The GrapheneOS development team has raised concerns about recent changes to Google's Android update schedule, which they say creates an imbalance between Google's Pixel OS and alternative Android systems like GrapheneOS. According to the team, new APIs—tools that allow developers to build apps—are now being introduced in Pixel OS without being shared with the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the open-source foundation of Android. This means that for two out of every four quarters, other Android device manufacturers and alternative systems like GrapheneOS are left without access to these new tools. This is the first time since the Android 3.x "Honeycomb" release that Google has introduced APIs without immediately making them available in AOSP. The team is particularly concerned about the potential long-term effects of this shift. If the new pattern continues, Pixel devices would be the only ones benefiting from new APIs for up to half the year. Additionally, security updates are also being delayed. The September 2026 Pixel security bulletin includes important patches for core Android components, but these updates are not included in the standard Android security bulletin or shared with other manufacturers in advance. As a result, third-party devices and AOSP-based systems like GrapheneOS will only get these updates with the next QPR2 release, which is scheduled for December. While GrapheneOS could potentially reverse-engineer the updated code to access these patches earlier, the team warns that if this process is quick and straightforward, the justification for delaying access to other developers weakens. This issue is part of a broader challenge for GrapheneOS, which has long emphasized security but has faced difficulties adapting to Google's evolving update policies. Recently, the team warned that supporting the new Pixel 11 devices would be complicated due to the absence of a hardware feature called MTE (Memory Tagging Extension), which GrapheneOS relies on to protect memory data. While they now believe MTE can be implemented through software, it would come with a 5% performance cost, which they consider acceptable for the security benefits. The changes in how AOSP is managed have also caused concern. In 2024, Google announced a new release schedule for AOSP, shifting from twice-yearly updates to updates only in the second and fourth quarters. This shift, intended to streamline development, has caused delays in AOSP compared to the latest Android versions. Meanwhile, Pixel devices continue to have a software advantage over other Android devices and alternative ROMs. The GrapheneOS team has also noticed that accessing kernel source code has become more complicated, requiring a mandatory form and taking longer than before. This has slowed down their development efforts, which are currently focused on reverse-engineering and testing the Android 17 QPR1 version. They plan to release an update based on AOSP code only after the QPR2 update in December. Looking ahead, GrapheneOS is optimistic about future Motorola devices, which they believe will be easier to support than Pixel devices. However, they are still waiting for Qualcomm, the chipmaker, to include the MTE feature in more affordable chips. If that happens, GrapheneOS could expand to mid-range devices. The first Motorola phones running GrapheneOS are expected in 2025, with the initial models targeting the high-end market.