Android version and Libhybris

poVoq

So I am a bit confused in regards to Android versions and Libhybris/Halium these days. I was a regular UT user a few years back and then the clear explanation was always that Halium is version specific and you can only port and install UT on devices that have the right version of Android installed (or can be downgraded).

Yet a few recent replies here on the forum about installing on Android 14/15 made it sound that these days it is "merely" not supported but might work?

Also, how are the kernel and driver updates (in the rare cases these happen on Android devices) handled in such cases?

ikoz

@poVoq Nowdays Google allows manufacturers to run a newer Android version on top of an older VNDK. The version that matters to Halium is the VNDK's as that is what defines the APIs.

(edited to replace SDK -> VNDK)

poVoq

@ikoz ok thanks. That explains it partially. How can I figure out what SDK version my Android device has installed or is using?

ikoz

@poVoq In UT you can run getprop which will dump many info regarding your device including the SDK version.
In Android you can use apps like Treble checker.

Alternatively, use the unpack_bootimg.py script from the porting notes.

poVoq

@ikoz I see. But those guides seem to indicate nowhere which SDK versions are working with Halium9.

My device seems to run on "SDK_INT:35" if I read the data correctly.

Edit: or Treble VNDK version 30

ikoz

@poVoq The VNDK version is the one you are looking for (I confused SDK and VNDK previously but now edited the post). VNDK version 30 means android 11.

The porting notes are for Android 9+, they are mostly (excluding GKI) the same for even the latest version (currently 14). The script needs as input the boot.img of the partition, which includes the kernel.

poVoq

@ikoz Interesting. The device in question (FP5) never had Android 11, but rather was released with Android 13 and is currently on Android 15 here.

But ok, so I assume as long as this VNDK is on version 30 the UT installer should have no issue installing UT as ultimately that is what counts?

ikoz

@poVoq That is correct, there shouldn't be any incompatible changes across updates that affect UT.