The easiest way to seriously update your gadget is to install custom firmware on it. With it, you can not only expand the number of controls over the system, but also try something new, get many convenient features or even a new version of Android. In this article I will talk about the ten most popular, interesting and functional firmware created on the basis of Android.

Paranoid Android

Harvesters

Temasek's

MK (MoKee)

The interface is truly original. Absolutely all standard Android applications have been replaced with applications of our own, and the rest have been significantly improved. The notification panel has quick toggles that appear above notifications. The “Energy Consumption” section has been renamed to “Power Management” and is much more convenient and informative; the “Network Modes” button allows you to enable the “3G Only” and “2G Only” modes.

There are no complaints about the speed of the graphical shell. Everything is very fast and smooth. It is worth saying that the firmware has an interesting permission management mechanism built into it. It allows you to limit significantly more parameters than Android Marshmallow. The settings interface and almost all system applications are completely Russified. But in all applications that work via the Internet, you will see only Chinese characters, but the method of scientific poking and knowledge of how such applications work allows you to use them.

The Chinese equivalent of the Play Store has almost all popular (and not so popular) applications. But Google programs will refuse to work without Google Play services, and installing these services is not so easy. There is a solution to the problem on the Internet, but it does not always work; you will have to use either the built-in market or various unofficial stores, and also come to terms with the fact that some applications will not start without Google Services.

Dropped out of the test

Bliss

Official site: blissroms.com/
48 (as of 08/13/2016)
The basis: CyanogenMod
Android Version: 6.0.1

The developers claim that Bliss is one of the most customizable tailoring. Actually this is not true. The firmware is indeed a collection of interesting features from other firmwares, but it is very far from RR, AICP or Temasek. Unless they are initially built in and launched through the Kernel Adiutor and SuperSU settings. The settings of the firmware itself are not translated into Russian. The translation only applies to items that are in CyanogenMod.

crDroid

Official site: ww2.crdroid.org
Number of officially supported devices: 29 (as of 08/09/2016)
The basis: CyanogenMod
Android Version: 6.0.1

The purpose of creation, like everyone else, is to add the best features from other firmwares. On the welcome screen during initial setup it is written that the firmware includes a lot of functions from OmniROM, Paranoid Android, Temasek and others. Unfortunately, it's the same story as with Bliss. Lack of exclusive features and a significant lag in capabilities compared to RR, AICP, Temasek. There are no interesting applications built in.

Outside the test

• NexSense 6.0- an attempt to port HTC Sense 6.0 (Android 4.4.2) to Nexus 5. At first, only the firmware itself was launched, but over time, enthusiasts were able to get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and various sensors to work. But for a very long time this could not be achieved from the camera and sound. Over time, the developers came to the conclusion that it was necessary to rewrite some libraries almost from scratch. Local craftsmen seemed to have tried to do this, but to no avail.
• ASUS ZENUI CM 13 (Nightly) Based- a project to port applications from Asus ZenUI to CyanogenMod 13. Officially, development is carried out only for LG G2. According to the developers, about 90% of all applications have already been moved.
• MIUI- the firmware has been officially ported to 286 different devices. Developed by Xiaomi and based on the source codes of CyanogenMod and AOSP. Many features have migrated here from iOS, TouchWiz, UX (LG), HTC Sense, but there are also some of our own. There are so many useful functions that their description is a topic for a separate article.
• MaruOS- a very original firmware, which, when connecting a smartphone to a monitor, turns it into a full-fledged desktop. You can read a detailed review and interview with the developer.

How to install?

For most devices, the stock firmware looks like this:

1. Unlock the bootloader (this is individual for each device, so go ahead, Google).
2. Install a custom recovery (in rare cases, you can install custom ones without it, but this is not a good idea).
   2.1. We go to the official TWRP website, enter the name of your device there, and download the newest version for it.
   2.2. We connect the smartphone via USB and install drivers for your device on the computer.
   2.3. Download and install Android SDK.
   2.4. We launch the terminal and flash the recovery with the command fastboot flash recovery recovery_name.img (fastboot is located in the platform-tools folder inside the SDK).
3. After flashing the firmware, go to TWRP, select the Russian language (at the very bottom), check the “Allow changes” box and swipe to the right.
4. Go to the “Cleaning” section and select “Format Data”. This is necessary if the data section is encrypted.
5. We connect the smartphone to the computer and transfer the file with the new firmware to the memory card.
6. Select “Install”, and then the firmware file. We agree by swiping to the right.
7. Click on “Reboot into OS” and wait for the download to complete (about ten minutes, including application optimization).
8. After the initial setup, we recommend booting into recovery again and making backups. At a minimum, an EFS partition in which IMEI, s/n and other important data are embedded.

If you don’t want to lose the main firmware, you can install the custom one with a second system. The one-of-a-kind MultiROM Manager will help with this. It allows you to install multiple firmware at once. The device prompts you to select the firmware from the installed ones when you turn it on. Installing the program is quite simple (just don’t forget to make backup copies before doing so, just in case):

1. Install MultiROM Manager from the Play Store and launch it.
2. Click the “Install” button.
3. We wait for the installation to complete, and then agree to reboot.
4. After rebooting and installing some scripts, the firmware selection interface will open.

Installation of the second firmware is performed through MultiTWRP in the Advanced -> MultiROM section or through the application itself.

Dictionary

• Stock (stock, stock firmware)- official firmware, preinstalled by default by the manufacturer. Also, not only absolutely clean images of stock firmware are often called stock, but also images prepared for installation through unofficial recovery.
• AOSP (Android Open Source Project)- original Android source codes from Google, available for downloading and modification by everyone. The term “based on stock, based on AOSP” means that the firmware was compiled based on these sources (and not CyanogenMod sources, as is sometimes the case). Most Xposed modifications only work in AOSP/CyanogenMod and firmware based on them.
• CAF (Code Aurora Forum) is a project supported by the Linux Foundation that accelerates the advancement of open source in mobile technology. The main participant in the project is Qualcomm, which maintains the Android for MSM repository, which contains Android source code with optimizations for Qualcomm chips. If developers claim that their firmware is based on CAF, then it includes all these optimizations. But it is worth keeping in mind that changes from Android for MSM often flow into AOSP.
• CyanogenMod Based (CM based, based on CynogenMod)- firmware based on CyanogenMod code. Immediately after the release of a new version of AOSP, CyanogenMod developers copy its sources into their own repository and begin to implement their additions to it and port it to new devices. And the list of devices supported by CyanogenMod is such an impressive number that many developers of custom firmware choose it as a base, and not AOSP.
• Recovery (recovery mode, recovery)- Android recovery console. Designed to perform a factory reset or install a zip file of firmware signed with the manufacturer's key. For many devices, there are third-party recoveries with advanced functions, such as ClockworkMod, TWRP, Philz. They allow you to make full backups of both the entire system and individual parts, install third-party firmware, format and resize partitions, install any add-ons and much more useful things.
• Bootloader (bootloader, bootloader)- loaded first. It passes the partition table of the on-chip NAND memory to the kernel, loads it into memory and runs it. It is the bootloader that connects to the PC in fastboot mode and launches the recovery. Therefore, before installing custom recovery and often third-party firmware, it must be unlocked. Almost always, after unlocking the bootloader, absolutely all data is erased from the device’s memory.
• GApps (Google Apps)- a set of services and applications from Google. GApps packages come in various sizes, from the smallest (less than 100 MB), which include only Google Play and the services it runs, to large ones, which contain almost all existing Google applications (the size of such packages is approaching 800 MB). Many firmware developers recommend installing Open GApps. Differences between versions can be viewed in the Open GApps Wiki. Please be aware that some GApps may replace system applications.
• Nightly (“nightie”)- overnight firmware assembly. For many devices, assemblies are done daily (nightly). In theory, they have low stability, but in practice, unsuccessful builds are extremely rare, and bugs that pop up are fixed very quickly.

File system F2FS

Almost all custom firmware supports the F2FS file system, which is designed specifically for working with flash memory and, in theory, uses it more efficiently and more carefully than ext4. You can switch to this FS in the following way:

1. Login to TWRP.
   2.0. Open the item “Cleanup -> Custom Cleanup”.
   2.1. Check the Cache section.
   2.2. Click “Restore or change file system -> Change.” file system -> F2FS" and swipe to confirm.
   2.3. Press the "Home" button.
2. Repeat step 2 for the data and system sections.

Notes:

• Not all firmwares support F2FS. If there is no support, you will end up with endless loading.
• After changing the file system of the data partition, not only program data and firmware settings will be lost, but also files saved on the internal memory card.
• In practice, the performance gain will be a few percent at best.

Conclusion

We have not reviewed all existing firmware. However, even this is enough to have an idea about modern firmware. In terms of interface, they are almost all similar, they all work very smoothly, and it is very difficult to notice any differences in operating speed. But their functions are different. On my own behalf, I can add that if you spend a long time at least on MoKee, or especially Resurrection Remix, then you won’t even want to go back to pure CyanogenMod. But you will probably have to turn to Xposed for help. Fortunately, almost all existing custom ROMs work with almost any Xposed module.

Android OS appeared relatively recently, and we all remember how raw and inconvenient it was. The developers are not sitting idle! Today, many users have an excellent opportunity to download Android 5.0 firmware for various smartphones and tablets for free, and then quickly update their device.

The differences between the starting and latest versions of the OS are, of course, huge. For a long time, Google did not pay attention to the appearance of Android, with tacit consent allowing manufacturers to create the appearance of applications themselves.

Main functions

Material Design

The lack of a standard interface created a number of additional problems. Experts at Google decided to make profound changes to the Android interface that are simply necessary. Thanks to this, the idea of ​​Material Design came to life, unifying all Google services and products.

Lock screen and application menu

Now, in order to view notifications or turn off data transfer, you do not need to unlock your smartphone, as was the case in earlier versions. In Android 5.0, the lock screen is designed in such a way that the user has easy access to notifications, even to the point where you can write a reply while in lock mode, making the device much easier to use.

The updated menu makes it easy to work with applications, both system and user-installed, which are located in one place. Application icons are displayed on a light background, so navigating the menu has become much easier.

Changing users

Special attention should be paid to such an option as a user manager. The function is very relevant for family tablets that are used by all family members. A separate account can be created for each user. By switching between accounts, using one gadget becomes more convenient for a group of people.

Alert panel

The notification panel has undergone global changes; now, when it drops out, it does not cover the main screen, because it is made translucent. In conditions of multitasking use of a smartphone, this feature will be an additional plus for ease of use.

Settings

After the installation is complete, you will see that the improvements in the settings menu are not so global; you will not find any special differences: all the same icons, all the same functions. The exception is the additional function “Contactless payment” - a section intended for mobile payments.

Extra options

Smartphone, calendar and clock

Voice calls are set to shortcuts by default. Contact lists, as well as call logs, can be found if you scroll to the right. The change to the calendar is the addition of an option to display the schedule. You will see the calendar and all events in one feed.

The application standardly contains local and world time, a timer, an alarm clock, and a stopwatch. Here you can set the time display to turn off on the display at night, saving a little battery, the setting is called “night mode”.

Contacts, photos and keyboard

The address book is a list of contacts arranged in alphabetical order. The “Favorites” tab allows you to create an additional short list of the numbers that are most important to you.

Lollipop's snapshot storage concept is inextricably linked to Google+; Photos can be saved to Google cloud storage. The program will edit pictures automatically; it is possible to create interactive and animated albums consisting of a series of photographs. But everything about the keyboard has changed: the interface as a whole, the design of the buttons, animation when pressing keys, vibration response.

Google Fit

In the updated OS, you will find a pedometer from Google - Google Fit. The program will count steps, show average speed, display the number of kilocalories burned, but will also allow you to systematize and save training results and various health information.

Android One line was created by Google aimed towards countries that cannot afford to buy expensive flagship devices. Android One fixes this as it offers smartphones with decent hardware at a very low price tag. You get a lot for what you pay. That is why Android One smartphones have become so popular selling hundreds of thousands of devices in India and other Asian countries.

Besides having great hardware at a low price, these devices have a lot of support regarding software updates. After Nexus devices, the Android One line is the second one to receive the latest updates. Android 5.1 Lollipop was announced and launched just a few weeks ago and now some of the most popular Nexus devices are already rocking it.

Now the time has come for Android One devices to enjoy Android 5.1 Lollipop. Forum member “ghpranav” has captured the official OTA Zip files of Android 5.1 update for all the Android One smartphones, including Micromax, Karbonn and Spice.

These are the latest builds and come with the build number LMY47O. This build number is much better and more recent than LMY47O. The performance is flawless, with no known problems and users who have updated to Android One have only said good words.

If you cannot install the update using the usual method which is going to Settings > About Phone > Software Updates, then do not worry. You can download and flash the OTA Zip file instead.

How To Install Android 5.1 Lollipop OTA Zip File on Android One Devices

First thing, make sure that you are running on a stock ROM. This will not work if you are running on a custom ROM. You can be rooted and use any custom recovery you want.

Downloads

1. Download the ZIP file and move it to your phone.
2. Press the power button to turn the phone off.
3. Press the power and volume up buttons at the same time.
4. Highlight Recovery and press the power button to select it.
5. The Micromax logo will appear and then a dead Android with an exclamation mark “No Command” will show up.
6. Press the power and then volume up button to boot into recovery.
7. Find the folder where the Zip file is and flash it.
8. Then reboot your phone.

If you have an Android One phone but do not live in India, using a file explorer, go to oem.prop and change the values ​​as following:

ro.product.device=AQ4501_sprout
ro.product.name=AQ4501
ro.product.manufacturer=Micromax
ro.product.model=Micromax AQ450

Wait for the phone to turn on. Enjoy Android 5.1 Lollipop on your Android One. The best part of this method is that you don’t have to wipe data and perform a factory reset, so all data is saved.

At the moment, version 5.1 is the latest in the Android line. So what did the developers introduce and change so significant that this version received such a significant prefix?

No thieves!

The most significant addition was Device Protection system. As the name suggests, this system designed to protect your gadget from thieves. A very useful innovation, especially now, when a phone and tablet cost under 50 thousand rubles. Of course, this system does not shock the thief or handcuff him;) It simply blocks the gadget, making it completely useless for the attacker. Some smart readers may say that by reflashing the phone and tablet, the thief will be able to use it as usual. To which one can object that in the age of information it is very expensive and sometimes much more expensive than the device itself. So if the criminal does not gain access to credit card data, passwords from all kinds of electronic payment systems and online banks, this will save the owner hundreds of thousands of rubles.

One SIM card is good, but two are better!

Another significant innovation was factory support for dual SIM cards. If earlier software developers had to come up with their own solutions to implement the work of two SIM cards, now everything is already in the basic version of the system, in the official firmware, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Now let's just watch the video

Full video review of Android 5.1. New opportunities.

Updates and patches

So far there is only one significant change to the base version, which is Android 5.1.1. The main addition was Possibility of secure connection via VPN, which is supported by Google. This is designed to protect your browsing experience over Wi-Fi. This innovation will be very useful for cooperative users who often connect to the network in public places during work hours.

Latest 20 added Android 5.1 Lollipop firmware

date	Smartphone	Android	Link
02-10-2017	Impress_Action_SDcard on VERTEX Impress Action	5.1.2
25-09-2017	383304 on Huawei Honor 4C Pro	5.1.2
13-09-2017	Acer_20151027_A_A.zip for Acer Iconia One B3-A20	5.1.2
13-09-2017	20150910 on Acer Iconia Talk B1-723	5.1.2
08-09-2017	1487313818.zip on TeXet TM-5005	5.1.2
07-09-2017	v17z on Highscreen Pure J	5.1.2
01-09-2017	FDR-A01L on Huawei Mediapad T2 10.0 Pro LTE	5.1.2
29-08-2017	AV0L0.T01.1.023.00.WW.GEN1 on Acer Liquid Z330	5.1.2
29-08-2017	Kernel Source Code on Acer Liquid Z630	5.1.2
29-08-2017	Kernel Source Code on Acer Liquid Z530	5.1.2
29-08-2017	Kernel Source Code on Acer Liquid Z630S Duo	5.1.2
29-08-2017	1623-3-b2-lock on 4Good S450m 4G	5.1.2
28-08-2017	CUN-LXX_Android5_1_kernel on Huawei Y5 II	5.1.2
24-08-2017	01116 for Digma Optima 8701B 4G	5.1.2
24-08-2017	1712 on Digma Plane 1512 3G	5.1.2
14-08-2017	ARK_Benefit_I1_V002_06032015.zip on Ark Benefit I1	5.1.2

Gapps 5.1.1 Lollipop: If you’re planning to run a custom ROM on your Android 5.1 or 5.1.1 Lollipop device then you’re going to need the compatible G-apps download. If you're on Marshmallow then you will need to head to the Gapps 6.0 Marshmallow Download page. For Lollipop users, here you can find the download links for your device. The Gapps for 5.1 Lollipop will have the following:

Android 5.1 Lollipop Gapps Features

• Android 5.1 and 5.1.1 support
• Google Play Services 7.3.26
• Google Play Store 5.4.12
• Google Search App/OK Google Improvement
• FaceLock for SmartLock
• Fully compatible with CM12 and CM12.1 ROM
• Fully compatible with any Android 5.1 or Android 5.1.1 custom ROM
• -Dynamic Google Play Services (dpi), Google App (Search), Swypelib, and FaceLock based on cpu architecture (arm and arm64) -Core Google syncing apks -Google App (Search) for "OK ​​Google" everywhere feature -FaceLock for SmartLock feature -All corresponding libs/files/etc. for the above to work properly -Nothing more and nothing less

As you can see, all of the normal Google bloatware have been removed. However, if you so desire, you can download these apps from the Play Store after you have installed this Gapps package. The current package is designed to ease the load on your device, optimizing performance and battery life. If you need to you can install apps like Google+, GMail, Google Maps, etc. via the Play Store after installation.

The Gapps included here are compatible with the following ROMs:

List of ROMs Compatible with Gapps 5.1

1. CM12.1
2. Any other Android 5.1, 5.1.1 custom ROMs.

Gapps 5.1 Download

Download Android 5.1 Lollipop Gapps 4-21-15
Download Android 5.1 Lollipop Gapps 3-14-15 (Works for all Android smartphones and tablets!)

The above application package will work on most Android devices running custom ROMs. If you need help then you can leave a comment and someone will gladly help out.

Gapps 5.1.X Changelog

8-7-15 -Updated Core GApps against Nexus 6 5.1.1 (LMY48I) factory image(arm bits)(Thanks and credits to TKRuzze) -Updated Core GApps against Nexus 9 5.1.1 (LMY48I) factory image(arm64 bits)(Thanks and credits to TKRuzze) -Some script adjustments. On the next page you can learn how to install Gapps on your devices.

How to Install Gapps

The Google Applications packages should be installed via recovery. Exact steps vary, but the general process is the same as that used to install CyanogenMod, or any other flashable zip:

1. Copy the gapps .zip-file to /sdcard/
   • Using adb: adb push filename.zip /sdcard/
2. Reboot your device to recovery via any one of these methods: 1) using the power-on key combo for your device; 2) running adb reboot recovery from your computer; 3) or via the Advanced Reboot power menu (enabled in Developer Options).
3. Choose “install zip” or “Apply update” from within recovery, and navigate to the zip-file loaded earlier.
4. Reboot from recovery back to Android.

There you have it. That’s the simplest/fastest way to install Gapps on your device after you have downloaded the application package.Be sure to keep an eye on this page for the latest Gapps Downloads for Android 5.1.X Lollipop. Please share the information on social media to spread the word.

Instructions