The stable release of Android 12L has only been out for two weeks now, yet we’ve seen an amazing amount of development from the aftermarket modding community already. There exists a working port for the Google Pixel 6 series, and even a custom GSI build for Project Treble-enabled devices. As the days go by, this list only keeps growing. Now, the 2013 edition of the Google Nexus 7 tablet has received a taste of Android 12L through an unofficial build of LineageOS 19.1.

The ASUS-made Nexus 7 2013 was launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Google offered upgrades to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but no further official OS updates were published. Released nearly 9 years ago, the device is ancient by today's standards and definitely doesn’t have the hardware to run recent iterations of Android very well, but that doesn’t mean modders are ready to give up on it. Despite the many hacks needed to boot the latest Android release, XDA Senior Member followmsi has managed to port Android 12L to both the Wi-Fi-only model (code-name "flo") and the cellular variant (code-name "deb") of this tablet.

The Android 12L ROM is clearly not for the faint of heart as the builds are still being beta tested by the developer. You need to re-partition your device in order to install a Google Apps package. Moreover, SELinux is set as permissive in the current release. Still, flashing the ROM will get you the latest OS version with all the security patches to the Android framework that have accumulated over the last few years, give you access to new security and privacy features to protect your data from malicious apps, and of course, let you enjoy many of the latest Android OS features.

Download unofficial LineageOS 19.1 based on Android 12L for the Google Nexus 7 2013

If you still use a Google Nexus 7 2013 or have it somewhere hidden away in your desk, make your way to the custom ROM thread and give this amazing piece of work a try.