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After the abandonment of Cyanogen to the Open Source project, what are the alternatives to Cyanogenmod? These are the best free projects to consider.
One of the most painful losses of Android in 2016 has been Cyanogenmod. The famous ROM ceases its development, and today we review the most important custom ROM projects of the moment.
Who was going to tell us that one day we would have to say goodbye to Cyanogenmod, a ROM that has been with us since the beginning of Android, being one of the most important on the scene? With its closure, we have to look ahead and think, Now what?
Those users who have Cyanogenmod surely want to continue using it in the short term, but the truth is that if we want to continue receiving new versions and security updates, we will have to look for a new ROM. These are our alternatives.
Cyanogenmod will live through Lineage OS
Cyanogenmod was not developed exclusively by the Cyanogen company, but a large part of the project was supported by the community. Independent developers have made Cyanogenmod a reference in the world of ROMs, and Lineage OS is the new project that will continue the legacy of Cyanogenmod.
They have already announced that they will continue where they left off, and have opened a website for their new project, continuing with a project that will continue to live even if it does not have the support of Cyanogen. Although there is no ROM yet, it is a project that we cannot put aside.
OmniROM
One of the most troubling moments in Cyanogenmod’s life was when the development team itself became a company. Many were those who doubted Cyanogen at that time and created their own ROM that moved away from the interests of companies.
OmniROM has never stood out too much, but the truth is that it is a very good ROM, with customization options and some features created by them such as the famous OmniSwitch. Although there is no download link on their website, the source code is available so that anyone can adapt it to a phone.
SlimRoms
SlimRoms is another of the longest-running ROMs on the Android scene. It is a ROM that has always focused on efficiency, seeking to have fairly low consumption of resources, without having to put customization aside.
They mainly offer support for some HTC, Samsung, Nexus, OnePlus, and Motorolas, but when an open software project we can find unofficial versions for other devices in forums such as XDA.
Mokee
One of the most developed communities is Mokee. It is one of the projects with the greatest resemblance to Cyanogenmod. Not only is the download section quite similar, but they also include support for a large number of devices that receive almost daily updates.
To download the versions we will only have to go to the project website and search for the specific device. In addition to the officially supported ones, there are unofficial versions based on the project’s source code, although they are less common.
Resurrection Remix
One of the ROMs that is getting the most talk lately is Resurrection Remix. It is undoubtedly one of the ROMs with the greatest customization capacity, which also stands out for having excellent performance and good battery consumption.
Another of the great strengths of Resurrection Remix is the wide support of terminals that they have. If you search on their website, you will surely find your phone and you can download the ROM for your phone, taking into account that the terminals are organized by their code name (for example, the Nexus 6 is Shamu), so it is more difficult to search.
The Pure Nexus Project
This is perhaps one of the ROMs that spans fewer devices, but it is noteworthy. If you like ROMs, you like Nexus, and if you have a Nexus you will know The Pure Nexus Project.
It is a team that creates ROMs exclusively for the Nexus. These ROMs are based on the Nexus source code, so stability is guaranteed. The remarkable thing about these ROMs is that they remove all Google add-ons, keeping the Nexus experience as pure as possible.
Small communities
XDA Developers is the home of the ROM cooks.
But this does not end here. Large development teams indeed are the most important for many users who frequently change phones (since knowing the ROM, we feel more confident in those teams), but there is another interesting aspect in the Android scene, and they are the small communities.
Depending on the phone we have, there will be more or fewer cooks wanting to create a custom ROM for said mobile. One of the main advantages of Android projects being open source is that each developer can create their own Fork of a ROM, adding small changes, adding more diversity.
Although Cyanogenmod is no longer with us, custom ROMs still have a lot to offer