XDA developers released an unofficial Android L build for HTC One smartphones but several kinks need to be ironed out.
Google introduced the latest version of Android during the I/O keynote last month and followed the launch with the release of a developer preview for the Nexus 5 and last year's Nexus 7. While it will still take a few months before the software reaches the general public, developers of the XDA community have already created an Android L port for the original HTC One smartphone.
It is not a surprise that developers have already got their hands on Google's unreleased Android version and tinkered with it to bring the software to a wider audience. The developers regard the direct port of Android L Developer Preview to be in alpha stage, which requires further modification for smooth functioning. Several features that were operational during testing on HTC's 2013 flagship smartphone, have ceased to work on non-Nexus phone, such as the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data, camera, sound and all sensors except GPS.
"We are working really hard every day to fix the major issues quickly, but since this is a non-Nexus device, it's quite complicated to get things working smoothly," developer ssrij wrote in the XDA Developers' community forum.
The Android L port for HTC One was achieved by modifying ramdisk and kernel so it is likely that the user experience will not be the best. Since Google has only released a developer preview of Android L, bugs in performance are expected. With the official source codes and system images for Android L, developers will have less of an uphill struggle to get the Android L port for other devices, UberGizmo reports.
The port is available for download from the XDA Developer community and is the same as flashing a custom ROM. Users should back up all necessary data before proceeding and refrain from flashing additional custom kernel, ssrij warns.
Google's Android L has got several users excited mainly for its material design. Some useful features such as battery optimization, remote wipe feature, revamped notification system, new font and smoother operations will give users a whole new Android experience. The new software won't be released to the public until this fall.
