One of things we love most about Android is the ease in which you can test out any version of the OS at any time. Three of the forks in this guide are available as ROMs that you can flash onto many devices. Even when they aren’t available officially, lots of devices have unofficial builds of these ROMs, created by individual developers. To test out CyanogenMod on your phone you’ll need to have an unlocked bootloader and for your device to be rooted. This process is different for every phone, so check xda-developers.com for a guide for your device. Also, download the CyanogenMod build for
your device and save it to internal storage. Rooting should also involve installing a custom recovery, called TWRP, which is where we’ll begin. Follow along to get CyanogenMod on your phone.
Install a fork
1. Launch recovery
To begin you need to boot into Recovery
mode. How you do this depends on what device you are using, but it normally requires you to hold down one of the volume buttons and the power button at the same time. Follow any onscreen instructions to complete the boot.
2. Create a backup
The most important step in flashing a ROM
is creating an android backup first. You use this to restore your device to its previous state, along with all your data, apps and operating system version. Navigate to Backup and select at least Data and System.
3. Wipe the data
Once the backup is done — and it will take
a few minutes — you’re ready to start flashing the ROM. First, you will need to wipe your data. Navigate to Wipe and select System, data and Cache. Do not wipe Internal Storage, as you will lose all your saved files and photos.
4. Flash the ROM
In TWRP go to Install, then locate the
CyanogenMod ROM that you downloaded and saved to your internal storage. Select it, then swipe the screen when prompted to initiate the download. It’s a good idea to keep your phone plugged in while doing this.
5. Reboot
The flashing process takes a few minutes,
as does the first boot while the OS and its apps initialise. Don’t touch the phone while it’s happening. When done you will need to go through the Android setup screen again, adding your Wi-Fi network and Google account details to get started.
6. Restore
To revert back to your previous ROM and
data, boot into TWRP and tap the Restore button. Now select your Nandroid backup from the screen that opens. Again, the process takes a good few minutes to complete, so keep your phone charged and wait until before your restart your phone.
Enjoy New android OS
