As a long-time Android user (since the days of Android 2.0, if I remember correctly), I have seen many things already, especially as I was involved in the development of mobile phones, and also fiddled a lot with CyanogenMod, LineageOS, and other custom ROMs. Still, I recently discovered something new for myself, and this is something I really find spectacular. It’s a new mechanism to flash Android firmware builds, and it’s called “Android Flash Tool” (AFT).
Let me elaborate…
Usually, to reflash a device you need to install a program on your workstation, like a vendor flashing tool, or the Android Debug Bridge (adb) command-line tool. With the Android Flash Tool, this is no longer required. The only thing you need is your WebUSB-capable (browser). đ Currently, only Chrome or Edge support it. (Firefox currently doesn’t support it due to security concerns.)
Also, the number of devices which support the AFT is very, very limited. Basically, it’s just the Google Pixel series of phones, plus a few development boards.
But if you have one of those devices, it’s pretty cool.