Devices that launch Android 13 out of the box will use the Huawei EROFS system. It turns out that Huawei’s software engineering ability has proven to be formidable in comparison with others. This move from Android is very questionable since the sanctions on Huawei are still in full effect. What is the EROFS system, and why will Android 13 devices need it?
EROFS is a lightweight read-only file system developed by Huawei, based on the Linux kennel. The storage system brings notable benefits to the storage space savings and performance. Its design and development was made possible by Xiang Gao while still working with Huawei. In comparison with the already available EXT4 storage system, the EROFS increase the random read performance by 20%. There is also an improvement in the amount of space conserved after file decompression, and Huawei claims that it saves up to 2GB worth of space.
Google now plans to use this system as the default system for its read-only partitions. This system will be limited to devices that use core launch Android 13 out of the box and core Google services. We understand that the Huawei EROFS system is effective in file storage and performance, but Huawei is under a ban from the US government. This ban prevents them from using any US technology on their devices. But why then use a Huawei technology in your device? Doesn’t the ban and trade restriction prevent that from happening? Well, it seems like the restriction holds no water here since the Huawei EROFS exists on the Linux kennel and has been there even after the US sanctions.
