Please look through guide full from the top to the bottom before beginning to do anything. Beware! This guide is intended for experienced users and not half-baked newbies. Initially, I planned to stop updating Android at the end of 2026, following the [KeepAndroidOpen] initiative. However, once I found out that Android 17 would be released for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra on August 27, I immediately decided to freeze my installation on Android 16.

Take a note that not all applications can be removed by means of this non-root method. First, a brief introduction. In the past, I used a rooted Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact with all the bloatware disabled. By purchasing a Chinese device, I lost the privilege of using a rooted device. Since modern Android devices are a b#tch to root, and frankly, I don’t want to get involved in that boring process.

Looking at recent Android version distribution and understanding the fact that Android 8.0 is standing on the brink of survival i decided to look for an alternative future solution. As for 8.0, everything is working fine at the moment, I am just doing some research to test the waters out. [LineageOS 20] is a custom firmware based around Android 13 [last version which allows to run legacy applications]. Operating system has been unofficially backported to the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact in 2023.