What are Android Custom ROMS?

If your phone is not rooted then it has manufacturer’s stock operating system installed, even though the term ROM means Read Only Memory but when it comes to android ROMS are considered to be the custom OS that are built on top of the Android OS. Custom ROMS usually changes the overall look of your mobile phone and there are numerous other benefits that you can get by installing the Custom ROMS.

But installing a custom ROM requires rooting your device first, there is no way you can taste a Custom ROM without rooting it. Android Developers Community and Enthusiasts have put up a huge number of custom ROMS that are available for everyone to try, test and get the best out of their phone. Some of the ROMS are so popular that people prefer these ROMS over their bundled OS version and install these ROMS right away after buying a smartphone.

SEE ALSO: 10 reasons to root your Android Device

Google is also keeping an eye on all of these baked ROMS because once in awhile a feature of a custom ROM becomes popular and then we see that in the official version of Android. So, here is the list of some of the most popular Custom Android ROMS that are available for almost all of the Phones out there.

CyanogenMod

Almost every android user knows about Cyanogen but do you know that it was Cyanogen Community who made rooting popular and inspired thousands of other android enthusiasts to create their own Custom ROMS. Cyanogen has played an immense role in supporting rooting.

Their custom ROMS are popular because they are available on almost every device and they deliver blazing fast performance with all the goodness intact of Stock Android experience. If you are looking to get Stock Android like experience on your Smartphone try this ROM.

Download: http://bit.ly/14O41a0

SEE ALSO: What is Stock Android?

MIUI

MIUI started with the aim to combine Apple’s iOS features with android features and it has successfully done that.

MIUI gives a taste of both iOS and Android with its beautifully designed interface you can’t take your eyes off it. MIUI brings so many new features that you end up using them every day and without them your phone feels empty.

The quick toggles in android 4.2 were originally in MIUI and then they were added to stock android operating system. With all the buzz about TouchWiz and Sense 5.0 people haven’t noticed that MIUI is simpler and better than both of them. MIUI became so successful that it launched two very high-end smartphones, which were a massive success in smartphone market.

Download: http://bit.ly/179mvEE

Illusion ROMS

Illusion ROMS bring android customization to the next level, everything in stock android has been enhanced for better experience, the interface is completely transparent which gives android a more fashionable look. It won’t be a surprise if Google uses its theming capabilities in Android 4.4. This ROM also focuses on performance, battery management and processing optimization with many exceptional customizing options.

Download: http://bit.ly/179s5XM

Paranoid Android

Android has a bit different interface on Tablets; while the key features are same the tablet interface has a better notification bar and some apps like Google Play and YouTube have a better interface on Tablets. So how do you get that interface on your phone?

Paranoid Android is the answer. This ROM allows you to get phablet (combined core elements of Tablets and Phones) or complete Tablet interface on your phone. Paranoid android has many additional features too like allowing controlling DPI (dots per inch) separately for every app, changing color elements of apps to different colors, controlling phone’s animations and The AppJucie’s personal favorite Halo. Halo is basically a smarter notification drawer, which gives you app previews. It is likely that Google implements Halo in phones in Android 4.4.

Download: http://bit.ly/104vCrf

PAC ROM

Whenever people look for custom ROMS they usually end up using Cyanogen, AOKP or Paranoid Android. Wouldn’t it be better if you could get all the features of Cyanogen, AOKP and Paranoid Android in one ROM?

Yes indeed, that’s where PAC ROM comes in. PAC stands for Paranoid AOKP Cyanogen, which means you will get all the goodness of these three ROMS in PAC ROM. It has many other features of its own too it focuses on smoother scrolling and many under the hood upgrades.

Download: http://bit.ly/1ddd7Gi

Thinking Bridge

Thinking Bridge is not quite popular among users, that’s because it was launched only a few months ago with Android 4.2. The rom itself is full of features and AOKP’s Rom control utility. With Rom Control you can get hundred new settings. The key feature of Thinking Bridge, which is not found in other ROMS, is that Thinking Bridge focuses on Multi-Tasking. The multitasking menu has been optimized to open apps faster and it is redesigned to look like the multitasking window of iOS 7. Another great feature of this ROM is that you can change animation style. These features are hardly found in other custom ROMS.

To download Thinking Bridge you have to open XDA-Developers.com then search for Thinking Bridge for your device. They have not officially launched a device tree yet.

BONUS: Best Android Launchers