I spent a very good week with LineageOS, however I am completely happy to be accomplished with it

Method again within the day, I was a type of individuals who was consistently putting in new customized ROMs. I cherished attempting out all of the completely different forms of Android created by passionate groups and followers (or typically even a single individual) and discovering how they may enhance the platform. It obtained to the purpose the place I used to be selecting which of the finest Android telephones to purchase based mostly solely on whether or not or not it might be simply rooted and bootloader unlocked.

In some unspecified time in the future, although, I began to again away from all of it. Longer replace commitments from OEMs, a rise within the variety of distinctive options {that a} small growth staff couldn’t simply replicate, and the next degree of problem rooting/unlocking {hardware} pushed me away from the customized ROM group. At this level, I don’t even take into consideration customized ROMs when taking a look at Android telephones and tablets.

In early 2025, although, I made a decision to examine in with that group and see what was occurring. What’s it like having an unofficial model of Android on a cellphone nowadays? I made a decision to go together with the biggest and hottest ROM round: LineageOS, which rose from the ashes of CyanogenMod. I put in LineageOS on a Google Pixel 8 and used it for per week to see what it was like.

I’m going to inform you about what I cherished and didn’t love, however I’ll spoil the ending for you right here: I used to be glad to return to my common Pixel software program.

By far, the perfect factor about LineageOS is how “trim” it’s. If you first boot up after a contemporary set up, there’s nearly nothing there. You will have the important apps you want — browser, music participant, gallery app, sound recorder, and many others. — and that’s about it. For those who resolve to skip including Google app assist to your set up, the Play Retailer received’t even be there. This lack of “bloat” is refreshing.

That’s to not say there aren’t many options to discover. LineageOS 22.1 is predicated on Android 15, so it consists of all the most recent options Google has added to AOSP (aka inventory Android). For those who select to put in Google apps as properly, the working system consists of tons of nice options, comparable to a local display screen recorder, Stay Caption, Fast Share, Now Taking part in, Emergency SOS, Battery Supervisor, and rather more. This was refreshing to see, as I bear in mind whenever you’d set up a customized ROM and discover that there was nothing to it however a brand new colour scheme and icon pack.

With fewer apps and no UI pores and skin, the working system’s pace and smoothness have been astounding. Battery life was additionally unbelievable, due to far fewer connections to cloud providers. Because it seems, in case your inventory apps aren’t pinging Google each jiffy, your cellphone’s battery lasts lots longer.

Because of their simplicity, I additionally discovered LineageOS’ inventory apps a lot simpler to make use of. The browser — formally named Jelly, however simply listed as “Browser” within the app drawer — is pleasant because it strips away all of the extreme bloat that comes with Chrome. The native digital camera app was additionally trimmed right down to the purpose the place it was mainly point-and-shoot, with solely essentially the most fundamental of toggles. Typically, opening a brand new app generally is a daunting expertise due to all of the toggles, buttons, and settings you discover there, however LineageOS and its inventory apps are masterstrokes of minimalism.

One factor that LineageOS doesn’t cut back, although, is updates. Again within the day, getting a ROM with something lower than nightly variations was unacceptable to me. Though LineageOS builds don’t come practically as constantly as day by day, I did get an replace pop-up not lengthy after putting in it. Usually, the staff pushes out a brand new model as soon as every week, at the very least for the Pixel 8. Getting that replace introduced again a flood of reminiscences about how thrilling it could be to get a brand new construct put in ASAP to seek out out what had modified. Was there a brand new function? Would the UI be quicker? Was the look of the ROM modified indirectly? Each day was a brand new expertise! I’m not going to lie: this plucked my nostalgia strings.

I additionally cherished the little issues littered all through that allowed you to customise your expertise. The flexibility to customise the standing bar icons, for instance, is a pleasant contact that I want extra OEM skins had. The native launcher additionally lets you customise app icon shapes, which is excellent. Positive, I may get that very same function — and lots of extra — with a third-party Android launcher like Nova, however the truth that it’s baked into the OS instantly saves that step.

Sure, utilizing LineageOS was a pleasing expertise, due to all this stuff. Sadly, this wasn’t sufficient to maintain me utilizing it.

Satirically, most of LineageOS’ strengths, which I simply went over, are additionally a few of its most important weaknesses. Sure, the digital camera, browser, and different inventory apps are simpler to make use of due to their minimalist designs, however that additionally makes them much less helpful. Whereas having fewer digital camera settings is less complicated, not accessing portrait mode, macro mode, and even the flexibility to shoot in RAW makes the digital camera app much less practical than what would include the native Pixel digital camera app. Likewise, the browser’s lack of entry to Google’s cloud providers made it extra battery environment friendly, however my cellphone searching exercise was now not synced to my desktop, pill, and different methods. Even the sound recorder app had no cloud entry, so my recordings weren’t routinely backed up wherever.

Clearly, the answer right here is to not use these apps. OK, so I may drop them and set up a port of the Google digital camera, Chrome, Google’s Recorder app, and many others., and be on my method. Drawback solved, proper?

Nicely, I additionally wanted to take care of the Pixel-exclusive options that I depend on each day, which LineageOS doesn’t have out of the field. Name Display, for instance, is a Pixel function that I can’t reside with out, as is Assistant Voice Typing in Gboard. Fortunately, via the usage of Magisk and the Pixelify module, I can port over many Pixel exclusives. Now, we’re getting nearer.

Even in spite of everything that, although, there have been some apps and options that wouldn’t work on a cellphone working a customized ROM. By workarounds and exploits, you’ll be able to typically get NFC funds on Google Pockets to work, however Google normally closes these loopholes shortly, requiring you to determine alternate options. Likewise, a few of my finance apps wouldn’t work on LineageOS due to its rooted/unlocked bootloader standing. I spent a bunch of time trying across the internet for options to those issues.

Nevertheless, after I paused and took a step again, I shortly realized that every one I used to be doing was determining methods to get again to Google’s Pixel software program. It was like I used to be artificially including extra steps to the method of establishing a brand new Pixel cellphone by unlocking it, rooting it, putting in a customized ROM, uninstalling the native apps, after which putting in apps and modules to get again to the Pixel expertise.

That’s why, finally, I didn’t keep on with LineageOS. That every one being mentioned, although, I do really feel that LineageOS might be helpful in many various situations.

So far as I can inform, in 2025, there are three varieties of people that ought to be spending the time to make use of one thing like LineageOS.

The primary sort of one that ought to go this route are these with a tool that also works OK however isn’t up to date anymore. For this week-long take a look at, I used the Pixel 8 as a result of it’s a suitable cellphone that I had in my assortment, however that cellphone will see assist till 2031, making it not an ideal contender. The Google Pixel 5, although, stopped receiving updates in October 2023, so LineageOS is an effective way to get Android 15 on it and maintain utilizing it properly past its authentic assist dedication. Likewise, this works properly for non-Pixel telephones, comparable to the favored LG V40 ThinQ, the fan-favorite OnePlus 7 Professional, and one of the crucial lovely Android telephones ever made, the Samsung Galaxy Observe 10 Plus.

The second sort of individual is somebody who needs a de-Googled system. Throughout the setup course of for LineageOS, you’ll be able to set up Google Play Companies or not — a alternative no business Android smartphone offers you. For those who merely skip that step, your cellphone will probably be utterly Google-free (aside from Android itself, which is a Google product, in spite of everything). Nevertheless, if what you’re actually after is a typical Android expertise, simply with out Google snooping on you, GrapheneOS might be the higher route because it offers you entry to Google providers however in a sandboxed surroundings. However in the event you’d favor to go all-in and never contact Google in any respect, LineageOS with out Google apps put in generally is a positive alternative, too.

Lastly, the third sort of individual is somebody who prioritizes pace, smoothness, and battery life above all else. I can’t reside with out lots of the unique options we discover on fashionable Pixels, and I do know many of us closely depend on One UI-exclusive options on the finest Samsung telephones. Nonetheless, there are many folks who don’t use any of that stuff and simply want a smartphone for cellphone calls, texting, internet searching, and a handful of apps. If that’s you, LineageOS will possible give you a greater expertise as a result of all of the bloat (and subsequent battery drain) that comes with an OEM software program construct simply isn’t there.

I don’t match into any of those classes, so I dropped LineageOS after per week and went again to the consolation of my inventory Pixel 8 software program. It’s not as quick, rather more bloated, much less battery environment friendly, and never practically as non-public, but it surely works higher for my life total as a result of it’s extra feature-rich.

Nonetheless, it was good taking a stroll down reminiscence lane and experiencing pleasure once more for the customized ROM world. I would drop in periodically right here and there simply to get that fill once more, however I doubt I’ll really feel inclined to undertake a customized ROM as my day by day driver anytime quickly — if ever.