this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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Simple question really! Are any of you running a Custom ROM? Furthermore, are any of you running a De-Googled ROM?

Why do you run your custom ROM, and what are the drawbacks?

(page 2) 50 comments
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

VoidUI (not de googled) because:

  1. the main reason is so I can keep using my phone beyond the official SW support period, I would be stuck on A10 if I stayed with stock
  2. The phone started to feel a little bit slow after 2 years
  3. Unlocked some of the performance that was left on the table with more to be unlocked!
  4. No bloatware

The drawbacks:

  1. The camera experience is orders of magnitude worse
  2. Goodbye iris scanner :'(
  3. Goodbye S-Pen features
  4. Goodbye Samsung notes
  5. Goodbye to the much better split screen and floating window implementation
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

GrapheneOS on Pixel 6a

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

ArrowOS 13.1 on my POCO F3 and Xiaomi Pad 5

GApps version btw, because I just hate MIUI and love AOSP.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Would if I could, but I cannot.

I have "debloated" as much as I can, which includes a fair amount of Google stuff. I don't have a Google account.

No drawbacks. In fact, if anyone, like me, is unable to root their phone or install a different ROM, the simple process of using adb to "uninstall" the apps nets you a few more hours of battery per charge.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I haven't run a custom ROM in years. I pretty much stopped using them when I started buying unlocked global phones that didn't have carrier bloatware on them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Yes to all questions. Only drawback I can recall is my banking app refusing to pass Safetynet but the website works good enough.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Using LineageOS on my Moto G7 since I got it, no GApps at all. I plan to use it till the battery gives out and then get myself a latest Pixel and install GrapheneOS on it. De-googled Android is probably the best compromise of privacy/functionality you can get, Linux phones sadly are just not there in both hardware and software and I have no desire to trap myself in Apple's walled garden prison.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

crDroid (android 13), no Google anything, no microG, works fine. I have a 6 year old phone and this is the only way to run current software. ran lineageOS 18 before this, nuked it when charging was acting out; wasn't its fault.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Nope. Pixel 6 Pro.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I used to. I haven't been able to find a good custom ROM for my current phone (LG V60).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Running de-googled Lineage OS (Android 10 equivalent version). Biggest drawback for me is maps. I make do with OSMAnd+ but I have to search on Google Maps, get the coordinates and paste into OSMAnd+. Other than that no issues

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Running /e/ OS on a 1+ 7 Pro

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

On my current phone, no, because I want to be able to use Google Wallet and pay with it. On my old phones yes I unlock bootloader and install some kind of custom ROM to play with them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I run lineage os

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I'm running LineageOS on a Moto G42. I bought this device with LOS in mind (also it is one of the very few devices with headphone jack and MicroSD slot). So far I'm happy. I always rooted/custom flashed every device since 2012. I'm no longer rooting anymore though. Shizuku is sufficient for my needs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I use GrapheneOS on my Pixel 5, even though I didn't want to use Custom ROMs anymore.

I run it mainly because of sandboxed Play Services (i. e. Google services running as a user application with much less capabilities, instead of a system application, like with the factory image) and the additional functionality, which includes the ability to revoke network and sensor permissions for any app.

One of the reasons I decided to flash it, instead of remaining on the factory image, was that it behaves like the factory image once it is installed. Meaning the bootloader is closed and I don't have to ever worry about updates (manually flashing the latest firmware files or the latest gapps, etc.). It even has automatic system updates, meaning it installs system updates whenever I am not using the phone. So while I'm asleep my phone is updating itself and the next morning I start the day with the latest GrapheneOS release. Very convenient!

I still download apps primarily from the Play Store (auto updates also work for those apps!) and use F-Droid only for apps that aren't available there (due to F-Droid signing most apps with their own key). But, since the Play Services and the Play Store run as a user app, I am at least able to take all permissions away from them, which should reduce the amount of data that can be collected by them.

There are drawbacks though, one of them is the lack of Pixel features. Those missing features include adaptive charging and sound output improvements, which results in degraded speaker quality on GrapheneOS, especially with newer Pixel phones (verified on a Pixel 7).

In the future I hope to ditch Android altogether on my main phone and switch to a Linux phone (and have a cheap Android phone, or a compatibility layer, for disrespectful companies, like banks or EV charging providers, that force me to install an Android or iOS app), but I haven't seen the right Linux phone hardware for me yet. I plan to replace my Pixel 5 when Android 15 releases (as Android 14 is the last major update for it), so maybe I can switch to a Linux phone by then. :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I'm running LineageOS for many years now, currently using LineageOS4MicroG on a Motorola because I really need good GPS.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I run LineageOS on my Nexus 6, to get ongoing security updates. I also keep one other sacrificial phone running stock android with bootloader locked, so no more security updates, but I don't run anything on it but my banking app, since it's too insecure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I am running Paranoid Android Topaz 4 on my OnePlus 7T. No fancy features, but very stable. Just like Roman Empire.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (8 children)

I don't see enough DivestOS here. It's basically LineageOS, but actually more private and secure. Though it explicitely doesn't support any way of emulating Play Services, which can obviously be a dealbreaker for some.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I just recently joined the DivestOS clan! I do kind of miss a few of the customisation options I had in my last ROM, crDroid, but overall I'm finding it a little more stable and I'm generally very happy with it. In particular, I like the inclusion of Mull for the app browser and Mulch for the system webview browser.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Even Mike Kuketz likes it, which says something. He's a german cybersecurity expert who's been looking at several custom roms over the last months. This is his article on DivestOS:

https://www.kuketz-blog.de/divestos-datenschutzfreundlich-und-erhoehte-sicherheit-custom-roms-teil5/

Well, if you can read German

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Lol, Google Translate doesn't seem to want to load that site. I'd like to think that's intentional on Mike's part.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Could very well be, he has a very strict stance on what data traffic he considers okay

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I really want Motorola mobility to allow relocking the bootloader but until then I'm stuck with lineage os

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Yes, AlphaDroid (Android 13)

Honestly the names mean almost nothing, custom ROMs with new names come out all the time and get discontinued all the time. Just need to find the stable one for your specific device and with the features you want. I use custom ROMs mainly because I get much better battery life and performance compared to stock ROMs which are bloated and slow in my case.

The drawback is mainly you should be tech savvy and be willing to do trial and error/tinkering a lot. But once you find a good ROM you'll probably stay a long time and if the dev is good you'll get consistent updates.

There's also the banking apps problem some people have. With most new ROMs these days, banking apps should work out of the box. Now if you root your phone that's what apps try to detect but it's pretty easy to get around after research (again tinkering). It's a cat and mouse game. If they change something you'll have to update your method of hiding root or Magisk. At the moment I'm using banking apps just fine without them detecting root.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I run degoogled LineageOS

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Yes, lineage OS without Google. Everytging still works fine, even playstore with Autor store frontend

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Not at the moment. I would love to run lineageOS, etc, but I keep buying phones they don't support, and at this stage, most of the things I used to need rooting for are no longer as necessary for me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I installed LineageOS 20 a few days ago and I love it. I wanted to extend my OnePlus 6t lifetime but needed my bank apps so it is not de-googled (yet). I don't know if it because of the custom ROM or just a factory reset but I am trying to run as many as possible foss apps and preparing for a de-googled experience

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Depends, is OxygenOS considered custom? I'm running a rooted and largely (manually) degoogled stock version.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

For privacy, I thought about running a de googled custom ROM. Then I did some risk assessments of common apps and realized that every app relies on multiple libraries and these libraries all have telemetry. Even major apps that you would think kick down their user data so bit even consider the data being hovered up by the libraries.

This means that there are probably 20+ data agrogators constantly pulling your data unless you don't install a single app on your phone. Next option is a dumb phone, but even the "dumb phones" at the store are just Android with a locked down UI.

I consider it a lost cause at this point.

If you want privacy, buy some land in the mountains, put a big tarp over it, and never leave. :(

If you want more control over the OS to do things that users usually can't do, than it makes sense to root.

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