AOSP, also known as Android Open Source Project if you’re not familiar with the acronym, is a very important term for Android devices, as it defines the Android source code developed by Google, which everyone can customize the way they see fit.

Android Police now reports that Jean-Baptiste Queru, the “Android Open-Source Tech Dude at Google,” revealed that the Samsung Nexus S 4G, available from Sprint, is now “fully supported in AOSP, with no restrictions.” Here’s his original message posted on the Android Building group:

We've been able to resolve the issues around Nexus S 4G, and we can now properly distribute its CDMA and WiMAX binaries. That allows Nexus S 4G to work with AOSP just as well as Nexus S.

As a result, we now consider Nexus S 4G to be fully supported in AOSP, with no restrictions. Overall, Nexus S is the preferred platform for AOSP work.

I've updated the set of IMM76L binaries for Nexus S 4G to include WiMAX support. They're available at their usual location:

https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/drivers

Enjoy!
JBQ

Why is this detail important for regular Android users that may happen to own a Sprint Nexus S 4G? Well, the fact that the device now works with AOSP without any restrictions means that Nexus S 4G owners will be able to rock custom ROM on their devices, without having to worry that certain phone features – such as making calls or accessing the web – may not function properly.

CDMA Android devices, such as the Nexus S 4G, require “proprietary code from carriers” in order to offer some of those regular phone features, which means that some AOSP builds may not work properly on such devices. Luckily, that won’t happen with the Nexus S 4G, and hopefully the CDMA Galaxy Nexus will also support AOSP in the near future.