What is an Android Custom ROM?
The term ROM, which stands for Read Only Memory and really has very little to do with what a custom Android ROM actually is, can be confusing. A custom Android ROM refers to a phone’s firmware, based on Google’s Android platform. Android is open source and therefore any developer can edit the code, recompile it, and re-release for a wide variety of devices. Users can install ROMs to change a device’s appearance and behavior. ROMs are developed by the Android community, often times by a group of core developers who do this purely out of passion for modding. This means that most are completely free. Custom ROMs are available for phones, tablets, media players, smart watches and almost any type of device running Android.
When you buy your Android device, it comes with what we call a “stock ROM” or the “stock firmware”. This refers to the preinstalled operating system. This ROM usually has limited functionality as defined by the phone’s manufacturer. By flashing a custom ROM, you can unlock extra features and sometimes improve the performance.
Flashing a ROM is easy and if you follow instructions, you barely need to know what you’re doing… and I barely need to have friends! It’s been 17 days since someone texted me. You should know that if you do something incorrectly while flashing a ROM, you risk rendering your phone inoperable. This is rare but can happen if you aren’t careful, and it’s called “bricking”.
- Why use a custom ROM?
Performance
Out of the box, your phone or tablet’s hardware is clocked at a speed that the manufacturer considers optimal in terms of heat and battery life. On a custom ROM, you’ll be able to overclock your hardware to get big performance increases. These changes can really show when you’re playing graphics intensive games. Another way a ROM can improve performance is by removing carrier or OEM-installed apps, known as bloatware, which can free up system resources.Battery Life
On the flip-side of overclocking, there’s underclocking. If you don’t really need all the speed of your massive processor, you can dial it back a bit by underclocking. With your processor running at a lower speed, you can often extend battery life by days! This is something to consider if you find yourself charging your phone multiple times per day. A custom ROM, again, by removing bloatware, can help free up the CPU to do less because there are fewer apps running in the background.Updates
One of the most frustrating things about owning an Android is waiting for your manufacturer to push an update to your phone so you can get the latest features. Often times manufacturers will even cut support for your device entirely. This leaves you stuck with a phone with an old version of Android. The solution is a custom ROM on the newest Android version. Even if your phone is stuck on KitKat, you can download and flash a ROM based on Lollipop. Many of the more popular ROMs even update on a daily basis. These updates are called “Nightlies”.Customization
Android is already very customizable right out of the box. With a custom ROM you can even modify things like the color of your notification light, the force of your vibration, the saturation of the colors on your screen and much more. I wish I could customize myself a friend!List of custom ROM
– LiquidSmooth Lollipop custom ROMs:
One of the most popular custom ROM on KitKat was quickly updated to Lollipop as well. Based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop AOSP sources, LiquidSmooth is reportedly a very fast and stable custom firmware packed with a ton of features like SlimPIE, Lock screen and notification customizations, gestures, call blacklist, and much more. You can read some of our guides on LiquidSmooth Android Lollipop custom ROMs with complete list of features for:
Android 5.0 Lollipop adoption rate isn’t some huge success story with only a few devices having received the update. As we inch toward Google I/O where company is expected to release its next major OS release in the shape of Android 6.0 Marshmallows (yep, we seem to favor these marshmallowy things), it’s high time to finally adorn your Android devices with some Lollipop love in preparation.
Here are some of the most popular, stable, and regularly updated Android Lollipop custom ROMs. We will wait for your suggestions as well to make this list as helpful to users as possible. So don’t shy away and do share your favorite Android Lollipop custom ROMs with the readers too.
TeamUB Lollipop:
Another custom firmware that is quickly being released for various Android devices is the TeamUB Android Lollipop custom firmware. The firmware supports OTA updates so you won’t have to flash the ROM again and again. ROM is being updated for different issues as they come and is recommended by many of our readers. Here are some of the guides that could help you get TeamUB Lollipop for your Android device.
HTC One M8
HTC One M7
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100
– CyanideL Android Lollipop:
Rather new in our regular list of custom ROMs, CyanideL is now available for Android Lollipop. Here are some of the features of the ROM:
Gesture Anywhere
Gesture Lockscreen
Heads Up Notifications
Shift Kernel by @rogersb11 built with Linaro
Cyanide L Material Dark UI (Work in Progress)
CustomToast, System, and ListView Animations
Custom Power Menu Options
Custom Quick Settings Tiles
Colorized Statusbar Icon Options
Colorized Notification Headers and Icons Options
Screen Recorder
Custom Navbar with custom actions and shorcuts
Theme Engine
PIE Controls (WIP)
You can flash CyanideL Android Lollipop on Samsung Galaxy S3.
Read more: http://wccftech.com/android-lollipop-custom-roms/#ixzz477r7ap1e
– EuphoriaOS Lollipop:
While this list is in no way being shared by the order of loveliness or performance of the ROMs but if it was we are pretty sure, EuphoriaOS would be somewhere at the top. We have been asked about EuphoriaOS Lollipop firmware for all the Android devices possible. Here are some guides to help you get this ROM for yours:
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Read more: http://wccftech.com/android-lollipop-custom-roms/#ixzz477rexeOV
– Resurrection Remix:
Custom ROMs are possibly one of the biggest reasons why some users prefer Android over other mobile platforms. Not only these give you the ability to customize your devices just like the way you want them, but they also enable you to get the latest Android OS versions regardless of the notorious delays that OEMs and carriers are famous for when releasing Android updates.
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