Android 13 is still in the works, and Google is working hard to improve it and add new features. And now, according to a source, Google is making an unusual and perhaps contentious move with Android 13, employing a Huawei-developed file system. Isn't that fascinating?
According to Mishaal Rahman of Esper.io, Google intends to include the Enhanced Read-Only File System (EROFS) in Android 13, making it the default read-only system. Xiang Gao designed the file system while working as an engineer at Huawei. EROFS has considerable advantages over traditional file systems, such as space-saving compression and speed. This might result in substantially quicker updates and use of less storage space.
Huawei created EROFS for inclusion in the Linux kernel, which serves as the foundation for Android. Despite being forced out of the Android ecosystem by US-led sanctions, the file system became an official component of the Linux kernel with Linux 5.4. It has also been used on millions of Huawei smartphones and is being adopted by other manufacturers.
In non-compressed apps, EROFS appears to outperform the standard Android EXT4 file system. "When compared to Ext4 and F2FS without compression support, EROFS always performs comparable, if not better," the researchers wrote. Over the last several months, Google has added EROFS support to a number of its internal products. Meanwhile, Xiaomi and OPPO are already using Huawei's file system format in some manner.
Huawei created EROFS for inclusion in the Linux kernel, which serves as the foundation for Android. Despite being forced out of the Android ecosystem by US-led sanctions, the file system became an official component of the Linux kernel with Linux 5.4. It has also been used on millions of Huawei smartphones and is being adopted by other manufacturers.
In non-compressed apps, EROFS appears to outperform the standard Android EXT4 file system. "When compared to Ext4 and F2FS without compression support, EROFS always performs comparable, if not better," the researchers wrote. Over the last several months, Google has added EROFS support to a number of its internal products. Meanwhile, Xiaomi and OPPO are already using Huawei's file system format in some manner.
Author
-Anurag