Despite the developments and continuous improvements of the software interfaces present on Android devices, installing a custom ROM on the smartphone is still an operation that involves and thrills a good slice of savvy and geek users, eager to customize the device they own to their liking. .
Installing a custom ROM on your smartphone: the advantages and disadvantages
The possibility of changing the skin of your device, eliminating the so-called bloatware (the proprietary apps of manufacturers impossible to uninstall except by enabling root permissions, ed ), applying additional features or, on the contrary, more suited to simplicity and all he immediacy of Android stock are absolutely preponderant factors for a niche of users. Sure, moddingrequires a minimum of knowledge and if something does not go the right way, the risk of even serious malfunctions is practically taken for granted. Added to this is the general loss of the legal guarantee in the presence of operations such as unlocking the bootloader and modifying the terminal software. We therefore advise against proceeding for those who are beginners and are not familiar with what we are going to illustrate.
Premise
In this article we will explain what are the basic steps to install a custom ROM on your smartphone . It must be borne in mind that there is not a single “universal” software customization valid for all devices on the market, but instead there are many single facets specially made for a specific device. There is the one more oriented to Android stock (such as, for example, the LineageOS or the Pixel Experience), or the real porting of the UI created by the various manufacturers for their smartphones (the MIUI of Xiaomi, the OxygenOS of OnePlus, Samsung’s OneUI and so on).
One of the preliminary steps will be in the search for the custom ROM specifically created for the smartphone in possession. But how? It will be sufficient to first know the model number of the terminal – just go to the settings and scroll to the phone information – and then look for one of the customizations that suits you best. One of the reference platforms for modding enthusiasts is the XDA forum, a place where you can look for the best custom ROMs to install on your smartphone. But be careful, the important thing is that the customization chosen has been developed specifically for that specific device with that specific model number, under penalty of bricking the device.
The requirements
To install a custom ROM on the smartphone, the following requirements must be met:
- Unlocking the bootloader
- A custom recovery like TWRP
- A zip file containing the Google Apps, absent on all software customizations other than the Pixel Experience
- A computer and familiar with ADB commands
Step # 1: Unlocking the bootloader
Before unlocking the bootloader it is good to make a backup of important smartphone data. After that, you will need to install ADB on your computer , taking care to press the Y key at each question prompted by the system. We refer you to our in-depth analysis dedicated to installing ADB and Fastboot on Windows . We premise immediately that unlocking the bootloader is a general operation but that, for some smartphones (for example those branded Xiaomi ), it remains unavoidably subject to obtaining a special key requested by the user from the parent company. At this address you can consult our guide to unlock the blootloader on Xiaomi devices.
The second step will consist in enabling USB Debugging mode on your smartphone. To do this, you must first connect the device to the PC via cable and go to the settings, scroll to the phone info, quickly click seven times on the “Build Number” item to unlock the secret category of ” Developer options “. Now you will have to enter the new category created, activate the USB Debugging and, if present, also the item “Unlock OEM”. At this point, a window will open on the smartphone: check the affirmative to “hook” the device to the computer.
At this point, open the command prompt on the computer and type the string adb device to verify that the PC correctly sees the smartphone. If a string of numbers appears it means that the device has been recognized, otherwise it will be necessary to repeat the steps, as something may not have gone right.
Type adb reboot bootloader and then fastboot oem unlock . At this point it may be that the smartphone screen will ask for confirmation of the operation: just move with the volume keys and click on the Unlock bootloader item. Wait for the procedure to be completed.
Step # 2: Download the GApps
This is a step that unites most of the custom ROMs, since they do not have the Google services active from the factory and you will therefore have to install them separately. This operation does not apply to the Pixel Experience, which already has Google services built into it.
You can download the GApps from this page , setting the Android version on which the custom ROM you want to install on the smartphone is based. There are many GApps to choose from and they vary depending on the number of applications present in the Google ecosystem: we recommend leaving the default “stock” set (which will basically download the Google app package present at the factory on the Pixel and Nexus ); however, if you want to reduce the presence of Big G applications on your smartphone to the bone, you can still choose the “micro” or “mini” versions. Once the download has been launched, you will then have to transfer the zip package downloaded on the PC to the internal memory of the smartphone.
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Step # 3: Download the custom ROM
We repeat this at the cost of being trivial: it is of fundamental importance to choose the custom ROM that best suits your device. Take a good look at the smartphone model number and only then proceed with the search and download of the custom ROM, which must be developed specifically for your smartphone and for that specific model number. Otherwise the risk of brick is around the corner and with it the impossibility of being able to use the device. Once the custom ROM has been downloaded, you will need to insert the relative zip file into the memory of the device.
Step # 3.1: Download the TWRP
Also download the TWRP suitable for your terminal: go to the appropriate page , enter the name of your smartphone and proceed with the download. Rename the TWRP downloaded on your PC to a simpler name (for example, TWRP.img) and copy it into your computer’s ADB folder.
Now start the device in recovery mode: you can perform a combination of keys that varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, or a so-called “generalist” procedure that involves entering the string adb reboot recovery via the command prompt (the smartphone dev ‘be obviously connected to the PC). For Samsung devices, however, the installation of TWRP takes place only through the Odin software.
To install TWRP it will be necessary to go to the folder where the ADB files were installed, open the command prompt with administrator privileges and type the strings adb reboot bootloader , then fastboot flash recovery TWRP.img .
A very important step is related to the first start of TWRP. Due to the security mechanisms adopted on the new smartphones it is possible, in fact, that the TWRP is deleted and the factory recovery of Android restored instead, with consequent annoyance and the need to have to redo the procedure to install the TWRP. To avoid all this you will have to press the volume up and the power button of the smartphone at the same time: keep it pressed until the TWRP logo appears.
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Step 4 #: create a Nandroid backup
This is not a mandatory step but certainly recommended in the event that something does not go the right way. Once the TWRP has been started for the first time on the smartphone, click on the ” Backup ” section and select the following items:
- System
- Vendor
- Date
- Boot
Now scroll to “Swipe to backup”. In the event of problems that prevent Android from loading, you can then enter recovery mode and do a complete restore by clicking on the “Restore” item.
Step 4.1 #: Install the custom ROM
Now that you have entered TWRP on your smartphone, you have backed up and chosen the custom ROM, you will have to proceed with the installation of the customization. Select the item “Wipe” in the main recovery screen, then click on “Advanced wipe”: you will need to select the following items:
- dalvik / ART cache
- cache
- system
- vendor
- date
Scroll to “Swipe to wipe” and wait for the procedure to complete.
Go back to the TWRP main page, click on “Install”, select the GApps zip file and proceed with the installation. Then do the same thing to install the custom ROM . Once the procedure is complete, enter the TWRP main page again and reboot the system to start the smartphone with your new customization for the first time.
