What is a custom ROM, how to install it and how to remove it

Although there have been some initiatives on the part of certain manufacturers, it is still normal for an Android mobile to receive updates for two years. Then he is more or less on his own. When the system becomes a little outdated, it is always possible to give it new life with a ROM.

Now well, What is a Custom ROM? Here we will see how they differ from the system that already comes to the mobile, what advantages they have, the usual process that you must perform to install them and, if you regret it, how you can uninstall it to leave the mobile as it is. ‘was.

What is a Custom ROM

The custom ROM definition is more or less implied in its name. Although ROM is an acronym for Read-only memory, in this context refers to the system that is installed on the mobile. A custom ROM is nothing more or less than that, but personalized. It is the system software which is not the one supplied with the mobile, but rather was modified or created from scratch by the user community.

Simply put, a custom ROM is an operating system for the mobile phone other than the official onesometimes modified on top of official firmware or based on AOSP, the open source version of Android.

For example, a Samsung mobile comes with One UI, with its peculiarities for better or for worse. The user community may have created different ROMs that bring a stock experience (without the Samsung stuff) to mobile, that dispenses with all Google services and apps, that only includes open source apps, or that introduces new latest Samsung models that have not reached this laptop. The possibilities are almost limitless.

Knowing that mobiles seldom receive more than two Android updates, ROMs come to the rescue to bring new versions of Android to mobiles that are no longer updated. For example, LineageOS 17.1 brought Android 10 to Nexus 7 2013. It’s one of the great benefits of romsbut not the only one:

• Update mobile unofficially: When the manufacturer no longer provides Android updates, it is possible that a ROM includes a newer version of Android.

• Similar mobile news: A common resource of ROMs is copying and pasting things from other terminals. It is common, for example, for a ROM to bring news from a recent mobile to similar mobiles of the same brand that have been launched before and have not been updated.

• goodbye bloatware: Even today, some mobile phones include too many pre-installed applications and services. Some ROMs focus on stripping out everything extra resulting in a more nimble mobile.

• stock market experience: Particularly popular in mobiles with somewhat overloaded layers, the stock ROMs bring you an experience similar to Android One for this type of mobile.

• More options: Some ROMs give you not less, but more. More customization options and more advanced features that weren’t in the stock firmware.

• more privacy: Some ROMs focus on eradicating all traces of Google from the system or integrating greater privacy and security protections as standard. There are also those who focus on being completely open source.

Of course, not all are advantages and problems can also arise, so it is never recommended to start flashing without control unless you have experience. The ROMs arrive without any guarantee, so you will have to solve all the problems that occur on your mobile during the process yourself.

• risk of briquetting. The risk of something going wrong during the process and the mobile restarting in a loop or becoming useless is always there. Recovering them is possible in many cases, but it will take patience and trial and error.

• known bugs. Some ROMs are more stable than others, but a number of known bugs are frequently cited and should be checked before installing. These errors can range from camera not working to Bluetooth not working and anything in between.

• The worst performance on cameras. The Achilles heel of ROMs is often the camera app, which is usually not as well optimized to get the most out of it as the original app (unless it stays in the ROM).

• It is necessary to reinstall from scratch. Barring a miracle, installing a ROM means starting from scratch, so you will lose all mobile applications and data. If you regret it later, you’ll lose them again when you upgrade to another ROM or return to the stock experience.

• support can disappear. This isn’t usually a big deal with big projects like LineageOS, but other ROMs created more “in-house” by enthusiast developers may stop receiving updates -and fixes- as soon as their creator doesn’t. has more time or sees that the ROM does not. there is a lot of interest in his work.

How to install a ROM on an Android mobile

Installing a ROM is not as simple as installing an application on the mobile, because Android mobiles include certain protections to make the task a little more difficult or even, in some cases, impossible. There is no universal way to install a ROM on an Android mobile, so it is very important read the instructions carefully implementation of the project.

That said, there is a series of common steps which serve as a guide on what may be needed when installing a ROM on an Android mobile. Remember that the last word depends on the instructions of the ROM and the specific mobile:

• First, the root. In many cases you need root access. It’s said quickly, but root A mobile is a world, and you need to research how it is done on your specific mobile. Normally, it won’t take you long to find it on the XDA forums.

• unlock bootloader. The bootloader is the first thing that is loaded in the mobile and in some mobiles it is blocked so that the user does not put his hand in the system. If the bootloader is unlocked, you don’t have to do anything, but if it isn’t, you probably need to unlock it. Again, the process varies, with some manufacturers allowing you to do this easily, while others don’t.

• Install a recovery mode. Recovery mode is a sort of emergency menu where you can make and undo adjustments to the system, before the system loads. Android brings its own, but it’s quite limited. To install a ROM, it is normal to resort to TWRP, CWM Recovery, etc.

• Download a ROM and copy it to the mobile. Then you need to download the file(s) from the ROM itself and save them to a folder on your mobile, unzipped.

• Install ROM from recovery mode. As long as you don’t care about your mobile data – it might get erased – the next step is to use the recovery mode you installed before to run the ROM installation. This will usually erase the entire system partition (and possibly data) first, then replace it with the new one. Read and follow the official instructions carefully.

• restart mobile. The last step is to restart the mobile and wait for it to start. The first reboot takes longer, so don’t worry if it never seems to complete. If everything went well, you will soon have your new experience.

Where to find a ROM for your mobile

In Android ROMs there is a lot of remix culture, so many are reworks from others or borrow this and that from other projects. However, there is some great projects whose ROMs end up being ported to quite a few devices. Here are the most popular ROMs:

• Lineage OS. First it was called CyanogenMod, then it was reborn as LineageOS and now it’s back with a bang, updated frequently and with an ever-growing list of compatible phones.

• paranoid android. After a period of silence, Paranoid Android has been revived with an Android Pie-based version available for a handful of phones and followed by the release of Android 10. You can see the list of supported phones here, although many ‘them continue with the old versions.

• SlimRoms. It hasn’t been updated for a few years, but it may continue to be a good option for older terminals. This ROM is based on AOSP and relies on lightness. On their site you have the compatible models.

• resurrection remix. Resurrection Remix is ​​one of the oldest ROMs and basically tries to include as many features as possible. Here you will find downloads and compatible models.

• Extended AOSP. It’s like AOSP (Android from source without modifications), but better, with new features and more customization options. On their website you have the download links and the compatible models.

• CarbonROM. Still very active, with weekly releases, this is one of the most stable ROMs, with tons of customization options. You can check compatible models here.

• OmniROM. Another very popular ROM with versions for a large number of devices, OmniROM is still active, with the Android 11-based version already ready. You can see the list of compatible mobiles on its website.

The ROM’s website is a good place to start, but since installing a ROM has many moving parts, it’s best to use the XDA forums to find links and download instructions specific to your mobile ROM. Each device has a specific forum dedicated to development, where the different ROMs available and their installation instructions are published.

This is important because sometimes the ROM of your mobile is not an official versionbut it has been modified by a third party, so it might have special requirements when installing it or problems that are not in the official version.

How to remove a custom ROM

Have you tried installing a custom ROM and you don’t like it? then you can always go back to the official version, although it can be more or less complicated, depending on how much you have changed on mobile. For example, if you installed a different kernel, you may need to revert to the official kernel before installing the original firmware again.

Unfortunately, the process is not unique, but again depends on each mobile. Some mobiles have support software, as is the case with Smart Switch on Samsung or HiSuite on Huawei, which can help you download and install the latest official firmware without much hassle. In other cases, you will have to retrace your steps to leave everything as it is.

Again, the xda forums They will help you find the easiest way to revert to mobile firmware. This is a basic topic that will no doubt be covered on the device’s forum, and will often involve downloading the firmware and flashing it, either by connecting the phone to a PC or in recovery mode.