Android Bytes (powered by Esper)
Android Bytes (powered by Esper) is the podcast that dives deep into the engineering and business decisions behind the world’s most popular OS. https://www.esper.io Android powers over 3 billion devices worldwide and is the platform of choice for over a thousand companies. You’ll find Android on smartphones, tablets, watches, TV, cars, kiosks, and so much more. How does Google architect Android to run on so many form factors, and how do companies fork AOSP to make it run on even more devices? These are the kinds of questions the Android Bytes podcast considers each week. Join cohosts Mishaal Rahman and David Ruddock, two journalists with extensive knowledge covering the Android OS platform and ecosystem, as they speak to system architects, kernel engineers, app developers, and other distinguished experts in the Android space. Get in touch with us at Esper.io if you’re looking to use Android for your product — we have the experience you need.
Episodes
The FIDO Alliance isn't a fan club for dogs, but a consortium of big tech companies that's trying to make authentication more secure. The Alliance has a lofty goal: To kill the password and replace it with something better. Enter the passkey.
You've probably read a blog post or two about it, but you may be wondering what the fuss is all about. We invited two of the foremost experts on the topic to join us on Android Bytes and explai...
It's dangerous to go alone! Take us with you!
In this episode, we're joined by our very own Jon West and Nikhil Punathil at Esper to discuss a key part of what we do here — getting AOSP up and running on ARM and x86 hardware. If you want to port AOSP, it's not as easy as just compiling an image from Google's git repos and slapping it onto a device.
- 05:59 - What is a device bring-up? What are some of the challenges in doing a brin...
As a manufacturer, building an Android phone to the spec you want has its challenges and costs. You need to deal with dozens of regulatory agencies and standards bodies as well as (shudder) work with carriers if you want a chance at making a splash with a new product.
From assembly to testing to retail, OSOM Privacy is chugging along as it prepares to launch its first smartphone, and we're glad to have co-founder/CEO Jason Keats and...
On this episode of Android Bytes, we take the wraps off Google Play Services, the wonder app that powers many features and APIs you probably thought were native to Android.
What does Google Play Services do and how does it do it? Why is it so important and what happens when it's missing from your device? We spoke with German developer Marvin Wißfeld to find out. Marvin is the creator of microG, a "free-as-in-freedom re-implementati...
This episode of Android Bytes, we're talking about mobile app security. Android has a lot of robust, built-in mechanisms that protect against exploits and security vulnerabilities, but there's only so much it can do to protect against misuse of sensitive permissions and APIs. Google augments Android's protection mechanisms with Play Protect, a service that looks out for potentially harmful applications.
Brian Reed, Chief Mobility Of...
On this episode of Android Bytes: mobile gaming. People play into it. There's money to be made in it. And a lot of it gets done on Android. So, how do you build an Android device catering to that market? We talk with Chih-hao Kung, Global Technical PR Director for ASUS, a company known for its PCs that's had a hand in advancing Android gaming devices with its ROG Phone series.
- 01:37 - Why does ASUS invest in mobile gaming hardwa...
The Google Play Store is home to millions of Android apps. It's most likely the place where you downloaded the app to get this podcast. But what if you're in that very special group of users who source their apps from outside the bubble of Google Play?
On this episode of Android Bytes, we talk with Logan Magee, the developer behind his very own app store, Accrescent.
Get ready for a doozy. This episode tries to explain how storage works on Android with a focus on Google's on-again, off-again approach to scoped storage and how apps navigate it all. Hopefully you don't come out of this more confused than before.
We talk with Raymond Lai, part of the team behind Amaze File Manager.
- 03:01 - How did storage access used to work in the early days of Android? What is the difference between internal a...
We close the circle on our OSOM double-header here on Android Bytes. In this episode, we chat with CEO Jason Keats and CPO Gary Anderson about how they'll update Android on their new phone, the Solana Saga, and dive deeper into the Solana part of the device. What's the Solana Mobile Stack, what are its benefits, and what can people do with it?
- 00:40 - Where do OEMs actually get Android and Linux from? What is a BSP?
- 03:10 - What ...
It's a two-part special on Android Bytes as we chat with two execs from OSOM Privacy, an Android startup founded from the remains of Andy Rubin's Essential. In this episode, we talk about the company's first product, the Solana Saga, and what it's like building an Android experience from scratch.
With us are OSOM CEO Jason Keats and CPO Gary Anderson. You can learn more about the Saga here.
- 02:22 - After Essential shut down, why...
On this week's episode, we break down how camera APIs work in Android and why third-party camera apps just can't match the features and quality produced by the stock camera. Long story short, it's a mess. What gives? And what's being done about it?
We're joined by Mohit Shetty, a developer behind Secure Camera, the camera app on GrapheneOS and available to everyone on the Play Store.
- 01:48 - How does hardware fragmentation make c...
This week's episode of Android Bytes actually follows up on something our co-host Mishaal has been looking at for a while: a removable eSIM that lets Android phones without the technology built-in to access eSIM providers. We chat with Christos Omiridis of Telco Village who was part of the team that created eSIM.me.
- 02:09 - What is a SIM? What is an eSIM? Why does it exist?
- 09:15 - Why bring eSIM to a device that doesn't natively...
Apple and Google are moving forward in supporting mobile driver's licenses. People are definitely asking questions about what goes into standardizing them and where some of the stumbling blocks might be in terms of privacy or liability. So, on this week's episode, we've got an expert to walk us through what's actually become a global standard that's already being put into practice across different agencies across America.
It's the week of Google I/O, the company's big conference focused around development of its consumer platforms, so we thought to take the pulse of one veteran Android app maker on how the state of design and publishing is for newcomers in 2022 and with Android 13 on the way. If you're one of them and are wondering where to start, this show is for you.
Laurence Dawson is the creator of Sync for Reddit.
- 04:21 - Where does a new app...
This episode features a spirited nerding out over how we've used and developed for devices with minuscule amounts of RAM. From the days of Project Svelte on Android KitKat all the way up to Android Go Edition with Oreo, we go far and wide while trying to patch up any potholes that could crash apps or the operating system itself. Buckle in for a wild ride.
We're joined by Nolen Johnson, part of the team at DirectDefense, and Sean Hoy...
On this episode, we seek insight on Wear OS, formerly known as Android Wear. As with any other operating system Google has its hands in, there are some unique challenges that developers have had to deal with. Add to that the general malaise the software has experienced over the past several years and you could say that this ship needed to turn around. What does Wear OS 3.0 do to help with that?
We're joined by Sean Hoyt, an Android ...
On this episode, David and Mishaal chat with Esper's very own Varun Chitre about Foundation, the Android distribution we provide to our clients for use on their fleets of various machines be it a kiosk or a walkie-talkie. We begin with the basics of why you'd want to deploy a new OS on new hardware — because we all know how enterprise fleets cling to life well past their "use by" dates.
- 0:35 - What is provisioning and how do you...
If there's any one thing to take away from this week's episode, it's that you shouldn't toy around with pushing plain AOSP and GMS on your devices. Of course, we've got all the reasons why. We're pleased to be joined by Chirayu Desai, one of the developers of the FOSS-focused CalyxOS.
- 01:00 - What features do Android Open Source Project builds actually have? Which ones are dependent on Google Mobile Services?
- 12:55 - What are som...
On this week's episode, we take a good, long look at Android Auto (and a sidelong glance at Android Automotive) including the technical nuts and bolts of how it works and the seemingly immovable burdens that present when Google partners with automakers.
We're joined by Emil Borconi-Szedressy, a co-developer of the nifty AAWireless dongle to enable wireless Android Auto in otherwise-incompatible vehicles and the creator of the Headun...
On this week's episode, we get caught up in the whirlwind of one of the many such cat-and-mouse games in Android development between power users and app developers which involves root access, trusted environments, security checks, and Google. What's happened and what's up next in this seemingly never-ending treadmill and what good is there for it to exist? You'd be surprised.
We're joined by Danny Lin, an independent Android develop...
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