OnePlus releases Nougat kernel sources for OnePlus 3 and 3T

This week OnePlus got some flak from folks over at XDA-Developers, as well as a number of figures in the Android development community, including Francisco Franco. The devs accused OnePlus of delaying the release of the kernel source code of the Nougat update for the OnePlus 3 and 3T and, in general, of playing fast and loose with its open-source obligations borne by the use of Android.

There was also some speculation that OnePlus delayed the release of the source code to hide the use of a debug kernel, though the company was quick to shut down the reports.

Now OnePlus made available the Nougat kernel source on its Github repository, which should please developers, as well as users waiting for improved custom ROMs for their OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices.

Thanks to the GNU General Public License (GPL) licensing of the Linux kernel (which forms the base of Android), all companies that use Android have the obligation to release the code of their kernels on the day of the release. Some companies comply or even go beyond their obligations in an effort to simplify the work of the developer community. At the other end of the spectrum, companies like Xiaomi take many months to release source code, if they even bother to release them at all. OnePlus is not, by any means, the worst offender in this respect.