What Is Android ROM, Stock & Custom ROM?

The term ROM stands for Read-Only Memory in the PC world. This memory is only capable of reading data and cannot be modified but the term has a different meaning in the world of Android gadgets (Smart phone and tablet). It is called firmware of your Android device and you can modify it in your Android gadget. Just like a Windows or Linux running on your PC, you can have the same thing on your Android device. There are two versions of Android ROMs including official ROMs and custom ROMs. An official ROM is the version which comes with your device when you buy it and is provided by the manufacturer. Note that the Android version provided by the Google itself for its Nexus series is different from the one provided for Samsung Galaxy series or Sony Xperia series or HTC products. This difference is due to each company’s policies.

The custom ROM is the version which is customized by developers and hackers.

In this article we are going to tell more about custom ROMs. For installing a custom ROM you need to root your Android device first. Then choose a custom ROM, take the steps, and have a customized ROM installed on your device.

 

What Are The Benefits Of Custom ROMs?

 
  • Update Frequency: Custom ROMs are capable of upgrading your Android device to the latest version of Android OS available, so you do not need to wait for the manufacturer to provide you the latest version.
  • Free To Choose From Various Versions: There are various versions of custom ROMs available with different features. You just need  to choose the one which suits your needs.
  • Personalizing your Android Device: Custom ROMs are more capable of personalizing compared to official ROMs. Some of the customizations are: wide customization of your graphical user interface, customizing the functions of your apps and even customizing the hardware of your device to get the most of your device.
  • Optimal use the Hardware: There are some apps on Android devices by default which are really unnecessary for the users to have them on their devices. In custom ROMs users can recognize them and delete them off their devices. This make to device process faster.
 

What Are The Disadvantage s of Custom ROMs?

 
  • Installing a custom ROM is risky. You may turn your smart phone or tablet to a useless device if you are a beginner and do not follow the instructions correctly. If you use a wrong custom ROM for your Android gadget, there is a chance that you never see your home screen again.
  • You may void your warranty.
  • Some custom ROMs have problems such as non-recognition of some hardware. It is recommended to choose the best ROM suits your Android device.

Most Popular Custom ROMs

There are too many custom ROMs designed for Android gadgets. Some of them designed by powerful developers are more stable among the other custom ROMs. However each of them focused on a range of Android features. We are going to introduce you 3 popular custom ROMs:

 
  1. Cyanogen MOD:  one of the most popular and professional custom ROMs designed for Android devices are Cyanogen which specifically focused on speed and efficient use of your Android gadget.
  2. AOKP: one of the custom ROMs which is getting more popular recently.
  3. Android Revolution HD: kind of custom ROMs which specifically focused on graphical user interface.


Note that you can install most of the Android Widgets, regardless the version of Android ROM of your device (if it is version 2 and above)
Don't miss these Android Widget Packs: