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One of Android’s biggest advantages over Apple devices is the ability to run customized and modified versions of the operating system to get both cosmetic changes and access to features and lower-level workings of your device.
Custom ROMs give you more choice and control with your device, plus they can give you access to the latest Android releases on phones that are no longer supported.
What Is an Android ROM?
Have you ever noticed that Android on a Samsung phone is different than an LG or Motorola one? That’s because anyone can take the base Android system, modify and customize it, and make it their own.
Phone manufacturers do it all the time, but so do independent developers. Android ROMs are just custom versions of Android made by independent developers.
Sometimes, these indie developers are just a single person, repackaging the Android code from Google. More often, though, they’re entire development projects or even non-profit foundations.
They create ROMs to add features and customization options to Android. Custom ROMs also support devices that may not be supported by their manufacturers anymore. Usually, ROMs give you more control over your phone.
These ROMs represent the best you can find to increase the functionality of your Android device.
Ever wish you could get all the latest features from the Google Pixel phones without having to pay up for this year’s new Pixel? Well, the Pixel Experience ROM has you covered. Pixel Experience aims to replicate the exact version of Android that you’d get with a brand new Pixel from Google.
Pixel Experience is essentially stock Android at its core. They try to keep it as vanilla as possible to replicate the unmodified Android Open Source Project release from Google. Then, they add in all the extras that come exclusively to Pixel devices on top of that. The result is something that looks and feels a lot like a Google Pixel phone, on your device.
The main downside of the Pixel Experience ROM is its limited support. There aren’t many phones that they cover officially. Unofficially, you’ll find Pixel Experience builds all over the XDA forums, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to turn whichever phone you have into a Pixel.
What We Like
Very stable.
Wide device support.
Long running reputation.
Easy updates.
A list like this wouldn’t be complete without mentioning LineageOS. It’s easily the largest custom ROM project in the world today, and it has a massive following. In fact, it’s also the ROM most other developers use as the basis of their own creations.
LineageOS started out in the early days of Android as CyanogenMod, and it exploded in popularity to the point that it eventually became a full-fledged company. Unfortunately, that all but killed the independent CyanogenMod ROM, leaving a team of developers to branch off and create a new spin on the old favorite.
LineageOS is known to be stable, and it runs across a wide range of devices. The developers are constantly working to improve their ROM, and new releases are constantly rolling out in a timely manner. When it comes to ROMs, LineageOS is as professional a project as you’re going to find, and the quality shows.
When you’re looking for customization, there’s nothing better than Resurrection Remix. This ROM is built from the ground up with customization in mind. Nearly every aspect of your device’s interface can be tweaked and modified to your style.
With that kind of focus, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Resurrection Remix was started by a UX designer. This popular project has actually been around for quite a while, and earned its place among the top ROMs, both in terms of quality and popular opinion.
Resurrection Remix supports a wide range of devices and focuses on stability. They don’t overextend themselves or leave supported devices without updates for long. You can always expect a complete and polished experience.
BlissRoms is a non-profit project that follows in the footsteps of LineageOS. Like Lineage, BlissRoms creates an entirely new Android based operating system for your device, similarly to a Linux distribution. BlissRoms tries to support as many devices as they can, and they’re working to provide tools for individuals to extend support.
The BlissRoms developers are constantly working to provide the latest releases of Android, quickly updating as soon as a new version or new enhancements are available.
Because BlissRoms is its own spin on Android, it has a distinct look and feel to set it apart. It has a unique icon theme and a focus on clean design. In addition to design, BlissRoms also aims to improve both performance and security over standard Android releases.
What We Like
Simple and stable.
Clean design.
What We Don’t Like
Very limited support.
Seems a little plain.
OmniROM takes an interesting middle ground approach that’s made it more and more popular over the years. Instead of going with stock Android or customizing everything through the roof, OmniROM created its own clean and minimal styling, similar to stock Android but uniquely its own.
OmniROM is built for stability, functionality, and simplicity. The interface is clean and free from a lot of the clutter you find on manufacturer Android builds. At the same time, OmniROM provides the customization options common for custom ROMs.
OmniROM does support a decent range of devices, but its support really could be better. With no official support for the vast majority of Samsung and LG devices, you’d practically need to purchase a phone specifically to run it.
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