I'm currently looking to get a new phone to replace my OnePlus One. I am strongly against bloatware and have become very discontent with the lack of continued software support offered by most (all?) manufacturers, including OnePlus and Google.
I am entirely new to rooting, unlocking, or flashing custom ROMs to my phone. However, I want to explore what options are available for using a ROM other than the pre-installed one and keeping it up-to-date myself.
First, one thing I don't understand very well at the moment is: what is required for a particular phone to have different ROMs available for it? For example, if I were to buy a used Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and I wanted to run stock android on it, what is necessary for that ROM to exist? Are there generally a lot of phone/model specific modifications that must be made to the Android source in order for it to run/be usable on that particular phone? Does it depend, at least in part, on which phone-specific features one wants to be usable (I read that the edge on Galaxy Edge phones will not work)?
Beyond stock android, are distributions such as LineageOS effectively stock android + their own suite of additions? Would a LineageOS ROM offer better/worse device-specific support than a stock android ROM for the same device?
Second, if I wanted to install a ROM on some phone and keep it updated, how would the update process work? Would I have to wipe the phone every time I install an update, or can updates be applied incrementally?
Finally, if I want to run a stable ROM on my daily phone without having to worry much about running into issues, what are the common options?
Thank you so much for the help!
fvgs said:
I'm currently looking to get a new phone to replace my OnePlus One. I am strongly against bloatware and have become very discontent with the lack of continued software support offered by most (all?) manufacturers, including OnePlus and Google.
I am entirely new to rooting, unlocking, or flashing custom ROMs to my phone. However, I want to explore what options are available for using a ROM other than the pre-installed one and keeping it up-to-date myself.
First, one thing I don't understand very well at the moment is: what is required for a particular phone to have different ROMs available for it? For example, if I were to buy a used Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and I wanted to run stock android on it, what is necessary for that ROM to exist? Are there generally a lot of phone/model specific modifications that must be made to the Android source in order for it to run/be usable on that particular phone? Does it depend, at least in part, on which phone-specific features one wants to be usable (I read that the edge on Galaxy Edge phones will not work)?
Beyond stock android, are distributions such as LineageOS effectively stock android + their own suite of additions? Would a LineageOS ROM offer better/worse device-specific support than a stock android ROM for the same device?
Second, if I wanted to install a ROM on some phone and keep it updated, how would the update process work? Would I have to wipe the phone every time I install an update, or can updates be applied incrementally?
Finally, if I want to run a stable ROM on my daily phone without having to worry much about running into issues, what are the common options?
Thank you so much for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, ROMs and recoveries must be built specifically for each model number, they are all different.
Yes, if you flash a custom ROM and then the developer of that ROM releases an update to his ROM you flash that update without wiping but if you switch to a completely different ROM you have to wipe before flashing it.
As for options of which ROM to use, you'll have to experiment and try them to find one that suits your likes and dislikes. What I consider the best option may not be the best option for you. To each their own, as they say.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Yes, ROMs and recoveries must be built specifically for each model number, they are all different.
Yes, if you flash a custom ROM and then the developer of that ROM releases an update to his ROM you flash that update without wiping but if you switch to a completely different ROM you have to wipe before flashing it.
As for options of which ROM to use, you'll have to experiment and try them to find one that suits your likes and dislikes. What I consider the best option may not be the best option for you. To each their own, as they say.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My goal is to find a stable ROM that will continue to receive security updates and bug fixes even once official manufacturer/vendor support has been dropped. Continuous software updates (i.e. to newer versions of Android) would be great too. I suppose this will depend on the hardware I'm wishing to use. Being new to xda, I've looked around and seen people posting various ROMs for various devices on the forums. But I'm not sure how reliable, stable, or even trustworthy they are. How do I evaluate ROMs posted on xda for those qualities?
LineageOS is one that clearly stands out and offers official support for many devices. Thus, it currently seems like a strong contender for my purposes. But I'm wondering if there are other distributions you would recommend that are on par with, or at least in the same tier as, LineageOS that would serve my purposes?
For what it's worth, being a developer, I would also like to give back and contribute to the community for the device I end up getting.
I'm not sure if they offer a ROM for your device, but Dirty Unicorns might be one to check out
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Related
How do i upgrade android version on a rooted device?
I am currently using Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 GT-P3100 and running on 4.1.2 Jelly Bean..
How do i upgrade it to 4.2.2 or maybe higher (4.3 maybe?)
Can i do it without un-rooting?
Whats the newest available android version for my device? Well, i know the latest version is 4.4 Kit Kat...
Can someone kindly explain to me step by step on how to do it..thanks
Help anyone?
Generally speaking, you may choose one of the following:
1) To upgrade to an official ROM. You'll likely lose root by this process, because it replaces the /system directory, where the root files are living, with a new one. Some rooting packages may internally try to preserve themselves to survive upgrades, but it depends on many factors and isn't always reliable.
2) To upgrade to a Custom ROM. Using custom ROMs is not for everybody. They have some advantages - obviously they are available in newer versions than the official ones, may contain additional features (for example, they are automatically rooted), may have better support (more frequent updates etc.) than the official ones etc. However, they may also have disadvantages: They possibly don't exist for every device, they may need special handling on devices with locked bootloaders (but for most of them, it's possible to run custom ROMS even in this case), the process of flashing Custom ROM may be a bit complex for unexperienced user in comparison with flashing stock ROM with help of the official PC utility etc.
I'm sorry that I'm not specific about your device, but I don't have particular experience with it. I hope that you'll find at least something generally usable for you and based on that, you may find more specific information by yourself.
Regards, Pavel
Hey guys I am fairly new to android and really new to this rooting and custom rom thing and I've been doing my research with what a rooted android w/ custom rom could look like and what it could further do.
I was hoping that my rooted phone is compatible with Custom Roms like Cyanogen Mod, AOKP, etc. Unfortunately my phone isn't listed in any listed devices in the well known Custom Rom Sites but I still proceeded with installing Cyanogen Mod since everyone seems to be using it. I don't even know if there are more of these eye candy useful mods that makes the ios look miserably locked up while hoping at least one of these custom rom is compatible with my crappy awesome phone. But upon installation process of Cyanogen Mod WITHOUT awareness that it really isn't compatible, it stated in that page that I could (STILL)use their Custom Rom at my own risk. Beyond that I stopped the installation process in fear of destroying my phone.
I was wondering whether you guys could enlighten me about the compatibility of Huawei Y220-U10 to Custom Roms. I've seen Huawei Y210's on youtube that's using a custom rom but unfortunately ALL of them who's demonstrating their phones are speaking in Spanish. I also installed ROM Installer but I can't seem to see 'FEATURED'? Maybe because it's the free version?
Now I am willing to take the risk, starting from the bottom meaning derooting my phone, wiping it clean, rerooting it and flashing that Custom Rom but I'm seeking advice from much more experienced users because if you guys tell me that it is a BIG NO NO I guess I'll just have to stick with the Go Launcher and wait until I get a much better, stronger, faster android smartphone which has a friendlier compatibility to everything android. And how come I can't access facebook nor yahoo from any web browser in my phone? is it a virus? Please clarify my theories.
Much Regards, Jom
P.S. Phone is running at 2.3.6 and rooted with Kingo Android ROOT
Hello @Jom Apa Welcome to Android / XDA!
"BIG NO NO!" You can't flash ROMs not made for your device because of the underlying hardware incompatibilities. You might completely kill your phone.
Give me a few minutes while I search for ROMs you can use
UPDATE: Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any custom firmware for your device nor Github entries for the chipset used. Seems you'll either have to stick with stock or create your own custom ROMs there are a lot of support here on XDA, Let the learning begin!
Cheers!
Hi guys,
I always read in the Xda forum but never wrote or asked a question...usually someone already asked them.
so I have the Mi 5S PLUS...but I hate the miui UI. can't get used to it. And yesterday I finally found that there are custom ROM for this device.
So I got few questions.
1. As far as i know, the source code hasnt been released but should be released soon. should I wait for a ROM that uses the source code?
2. I see that the most popular costum ROMs for this device are - Lineage and resurrection remix. In terms of battery life, stability and bug free rom. which one is the best?
3. I see there is one ROM with the tag [OFFICIAL]....does this mean it uses the source code? if not, what does it mean?
thanks a lot to those that answer
eliko2000 said:
Hi guys,
I always read in the Xda forum but never wrote or asked a question...usually someone already asked them.
so I have the Mi 5S PLUS...but I hate the miui UI. can't get used to it. And yesterday I finally found that there are custom ROM for this device.
So I got few questions.
1. As far as i know, the source code hasnt been released but should be released soon. should I wait for a ROM that uses the source code?
2. I see that the most popular costum ROMs for this device are - Lineage and resurrection remix. In terms of battery life, stability and bug free rom. which one is the best?
3. I see there is one ROM with the tag [OFFICIAL]....does this mean it uses the source code? if not, what does it mean?
thanks a lot to those that answer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Source code is released but rom based on source code are not released yet .You can use them but their are some bugs,
2.You can check yourself
3. Official means official rom from lineage team or other maintainers just like Global MIUI rom from xiaomi is official while xiaomi.eu is unofficial .
You can check for source in rom page for more info about what device tree and source code it uses
ashish289 said:
1. Source code is released but rom based on source code are not released yet .You can use them but their are some bugs,
2.You can check yourself
3. Official means official rom from lineage team or other maintainers just like Global MIUI rom from xiaomi is official while xiaomi.eu is unofficial .
You can check for source in rom page for more info about what device tree and source code it uses
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answers. But I asked because I prefer to install one and that's it. and if someone used the both ..why not to hear opinions.
I recomend RR
eliko2000 said:
Thanks for the answers. But I asked because I prefer to install one and that's it. and if someone used the both ..why not to hear opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason that people don't recommend one over the other is because YMMV. I know I came from a cyanogen ROM with my previous phone and dirty unicorns on the phoen before that (along with a whole set of custom ROMs). In the end though, I found them all to be "similar". Yes, some do some things differently like some offer a lot of CPU governors, while others keep the list pretty tight. Some default with swap space on, some don't use swap space at all (this phone shouldn't need swap space). Sometimes the difference between two ROMs is just the launcher.
For me, I don't really like the MIUI launcher. It feels a lot like an iphone. This isn't a bad thing. Some people like it. I just install Apex (from the play store) and my issues with the ROM were mostly resolved. The only remaining problem is MASS STORAGE. But, based on my experience with mly previous phone, I doubt I'll find a ROM that natively supports it. But I know how to hack my way in and get that going (just need root... which requires an unlocked bootloader... and if I am reading things correctly, you need to wipe everything which I currently not willing to do... but may have found a workaround... going to test it out tomorrow).
bmg002 said:
The reason that people don't recommend one over the other is because YMMV. I know I came from a cyanogen ROM with my previous phone and dirty unicorns on the phoen before that (along with a whole set of custom ROMs). In the end though, I found them all to be "similar". Yes, some do some things differently like some offer a lot of CPU governors, while others keep the list pretty tight. Some default with swap space on, some don't use swap space at all (this phone shouldn't need swap space). Sometimes the difference between two ROMs is just the launcher.
For me, I don't really like the MIUI launcher. It feels a lot like an iphone. This isn't a bad thing. Some people like it. I just install Apex (from the play store) and my issues with the ROM were mostly resolved. The only remaining problem is MASS STORAGE. But, based on my experience with mly previous phone, I doubt I'll find a ROM that natively supports it. But I know how to hack my way in and get that going (just need root... which requires an unlocked bootloader... and if I am reading things correctly, you need to wipe everything which I currently not willing to do... but may have found a workaround... going to test it out tomorrow).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wipe everything is very simple connect the phone via USB cable to PC and via twrp wipe everything then past a Rom on the phone and flash it, that's it
venezolano69 said:
Wipe everything is very simple connect the phone via USB cable to PC and via twrp wipe everything then past a Rom on the phone and flash it, that's it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wiping everything is easy, yes, but I want to avoid wiping if I don't have to.
Got the phone rooted without needing to wipe it (yay), but getting mass storage enabled failed on me. I can't seem to write to the file I need to which confuses me... but that is off topic so I'll refrain from boring you with details on that.
Back on topic, if you are switching to a custom ROM you will need to wipe things. I personally would wait for a custom kernel to come out before you start playing with custom ROMs unless the custom ROM has a feature you REALLY want. With my previous phones, the one that had a custom Kernel as well as custom ROMs was a lot more stable and had a lot fewer bugs. The one that had only factory kernel, the custom ROMs were flaky. They mostly worked, but they did have bugs. If I got a phone call or called somebody and they hung up first, it would crash the dialer and the dialer would fail to start again until I rebooted. Now a custom kernel may not have helped that, but since the kernel was based on a previous version of Android, it was unstable.
The current custom ROMs (that I have seen) are all based off of the stock kernel and not newer ones so I personally do not expect to see much benefit in changing ROMs except having different bloat and a different launcher. Well, at lest for the things I use my phone for. But YMMV.
Hi all,
I see sometimes that there are unofficial ROMs made of official ROMs such as Paranoid Android, that support devices such as our own before the original ROM creator does.
Now I know nothing about making ROMs, I'm guessing there of course is specific firmware and drivers for our phone as one example, unique to us.
Is it a support question, as in the official makers could support another phone (easily?!), but don't, because they don't have the device to confirm it works fine or may carry a brick risk etc?
How hard is it to make an "unofficial" ROM that supports specific devices features/hardware? Is it a case of merging differnt device firmware with another kernel and testing? (I'm sure some will be mad at my naivety)
Sorry for the newb question.
At this point I'm genuinely thinking of selling my phone and buying a new one with good Custom ROM support.
To each their own, but I haven't seen a need for a custom ROM since Android 9. I run a simple debloat script and the phone runs pretty damn well.
GardenData61371 said:
At this point I'm genuinely thinking of selling my phone and buying a new one with good Custom ROM support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me when you find a comparable phone with custom ROM support lol.
I don't "need" custom roms at all but it's a fun hobby to play with and at least on my old OP8P there was some support and I could just daily a new ROM every few weeks. On the S21+ there is only treble ROMs so far. And I don't wanna lose my Knox as my authenticator for work needs intact Knox on Sammy.
Furious Froyo said:
To each their own, but I haven't seen a need for a custom ROM since Android 9. I run a simple debloat script and the phone runs pretty damn well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which script do you use? Could you please share it with me?
I don't think there is a need for a custom rom for a new phone atm, because everything works flawlessly and it's even better in a flagship phone.
the only phone that I will consider to have a custom ROM is Xiaomi one, because its implement an ads on its apk installer module.
why do you need a custom ROM? customization is very great with samsung Lock App. but, the good lock app is only available in some region atm.