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I wanted to get started a bit with Android Things with my Pi, but I noticed there is only manuals for the Raspberry Pi 3. Does that mean there is no support for the Raspberry Pi 2? Is there a way to do so?

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The list of supported developer boards for Android Things can be found here:

  • Intel® Edison
  • NXP Pico i.MX6UL
  • Raspberry Pi 3
  • Intel® Joule™ 570x
  • NXP Argon i.MX6UL

The release notes also specifically say Raspberry Pi 3, and the image they provide is specifically marked as pi3. As far as I can tell, all the approved boards have support for Wi-Fi, and only the Pi 3 supports Wi-Fi, which explains why they do not have an option for the Pi 2, so it seems you're out of luck if you only have a Pi 2.

This article seems to suggest it's a choice for the Android Things platform to require Wi-Fi:

Project Brillo [the former name of Android Things], designed for the underlying operating system for the IoT, is derived from Android but is taken down a notch so it can run on devices with a minimum footprint. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy built in, and working with Nest, Google is adding support for alternative low power solutions like Thread. Because it's based on Android, it provides immediate scale so many device manufacturers can use it.

Since Android Things is supposed to be a consistent platform, it seems that Google want all supported boards to have Wi-Fi support (even if you could theoretically use a Pi 2). It's less that your Pi 2 can't be supported, and more that it won't, deliberately.

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  • But for internet connection I can also use my Ethernet cable... So I don't understand why wifi would be that important.
    – CryoDrakon
    Jan 15, 2017 at 19:41
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    @HeatTheIce, I think it's more a branding/feature choice than a technical issue. I've found a source which seems to support my theory; I've edited it in so you can take a look.
    – Aurora0001
    Jan 15, 2017 at 19:43
  • I loosely remind reading about processor compatibility, which definitely excludes support for the pi zero.
    – Fabio
    Mar 21, 2018 at 22:39

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