42, moto g32, Pixel 5a (5G), 4a (5G), and 5 are no longer being updated by the manufacturer, the CalyxOS updates for these devices only contain the fixes to the open-source components. Proprietary components no longer get updated.