TL; DR
- A YouTuber jumped through a huge hoop to get source code from an Android OEM.
- Umidigi requires its customers to visit their Shenzhen office during business hours.
- The company also says that the staff in this office only speak Chinese languages.
Timely release of source code from Android manufacturers is one of the biggest annoyances in the enthusiast and custom ROM community. We have seen many OEMs slack off in this regard, despite having to release this code as part of the GPLv2.
It seems that the second Chinese manufacturer Umidigi has to meet several ridiculous requirements from users in order to gain access to the relevant source code for their devices. Twitter user Patrycjia requested published the source code for a phone, however, a customer service representative advised that the request had to be made in person at their Shenzhen office during business hours. Additionally, Umidigi’s response indicates that only Chinese languages are spoken in this office.
It is clear that the company is trying to make it as difficult as possible for users to actually get access to the relevant source code (which it has to publish in the first place). That way, it can appear to shrug and say that it meets the GPLv2 requirements for the code to be released. In comparison, several large Android OEMs simply publish the code online. But YouTubers Naomi Wu Umidigi accepted the offer.
It’s all fun and games until Naomi Wu shows up at your office to get GPLv2 compliance😎
Wu visited Umidigi’s Shenzhen office and requested the appropriate kernel source code. The YouTuber even asked for the customer service rep by name, only to learn that he no longer worked for the company.
Did Wu get the kernel source code from Umidigi in the end? She noticed on Reddit that she received some files but is still trying to get the rest. Either way, it underscores the efforts some dubious Android brands will make to evade their legal responsibilities. After all, there is no reason why the source code could not be published online.