Users of official firmware Android devices are increasingly looking around in search of functional “mods” for the firmware of their devices. And some people are also looking at full-fledged, albeit stripped-down Linux distributions or even “Windowsphones.”
It would seem that Android as an operating system is confidently gaining momentum all over the world. However, due to strong segmentation and delays in firmware updates by phone manufacturers, many owners of devices based on this OS either have not yet received the latest firmware on their communicators, or will never receive them.
You don’t need to look far for examples - almost any communicator manufacturer has more than one model of its current product line in its “asset”! And if Google itself has begun obliging vendors to keep Android OS versions up-to-date for a certain time, then in most cases, owners of “last season” devices have no chance at all. Then, in all his glory and fully armed, Count T..., sorry, CyanogenMod, appears from the bushes. (Leave Pelevin aside! – Editor’s note. – Sorry, it came out... – Author’s note.)
CyanogenMod is the first mobile OS, which is essentially a combination of the experimental development branch of the community and the official source code tree of the Android OS.
The CyanogenMod project was a collaboration between developers and the XDA community. Being, in principle, firmware for communicators and tablets based on the Android operating system, it contains modules and software that are not included in official software builds from vendors of communicators and tablets. CyanogenMod is the first mobile OS, which is essentially a combination of the experimental development branch of the community and the official source code tree of the Android OS.
There is an opinion among mod users that CyanogenMod improves the performance and reliability of the operating system compared to official firmware releases from the device vendor (this statement, of course, is a reason for an excellent holivar). By the way, it was stated that as of October 31, 2011, the CyanogenMod firmware was installed on more than a million devices! Is this not a reason to look at the project more closely, especially in light of the fact that after some time every owner of an Android-based device will be forced to install this mod on their device, because the period of support for the device by manufacturers will end for owners of fairly modern mobile devices corporations will simply give up...
Despite all the nuances of using CyanogenMod on your device, I’m really looking forward to the joint efforts of XDA and the vendor’s programmers to “finish” the new “cyanogen”.
So, the currently developed branch of the project is CyanogenMod 7. Its development began with the release of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). On February 15, 2011, the first firmware versions for several supported devices already appeared. The fourth "beta" of the firmware was presented to the community on March 30, 2011, which strengthened CyanogenMod's position among other similar firmware (as many bug fixes were made). On April 11, 2011, the first stable build of CyanogenMod 7.0 based on Android 2.3.3 was released. The current build of “cyanogen” has version 7.1.0.2 and is based on Android 2.3.7 (which, you see, is extremely interesting for owners of a still fully functional “junk” based on Android 1.6-2.1).
- Program: Cyanogenmod 7
- Type: firmware
- Developer: Community xda-developers
- Distribution size: 94.35 MB
- Russification of the interface: yes
- Address: cyanogenmod.com
In its current form, build 7.1.0.2 supports 68 different device models (look for yours here - www.cyanogenmod.com/devices). For each of them, a step-by-step guide is available for replacing the stock firmware with CyanogenMod, and to simplify installation, a special ROM Manager application, included in the CyanogenMod kit, has been prepared. However, I remind Sony Ericsson fans that unlocking the bootloader is a prerequisite for installing the mod - keep this in mind! By the way, thanks to the “personal” interest of Samsung and Sony Ericsson (which provided the CyanogenMod project with information and equipment for work and testing), the developers were able to provide support for the entire current model range of these manufacturers.
After the introductory part of the story, let's get down to business and take a look at the list of goodies of CyanogenMod 7.1.0.2:
1. Support for the FLAC codec with the ability to use an equalizer.
2. Availability of programs such as BusyBox, rsync, htop, nano, PowerTOP, bash, etc. in the basic package. Linux users rejoice!
3. The presence of an access manager su, which allows you to allow or deny obtaining root rights for a specific application.
4. Access to an additional settings section with options for tuning performance, user interface, sound subsystem and input methods.
5. Availability of Spare Parts - a set of service functions for monitoring battery status, monitoring resource consumption, application power consumption, as well as for setting various interface parameters.
6. Support for OpenVPN and incognito mode in the standard browser!
7. The ADW.Launcher application is used as a standard system launcher. And although the “gift horse…” (further in the text), at least for me, it falls quite often. Of course, the last release dates back to 2010. Therefore, I immediately recommend purchasing and installing ADW.Launcher EX, it is both fresher and more stable - this immediately catches your eye.
8. Screen strokes are processed, which can be entered even in screen lock mode. You can configure the display of additional information on the lock screen, which is very convenient.
9. The standard system browser now supports private navigation mode (without saving surfing history and other data in the cache).
10. There is an Apps2SD function for transferring applications to an SD card and back to the main memory.
11. The Phone Goggles firewall has been integrated, allowing you to only allow specific applications to make calls and send SMS (the so-called “Drunk Mode”).
And this is just the little that immediately caught my eye when I first met CyanogenMod 7. When examining the firmware in more detail, inquisitive minds will have both something to be happy about and something to be upset about.
Therefore, let's start looking at the pros and cons - I'm sure this will be useful to many. Let's start with setting up the “cyanogen” itself. In the “Applications” menu item, you can both allow the movement of any programs to the memory card and select the default installation location for all new applications. Also here is the already mentioned “Drunk Mode” of the Phone Goggles firewall, which allows you to “filter” unnecessary communication between the device and the Network.
You can also, for example, force the device to check the status of its owner, asking him to solve mathematical problems before each call. So, one day, after two such tests, I spat, decided to admit that I was drunk, turned off this mode and at the same time the phone (cunning smiley). This is how modern technology disciplines us.
In the input settings, you can select the actions performed when using the “Menu” and “Search” buttons, the device’s reaction to pressing and releasing the touchscreen, and determine the behavior of the built-in player when the screen is off. There is complete freedom in the interface settings! Starting from the choice of reboot options, notification panel, status bar and LED notifications to animation effects and the general appearance of the scrollbar.
I would also like to separately touch on the contents of the “Performance” menu. We are honestly warned that these settings change system performance for the worse (no, well, we know that the main thing is to warn in advance so that they don’t point fingers at you later (smiley)). We agree, shaking our heads, and immediately go to the “CPU Settings” item. There are four modes waiting for us here: Interactive (default), Ondemand, Scary and Smartssv2. Below are the options for selecting the minimum and maximum processor frequencies. For me these are 122 and 1612 MHz (set by default). However, for those who will override these parameters, it is possible to apply their CPU settings the next time the device is booted.
In the “System” item of the “CyanogenMod Settings” menu, you can read the release notes installed on our device (as if we didn’t read them on the website before installing the assembly). It is also possible to allow notifications about new versions of CyanogenMod. I honestly registered on the update server, but although I know for sure that there is an update (and that it just doesn’t want to load on my device), I still haven’t received a notification about the availability of the firmware... Maybe it’s done for the future? Well, let's wait and see...
Also, earlier (in the sense before I switched to ADW.Launcher EX) in the main menu, right under the CyanogenMod settings, there was a launcher settings control item. However, after replacing it with the advanced version and uninstalling the old one, the convenient menu item disappears, and I still haven't figured out how to get it back. Well, no worries, I have time before the new build.
Those who like to change everything will certainly appreciate the option to customize the type of screen lock. A total of five types of locking are offered - from rings to the classic slider. In addition, you can play with the styles of the lock screen, the type of widgets placed on it, etc. Oh, I almost forgot! There is a separate settings block for tablets! Of course, Android 2.3.7 is not as well suited for tablets as 3.0.2, but, nevertheless, you can move the status bar to the bottom of the screen and not display the unlock screen...
Now, if the reader doesn’t mind, I’ll share my purely personal impressions of the firmware on a real device – my award-winning SE Arc. As for power consumption, for some reason in my case it did not become lower, but only increased - according to a subjective assessment, by 10-15 percent... And this despite the fact that my friend with an SE Mini, after installing CyanogenMod, had a device lifespan of one charging with the same style of phone use almost doubled!
My primary sin was that after flashing the device, the battery controller still does not know the exact charge values. I had to calibrate the battery manually (remove the battery for 5 minutes, and then, without turning on the device, charge it for 5-6 hours). This manipulation helped a little, however, it didn’t feel completely. But the “screen-proximity sensor” combination began to work better. The touchscreen's response to touch with the ear (smile) almost stopped, and I forgot about the problem that always worried me extremely about stock firmware.
Well, about the little things. In CyanogenMod, the call screen is organized in such a way that the pictures of subscribers from the “Google account” are right on topic! They are not deformed, they look neat and in place. In addition, if the call holding service is not activated, I can (albeit manually) disable the display of the corresponding virtual button. A small thing, but nice. I was also pleased with the presence of a terminal emulator. Many people won’t need it, but it will come in handy for me - I’ll manage my home server via SSH! Previously, you had to install a separate utility for this.
Summing up the results of studying CyanogenMod, I would like to note that the project turned out to be very necessary and relevant, and the CyanogenMod firmware was in demand. By bringing “fresh” versions of the operating system to our devices, which we had never even dreamed of before, CyanogenMod can soon completely conquer the niche of “out-of-warranty” communicators and tablets (“Nukovodam” with Nook Color – a low start!).
Samsung and SE are actively involved in the project, so let's hope that they will bring developments to it for porting and optimizing firmware for their devices, but will not purchase CyanogenMod for their own needs. Because if such a turn of events occurs, there will be no alternative to amateur fashion. However, let's not lose optimism and wish the project good luck and speedy completion of the firmware for SE Arc (smile)!
P.S. Despite all the nuances of using CyanogenMod on your device, I’m really looking forward to the joint efforts of XDA and the vendor’s programmers to “finish” the new “cyanogen”. Whether he will be 8th or 9th is completely uncritical for me. U.P.
Impressions and reflections
I've been thinking about switching to CyanogenMod for a long time. Being a “happy” owner of a Sony Ericsson Arc, I tried a lot - all versions of stock PCT firmware, most versions of “bourgeois” firmware and several custom mods. However, each version of the firmware fixed some bugs but introduced others.Yes, and getting root rights again on each new firmware was not always trivial... Then removing garbage from pre-installed SE applications, freezing system programs that, in my opinion, are completely unnecessary in the system... In a word, a lot of time was spent on experiments, but to no avail there weren’t so many: the main problems with communication (loss of signal inside buildings) and the touchscreen (impossibility of unlocking the screen when there is an incoming call without using the communicator’s power button) gradually drove me crazy.
It’s just that I never got around to CyanogenMod - of course, this mod requires an unlocked bootloader. And as soon as you unlock it, you immediately lose the warranty, which you really didn’t want. And, as soon as the opportunity to unlock the bootloader via test point arose, I made up my mind. “As a last resort, I’ll block it back,” I thought and took up a utility knife and a paper clip (those who are interested in the procedure can easily find the necessary information on the Internet; for the laziest, there are even video tutorials).
I won’t dwell on the process of updating to CyanogenMod in detail - you’ll go to the website for the firmware, and you’ll also find the rest of the information there. I'll go through the nuances. Firstly, version 7.1.0.2 could not boot on my device. I waited a long time, changed it several times - the result was the same. But 7.1.0.1 installed without problems, and that’s what I’ve stuck with for now.
To say that I was amazed by the abundance of settings is tantamount to silence! I'm still tuning something somewhere, constantly discovering new menu items. But it wasn’t just the opportunity to “dig from the heart” that appealed to me. Unlike the stock SE firmware, the “telephone” part of the CyanogenMod software is beyond praise. Not only did I no longer lose signal in the same places in the building where the factory firmware failed, it became more convenient to work with the communicator just like a telephone.
It's now possible to sort contacts by last name, and there's less hassle with SMS. And in general, CyanogenMod discovered Arc for me as a phone! And to be honest, I was already thinking about buying myself a Philips Xenium as a “dialer” (yes, Chinese, yes, it’s buggy, but the battery is 2000 mAh!)... However, there was a fly in the ointment: for example, Camera support is implemented anyhow, and FM radio is still in the process of integration.
There are nuances with Googlesoft - “Maps” and “Gallery” constantly crash for me when I try to upload a photo in “Places” and leave comments. In my opinion, they haven’t completely finished the screen driver, because there are problems with responsiveness, with pressing the bottom row of keyboard keys in landscape orientation, etc. Yes, sometimes you have to reboot manually, but the reboot time is minimal. But, despite all this, I can’t bring myself to tear down CyanogenMod and install the stock firmware. I look forward to updates!
On this site you will find instructions for firmware and much more interesting things. I will briefly describe the process itself. If you already have Root rights and CWR Recovery on your smartphone, then everything is very simple. We copy the appropriate version of the firmware and Google (GApps) to the phone, turn off the phone, then go into Recovery mode (simultaneously press the volume up + Home + smartphone power button). Yes, the first time is quite exciting ☺.
We move through the menu items using the volume button, select menu items by pressing the smartphone's power button, the main thing is not to confuse anything, otherwise you may end up with a dysfunctional piece of plastic. In general, you first need to make wipes (Wipa Data/Factory Reset/Yes, Wipa cache, Wipa Dalvick cache), that is, delete all data from the smartphone’s memory. User data and installed firmware are deleted. Some sources recommend doing Backup and restore first, but I save my data and programs using Titanium Backup. Then you need to go to the Install from sdcard item and select the previously copied firmware file using the smartphone’s power button; in the next item, select YES, of course, if you haven’t changed your mind, although at this stage it’s too late to go back!
After that, we install GApps in the same way, which corresponds to our version of Android. GApps are Google services that include the coveted Google Play. No, of course, if you know Chinese and want to download everything from the Chinese application store, then you don’t need Google Play at all ☺. Otherwise, GApps should still be installed. The final touch is to select Reboot system now in the main menu and that’s it. The smartphone will reboot, optimize applications and is almost ready to use. Of course, he will offer to register an account in MIUI, but by and large, this is not necessary.
I log into my Google account, first of all download Titanium Backup, transfer my database from an SD card or computer to the internal memory of my smartphone and restore the necessary programs. Yes, yes, the database must be saved in advance, otherwise the programs can be restored through a Google account, but the data (progress in the game, for example) will not be restored. Although the game Dead Trigger 2 worked fine for me through my own account, the progress was saved ☺ . We restore the contact list in the same way using a Google account. The internal memory of my smartphone is only 16 GB, initially about 11-12 are available, if you do all the Backups, then over time there will be no internal memory left at all, so I do as described above. Memory screenshot:
Now all the programs I need are installed on my smartphone + Dead Trigger 2, well, where would I be without it. The folder with Navitel maps is stored on an SDcard, which is about 2 GB, music and books are also on the memory card. And thus, the internal memory of the smartphone has 7.38 GB free, which means, if necessary, I can install a lot more.
Well, we installed MIUI, and even managed to update the smartphone several times with Friday firmware, since the Chinese release updates every Friday. And the good Samaritans from the MIUI Russia website quite successfully translate them into the great and mighty Russian language ☺ . This is what smartphone desktops look like:
I liked the phone’s interface, maybe it’s better with the stock firmware (to be honest, I’ve already forgotten what the stock dialer looks like). But on MIUI the phone and contacts are implemented better than on Cyanogen:
The file manager is simply excellent:
I also liked the security center, which includes the following items: system cleaning, traffic, antispam, battery, antivirus and permissions. Well, everything is clear with cleaning, it removes cache, advertising, garbage. In the "Traffic" menu item, you can set traffic restrictions yourself. By the way, graphically this function is implemented very beautifully:
Antispam is a blacklist for calls and SMS. In the battery settings, you can adjust the parameters for optimizing battery saving, turning on the saving mode, and scheduling modes to turn on at designated times. Everything is clear with the antivirus, but the permission manager is an interesting topic! The first item is autostart. At this point you can allow or block applications from auto-starting ☺. Then comes the equally interesting item “Manage Permissions”. As you know, when downloading applications, they completely shamelessly demand all sorts of permissions. The question is, why does any calculator or flashlight need to monitor phone calls and SMS? So, at this point you can stop these violations of disgrace ☺. The last point is managing root rights. Some applications require root rights to work correctly, well, they are absolutely necessary. Well, what can you do, if they need it, we’ll give it to them, we don’t mind, we’ll give them rights, as long as they perform their duties properly. Let's back up our words with screenshots, this is what the security center looks like:
Battery functions management:
System cleaning in action:
Antivirus with an umbrella, as it should be ☺.
And a couple more screenshots for the most interesting point about permissions:
In order not to bore readers too much, let’s now look at how the camera works on MIUI, and then we’ll wrap it up. In my opinion, the camera interface is exactly the same as on the stock Samsung firmware, that is, better than on Cyanogen:
Below I will give an example of a photograph taken with the front camera; by the way, let me remind you that the smartphone on which we are considering the MIUI firmware is Samsung Galaxy S3:
And here are examples of photos of the construction site from the street and from the balcony; I photographed from the balcony through glass, but it didn’t seem to be very clean ☹ .
Dear Aunt Raya, a parcel from China to America has arrived to us, brought by the postman Pechkin for your boy. In general, examples of photographs indoors, during the day:
By the way, last Friday an update was released for MIUI, and somehow I even accidentally read the list of changes. I discovered a very interesting feature regarding the transfer of contacts, I attach screenshots:
This option offers as many as 11 transfer methods, but for us, sending a contact via SMS, Bluetooth, and email remains relevant, very convenient and fast.
All that remains is to press the small arrow in the lower right corner of the screen, and the contact data will be transferred to the subscriber, the list of recent calls is displayed at the top of the screen, for me, this is very convenient.
On Nokia it used to be possible to quickly transfer a contact, but there the contact was sent in the form of a card in a certain format, not all phones could then read the information. I don’t know how this happens on bare Android, I don’t have a device at hand to look at, maybe everything is simple and convenient on stock, but on MIUI, it’s implemented quite beautifully, not to mention very convenient ☺ .
I just saw how the contact information transfer function works with my work colleagues. In Chinese, “no name”, in principle, is also quite convenient, and is at least somehow graphically designed, but on HTC Desire, I can’t say exactly the model, most likely, it somehow seemed dull and a little confusing to me, that is, actually taking two phone at random from the crowd, we get the result over the head that MIUI is better and more convenient, at least in the function of transferring contacts in everything ☺. I also looked at this function in the Samsung Galaxy S2, everything seems to be done well there too, you can send a contact by email, via Wi-Fi, but a card in vcf format is sent via SMS.
And finally, a short video that briefly shows how the MIUI interface works. I’m not an expert when it comes to creating videos, so don’t kick me too hard, it turned out how it turned out.
Of course, MIUI also has a number of small bugs, so whether or not to install this firmware is a personal matter for everyone, but believe me, compared to the stock firmware (I still shudder to remember the huge number of unnecessary widgets and programs that heavily load the system) ,MIUI looks much better.
Thank you for your attention, have a nice day ☺ or night.
– comparison of the two most popular custom firmwares!
CyanogenMod (hereinafter referred to as CM) is undoubtedly the most popular custom firmware based on AOSP. However, it is precisely because of this popularity and the number of devices supported that the development team has to think a thousand times before adding a new feature or application. Even though CM used to be known as the most customizable AOSP based ROM, it has already lost that title.
The crown has gone to AOKP ROM, which is currently used by more than a million users worldwide. Shortly after the development of the AOKP ROM by undergraduate student Roman Birg, Google and Samsung released the Galaxy Nexus. The firmware quickly gained popularity in the community of Galaxy Nexus owners due to its wide capabilities and flexible settings, and was soon ported to other devices.
I installed both CM 10.1 and AOKP ROM on my Nexus 4 at the very beginning when it first came out. And if I felt at home on CM, then on AOKP I was missing several functions, such as vibration when answering a call. Then this determined my choice.
However, time passed and everything changed. AOKP ROM now provides so many settings that you would rather grow old than play with them enough.
So, what exactly does AOKP offer over and above what CM10.1 has, and if it's so cool, why is CM still more popular? Before we start directly comparing the firmwares, I would like to give some basic information about them.
- The CyanogenMod team tries to stay as close to the original Android (AOSP) as possible, while adding several must-have tweaks. In this way, CM can be thought of as stock Android on steroids, as opposed to AOKP, a version of Android OS where you can customize literally everything.
- AOKP uses the CyanogenMod codebase for cross-device compatibility. However, this does not mean that they are simply stealing features from the CyanogenMod github. They also add tons of their own baubles, written completely from scratch, which in some cases are even added by the CyanogenMod team to their firmware.
- Steve Kondik, founder of CyanogenMod, previously worked for Samsung, but his work has nothing to do with CM. He does not want to name his current employer at this time.
- CyanogenMod just recently (May 18, 2013) surpassed 5 million installations, while AOKP only hit 1 million earlier in the year.
- The CyanogenMod team generally has a more professional approach to their work and firmware compared to AOKP. This is mainly due to the fact that CM is much older, bigger and more popular than AOKP. However, the AOKP team is also making significant strides in this direction, especially if you look at their new website, which was presented just recently.
Common features of CyanogenMod and AOKP firmware
- Both are based on the latest version of Android
- Added the ability to customize quick settings “in the curtain”
- T9 dialer with call statistics
- Stock AOSP browser
- Stock messaging app with message preview option in notification area
- Setting up LED display (a la Light Flow)
- Theme support
- Special display brightness settings
- Activation with volume keys
- Control music with volume keys
- Option to disable input method switch
- Indication of battery charge as a percentage in the status bar
- Improved Audio Control Panel
- Improved power management menu
- Full screen mode (hiding softkeys and statusbar)
- Improved camera app (with goodies like voice control)
- Quiet hours (do not disturb mode)
- Show available RAM in the recent applications menu
- Widgets in the notification panel
- Support Quick Launch shortcuts...
- ...including on the lock screen
- Option "Widgets on the lock screen are always maximized"
- Vibrate when hanging up/accepting a call or second incoming call
Screenshots
Developer Settings
cLock widget settings
System Settings
Quick settings options
Expanded Desktop Mode Options
Pros of CyanogenMod 10.1
- Built-in over-the-air updates (not incremental)
- Stock Android with a reasonable number of customizable options to attract new users
- Comes with a beautiful lockscreen widget cLock
- Built-in profile support
- Partial support (like Paranoid Android)
- Ability to temporarily disable Root access for applications or via ADB
- Daily nightly builds, more stable than AOKP
Pros of AOKP
AOKP's fine-tuning is just crazy!Please take a deep breath before reading the list below.
(I also advise you to familiarize yourself with the terminology in the Android interface - approx.)
- AOKP Ribbon is a control similar to the Ubuntu Mobile sidebar that you can pull out from the corner of the screen with your finger to get quick access to your favorite applications. Yes, at least to all applications on the device, i.e. In principle, you can do this thing without the help of a launcher at all.
- Ribbon on lockscreen
- Ribbon and notification area widgets
- AOKP allows you to install more shortcuts on the lockscreen than CM10.1 (7 versus 5). The same applies to the labels on the curtain (5 versus 3).
- Setting up the bottom panel with soft buttons (navigation bar) – Here you can also add shortcuts as in CM10.1, but AOKP gives you much more options. For example, you can configure the action of a long press on a button in this panel
- Resizing the navigation bar
- Auto-hide navigation bar by timeout
- Selecting icons for shortcuts in the navigation bar
- Widgets in the navigation bar
- The AOKP also provides a larger selection of quick settings (on the curtain) than the CM10.1
- Tablet mode navigation bar (status bar + nav.bar = 1 line at the bottom as in tablets
- Tablet (dual panel mode for some built-in
- Ability to display remaining battery charge with a small strip in the navigation bar
- Choosing your own fun background in the notification area
- Choosing your own fun boot animation
- Set individual vibration for each application or contact
- Setting the transparency of the status bar and navigation bar
- Ability to set custom toggles in Quick Settings
- Access permission management
- Ability to set the clock in the status bar in the center
- Ability to configure the action of a long press on the button in the quick settings menu (on the curtain)
Here you should start with screenshots
Installer settings
Transparency and dimensions of navigation bar
Ability to add a favorite contact to the status bar
Ability to add any number of widgets to the lock screen and change the animation to a “carousel”
Ability to disable the reboot menu in the Power menu when the device is locked
Set it up your own way! carrier name, power-on animation, and notification bar background
All available settings
Ribbon on the lock screen
Tablet mode navigation bar
Ability to move the battery indicator to the navigation bar
Navigation bar settings
Custom switches
Ability to set the number of shortcuts in the quick launch menu
Auto-hide navigation bar
C 
Setting vibration feedback for apps and contacts
Clock settings
Cons of AOKP
- Nightly builds can be somewhat unstable, but that's what nightly builds are for. However, there will probably be geeks for whom this is important
- There is no built-in Pie launcher or analogues (but there is Ribbon - approx. per.)
- No profile support
- Fewer devices supported
- There is no single download point for nightly or even stable releases
Conclusion
If after reading this post you are still in doubt, then I would advise you to just try both firmwares. It should also be taken into account that the advantages of one firmware are automatically considered disadvantages of another, and vice versa. Battery consumption is the same for both firmwares, because they are both based on the same slightly modified stock kernel.Despite the fact that users may notice some differences in performance between firmware on the same device, ideally there should not be any, because AOKP is based on the CyanogenMod device tree. From all of the above, it is quite clear that the CyanogenMod team is no longer participating in the competition to create the most flexible custom firmware.
Their new goal is to create firmware that looks and behaves like stock, but comes with important additional settings. On the other hand, one of the main goals of AOKP is to give its users the opportunity to customize the Android OS on their device completely to their liking, down to the smallest detail.
Hi all. Today is my last day of vacation, and I need to celebrate it somehow. The last one, after all. But I, cherishing my dream, solved the problem ingeniously - I connect to Trashbox! To please you with another article. And this time CyanogenMod. I ask all mortals to cut it!
The CyanogenMod company is known to every second geek, if not to every first one. And there is nothing to be surprised about here, because the CyanogenMod custom has many fans, and many useful features, which are mixed together with good optimization, smooth operation and high operating time. Yes, something yummy! Not about that now, but about custom.
CyanogenMod is a custom firmware previously released by Cyanogen Team, and a little later renamed to Cyanogen Inc. CyanogenMod has a number of features that distinguish it from firmware released by other firmware manufacturers. Among them: Android Holo, FLAC, a large list of APNs, compressed cache and more. As stated by Cyanogen Inc, custom firmware CyanogenMod was installed on more than 12 million devices as of June 2014. This once again proves that the firmware is extremely popular
It’s also worth noting about CyanogenMod that the company produces several versions:
1. Stable- the most final and stable firmware versions
2. Release Candidate- pre-release firmware version. Differences from Stable are not noticeable
3. Snapshot- “average firmware quality,” many say. But from my personal experience I can safely say that I haven’t noticed any errors after several months of use!
4. Milliestone- a firmware version that I do not recommend installing at all!
5. Nightly- “nighties.” Firmware version that is updated every day, updates arrive either in the morning or late at night
6. Experiments- as the name suggests, installation is not recommended
Story
Custom CyanogenMod originated, as a rule, in the depths of XDA Developers, that is, on the forum for developers. The first version of CyanogenMod was released on Android 2.2 Froyo. At that time, Google's brainchild was glitchy and drained battery power very quickly. And for this reason this firmware was created. Thanks to her, Android was free of lags, errors, glitches and all sorts of uselessness, which made the device almost impossible to work. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating to some extent, but still, the first version of Android was familiar to you. And after each new version of Android, the magnificent and incomparable CyanogenMod was released. Applause to the developers!
Steve Kondik
Android and CyanogenMod version
As I already mentioned, after each new version of Android, a new version of CyanogenMod was released.CyanogenMod 6 - Android 2.2. This is the first CyanogenMod! It was released as a beta by Steve Kondik in 2010 on July 11th. And after a short time, the world saw the stable version. CyanogenMod 6 was available at that time on Nexus One, HTC Dream, Motorola Droid, Slide and several others.
CyanogenMod 7 - Android 2.3. The first beta version of the seventh cyan was released in 2011, on February 15. Thanks to her, CyanogenMod gained great popularity and strengthened its position. The latest version of CyanogenMod 7 is CyanogenMod 7.2, which is Android version 2.3.7
CyanogenMod 8 - ***. Google did not decide to publish the source code of Android 3.0, and accordingly people were left without CyanogenMod.
CyanogenMod 9 - Android 4.0. The Cyanogen team began working on their new firmware version immediately after publishing the Android 4.0.1 source code. The first beta version was released on June 26, 2012.
CyanogenMod 10 - Android 4.1. There is not much to say about this version; the stable version was released on November 13, 2012.
CyanogenMod 10.1-10.2 - Android 4.2.2-4.3. These versions of custom firmware were released immediately after the publication of the source code. Initially, it was planned that CyanogenMod, based on Android 4.2.2-4.3, would be called CyanogenMod 11. But Google did not make significant changes to this firmware version.
CyanogenMod 11 - Android 4.4. The development of CyanogenMod 11 was anticipated by many, everyone wanted to try KitKat. And immediately after Google published the source code, Cyanogen Inc got to work and released an equally attractive version of CyanogenMod.
Installation
The first method of installing CyanogenMod (via custom recovery)
1. Download to the memory card: zip files - CyanogenMod and GApps
2. Go to Recovery
3. Make Format Data, Format System, Format Cache (Mounts and Storage)
4. Make Wipe Data/Factory, Wipe Cache, Wipe Davlik
5. Install CyanogenMod first using Install zip from sd card (or internal sdcard)
6. Install Gapps using Install zip from sd card (or internal sdcard)
7. After installation, reboot Recovery (Advanced power options - Reboot recovery)
8. Make Wipe Data/Factory, Wipe Cache, Wipe Davlik
9. Reboot System Now
Second installation method (via CM Installer)
So, the CyanogenMod team offers us a simple and convenient way to install their development on your device. To do this, follow our step-by-step instructions.
2. Download from Google Play and install the special application CyanogenMod Installer (Android).
3. Download and install the application for Windows (Vista/7/8) - CyanogenMod Installer (Windows).
4. Launch the installed application on Android and follow the step-by-step instructions.
5. Connect your device to your computer using a USB cable.
6. Launch the application on your computer. It should detect the connected device.
7. The process of downloading the firmware itself and all the files necessary for its installation will begin. This will take a few minutes. Once the download is complete, you will see the Everything is ready message.
8. Click on the Install button and calmly wait for the installation to complete. During installation, your device will reboot. Do not interrupt the process or disconnect the device from the computer under any circumstances. Otherwise you will get a "brick" or something else that will not make you happy
9. After the installation is complete, you will be notified by the appearance of the Installation Complete message on your computer.
10. That's all. We are happy with the new firmware.
Few people recommended this installation method to me; there were even those who asked me not to install via CM Installer. Without listening to them, I used the program and regretted it. The firmware was installed very crookedly, there were not many programs, it was also impossible to install them, the internal memory was not displayed - in general, I do not recommend it to anyone!
Fighting custom
Various device manufacturers have their own problems with installing CyanogenMod. For example, Samsung uses a custom counter that is easy to reset. But that's not so bad; in the latest versions of Android, Samsung has added KNOX (damn it). However, this is not a reason not to install CyanogenMod. Because of these problems, you lose your warranty, and nothing else bad happens.The article is finished! Beaver everyone!
In the eyes of many people, custom firmware is something like pirated builds of Windows with changed wallpapers, themes and various leftover software included. And if we talk about the firmware created by young model designers after school, then it is so. However, CyanogenMod is not one of them; it is a full-fledged fork of Android, that is, an independent operating system, developed by a team of competent programmers, and it has a lot of advantages over stock Android.
CyanogenMod
CyanogenMod- one of the first custom Android firmware. Its history began back in the days of T-Mobile G1 and continues to this day. Today CyanogenMod is developed by Cyanogen Inc. and is officially available for more than 220 devices and several hundred more unofficially. In total, the firmware is installed on 50 million devices around the world, which is several times more than the number of devices based on Windows Phone and BlackBerry combined.
CyanogenMod in the form of an extended version called Cyanogen OS is pre-installed on just a few smartphones: OnePlus One, YU Yureka, YU Yuphoria, Andromax Q and Oppo N1. For all other supported devices, the system is available in the form of a standard ZIP firmware for a custom recovery console, along with which the Gapps package containing Google applications (Market, search, Gmail, etc.) is usually flashed.
10 reasons to install CyanogenMod
We've talked about how to install firmware many times, so today we'll talk a little about something else. Namely, about what CyanogenMod can provide in comparison with the stock firmware, which seems to work great.
1. Support for legacy devices
One of the most important advantages of CyanogenMod compared to stock is its support for legacy devices. Often, after a manufacturer abandons its brainchild, enthusiasts appear ready to port Cyanogen Mod to the orphaned device. Widespread devices from well-known manufacturers are usually supported by the CyanogenMod team for three to four years, which is much longer than the official support period. For example, CyanogenMod 12.1 based on Android 5.1.1 is available for the Galaxy S2, which is very, very good for a device released in 2011.
2. No Bloatware
In second place in importance I would put the purity of CyanogenMod as an operating system. Unlike stock firmware, there is no cumbersome shell, linking to wrong accounts, a bunch of useless applications and strange functions that the manufacturing company considers extremely important. CyanogenMod in this sense is more reminiscent of pure Android. Yes, there are a lot of settings, but there is no overload of functions and applications. Application icons for the newly installed firmware take up a little more than half of one page in the menu, and among them only the most important: camera, gallery, browser, file manager, etc.
Due to its lightweight nature, CyanogenMod usually works much faster than stock, so those who switch to it rarely come back. The only exception is Nexus users who are used to bare Android.
3. Regular updates
CyanogenMod is being developed entirely in the open. Every day, developers make changes to the open repository, and every night (we have daylight at this time), based on these changes, a new firmware build is formed, which can be downloaded and installed using the built-in OS update tools over the air. In addition to nightly builds, monthly stable M releases are also available. They are worth installing for those who are afraid of catching glitches in nightly builds.
These frequent firmware updates give CyanogenMod users a big advantage when it comes to bug fixes. The bug in the Stagefright multimedia library, which thundered throughout the world, was fixed in CyanogenMod on August 3, a few days before the Black Hat and DEFCON conferences.
4. Customization
CyanogenMod has a lot of different settings. You can change almost everything here: the arrangement of elements in the status bar, the set and arrangement of buttons in the quick settings panel, the behavior of the hardware buttons and buttons on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen, the set of lock screen actions, the ringer style, the screen DPI value and much more. While maintaining the simplicity of bare Android, CyanogenMod allows you to fine-tune yourself.
An experienced reader will, of course, tell you that almost all of this can be done using Xposed. But, firstly, installing and configuring Xposed modules is not nearly as convenient as tapping on checkboxes in a well-organized settings menu, and secondly, Xposed is a dirty hack that often leads to slowdowns and glitches.
5. Themes
Since version seven, CyanogenMod supports themes. You can install them directly from Google Play, and to activate it, just one tap on the desired button is enough. At the same time, the theme can change not only the Android interface, but also icons, sounds, ringtones, wallpapers, fonts and even loading animations, without any noticeable impact on performance. There are hundreds of premium themes available for CyanogenMod, many of which are completely free.
6. App Guard
CyanogenMod has a built-in anti-malware and anti-backdoor mechanism. It’s called App Guard (or “Protected Mode” in Russian localization) and allows you to do two things: deny applications access to certain data or sensors (revoke permissions) or enable a kind of confidential mode, when when requesting the user’s personal data (contact list , location, owner information, etc.) the application receives randomly generated information. For example, random coordinates or a list of contacts with nonsense instead of names and phone numbers.
It is worth noting, however, that the mechanism for revoking permissions here is completely different from that in Android M, and corresponds to its previous implementation from Android 4.3 (where it was hidden from prying eyes). This means that after disabling certain powers, the application may crash or not work correctly.
7.Livedisplay
CyanogenMod uses an intelligent adaptive mechanism to control screen settings. Not only the screen brightness, but also the color temperature is automatically adjusted. This means that in the evening, when the sun sets behind the horizon, the system will switch to using warmer shades - this will make your eyes less tired. Moreover, the system can change color saturation in bright light and uses special algorithms to better display photos and images.
To be fair, it is worth noting that approximately the same functions are available in the application, but it only works on Android 4.4 and higher and requires root rights.
8. Profiles
Another useful Android feature is profiles. Something similar is often included in the manufacturer’s firmware, so it’s more of a nice addition than a unique feature. Profiles allow you to create a kind of presets for different smartphone settings, which will be activated when you select a profile. For example, you can create a profile “In the car”, when selected, GPS and Bluetooth will automatically start, and the volume will be turned up to maximum. Or the “Meeting” profile, which turns on vibration and disables synchronization with Google.
There are many applications in the market that allow you to implement something similar (Tasker, Locale), and even with automatic inclusion of profiles, but they are quite difficult to use and require plugins and to manage some settings. But here everything just works.
9. Controlling a sleeping smartphone
Today, many manufacturers equip their flagship devices with the function of waking up the device using a double tap on the screen (Moto X, Nexus 6, LG G4, OnePlus One/Two). It is implemented like this: the touchscreen continues to work even after the screen is turned off, and events from it are processed by an energy-efficient DSP processor that consumes almost no energy.
CyanogenMod assemblies for such devices implement not only the function of turning on the screen, but also a set of gestures that allows you to activate certain functions without having to wake up the device. These gestures include launching the camera, controlling the music player, and turning on/off the flashlight. It's really convenient.
10.Blacklist
Anyone who has tried to find an unwanted number blocker for Android on the market knows: good blockers simply do not exist. Most of them work on the principle of "pick up the phone and hang up immediately", as a result, from time to time the phone turns off the screen and plays a ringtone for a split second, and a lot of weird entries are left in the call list.
In CyanogenMod, the number blocker is implemented at the system level, so it never crashes, does not miss ringtones, and generally works perfectly. In addition to explicit numbers, it allows you to block numbers using regular expressions (how about blocking all New Zealanders?), block hidden and unknown numbers. As a bonus, there is the ability to block SMS (and separately from calls).
conclusions
In fact, CyanogenMod has many more interesting functions, I have highlighted only the most useful and noticeable ones. In addition to all of the above, CyanogenMod has a built-in equalizer, a desktop with different types of application menus and many settings, WhisperPush technology for exchanging confidential SMS, a clock and weather widget, system performance profiles and much more. Install and draw your own conclusions.