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, customize, 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. 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 CyaogenMod 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. The Bliss 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 Bliss is its own spin on Android, it has a distinct look and feel to set it apart. Bliss has a unique icon theme, and a focus on clean design. In addition to design, Bliss also aims to improve both performance and security over standard Android releases. 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 exclusive 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. ASOP Extended is exactly what it sounds like, the Android Open Source Project extended slightly to provided a few more features. With ASOP Extended you get the same stable Android experience that you’d expect from Google with a bit more freedom to customize your device. Because ASOP Extended is so close to stock, they support a decent range of devices and put out new releases relatively quickly after Google launches them. 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 over extend themselves or leave supported devices without updates for long. You can always expect a complete and polished experience. 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 from custom ROMs. OmniROM does support a decent range of devices, but their 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.
