That’s because Xiaomi and Samsung both took the original Android code, tweaked it, and developed their own ROMs. Xiaomi’s ROM is different from Samsung’s ROM, even though they’re both Android. stock ROMs Sometimes, unlocking your device gets more complicated than that, so we have a guide to SIM unlocking. Other times, you buy your phone unsubsidized and unlocked, meaning you can already use it with any carrier. Manufacturers do this because granting everyone root access would result in a lot of problems. Having root access allows you to access files on your device that—if removed or edited in the wrong way—could break your device.
Possibly the lightest and most functional custom ROM out there, the Arrow OS project is based on the AOSP code while adding useful tweaks. It’s very similar to the Pixel Experience ROM but brings additional features to the barebone feature list. It offers its own version of the quick settings menu, as well as a fully immersive mode for Android.
- Once you’ve found the ROM you want to install, download the ZIP file either on your computer or on your phone.
- This does not require rooting or enabling Camera2 API on your device.
- You can check it by going to Settings, then skipping to About device or About phone.
- To make your device run with no errors and avoid misbehaving, you need to make sure you have downloaded the correct firmware that meets exactly your model.
Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode.
They’ll be able to give you info and even suggest a fix if one is needed. Due to differences in the way Google and other brands do slow motion, this feature is often broken or quality isn’t very good. If it’s not available, the only solution is to install the Google Photos app. This usually happens when you’re trying to use a version made for a newer Android version. GCam opens, expects to see some feature available on a newer Android version, and since it’s not there, it crashes.