What Is Custom Rom Explained

Introduction

Ever wondered what the whole Android custom ROM scene was about?

What is all this verbalize of installing "aftermarket", custom upgrades on your phone?

Who needs it? Why exercise it? Is it safe?

Don't fret - I'm hither to explain

Custom ROMs

A stock ROM is the version of the phone's operating arrangement that comes amongst your telephone when yous purchase it.

A custom ROM is a fully standalone version of the OS, including the pith (which makes everything run), apps, services, etc - everything yous ask to operate the device, except it's customized yesteryear person inward some way.

So what does the "customized" role mean? Since Android is opened upwards source, developers are gratis to accept stock ROMs, alter them, strip them of garbage, optimize them, add together things, together with pretty much exercise whatever their imagination together with skills allow.

Why You Want Custom ROMs

Update Frequency

Using a custom ROM commonly results in more frequent updates that fix bugs and introduce novel features because the developer behind the ROM doesn't receive got the same procedures together with cherry-red record that the manufacturer+carrier combo does.

• A lineament update tin be churned faster because it doesn't involve the bureaucracy of thirty dissimilar projection managers, xv vice presidents, together with v dozen marketing departments.
• A ROM developer commonly gains a loyal community which beta tests his updates inward existent life situations together with furnish feedback, or fifty-fifty fixes bugs - that's the beauty of open source software.
• Oh together with did I nurture that ROMs are usually free and supported yesteryear optional donations? If yous can't afford to pay for it, yous don't receive got to.
• Finally, most custom ROMs out at that topographic point are updateable over the air (OTA) together with without reinstalling anything.

Who doesn't dear opened upwards source after this?

Better Performance And Efficiency

Custom ROMs are oftentimes faster, to a greater extent than efficient, together with utilisation less memory because

• the developer ripped out useless garbage, such equally carrier installed apps or
• the developer optimized the kernel. For example, an undervolted pith tin furnish a much amend battery life than the stock one.

Upgrading To H5N1 Better/Later Version Of Android

You tin upgrade to a version of the OS that has non silent been released for your device, or never volition be. This is possible inward two situations:

• A leaked version of the novel ROM showed upwards online, together with the developer got on it similar the fatty youngster chasing an H2O ice cream truck. This was just the instance amongst Hero together with Android 2.1, allowing me to upgrade from 1.5 weeks (months) earlier the official version was available together with ditch the bogged downward together with ho-hum stock OS.
• A ROM from some other phone was ported yesteryear the developer to travel on yours. For example, G1 together with MyTouch 3G users may never encounter Android 2.1 officially released on their phones, but Cyanogen, i of the most respected Android developers, was lately able to create a custom ROM running 2.1 for those devices. Oh, what a happy twenty-four threescore minutes current it was for MT3G together with G1 owners.

Ability To Install Apps To The SD Card

Most custom ROMs present come upwards amongst the powerfulness to install applications to the SD card, calledApps2SD (or A2SD).

This is currently non possible on stock ROMs, fifty-fifty inward Android 2.1 together with is supposedly on Google's TODO list.

If yous receive got run out of infinite on your telephone (which I receive got repeatedly on my Hero), Apps2SD is a killer characteristic to have.

About That Rooting Business…

Don't confuse custom ROMs amongst rooting - they're completely different.

We receive got explained rooting together with its benefits inward an article called Rooting Explained + Top v Benefits Of Rooting Your Android Phone

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The Downsides Of Custom ROMs

Of course, at that topographic point are dangers of using custom ROMs which yous should endure aware of.

Something Could Go Wrong

First of all, something may instruct incorrect amongst the flashing physical care for (that's the physical care for of installing the ROM) together with exit your telephone inward a bricked state. The chances of this are pretty depression nowadays, together with most of the fourth dimension yous tin restore it dorsum to normal.

Try to instruct for the ROM that has been tested yesteryear fourth dimension together with has lots of positive feedback.

Clean Wipe

In fellowship to install a custom ROM, yous ask to perform a build clean wipe.

This agency yous volition lose all existing data, hence yous receive got to dorsum everything upwards first. Of course, but for this.

Potential Problems

Custom ROMs could receive got bugs… but hence so exercise the stock ones.

However, inward instance yous exercise discovery a bug, yous truly receive got a 2-way channel of reporting it - shipping service inward the ROM forum together with yous volition to a greater extent than than probable instruct an response dorsum together with your põrnikas acknowledged.

Try doing this to your telephone manufacturer together with encounter if yous tin instruct yesteryear the source bird of outsourced monkeys, allow lone actual developers.

You May Void Your Warranty

It's possible that custom rooting volition void your warranty because yous volition "break the seal" on the kick loader yesteryear installing a custom i which on some phones evidently can't endure undone (this includes the Nexus One). Because of that, the manufacturer mightiness endure able to tell that the telephone has had a custom ROM installed together with non honour the warranty, inward instance yous ask to utilisation it.

Now, inward most cases, the benefits of the custom ROM outweigh the possibility of your warranty beingness denied. I recommend getting a warranty from your carrier together with using that inward instance anything bad happens (that warranty is commonly unconditional together with covers things similar losses together with physical damage).

Getting The Right Custom ROM

New phones together with ROMs come upwards out all the time, together with the reach of this article doesn't encompass private ROMs - but the full general approach to finding i is Googling for "YOUR_PHONE_MODEL ROM" or something similar, optionally including the wanted Android version. Try it out - you'll discovery what yous want.