According to androidheadlines, Android 15 may update the phone's NFC stack via Google Play. Google has long been committed to addressing fragmentation issues within the Android ecosystem. Fragmentation refers to the various implementations of the Android operating system, which isn't inherently problematic as Google intentionally allows device manufacturers to customize Android according to their needs. However, this makes OS updates challenging. Google introduced Project Mainline in 2019 as a solution.
This project packages certain OS components as modules distributed directly by Google, rather than by device OEMs. This makes cross-device updates easier. Users no longer have to wait for specific OEMs or carriers to merge, test, and distribute security or feature updates for core OS components; instead, they can be handled by Google.
When Project Mainline modules have updates, Google pushes them to everyone via the Google Play Store's Google Play system update mechanism. Because Project Mainline modules are signed by Google, updates can be pushed even to devices from other manufacturers.
Checking Google Play System Updates in Android
Android 15 may turn NFC stack into updatable Project Mainline module
When Project Mainline debuted in Android 10, it consisted of only 12 modules. Over time, Google has modularized more parts of Android. In Android 14, the number of updatable modules had increased to 37. With the upcoming Android 15 update, the total number of Project Mainline modules may rise to 40. In the first Android 15 beta released earlier today, I found three new APEX packages: com.android.nfcservices, com.google.android.crashrecovery, and com.google.android.profiling.
APEX is the package format used by Project Mainline, which means these three packages might be new Mainline modules. However, I say "might" because some APEX packages are not part of Project Mainline and their updates are not handled by the Google Play system. We'll have to wait until Android 15 is released to confirm whether these modules fall into this category.
The first mentioned APEX package, com.android.nfcservices, is the most intriguing as it contains Android's NFC stack. NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless communication technology commonly used for contactless payments. By putting Android's NFC stack into an APEX module, Google is preparing to make it an updatable Project Mainline module. In fact, I heard about this plan as early as May 2023.
In Android 15 Beta 1, the NFC stack is now part of an APEX package.
To pave the way for faster rollout of security fixes and new features, making the NFC stack easier to update means Google can swiftly deliver these to users. For instance, Android 15 introduces numerous enhancements to the NFC stack. One of these is the new observation mode, aimed at making tap-to-pay "smoother and more reliable." Once devices start incorporating the new updatable NFC stack for Android, we can expect Google to roll out more updates bringing such new features.
In fact, with today's release of Android 15 Beta 1, Google has quietly enabled the new updatable NFC stack on Pixel phones. However, it seems that errors occurred during the migration process, resulting in NFC completely failing for Pixel users running the first beta. Hopefully, Google will swiftly release updates to address the NFC issues in Android 15 beta, as NFC is crucial for the operation of default wallet apps.
NFC has malfunctioned in Android 15 Beta 1.
