Summer of Code

Appearance

SOC-0016: Create a Custom Android Launcher ​

Project size: 3 months
Estimated difficulty: Hard

  • Kotlin and Jetpack Compose knowledge
  • Familiarity with Android’s SystemUI, Launcher3/QuickStep, and the AOSP build system (Soong)
  • Experience compiling custom ROMs and integrating proprietary blobs
  • Understanding of Android security model, SELinux, and platform signing
  • Comfort working with Git, repo, and continuous‑integration pipelines

Description ​

Android’s core user interface (status bar, notification shade, quick settings, recents, volume HUD, power menu, etc.) is provided by the SystemUI and QuickStep apps—both written in Java/Kotlin + XML.

This project aims to rewrite those components in Jetpack Compose, bundle them into a Pixel‑Experience–derived ROM, and ship Google Play Services so end‑users keep the familiar Pixel feature set while enjoying a modern, fully themable System UI built entirely in Kotlin.

Target Devices

This project will:

  1. Fork Pixel‑Experience 14 manifests, add device trees & vendor blobs.
  2. Enable Compose inside SystemUI and Launcher3 by extending their Android.bp, eliminating XML layouts.
  3. Re‑implement:
    • Status bar & signal/battery icons
    • Quick Settings panel (tiles in LazyVerticalGrid)
    • Notification shade using Compose’s LazyColumn fed by the existing notification pipeline
    • Volume/Ringer dialog (Dialog + Slider)
    • Power menu (ModalBottomSheet)
    • Recents/gesture navigation (Compose shell around the AOSP RecentsAnimation bridge)
  4. Override framework resource flags (config_systemUIFactoryComponent, volume_dialog_component, recents_component, etc.) to point at Compose classes.
  5. Produce flashable system.img / OTA zips for all three devices and document the flashing process.
  6. Set up a GitHub Actions CI pipeline to build nightly ROM images and run CTS‑lite.

Expected Results ​

  • Bootable Pixel‑Experience ROM for all target devices with:
    • Compose‑based SystemUI & QuickStep signed by platform keys
    • Fully working status bar, QS, notifications, volume HUD, power menu, and recents
  • Google Play Services operational (SafetyNet / Play Integrity passes)
  • Public repo + CI generating weekly OTA packages
  • Developer documentation describing build, flashing, and component architecture

Stretch Goals ​

  • Dynamic Material‑You theming of the entire System UI
  • End‑user theme picker powered by Runtime Resource Overlays (RRO)
  • Live reload of Compose code in System UI via ADB “compose‑hot‑swap”
  • Port to additional devices (e.g., Pixel 7a) or a GSI build