PixeliOS

Apple's XNU kernel and iOS 16 on a Google Pixel 6a (Tensor G1), as a research port with a device-tree layout that other Pixels can plug into.

A small bare-metal shim is loaded with a temporary fastboot boot image, brings up what XNU needs on the Pixel (UFS storage, memory map, a device tree for XNU) and jumps into a patched XNU kernel. Inspired by, and built on, ios-sweet.

AI-driven development

Most of this project is written by AI coding agents, directed by a human who runs everything on the hardware and approves each destructive step. Read the code before you trust it: how the project is built.

Research code

XNU boots on the Pixel, mounts the iOS root, runs launchd and reaches the iOS lock screen and home screen, and touch works (observed on hardware, 2026-10-22). The UI is slow. Wi-Fi bring-up and the GPU are in progress (the Wi-Fi chip answers over PCIe, the GPU runs test jobs); there is no Wi-Fi traffic or GPU-rendered frame yet, and audio, camera and the modem do not work. Read Safety before touching a phone.

Start here

I want to...	Go to
see what works today	Status, Coverage (Wi-Fi and GPU progress)
build and boot the shim	Build, then the README quick start
read the log without a serial cable	the UDP log over USB (see Automation); the QR log is a fallback
drive the hardware test loop (xrun, ci-kernel)	Automation
build the iOS root image without sudo	Rootless build
bring up another Pixel	Adding a device
find my way around the repository	Repository map
understand the plan and gates	Plan, Milestones, Roadmap, Case study
see the hardware captures and research	Devices, SoCs, Research
know how the project is made	AI-driven development
credit and licensing	Credits