Fwupd adds Android support, nears feature parity with Linux and FreeBSD
Fwupd lead developer Richard Hughes has merged Android support for firmware metadata refresh and updates, with plans for deeper integration into actual Android devices.
Summary
Richard Hughes has merged code enabling fwupdmgr refresh and fwupdmgr update commands on Android, downloading metadata from LVFS and deploying firmware updates. He stated Fwupd on Android is now very nearly at feature parity with Linux and FreeBSD. The work targets proper integration with actual Android, including Google's new Android-based Googlebook devices.
What Android support brings to Fwupd
- fwupdmgr refresh now works on Android to download LVFS metadata
- fwupdmgr update can deploy firmware updates to Android devices
- Hughes merged the support directly into Fwupd mainline
- Current status described as "very nearly to feature parity" with Linux and FreeBSD
- Follow-up work planned for "proper integration" with actual Android systems
Why it matters
Expanding Fwupd/LVFS to Android extends the open-source firmware update infrastructure beyond Linux and ChromeOS to a massive mobile platform, potentially benefiting device security and longevity for Android users and Google's upcoming Android-based hardware.
Original reference: www.phoronix.com →