Advantages and Disadvantages Of Installing a Custom Rom On Your Android Phone

WHAT IS A ROM?

R-O-M stands for Read Only Memory. ROM is an operating system which runs your droid and is stored in the read only memory of your phone.

To classify there are two types of ROMs:

STOCK ROM:

Stock ROM is pre-loaded into a device by the manufacturer and is optimized according to the device configuration. It has a lot of restrictions for the user.

CUSTOM ROM:

Android is open source, so developers can take the code and customize it to their taste, add features to it and build a new operating system.It is a customized android operating system normally stored on the read-only memory of your mobile phone and replaces the manufacturer operating system.

BEFORE INSTALLING A CUSTOM ROM:

Before installing a custom ROM a device needs to be rooted. Rooting an android devices means lifting off restrictions enforced by the manufacturer. Rooting enables tons of customisations for your device.Rooting changes your privilege from guest user to a super user. It is considered as a protective measure but some people don't like them as it restricts them from some customization they want on their device. But keep in mind, rooting your device voids your warranty but some custom ROMs are worth it.

Installing a custom ROM has both advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES OF INSTALLING A CUSTOM ROM:

LATEST ANDROID VERSION:

One of the most common reason to install it is the updated android version. Users are able to install the latest version of android on their phone which makes their old phones look new. It does not only make them look new but also it provides the user with better performance as the newer version is more stable than the old.

PERSONALIZATION:

Another reason people choose to install it on their android phone is the tons of customisations available in them. Sexy and stunning themes can bring a new look to their devices. It enables the users to customize the UI (User Interface) to their taste.

OVERCLOCKING AND UNDERCLOCKING:

This is not really an advantage of installing a custom ROM, but instead it is associated with the custom kernel (a system file which is like a driver for the operating system) installed with that ROM. Well anyway, it allows a user to overclock or underclock their device. Overclock means to run the CPU processor or GPU of the device at higher speed than the one intended by the manufacturer. This provides you with higher performance but, I won't recommend it as it can cause damage to the device. Underclocking is the opposite. It is the modification of the system to run at a lower speed then intended. It does provides you with longer battery life but, in exchange for some performance. You can also install custom kernels.

REMOVAL OF BLOATWARE:

While rooting does enable the user to remove bloatware apps installed by the manufacturer but, still the user has to choose which app they want to use and which they do not and manually uninstall every single one that they don't want to use. While custom ROM developers remove these apps while they create these ROMs, they don't include them in their operating system, thus the user only has to install it and now his/her device is bloatware free.

CUSTOM MODS:

Tons of custom mods available for a custom ROM attract the users to install a it on their device. These custom mods vary from being really simple like increasing volume beyond the manufacturer limit to huge modification of the custom ROM like the multi-window mod or the pie controls mod.

PORTED USER-INTERFACE:

It enables a user to experience a wide range of UI and choose the one that suits them best. Like the Sense UI for the HTC phones which has been ported to many different phones enabling the users to experience a HTC phone without even buying a HTC phone. User can also choose to install the stock android on their phone which is faster than the customized one installed on phones like Samsung or HTC.

DISADVANTAGES OF INSTALLING A CUSTOM ROM:

BRICKING:

Another cause of user being hesitant of installing a custom ROM on their device is the fear of bricking which makes the device unusable and nothing more than block of brick. It is mostly feared because there is no way to recover a device from that state.

BATTERY LIFE PROBLEM:

These ROMs may not be fully optimized for your device which results in the battery life issues causing it to drain more, not charging properly or even damaging the battery.

HARDWARE ISSUES:

These ROMs may not support all the hardware on your device which may result in the non-fuctioning hardware or other issues, like the camera not working or taking picture at a lower quality.

BUGS:

These ROMs are not tested like the one pre-loaded by the manufacturer so this produces some bugs which produce instability, like applications force closing (which can be really annoying) or random reboots of the phone or the phone being stuck in a bootloop (really terrifying for a newbie).

CONCLUSION:

Well here are the pros and cons of installing a custom ROM, but you don't fully know whats going on until you try it out. I, myself use a custom ROM on my phone and I am happy with it. But, everyone has their choice so you may make your and also keep in mind that neither I am responsible nor the ROM developer for what happens to your device.

--------------------------------HAPPY FLASHING---------------------------------