OS Architecture Matrix

Magisk Android Version Compatibility Guide

An exhaustive technical breakdown of how Magisk adapts across Android operating system generations—from legacy Android 6.0 Marshmallow up through Android 16 QPR2 Baklava. Learn about partition layout changes, Generic Kernel Images (GKI 2.0), 16KB page size shifts, and SELinux evolutions.

How Magisk Maintains Cross-Generational Compatibility

Because Android's boot architecture fundamentally changes every few major releases—such as moving from standard ramdisks to System-as-Root (SAR), introducing Two-Stage Init (2SI), splitting ramdisks into init_boot under Generic Kernel Images (GKI), and transitioning to 16KB kernel memory pages—Magisk employs a dynamic modular pre-init binary (magiskinit) that detects partition topologies at boot time and configures mounts accordingly.

Explore Specific Android Version Guides

Select your target Android version for detailed flashing instructions, kernel specifications, partition patching requirements, and troubleshooting advice:

Android 16 (Baklava / QPR2)

Magisk v30.7+

Comprehensive guide for Android 16 QPR2. Explains the revised binary SEPolicy format, klogdump pre-init storage injection, and Zygisk Android XR support.

Key Feature: QPR2 SEPolicy & klogdump pre-init

Android 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream)

Magisk v30.5+

Detailed guide covering the transition to 16KB memory page sizes, OEM vendor_boot partition patching, Private Space isolation, and Play Integrity checks.

Key Feature: 16KB page size alignment & vendor_boot

Android 14 (Upside Down Cake)

Magisk v27.0+

Complete installation and architecture manual for Android 14. Covers GKI 2.0 kernel standards, mandatory init_boot patching, and target SDK 23 security blocks.

Key Feature: GKI 2.0 & init_boot partition split

Master Android Version Compatibility Matrix

The table below outlines the exact technical requirements, target boot partition, kernel type, and minimum Magisk version required for each major Android release:

Android Version API Level Target Partition Kernel Standard Ramdisk Architecture Min. Magisk Version
Android 16 (Baklava / QPR2) 36+ init_boot.img GKI 2.0 (16KB / 4KB) Two-Stage Init (2SI) + klogdump v30.7+
Android 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream) 35 init_boot.img / vendor_boot.img GKI 2.0 (16KB Support) Two-Stage Init (2SI) v30.5+
Android 14 (Upside Down Cake) 34 init_boot.img GKI 2.0 (Kernel 5.10 / 5.15 / 6.1) Two-Stage Init (2SI) v27.0+
Android 13 (Tiramisu) 33 init_boot.img (if GKI) / boot.img GKI 2.0 / Legacy OEM Two-Stage Init (2SI) v25.2+
Android 12 / 12L (Snow Cone) 31 / 32 boot.img GKI 1.0 / Legacy OEM Two-Stage Init (2SI) v24.0+
Android 11 (Red Velvet Cake) 30 boot.img Generic OEM Kernel Two-Stage Init (2SI) v21.0+
Android 10 (Queen Cake) 29 boot.img / recovery.img Legacy OEM Kernel System-as-Root (SAR) 2SI v20.0+
Android 9.0 (Pie) 28 boot.img / recovery.img Legacy OEM Kernel System-as-Root (SAR) transition v18.0+
Android 8.0 / 8.1 (Oreo) 26 / 27 boot.img Legacy OEM Kernel Standard Ramdisk v14.0+
Android 7.0 / 7.1 (Nougat) 24 / 25 boot.img Legacy OEM Kernel Standard Ramdisk v12.0+
Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) 23 boot.img Legacy OEM Kernel Standard Ramdisk v10.0+

Key Architectural Eras in Android Boot & Rooting

1. The GKI 2.0 & init_boot Era (Android 13, 14, 15, 16)

Beginning with Android 13 devices shipping with Linux kernel 5.10 or higher, Google separated the Generic Kernel Image (GKI) from the device-specific boot ramdisk. In this architecture:

  • boot.img contains exclusively the uncompressed Linux kernel binary (Image or Image.lz4). Flashing Magisk into boot.img on a GKI device will corrupt the kernel or do nothing.
  • init_boot.img contains the first-stage ramdisk (including the first-stage /init binary). Magisk must be patched into init_boot.img so that magiskinit can hijack the boot sequence.

2. The 16KB Page Size Transition (Android 15 & 16)

Historically, ARM64 Android kernels operated strictly on 4KB virtual memory page sizes. Android 15 introduces optional and Android 16 expands native support for 16KB memory pages, significantly improving application launch performance and memory throughput.

Older Magisk binaries and compiled Zygisk native C++ modules compiled with 4KB alignment will crash with memory boundary faults on 16KB kernels. Magisk v30.5+ and v30.7 are compiled with 16KB page alignment out of the box.

3. Two-Stage Init & Dynamic Partitions (Android 10 – 12)

Android 10 introduced Two-Stage Init (2SI) and dynamic super partitions (combining system, vendor, product, and system_ext into a single resizable block device). Magisk adapts by executing magiskinit in Stage 1 to inject SELinux access vectors, mounting an early tmpfs at /sbin (or /debug_ramdisk), and handing execution over to Stage 2 init.

4. Legacy System-as-Root & Recovery Mode (Android 9 and earlier)

On older devices where the manufacturer placed the root filesystem directly in the system partition without a separate boot ramdisk (A-only System-as-Root devices such as the Galaxy S10 series on Android 9/10), Magisk is installed into recovery.img. Booting with root required holding the hardware Recovery key combination during power-on.

How to Check Your Device's Android Architecture via ADB

Execute the following shell commands to accurately identify your Android version, kernel architecture, and whether your device requires init_boot.img or boot.img:

Diagnostic ADB Commands
# 1. Check Android OS Version & SDK API Level $adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release $adb shell getprop ro.build.version.sdk # 2. Check Linux Kernel Version & Architecture $adb shell uname -r # 3. Check Memory Page Size (4KB vs 16KB) $adb shell getconf PAGE_SIZE # 4. Check whether device has an init_boot partition $adb shell ls -l /dev/block/by-name/init_boot*

Hardware Ecosystem: Connecting OS Versions to Device Manuals

Explore manufacturer-specific Fastboot and Odin manuals categorized by their active and upgraded Android OS release:

Android OS Target Supported Hardware Families Kernel & Partition Architecture Direct Device Manuals
Android 16 (QPR2 / Baklava) Pixel 11, Pixel 10, Pixel 9, Galaxy S26, Galaxy S25, Xiaomi 15, OnePlus 13, Moto Razr 60 GKI 2.0 • 16KB / 4KB Dual • init_boot.img • Binary SEPolicy Pixel 11 • Galaxy S26 • Xiaomi 15 • OnePlus 13
Android 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream) Pixel 9, Pixel 8, Pixel 7, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S24, POCO F7, Redmi Note 14, Nothing Phone (3) GKI 2.0 • 16KB Support • init_boot.img / vendor_boot.img Pixel 9 • Galaxy S25 • POCO F7 • Phone (3)
Android 14 (Upside Down Cake) Pixel 8, Pixel 7, Pixel 6, Galaxy S24, Galaxy S23, Xiaomi 14, OnePlus 12, POCO F6 GKI 2.0 • 4KB Standard • init_boot.img • 64-bit Zygote Pixel 8 • Galaxy S24 • Xiaomi 14 • OnePlus 12

Frequently Asked Questions: Android Version Compatibility

Will upgrading my phone to a new major Android version break Magisk root?

Yes, installing an official OTA update replaces your active boot or init_boot partition with pristine stock images, removing Magisk. On A/B partition devices, you can prevent this by opening Magisk, tapping "Install to Inactive Slot (After OTA)" before rebooting your device. Follow our complete OTA Survival Guide.

Why does Magisk require init_boot on Android 13+ instead of boot.img?

Under Google's Generic Kernel Image (GKI 2.0) architecture, the Linux kernel binary was isolated into boot.img while the first-stage ramdisk (holding /init) was moved to init_boot.img. Because Magisk hooks the early boot process via ramdisk replacement, patching boot.img has no effect and will cause bootloops.

How do I know if my Magisk modules are compatible with 16KB page size kernels on Android 15/16?

Pure shell script and filesystem overlay modules are automatically compatible. However, Zygisk modules containing compiled native C++ shared libraries (.so) must be recompiled using the latest Android NDK with -Wl,-z,max-page-size=16384. Check our Modules Directory for verified 16KB-ready versions.

Source & Verification Standard

Last Reviewed: August 19, 2026 • Verified With: Magisk v30.7 • Primary upstream: topjohnwu/Magisk. Primary reference: topjohnwu/Magisk on GitHub.