Ready to wake up your Android phone or tablet? With custom ROM flashing, you can constantly update your device and add a whole host of new features.
Of all the ways you can customize your Android phone, installing a custom ROM is by far the biggest. It can update an old device, allow you to focus on privacy and security, or give your phone a whole new look.
It is fairly practical but also very easy as long as you follow the instructions. So let's take a look at how to install a custom ROM.
Why install a custom ROM?
Being able to use custom ROMs is one of the greatest joys of Android. The custom ROM has a completely new build of the Android operating system. To be able to install - or flash, as it's known - a ROM offers huge advantages.
If your phone is no longer getting updates from the manufacturer, you can use the ROM to get the latest version of Android.
For phones with heavily custom software, you can install a custom ROM that gives you something akin to a "stored" Android experience.
If you like the features on devices from other manufacturers, you can often find a ROM that you port to your device.
If your phone is slow or has poor battery life, you can find ROMs that are optimized for speed or power consumption.
You can also get a Google ROM which is more focused on protecting your privacy.
You need a custom refund. This is a small piece of software that is used to create a backup and flash a ROM. In this guide, we will be using TWRP. A custom recovery is often installed when rooting is done.
You need an unlocked bootloader. Most phones ship with a locked bootloader, and you need to unlock it before you can overwrite system files. We have a guide on how to unlock the bootloader if you haven't already.
Turn on USB debugging. You can find the option to turn on USB debugging in the developer options panel of your phone.
Cancel protection. It is a good idea to disable your security settings before flashing the ROM, especially if you are using a fingerprint scanner.
Make a backup copy of your data. We will create a full backup during the flashing process, but it is also convenient to back up your data only with Titanium Backup. This requires root.
Charge your phone or plug it in. You really don't want your phone to run out of power halfway through flashing a ROM.
You can also prepare by checking these common issues to know when installing a custom ROM.
Download custom ROM
You also need a custom ROM. It's important to make sure you get one that's exactly compatible with your phone model.
Obviously you wouldn't do anything silly like trying to flash a Motorola ROM on a Samsung phone, but if you have the US version of a Samsung phone, it can be very easy to accidentally download a ROM designed for the international version of the same device. They may actually be categorized as different phones. Be sure you got the right thing!
The ROM will be downloaded as a .zip file. Save it somewhere on your phone's internal storage. With most ROMs, you may also need to download Google apps (GApps) in a separate zip file - you'll usually get links to these apps from wherever you download the ROM.
How to flash a custom ROM
The preferred way to flash a ROM is to do it manually through custom recovery. Although there are some apps in the Play Store that will automate the process, the best of them have long been abandoned, while the quality of others varies.
The manual approach gives you complete control over the process, and if something goes wrong, you'll find it much easier to unhack your phone if you understand what you're doing.
So let's get started. Make sure TWRP is installed then turn off the phone and start it in recovery mode. The way to do this varies from phone to phone, but usually involves holding down a combination of the power button and volume buttons, then following any onscreen instructions.
flash ROM
Once TWRP starts, you are ready to start flashing the ROM. Here are the steps:
Create a Nandroid backup. This is what you will use to return your phone to its previous state or to recover from any issues. Go to Backup and select the partitions you want to save. You can include them all, as it is possible to decide which parts to restore when the time comes.
Pull the tape to start, then wait several minutes for the backup process to complete.
Return to the home screen and select Erase. Slide the bar to reset your phone (it will not erase your internal storage). This step is optional, but not wiping your phone may cause ROM errors (this is called dirty flash). You should only erase if you are upgrading to a newer version of the same ROM.
Return to the TWRP main screen and select Install. Navigate your way to where you saved the ROM (the zip file).
Tap on the zip file to select it, then drag the bar to start the installation. The process may take a few minutes.
After it's completed, repeat step five with GApps zip if you need to.
Now restart your phone.
Don't panic if it seems to get stuck on the boot screen because the first boot after flashing the ROM is taking a little longer than usual.
If it eventually turns out that your Android won't turn on, take a look at our troubleshooting guide for possible solutions. After taking a Nandroid backup, you should always be able to restore it to get your phone up and running quickly.
Once your phone restarts, you'll need to restore your data and apps (assuming you cleared data as described above), and sign in to all of your services again. Most ROMs are pre-rooted, so if you use Titanium Backup, it will work without any additional steps. You are now ready to enjoy your new program.
Choose ROM to get started
All you need now is to find a decent ROM for testing. LineageOS is the most popular, and it has both official and unofficial builds for the largest number of devices. With a stock Android look, it's the best place to start for most people.
Other than that, we recommend browsing the XDA forums for your specific device to find a good custom ROM. As long as you keep a recent Nandroid backup on hand, there's no harm in testing several ROMs until you find one that works for you.
flash custom ROM
Installing a custom ROM may seem daunting at first, but once you understand the steps involved, it becomes second nature. A custom ROM opens your phone to a whole new world of customization, and it's fun to play with too.
They can even save you money in the long run, as you can get operating system and security updates long after your phone is officially out of support. Are you looking for more reasons to install a custom ROM on your Android device? Check out this list.
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