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Do Android Users Still Use Custom Roms? (androidauthority.com)
"With all of the drama at CyanogenMod, Android Authority takes a look at the current state of custom ROM development," writes Slashdot reader Thelasko. From the article:
The future of CyanogenMod appears uncertain, after the open source ROM was forced to fork under the name Lineage OS. Fortunately there are already other remixed versions of Android available, with some of the most popular being Paranoid Android, Resurrection Remix, and Dirty Unicorns... [But] with each new version of Android, the gap between Android and popular custom ROMs has shrunk, which begs an interesting question: Are custom ROMs even necessary anymore?
To answer this, let's take a quick look at the state of custom ROM development as it exists today.
The article points out that mobile virtual reality is "on the verge of becoming mainstream and the wearable market has grown tremendously," asking whether custom firmware will also integrate these newer technologies. But the original submission also asks a question that's closer to home. What custom ROMs do Slashdot users have installed?
The article points out that mobile virtual reality is "on the verge of becoming mainstream and the wearable market has grown tremendously," asking whether custom firmware will also integrate these newer technologies. But the original submission also asks a question that's closer to home. What custom ROMs do Slashdot users have installed?
I have Cyanogen on two devices, and I will ALWAYS have a custom ROM just to eliminate all the damn bloatware. If there are programs on a new device that I can't uninstall without rooting (and there always are) it's time for a reflashing.
I still use a custom rom because Google stopped updating the Nexus 4 and my phone is still working just fine. I run Chroma which runs 6.0.1, whereas the last supported version was 5.1.1. Oddly enough, Chroma is more stable than 5.1.1 was on my phone.
Two of my three Android devices have custom ROM's, and the third probably will once the LineageOS folks start pushing out reasonably stable builds.
The only reason the third doesn't currently have a custom ROM is that Motorola didn't go batshit with the bloatware, so waiting for the warranty period to up wasn't a pain.
Log in or piss off.
Let's begin by saying that the stock ROMs on certain devices have become very adequate. I own a Nexus 5X and a Moto X Pure smartphone, and their stock ROMs are basically a pure Android experience. The software is already lean without any carrier bloat. Everything works fine, except for the times when google's rushed updates may sometimes introduce a new bug. I also run a stock Samsung ROM on my Galaxy Tab S tablet.
On the other hand, there is a considerable cost to using a third party alternative ROM like Cyanogenmod. For one, those third party ROMs don't always support hardware as well as the stock. If you had read release notes for something like a Cyanogenmod release, you had surely run into statements like "limited camera functionality" or "fingerprint sensor, etc".
Another issue with third party ROMs is that some software builders actively block or sabotage them. For example, the AT&T's Uverse streaming service will detect whether you have a rooted or third party ROM and stops working. The Netflix goes only up to 480p resolution on a non-stock ROM. "Fixing" this probably involves editing build.prop and hiding your root, but I haven't tried it recently.
Yeah, last few devices I've bought had something very close to AOSP with only a minimum of extra apps installed, apps that aren't causing me any problems. Android itself doesn't vary a lot between versions any more, the chances are the version you have varies little - from a user's point of view - from the latest greatest. This is a far cry from the early days of Android where:
1. Every phone had a heavily customized version of Android, in part because stock Android wasn't very pretty, but those customizations were usually horrible and bug ridden. As an example, my T-Mobile Slide 3G's dialer would crash if you changed from portrait to landscape.
2. Android itself was barely feature complete. Third party tools were needed to provide a decent launcher, decent keyboard, and so on, as well as tethering and other features carriers were nervous about.
It just isn't as important any more.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Since most manufacturers stop caring about their phones after a year or two, custom ROMS are great for keeping 1-4 year old phones useful. My Galaxy Note 2 is still a fantastic phone running CM. The only reason I stopped using it and gave it to my wife was that the SD slot was unreliable. She doesn't need the storage, so she does very well with it. I'll likely put a custom ROM on my Moto X Pure in a year or so when Moto stops releasing new ROMs for it.
------- Mark
Unfortunately, custom ROMs are still necessary because phone manufacturers, carriers, and even Google itself washes their hands of any phone that is older than about 2 years. Often they stop offering system updates even sooner than 2 years. This forces people to install custom ROMs to keep their phone operating systems up to date.
I don't care what anyone claims -- a smartphone's useful life is way longer than 2 years, so it's unconscionable that these Android companies do this. Compare to iPhones, which are supported for up to 5 years. I have been using Android phones (Google Nexus models) for several years now, but I have seriously considered going back to iPhones because of this and because of app availability.
Cool story, gramps. We'll make sure we get off your lawn.
I rooted my phone to allow me to install apps with root access, then the phone wouldn't let me update while it was rooted, so I installed a custom ROM that would. If I have to unroot my phone every time I need to update it then I might as well just install a custom ROM.
So you go to a pizza place. Let's name it Sammy's Hut. You start browsing the menu and you see the house special... It's a mess - it's like they tried to be healthy and trendy and full of spice at once. The clerk calls it "a whiz choice, recently we cut half its calories", but it's still an overengineered ball of mud, only gonna satisfy whoever can't grasp the fine line between taste and variety. You settle for the good ol' margherita, maybe add the usual ham, it never really disappoints - you get to feel the restaurant style with a tried and true classic, you figure what to try next time, if you decide to come back to the place that is... Unfortunately, that margherita felt like it had the same ingredients than the house special, it just didn't look like it.
Some months later you're out in Italy and you try this new spot - it's called Gugely's, and they say "it's where pizza was invented". They only really serve 3 pizzas, and they're basically the same only changing in size and shape. They do seem like a balanced and adequate for different appetites, but you know what, they say whoever comes doesn't really feel compelled to come again. Despite tasting really good, they're all boring.
There's a dessert place around the corner from Gugely's: Sweetpertino and they make an apple pie that is always made from the same tree, yet the dudes that go there eat them like zombies. Especially after they get fed up with Gugely's. They are loyal though, and the thing is really expensive for plain apple pie. My guess is they really like expensive apples. It's not anywhere as nutritional as pizza, but zombies be like... Whatever.
Fed up with apples (or maybe never had the cash for them), and not wanting to go back to the "en vogue" spots, you dig up an underground place that brags can prepare the pizza you need. They are upfront about some limitations though: what you need is not always what you want, but at least you get to decide what you think you want. They also warn your stomach might not take it; that some people are allergic to their pizza type of "source"; that some even refuse to swallow their non-standard meals. They tell you to sign an insurance release at the door, but trust me, most that go there don't even understand the consequences - sometimes they have really bad produce, but luckily you can smell it from afar if you try the least, and just change the dish. But you know, nobody really cares when looking for the perfect pizza fix they can't find anywhere. Where this shop really distinguishes itself from others though: they let you take the recipes home, mix them up, go back to them and request small changes, and at the end of the day, you can just return your pizza for a brand new one. You can do this as long as you can stomach it. Suffice it to say, it's a releasing experience and some just can't figure out what to do with so much freedom. Some give up at the first try. It is also said a lot of people go back to apples and Gugely's. Nobody really goes back to Sammy's - they'd rather have their stomachs burst from a overly zealous gastric band.
So after all that rant, what do we really learn from pizza and from people? There's no perfect pizza for everyone, that's obvious. Some fancy variety, some tolerate simplicity, and some just don't like pizza at all. Then there are those that only like pizza they can see being prepared and know the source of the ingredients. Some only want genuine ingredients even though they don't need them. It's a big shame some essential ingredients can only be bought from exclusive sellers that don't always want to sell to non-regulars, then again it's for their own commercial reasons, like every company should. The time for the perfectly balanced pizza can only come after a perfectly balanced society arises, one that only has the best interest of the customer in mind. Then again some call that communism, and it's the worst thing since the plague.
Me, personally? I make my pizza at home. That means my kitchen and my stomach are always fully prepared. WHAT HAVE YOU EATEN LATELY?
I found the stability of Cyanogenmod to be pretty good. I've heard some people say that in some cases it's actually more stable than the original ROMs included with phones, perhaps because of the bloatware that vendors add.
Bloatware, privacy, support, all send you to something other than stock.
T-Mobile stopped supporting my Relay at JB. At least with CM I've got KK, and there are words indicating that CM's successor is going to bring out Nougat for it. (Didn't know that could happen, thought the graphics was too primitive, but I'll take it.)
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
I have a Nexus 4 and Nexus 5...both no longer run the latest android direct from google....but with custom ROMs they both run 7.1.1 flawlessly.
devices remain compatible ie unlocked boot loaders.
if you go over to xda-developers custom ROMs are still a big thing. custom ROMs would even be bigger but many phones are shipped locked down with locked boot loaders and unroot-able, so users can't develop their custom ROMs or install them.
T-Mobile and Sprint traditionally have been the most custom ROM friendly shipping phones with unlocked boot loaders. as such communities have spung up on xda-developers with dozens of custom ROMs for popular unlocked devices especially Samsung. people also like to install Google's entirely vanilla version of Android getting rid of what users dislike about Samsung/LG/HTC ROMs and software.
Cyanogen might be a ROM but I don't think it has a ton of users. It's probably the most commercial of them but not the go-to-ROM of someone who wants something custom.
WiFi Tether without paying extra to the carrier for the same data you're already paying for is a feature.
Backup specific apps and their data ("Titanium Backup" or its successors) or the entire device ("NANDROID" backup via TWRP, CWM, PhilZ, etc)
Root apps allow flexibility carrier-ROMs don't. Greenify shuts down unused apps. Xposed allows changing almost anything about Android operation (the "framework") with easy installation. See this link for top rooted apps.
None of these are available with locked bootloaders, and stock ROMs. (The NANDROID backup is available with stock ROMs but is if little value).
MotoG4 using Silesh Nair xt16xx 7.1.1 Lineage OS 20170113 ROM
Ehud Gavron
Both my devices are rooted w/Cyanogenmod as it was easy for one (one-click installer) and I knew more for the other, I need access to install my custom Hosts file to block adds/Facebook, I also want a firewall, which you aren't getting without root (if there's a way, please let me know).
There are other capabilities that require root that I use regularly.
My devices came from Google, so weren't bloatware loaded thankfully, but having control to eliminate things that affect performance is required.
It's a tool for my use, not someone else's tool that I get to pay for and use for their purpose, thank you very much.
PS: LineageOS, the successor to CyanogenMod, is nearly up and running according to their latest blog post.
I rooted and ultimately went to a custom rom because I honestly don't trust the things my phone carrier installs and I wanted the ability to block advertisements. Google has gotten much better with giving users the ability to limiting software permissions but could still do more. Older software automatically get permissions enabled for compatibility when they shouldn't.
I live in Japan. Japan is a nightmare when it comes to cell phone selection and service provider flexibility. I run CyanogenMod on my Motorola Razr M. Partly because I HATE Softbank's bloatware. However, the cell radio and battery life have both been terribly unstable/buggy. The phone is on its last legs and I bought a used Sony Xperia Zx Compact to replace it...but I bought it from AliExpress so I need to flash it with a custom ROM so I can stick my Softbank SIM card in it. Why do I go through all this trouble? Because Softbank doesn't sell a physically small (screen
I'm sitting in Vietnam right now after a week in Thailand. I carry a Chinese phone (Doogee X5 Pro) with a stock ROM that supports 2 SIM cards. All I have to do for 4G data + cellphone is grab a $10-15 SIM card in the airport. Which takes about 5 minutes. Sometimes I really love the free-wheeling nature of developing economies.
I have KatKiss Marshmallow on an old Asus tablet. Stock ROM was limited to Jellybean, and the thing was a horribly slow piece of shit. The fact that I can run an OS as new as I can (there's even builds available for Nougat but I haven't bothered), on a device this old (2012) is amazing. I can take advantage of F2FS which makes the crappy flash memory perform not so crappy.
I was also amazed at how much space is wasted on the flash memory with the standard OS update process. By installing the bare OS from scratch, and only the Google Apps I want, it hardly uses any flash, leaving plenty of the 32GB free.
Until phones start coming without bloat, and carriers/manufacturers provide constant updates to their phones even after they stop being sold, custom ROMs will continue to be used.
I have 7.1.1 running on a circa 2013 phone. AICP seems to be a pretty active group and do weekly builds for quite a lot of older phones. Prior to that I tried Ressurection but punted after bootloop issues, AICP installed first try. So I can't really say if its the "best" but it certainly seems to function well and that's more important to me than having a gadzilling bells and whistles.