Zuleikha’s Google Pixel 3a was supported by Google until May of this year – read more about that on Android Authority for instance. She will get Mitchie’s 4a 5G next week, so on her 3a I will most probably install LineageOS – see here about that image for ‘sargo’ (Codename of her phone), and here about how to generally do this.
I’ve downloaded all the necessary tools and images already, and while I’ve been at it I also downloaded the Android SDK again which comes with an emulator for several phones, tablets, and so on. So here is a virtual Google Pixel 3a starting on my screen on Arch Linux:
We haven’t yet decided what to do with the device once it’s ready – most people do own at least one mobile phone already, and others who don’t probably don’t even want one (like me until I ‘inherited’ Mitchie’s Pixel 4a). But ok; it will be interesting to see how long a 3rd party free and open source provider like LineageOS can support older hardware like that – I guess until a newer kernel or firewall won’t be available for the hardware anymore (like what was the case with/for the older Nexus 5 and other devices)?
Anyway, it’s good to see (and know) that you don’t have to dump something just because Google (or Apple or Microsoft or your other ‘Enterpri$e’ vendor of choice) thinks you should… (and shove more money their way in the process…)
As always, thanks for reading.