Progress in hardware development often leaves devices with outdated software versions behind. This primarily affects Android devices, especially as Google is currently accelerating its release schedule for Android versions. The rapid version change means that older devices are often left without software updates, which makes the devices vulnerable to security threats and compatibility problems. This presentation shows how this trend can be counteracted by upgrading a handheld device from Android 9 to Android 14 by using open-source components.

We will outline the entire upgrade process from migrating the kernel to UI and HAL customizations to match the original device’s look and feel. This includes discussing technical challenges developers face when dealing with outdated drivers, newer kernel versions, and hardware abstractions during OS upgrades of old devices.