A better question is how many are really out there at the moment.
Early 2000s there was so many for any model phone. Now it feels like those are mostly gone and there’s only 5-6 left.
You had a phone with a custom rom in the early 2000s???
Respect!
You haven’t been working for Nokia’s dev team back then by any chance, have you? ;-)
LineageOS, good enough to degoogle and if it’s possible for you to use F-Droid-only apps you are out of the surveillance machinery (with the exception of the TSP if you use a SIM card) and it’s a huge step from stock Android in terms of privacy.
GrapheneOS - maximum security and privacy for phones and tablets
- More Android apps than on other deGoogled OSs
- Very secure (hack-resistant) if correctly set up and used
- Easy to install to the few phones it accepts (some Google, some Motorola 2027)
- Beginner-hostile, complicated manual setup
- Good website and active forum
Notable mention for the beginner-friendly /e/OS (technically inferior compared to GrapheneOS, installable to more devices).
I haven’t tried CalyxOS yet. I had CyanogenMod for a few years before it was LineageOS.
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying e/os in s Fairphone 6.
At the moment I’m using iodeOS
GrapheneOS on devices that can run it, LineageOS on devices that can’t.
I’m keeping an eye on AXP.OS since DivestOS has stopped being developed.
That is, of course, if you’re only counting Android and not Linux mobile. If you are, then I’d add PostmarketOS to the list, though it’s hard to find a device that can be used as a daily driver yet, though the Fairphone 6 is very close.
Linux mobile … PostmarketOS … as a daily driver … Fairphone 6 is very close
Seems like Jolla phone (or its Sailfish OS on a Sony 10 III) belongs to that group? I haven’t tried it.
I’m not a big fan of SailfishOS due to its proprietary userspace.
GrapheneOS and LineageOS are personally my favourite Android distributions.
“Custom ROM” is technically a false term for them, and LineageOS, PrivacyGuides and other institutions use the term “Android distributions” instead.
“Custom ROM” is technically a false term for them, and LineageOS, PrivacyGuides and other institutions use the term “Android distributions” instead.
Why?
Read-only memory (ROM) is hardware, a chip, or an area on a chip. Flash storage used to store a system image is not read-only, but the term “ROM” has somehow creeped onto it. The definition of read-only in my opinion is that you have to use a separate device to write it, it can’t be writable by the device that uses it, it has to be write-protected in use.
The operating system image colloquially called “custom ROM” is software (firmware) written to flash storage. It’s not read-only and it’s data, not memory hardware. If it were read-only, we wouldn’t need verified boot (bootloader locking) to detect malware edits in it.
I have always been happy with the main player.
Have been running Lineage OS since the days it still was CyanogenMod.Right now? GrapheneOS and I don’t think I’ll switch to anything else until a phone option outside of big tech emerges.
Favorite of all time was probably Cyanogenmod up to Gingerbread and AOKP for that holo era (ICS, Jellybean, KitKat.)
I think around the Nexus 5, I stopped using custom roms until GrapheneOS.
phone option outside of big tech
Jolla phone, but people say it’s not an option for everyone (yet).
I use GrapheneOS on my main phone, but I use Evolution X for my second phone, and crDroid for my tablet
Note that only GrapheneOS supports bootloader re-locking tho
I like e/os with micro-G
GrapheneOS for me.
I did use CRDroid for a few years on a Samsung S4 many years ago.
GrapheneOS undisputed #1 for me, but also RestlessOS or LeOS for devices that are only compatible with GSI since those also strip out pings to Google.
LineageOS for me
GrapheneOS is the only one I’ve used since the bad old days of trying random things posted on forums, and it’s excellent.
