KERNEL ❯ PIXEL 4A 5G ❯ Proton Kernel - Google Pixel 4a 5G ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & Ot

Proton Kernel
Performance-oriented kernel​
Proton Kernel is a minimal kernel focused on improving overall UX with performance and battery tuning.
Usage with my ProtonAOSP ROM is recommended to get the most out of your phone. The ROM does not include Proton Kernel, so you will need to flash it yourself. The kernel alone will work just as well on stock, but you will not get the benefits of the ROM. More tightly coupled features may be added in the future.
Installation
This kernel is provided as a bootable flasher image. It is not a boot image for flashing into the boot partition. Boot the image with "fastboot boot ProtonKernel-pixel5-VERSION.img" to flash it. The image is specially packed with a custom flasher that is fast and easy to use, so flashing it into the boot partition directly will not work.
All versions of all ROMs are supported, as well as Magisk if you wish to use it. Magisk will be preserved after flashing if you already have it installed. If not, you can install Magisk by patching your boot image before flashing the kernel.
DO NOT FLASH THE IMAGE DIRECTLY TO THE BOOT PARTITION! It will not work, no matter what you flash it with — fastboot, kernel managers, etc.
Features
• Advanced CPU tuning specifically for the Snapdragon 765G to improve performance and reduce jitter
• Scheduler ramp/decay tuning for faster response to quick actions
• Display power-saving tweaks (mostly Pixel 5 only)
• Near-instant display wakeup (Pixel 5 only)
• Reduced touch latency and motion jitter (at the cost of losing Deep Press)
• ThinLTO optimizations for performance
• TCP ECN, BBR congestion control, and fq_codel network scheduler for faster and more reliable networking
• 80 MiB of extra RAM unlocked for apps to use
• More linear and consistent battery percentage curve
• Custom fast & easy kernel flasher with support for Magisk and all ROMs
• Minimal debugging for better security, performance, and reduced size
• Sultan's Simple Low Memory Killer to improve memory utilization
• Tuning for F2FS garbage collection, low-level atomic operations, and more
• System call filters compiled to machine code for 66% faster filtering
• Reduced CPU usage when using cellular data (for testing with 5G mmWave networks)
• Compiled with the latest Proton Clang 13 toolchain
• zRAM disabled to reduce CPU waste
• WireGuard VPN acceleration
• Support for power user tasks: USB modem-like devices (e.g. RFID tools), custom virtual USB Ethernet networking, isolated Linux containers
• SafetyNet basic attestation passing without Magisk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downloads
Downloads and changelogs can be found on GitHub. The topmost release is the latest.
Make sure you download a flasher image, not source code! Source code cannot be flashed.
Join the Telegram group for support and extras
Donate to support development: recurring donation to keep the project alive in the long term or buy me a coffee
Source code

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Hey, thank you for Bramble's first custom kernel! How do I install Magisk? Can your image from Github be patched by Magiskmanager as with normal boot.img's? Thx

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I installed this using EX Manager but it caused a boot freeze.
How do you recommend installing it to not cause any issues please?

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Nevermind, got it working with fastboot.

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Are the 4a 5G and the P5 using the same kernels? Just noticed EXKM is asking me to install Elemental P5

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Voodoojonny said:
Hey, thank you for Bramble's first custom kernel! How do I install Magisk? Can your image from Github be patched by Magiskmanager as with normal boot.img's? Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I've just updated the installation section to add more details about Magisk.
GoldElocks said:
Are the 4a 5G and the P5 using the same kernels? Just noticed EXKM is asking me to install Elemental P5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they are basically the same device save for the display refresh rate. The Pixel 4a is completely different.

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Great work, thanks for this.
Does this mean the redbull ProtonAOSP ROM would work on the 4a 5G too? If so, I'm looking forward to that. (https://github.com/ProtonAOSP/android_device_google_redbull)

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andrew207 said:
Great work, thanks for this.
Does this mean the redbull ProtonAOSP ROM would work on the 4a 5G too? If so, I'm looking forward to that. (https://github.com/ProtonAOSP/android_device_google_redbull)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The redfin build will not work, ROM builds for the two devices are slightly different. I haven't bothered to support bramble in my ROM because unlike kernel builds which are small, ROMs take a long time to build and incur bandwidth costs on upload.

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Running super smooth, thanks for sharing. Retained root and still passing safetynet, no issues so far. Will have to give it some more time to see how battery drain goes.
Was really hoping for a Proton Rom too but completely understand why it's not feasible. More than happy with stock rooted and a great custom kernel for now.

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Thank you [emoji3526]...just installed...
Note to self: you know you've eaten too much when running script you see waiting for device scratching your head ...oh wait hmm yup phone is still on not in fastboot mode ..lol [emoji23]

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thanks a ton for this kernel.
this made basic integrity check pass. then installed hardware off module for magisk to get ctsprofile to pass. now i think i can google pay

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Flashed it fine following the directions in the OP with no issues. Will report back with how it functions after a few days of use. So far so good. Thank you.

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megazig said:
thanks a ton for this kernel.
this made basic integrity check pass. then installed hardware off module for magisk to get ctsprofile to pass. now i think i can google pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware off module? I can't seem to find that anywhere. Is this kernel saying its a different phone to get safety net to pass?

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letrain02 said:
Hardware off module? I can't seem to find that anywhere. Is this kernel saying its a different phone to get safety net to pass?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what he means but I think in magisk modules, there is a way to change the fingerprint of the device. CTS something. I'm gonna look for it later. I think most people change it to the 3a and then safetynet is good.
[MODULE] [DEPRECATED] MagiskHide Props Config - SafetyNet, prop edits, and more - v6.1.2
MagiskHide Props Config v6.1.2 Note: This project is dead, and has been for some time. I have not been involved in the Android modding scene for some time and I no longer have the energy to take it up again. If anyone feels like taking over...
forum.xda-developers.com
You need Busybox for Android NDK .
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GoldElocks said:
Running super smooth, thanks for sharing. Retained root and still passing safetynet, no issues so far. Will have to give it some more time to see how battery drain goes.
Was really hoping for a Proton Rom too but completely understand why it's not feasible. More than happy with stock rooted and a great custom kernel for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have to change build prop, etc to pass safety net? Or just this kerbal helped that? I remember on my 2xl that a custom kernel was easier way to pass safety net until magisk got it all sorted.

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letrain02 said:
Did you have to change build prop, etc to pass safety net? Or just this kerbal helped that? I remember on my 2xl that a custom kernel was easier way to pass safety net until magisk got it all sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used magisk hide, rename magisk manager, and magisk hide props config and changed to pixel 3a XL.
There's a detailed guide on how to do the props config here if you're not familiar
[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Safetynet for Pixel 4a
With the pixel 4a finally arriving for some (like me), figured I'd make a quick guide Note that unlocking your bootloader breaks safetynet. There's a workaround in this guide but no guarantee that it won't get patched out in the future. Also...
forum.xda-developers.com

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I can also confirm Proton Kernel running very smoothly after flashing it several days ago.
With regards to the previous question, I had used props to modify my device before installing the kernel so I can't say whether the kernel alone will help you pass the SafetyNet checks. In any case, my device is passing both checks just fine as well.
Thank you for the hard work, @kdrag0n. Looking forward to future updates and whatever else you might have for us down the line.

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Proton Kernel 1.1 is now available with security updates, improved performance tuning, extra RAM, and more.
This update is required for the kernel to work properly on December ROMs, including the new version of ProtonAOSP. It will not boot on older ROMs.
Usage with my ProtonAOSP ROM is recommended to get the most out of your phone now that it is available for the Pixel 4a 5G. The ROM does not include Proton Kernel, so you will need to flash it yourself. The kernel alone will work just as well on stock, but you will not get the benefits of the ROM. More tightly coupled features may be added in the future.
Changelog:
• Updated to stock December kernel base (will not boot on older ROMs)
• Improved CPU frequency and energy model tuning for performance
• Further reduced display power usage for both Pixel 5 and 4a 5G
• Enabled TCP ECN for better handling of poor networks (similar to iOS 11+)
• Unlocked 5 MiB of extra RAM for apps
• Added support for full-blown isolated Linux containers
• Added support for USB modem-like devices (e.g. RFID tools)
• Reduced debugging overhead
• Fixed fastbootd flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download
Donate to support development: recurring donation to keep the project alive in the long term or buy me a coffee

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This kernel's battery life is amazing. I'm getting ~0.57%/hr. isle drain and ~5.4%/hr. active drain after several days of normal usage. Smooth as can be also. Thank you again for the amazing work, @kdrag0n.

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how can i magisk root on stock rom and this kernel any advice appriciated

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caballon said:
how can i magisk root on stock rom and this kernel any advice appriciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-root-pixel-5-xl-android-11-r.4187609/
That will tell you how to root the phone, then install a kernel.