Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.
Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics.
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Summary
- LineageOS 24 migrates to Android 17 and ports many security patches, plus backports to legacy builds.
- New additions: Canvas image editor, faster Twelve music app, Catapult TV shows battery, 24 more devices.
- Focus remains on de-Googlefying Android: remove services and bloat, but some Google-reliant apps may break.
If you're looking for an open-source alternative to Android, you're in luck. One of the better options, LineageOS, has just upgraded to Android 17 with version 24. It's a little weird to write that one of the better Android alternatives out there is using a new version of Android, but I promise it makes more sense when I explain it.
LineageOS 24 brings Android 17 into the mix
All of Android with none of Google
As spotted by Linuxiac, Lineage has upgraded to version 24, as announced in Changelog 32. The spotlight feature in this version is the migration to Android 17, plus a ton of security patches ported over. The team is also hard at work backporting security patches to the legacy builds; at least, as many as can feasibly be done.
That's not all, though. LineageOS24 also introduces Canvas, a new image editor that can perform simple photo editing tasks and works alongside Glimpse and the Aperture camera app. The Android TV launcher, Catapult, now adds a battery indicator if you're on a mobile device, and the included music app, Twelve, now loads faster if you feed it a large library of media.
LineageOS24 also adds 24 more devices to the list of supported hardware. There are a lot of entries on this list (too large for me to squeeze into this article), so scroll to the bottom of Changelog 32 for the full details. You can also head over to the downloads page and see if your device pops up there instead.
It may seem a little strange that LineageOS, posed as an alternative to Android, is celebrating its release with Android 17. The main goal of LineageOS is not to get away from Android, but more to deviate from the 'Googlefication' of the OS. This lets you remove Android services, cut bloatware, and avoid manufacturer-forced UIs without sacrificing too much. Some apps that rely heavily on Google services may have issues, but otherwise, things should work fine.