For those who don't know, RattlesnakeOS is a build of AOSP that you compile yourself, using resources in the cloud (Note: that you pay for!). From its github page (https://github.com/dan-v/rattlesnakeos-stack): RattlesnakeOS is a privacy and security focused Android OS for Google Pixel phones.
Quick Review:
Very bare bones, but also very fluid and stable. Everything works as expected. This is a great option if you're looking for a no-frills, bug free, gapps free ROM. Stock launcher works well with gestures. Great battery life too (see attachment).
The only issue I haven't found a solution for yet is that icon shape is square, with no way to modify it.
Installation:
Follow the instructions on the github page to get up and running with a build: https://github.com/dan-v/rattlesnakeos-stack#installation
I only changed the region to 'us-east-2', everything else used default settings.
Note that by default the deploy will set up a job to compile the ROM on the 10th of every month. So, unless you turn this off, you WILL END UP BEING BILLED FOR IT. Either remove the AWS Lambda schedule that it creates, or set the schedule to some very large value so you can trigger builds manually when needed. If you don't mind the cost, then obviously its best to get the OTA with security patches every month.
Root:
Root is obviously optional, and given the security focused nature of the ROM, not really recommended. I needed root for some apps, so I kept my bootloader unlocked, and then used the instructions for magisk boot.img patching (https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/install.html#boot-image-patching) to get root.
TL;DR- The boot.img can be obtained from the image created by RattlesnakeOS. Patch it in magisk manager, then flash using fastboot.
Camera:
Install microg (Services Core only i.e. com.google.android.gms) from its f-droid repo here: https://microg.org/download.html, then install Google Camera (apk can be pulled from the stock install before wiping it, or from apkmirror etc). I didn't need to do any signature spoofing etc, just installing 'Services Core' was enough to get gcam working without issues.
Cost:
My cost on AWS was ~1 USD. YMMV, depending on the resources you use and which region you use them in.
Conclusion:
Doesn't seem to get a lot of attention, but RattlesnakeOS is a great way to get a gapps free ROM. Its fairly hassle free once its setup, and OTAs are automatically generated in the cloud so updates should be seamless.
Curious if others are using it and what their experiences have been.
Quick Review:
Very bare bones, but also very fluid and stable. Everything works as expected. This is a great option if you're looking for a no-frills, bug free, gapps free ROM. Stock launcher works well with gestures. Great battery life too (see attachment).
The only issue I haven't found a solution for yet is that icon shape is square, with no way to modify it.
Installation:
Follow the instructions on the github page to get up and running with a build: https://github.com/dan-v/rattlesnakeos-stack#installation
I only changed the region to 'us-east-2', everything else used default settings.
Note that by default the deploy will set up a job to compile the ROM on the 10th of every month. So, unless you turn this off, you WILL END UP BEING BILLED FOR IT. Either remove the AWS Lambda schedule that it creates, or set the schedule to some very large value so you can trigger builds manually when needed. If you don't mind the cost, then obviously its best to get the OTA with security patches every month.
Root:
Root is obviously optional, and given the security focused nature of the ROM, not really recommended. I needed root for some apps, so I kept my bootloader unlocked, and then used the instructions for magisk boot.img patching (https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/install.html#boot-image-patching) to get root.
TL;DR- The boot.img can be obtained from the image created by RattlesnakeOS. Patch it in magisk manager, then flash using fastboot.
Camera:
Install microg (Services Core only i.e. com.google.android.gms) from its f-droid repo here: https://microg.org/download.html, then install Google Camera (apk can be pulled from the stock install before wiping it, or from apkmirror etc). I didn't need to do any signature spoofing etc, just installing 'Services Core' was enough to get gcam working without issues.
Cost:
My cost on AWS was ~1 USD. YMMV, depending on the resources you use and which region you use them in.
Conclusion:
Doesn't seem to get a lot of attention, but RattlesnakeOS is a great way to get a gapps free ROM. Its fairly hassle free once its setup, and OTAs are automatically generated in the cloud so updates should be seamless.
Curious if others are using it and what their experiences have been.
