If you are reading this article, chances are you already know what custom ROMs are. Since Android is an open source project, it is easy for the developer community to compile the Android source code, add features and create a custom ROM. But how to install Android custom ROMs? What are the benefits of installing a ROM on the Android phone? Do you need to root to install Android ROM? Well, installing a custom firmware is a simple process. All you need is time, patience and of course a compatible custom ROM. Every Android OEM comes with a default custom skin called Stock ROM. Samsung phones come with OneUI, Xiaomi uses MIUI, Sony has Xperia UI, OnePlus has OxygenOS, Asus uses Zen UI / ROG UI, Oppo has ColorOS, etc.
While each brand offers different feature sets, you still don’t have the ability to access or modify system files and take full ownership of them. This is where you need to change Android ROMs and experience the full potential of your device. My advice is to keep the original operating system. Play with the UI and enjoy your phone without root. But if the Android skin bores you, install an Android ROM and find out the maximum performance of your phone. Also, if you don’t like the installed custom ROM, you can download and install another one. But be sure to download the ROM from a team of developers popular among custom ROMs if you want to this article you will find a list with the best Android custom ROMs.
Advantages of a custom ROM
- Get the latest version of Android
- Complete ownership and control of your device
- No bloatware
- Tons of customizations
- Fast updates from the ROM developers
- Improved battery life
Disadvantages of a custom ROM
- Safety issues
- Cancel your device warranty
- Hardware incompatibility
- Data loss
- Overclocking causes overheating problems
- No more official Android updates
- The quality of the camera may deteriorate
Prerequisites
How to install Android ROM with TWRP
- Download and transfer the custom ROM you want to install to your device’s memory.
- Boot your device into TWRP recovery.
- Select “Erase” from the TWRP main menu and execute “Scroll to Factory Reset” at the bottom of the screen. Note: this will reset your device to factory settings. If your custom ROM doesn’t require a factory reset, skip this step.
- Go back to the TWRP main menu, tap “Install” and select the cooked ROM .zip file you transferred to your device in step 1.
- After selecting the .zip file, “Swipe to install” at the bottom of the screen to begin the custom ROM installation process. This may take some time.
- Once your ROM has been successfully installed, you will see the “Clear cache / dalvik” option, select it and then “Swipe to cancel” at the bottom of the screen.
- Once the clearing of the cache and Dalvik is complete, press the “Back” button on the screen and then select the “Reboot System” button.
If the custom rom does not have Gapps, i.e. there are no Gmail, Chrome, Maps and all the rest of the Google apps, perform steps 4, 5 and 6 to install the Google applications on your Android phone. That’s all. Your device will now reboot with the Android ROM you just installed. As this will be the first reboot after installing a new ROM, it may take some time to rebuild the cache and complete the boot, be patient.