The world of custom ROMs is
very much like marketing — filled with flashy words and false promises. You
need to ignore the buzz, read the fine print and then decide which custom ROM
is correct for you. Below, we list down a few tips that should help you in
finding custom ROMs and deciding which one you should install on your device.
Ignore the buzzwords
Any custom ROM thread or
website that you come across will be filled with a lot of buzz words like
“zip-aligned”, “GPU rendering”, “best battery life” and more. This is the
developer way of attracting the reader’s attention and increasing his user
base. However, you should keep in mind that most, if not all, of these
buzzwords hardly make a huge difference in usability or performance. It is
better to just ignore them and focus on the feedback from other users and the
ROM’s feature set.
Focus on what you want
Every custom ROM’s feature page
is going to be endlessly big. The developers will list down all the features,
including the minor ones, so as to impress potential users. Don’t get blown
away by the list and instead just look for the options you want. If it is not
present in that ROM, you should move on to the next one that is available for
your device.
Read the comments
Always, always read the
comments made by other users in a ROM thread. This will give you valuable
feedback as to how good it is, whether it has some serious bugs or not and how
it performs. If possible, make sure to give your feedback as well as it would
help other users.
Stability vs. Features
In our first post of the custom
ROM 101 series, we explained to our readers about thedifferent types of
custom ROMs available — Stock
firmware based and AOSP based. The former ones are light on features but are
more stable while the latter are loaded with features but can be unstable. The
type of custom ROM you want is perhaps the first thing that you should decide
on before you start looking for them.
Alright! Where can I actually find custom ROMs for my device?
There really is one source in
this big world of Internet for custom ROMs for nearly all the available Android
device — XDA Developer Forums. Simply head over to
your device sub-forum on XDA to find a plethora of custom ROMs compatible with
it. While you may come across a few websites that list all the available custom
ROMs for a particular device, chances are the list is outdated by quite a few
months, which is a lot of time in the custom ROM scene.
For some big AOSP ROMs like
AOKP, CyanogenMod and Paranoid Android, you can find the download links over at
their official websites as well. However, then you will be devoid of all the
precious feedback from other users, that might just save you a headache.
How do you decide on a custom
ROM? Drop in a comment and let us know!
Over the last few weeks, we
have written several guides about rooting and custom ROMs — what are they,
their advantages/disadvantages and some tips that you should keep in mind
during the whole procedure. Below is a quick roundup of the whole series,
just in case you missed the individual articles.
Rooting
What is it? Wondering
what rooting is and how will it benefit you? Read this post to know.
Things to before rooting: Before
you jump to rooting your device, make sure to follow these tips. They will help
in making the whole process of rooting relatively easier for you.
Glossary: Here
is a glossary of all the terms that you might come across while trying to root
your device.
Finding the source: There
are a variety of sources where you can find a rooting guide for your device but
keep in mind that sometimes, the whole process of rooting is simply not worth
it.
The best root apps:
Rooted your device? Here are the top apps that you can now run on it.
Custom ROMs
What are they and how are they
useful? In a nutshell, custom ROMs are a modified firmware for your
device. They are a great way of improving the performance and stability, while
also adding new features. This article explains it in more details.
Things to do before and after: Just
like rooting, there are a lot of things that you need to do before as well as
after installing a custom ROM.
Difference compared to rooting
and flashing mods: Wondering how exactly is installing a
custom ROM different from rooting and how are they interconnected? This article
should help clear all your doubts.
Deciding on a custom ROM: Learn
how to avoid all the marketing buzzwords and decide on a custom ROM for your
device.
The best ROMs available: There
are quite a few custom ROMs available out there but only a few of them standout
from the crowd with their right mix of features and tweaks.
How did you find the series?
Did we miss anything? Drop in a comment and do let us know!
Credit:androidbeat.com
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