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The first Android 12-based custom ROMs are ready for you to install
And it hasn't even been three days
Google recently uploaded the stable release of Android 12 to the AOSP. While that was great to see, what we didn't end up getting alongside it were new Android 12 builds for Pixel phones. But while Google didn't step up with those, an open-source release means that OEMs can now start working on updates for their own handsets. It also happens to be exactly what indepdent developers need to create some Android 12 custom ROMs. Well, some devs seem to have gotten to work immediately, and now the first Android 12-based custom ROMs are already here.
LineageOS arrives to trick out your Pixel 5a
For those who want to go a step further than Google's software
LineageOS not only helps older and lower-end phones get a taste of the latest Android, but it also provides even more capable devices with an alternative firmware option. In the case of phones that arrive with their own skins, like models from Samsung and Xiaomi, LineageOS offers an opportunity to enjoy some stock-looking Android. If you just bought an all-new Pixel 5a and want to install LineageOS on it, now you can do so, as builds are becoming available.
Samsung cripples the Galaxy Z Fold3 if you unlock the bootloader
Don't do it if you like having a phone that takes photos
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 is an amazing smartphone that marks a lot of firsts for the company. You get an under-screen front-facing camera in the device's foldable 7.6-inch display, and a rear triple camera setup as well. And if you like having those cameras, you know, actually functioning, then you probably don't want to unlock your bootloader. Samsung is taking an odd measure to prevent people from modding its phones: if you unlock the Z Fold3's bootloader, the camera functionality will be completely crippled.
This Google Discover hack has us yearning for the Google Now of old
Remember when the feed was actually useful?
Once upon a time, the screen to the left of the homescreen on Google's Nexus phones and tablets was called Google Now, and it was a genuinely useful feed full of contextual information about things like your commute, upcoming calendar appointments, package deliveries, and so on. This eventually went away as the screen, now Google Discover, was turned into a news feed. There's now a way to get it back, but it's unfortunately limited to those using Xposed on a rooted device.
OnePlus appears to have silently and slightly upgraded some OnePlus 8Ts. Reports indicate that some recently purchased versions of the phone are now shipping with LPDDR5 RAM, a bump over the LPDDR4X RAM originally included and which OnePlus advertises. While the newer memory is technically "faster," the bigger effect is on enthusiasts that might be rooting and ROMing.
Lineage OS the premiere custom Android ROM, and one of the best things about it is that it's constantly expanding. Over the last few weeks the distributed team has added no less than sixteen new phones and tablets from a handful of vendors.
TWRP support expands to include even more Samsung, Motorola, and Sony phones
There's even an option for the 2019 Nvidia Shield TV
The last big release for the TeamWin Recovery Project was back in January, with the debut of TWRP 3.5. In addition to following some of the smaller tweaks to land since then, we've also been keeping an eye on the ever-expanding stable of devices that support the custom recovery solution. When we last checked in, that included some major handsets like the Pixel 4 and international Galaxy Note 10. Now we've got a lot more to add to that list with TWRP support arriving for a whole host of phones from Samsung, Motorola, and others.
Google hires an Android community rooting guru
Magisk developer John Wu now works for the Android Platform Security team
Magisk developer Hung-Lin "John" Wu (aka topjohnwu at many venues) has just started working for Google — on the Android Platform Security team, no less. For those without the context to pick up on the irony, that means John Wu is now working for the group inside Google that Magisk and SafetyNet-circumventing Magisk Hide have been playing cat and mouse with for the last several years.
The OnePlus 6 and 6T just got Android 11 from LineageOS before OnePlus itself
Nightly builds for both devices are now available
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We've all had a phone reach a premature death, running out of software updates well before the device is actually too slow to be used. Thankfully, the custom ROM community helps keep your old gadgets alive, and there's no better ROM out right now than LineageOS. The open-source project brought Android 11 to nearly 60 phones earlier this month, and two more are about to be added to the list. The OnePlus 6 and 6T have picked up Android 11 courtesy of LineageOS, with nightly builds for both now available.
Magisk is ending legacy support for some older versions of Android
v22 releases will be the last to support Jelly Bean and KitKat
A couple of months back, the popular root solution Magisk picked up a big update that unified the Magisk Manager app and Magisk itself into a single convenient package in v22, which would be the last version to support Android versions prior to 5.0. Ahead of that change, v22 is getting a minor .1 revision with a handful of fixes and improvements, including a brand new log writer.
Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
Going Google-less: How to install a custom Android ROM with no Google apps or services
microG is almost a perfect Play Services replacement
If you're an Android user, Google has a scary amount of information on you, and matters get worse if you're deeply embedded in the company's app ecosystem — getting locked out of your Google account can have serious consequences then. Thankfully, Android is open source, so it's possible to evade Google without having to leave the platform altogether — just look at Amazon's tablets or Huawei's Google-less phones. But if you'd rather be completely independent from big corporations, going for a free and open-source custom ROM built on top of Android's core might be the best solution.I personally accept that there's always going to be some inherent privacy trade-off when you're using an always-connected mobile device that you carry with you everywhere you go, but I'm curious if there's a way to remove the ad company from the equation. It's probably still not feasible to use nothing but open-source apps, but you might be delighted to learn that it's possible to reduce your dependency on a single data aggregator like Google.
TeamWin updates TWRP to 3.5.1, Android 11 support coming soon
They're calling it a 'mini release' with a few notable feature improvements
The evergreen TeamWin Recovery Project received a sizable update to 3.5 back in December. Late last night they posted 3.5.1, which they're calling a "mini release," waiting for full support for Android 11. Most of the changes are housekeeping and small support additions, now split into two branches for Android 9 and 10.
Many older Android enthusiasts that dabbled in rooting or ROMing in the last decade may nostalgically remember Dirty Unicorns. Sadly, after today, all that will be left of the name are those memories, as Dirty Unicorns has decided to shut down.
New v22.0 update merges Magisk and Magisk Manager app
Samsung's Galaxy S21 series is now supported too
If you've ever rooted your Android phone to modify system components, chances are, you've come across Magisk, which allows for systemless root access. Developer John Wu has constantly updated it to ensure it works just as well and goes undetected by Google's SafetyNet. The tool is now being updated to version 22.0, which introduces support for the Samsung Galaxy S21 series and kills the Magisk Manager as we know it.
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, as it has extended the life of many phones and tablets that would have otherwise been abandoned. Even for phones still receiving software updates from the original manufacturer, Lineage can sometimes work better than the stock software, and it's a popular option for 'de-Googling' Android devices. Since our last roundup, several more phones have been added to the official Android 10 build roster (and a few have been removed).
LineageOS 17.1 adds support for OnePlus Nord, 2013 Nexus 7, and more
The Android 10-based custom ROM rolls out to more devices
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, and for good reason. It has extended the life of many phones and tablets that would have otherwise been abandoned, and even for phones still receiving software updates from the original manufacturer, Lineage can sometimes work better than the stock software. Since our last roundup, LineageOS 17.1 has arrived on eight more devices, including the OnePlus Nord and 2013 Google Nexus 7.
TWRP v3.5 lands with more Android 10 enhancements, adds 16 devices to official roster
TWRP is splitting up development into two branches
TeamWin Recovery Project, or TWRP for short, is a custom recovery partition often used together with custom ROMs and/or rooting. It can help you create full device backups, install new ROMs, and troubleshoot broken software. TWRP v3.4 was released in June with limited Android 10 support, and now TWRP 3.5 is rolling out to all supported devices.
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Although Motorola has been slow to roll out Android 10 to most of its devices globally, the company is at least keeping developers happy with steady kernel source releases. Over the past few weeks, Motorola has released updated source code packages for most of its phones, accelerating the creation of custom ROMs and recovery partitions.
LineageOS 17.1 arrives on the OnePlus 5T, Galaxy S5, Fxtec Pro¹, and others
Fresh off the build servers
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, bringing new Android updates to abandoned phones, and a stock-like experience (with or without Google software) to newer devices. The last time we covered the project, it added support for a handful of phones from Huawei, Sony, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. Since then, many more devices have made their way to the official roster.