Do Custom Roms Get Security Updates

This folio covers alternative operating systems for Android phones and tablets.

Summary

Many Android phones and tablets are shipped with an already superseded version of Android, and critical updates are notoriously ho-hum in being delivered, if they are delivered at all. And if you practice become them they may cease while your telephone is otherwise perfectly usable, leaving you at the mercy of dangerous security vulnerabilities. I solution is to install a "custom ROM", which is version of Android supported by a volunteer customs, and then breaking your dependence on the handset supplier and network provider.

Custom ROMs

Thank you to Android'southward (partially) open up-source credentials, there is a large (and often confusing) ecosystem of alternatives to the stock version of the Android operating system (Os) that can be installed on a device.

You may accept heard of 'flashing your ROM' - while this sounds strange, information technology essentially ways installing a unlike operating system on to your telephone. This is the same idea, in principle, to installing a different Os on your calculator. In the Android world, though, for various reasons, it's a more difficult process.

Flashing your ROM usually involves: finding a working ROM for your device; rooting your device; and installing the ROM. None of these is particularly simple. As such, information technology is worth because the other options of administering first-aid to your device before trying to flash the ROM. That said, there are many other valid advantages of flashing your ROM that yous might consider -- such every bit needing to move away from an out-of-date version of Android; to privacy concerns; to greater independence and control over your own possessions; and perhaps a preference for open up-source over proprietary software. Run across six Reasons You Need to Be Using a Custom ROM for more data.

Finding a working ROM

Finding a working ROM is arguably the hardest part of the whole process. Whether or not your telephone has a decent, contempo ROM is entirely downwards to whether the community has taken on the job of supporting your device. It tin be a bit of a minefield. The all-time place to start your journeying is at https://forums.xda-developers.com, and searching for your device name in the search bar. You should find a sub-forum dedicated to your device.

From here it is usually a example of searching through threads for the latest information on which ROM is the best one to employ.

Y'all may have heard of CyanogenMod -- this was the original mainstream and most widely used custom ROM. Due to various shenanigans, CyanogenMod (CM) has recently been renamed to LineageOS. Other ROMs likewise exist - such as Android Open Kang Projection (AOKP), or Android Water ice Cold Projection (AICP). Often these are unremarkably forks of CM, or forks of the official Android (due east.g. Copperhead OS). CyanogenMod itself is based on the open up-source elements of the Android firmware. Every bit such, different versions of CyanogenMod and other derivatives are based on a particular base version of the official Android. (For example, LineageOS 14.ane is based on Android 7.ane "Nougat".)

When looking for a custom ROM for your telephone, it makes sense to look for one that is based on the most recent version of Android, simply bearing in mind the newer versions are non ever as stable. For security reasons, you lot should always try to install a ROM that is based on a version of Android that is still officially supported. If the Android version is still officially supported, then information technology nevertheless receives security updates - simply practise keep in listen that those security updates have to exist incorporated into the custom ROM past the ROM maintainer - this is usually the case, but is always worth checking. A ROM-based on a supported Android isn't always available -- but you may observe a ROM of an unsupported official version of Android where the maintainer tries to incorporate and backport security patches.

Normally the ROM maintainers volition keep a list of what features of the phone work with the ROM. It's quite mutual to detect that some features don't work, or only partially piece of work, with a ROM, particularly those based on a version of Android that the phone manufacturer has non released for your device. Sometimes the issue might non carp you, depending on how you use your phone, and sometimes it might be a dealbreaker for yous (east.g. the camera doesn't work.)

ROM Checklist:

Based on supported Android base version?
Security updates incorporated into ROM?
How much of your phone works with the ROM?

Rooting your device

In order to flash your ROM, y'all'll beginning need to root your device (or unlock your bootloader and install a custom recovery - nosotros'll stick with rooting for now). In a nutshell, rooting means gaining administrator privileges to the device in order to allow you to do whatever you desire to information technology.

Gaining root admission isn't without repercussions, and so only practice it if you are comfortable with what it means for your telephone. As Uncle Ben told us, with cracking power comes great responsibility. It volition also more than than likely void any warranty you have, if you're nevertheless within one, and make you a persona non grata with whatsoever official tech back up.

AndroidCentral has a good article - Everything you need to know nigh rooting your Android - that covers what rooting means, and some points to consider before you practise it.

Rooting can be very specific to each manufacturer and each individual device - so the best advice once more is to exercise a search for your specific telephone, east.g. 'rooting sony xperia z1 compact'.

Flashing the ROM

Once you have your ROM, and your device has been rooted, you tin wink your ROM.

Here exist fifty-fifty more dragons than earlier. There's a chance you might brick your phone (i.e. put it into a non-working land, and then it becomes every bit useful as a brick) if something goes incorrect when you are flashing the ROM. Quite often there'due south a way to recover from such a disaster, but it tin can be frustrating, time-consuming, and a fiddling bit scary. Even when you get the flashing to work, you might start upwards your phone and detect that some apps no longer work for you properly. Or parts of your phone might no longer work. You might somewhen detect, that later on 3 hours of flashing blood, sweat, and tears (hopefully no blood) that yous are better off reverting back to where y'all were beforehand.

Having said all that, when it goes right, flashing tin leave you lot with a device that is fresher, snappier, more up-to-date, less bloated, and generally nicer all-round.

Either way, always, Always, make a comprehensive backup of what is on your phone before you attempt to flash a new ROM. Yous should already be bankroll up whatever important files and documents that you keep on your telephone (e.g. photos), but on pinnacle of that, before doing whatsoever flashing, yous should accept a NANDroid recovery backup. This is a total image of your phone that you can use to restore back to should annihilation become incorrect. Find out more than at What Is A Nandroid Backup and How Exactly Does Information technology Work?

Again, the details of flashing the ROM can vary from device to device. A search is your friend here (e.g. flashing sony xperia z1 compact, or oftentimes you will find a step-by-step guide on the XDA forum thread where you found the ROM in the first place.

Source: https://wiki.restarters.net/Custom_ROMs

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