Install LineageOS, the best Android 14 ROM for even old smartphones

After the release of a new version of Android, not all phones will receive the latest version of the operating system: you have to wait for the manufacturer to develop the version for that mobile phone model, which is not always a given and certainly not immediate.

For this reason, skilled programmers have taken the Android code released by Google to make one new ROM that anyone can download and install for free on their mobile phone.

One of the best known, oldest and most popular of these ROMs is LineageOS which is also the one with the greatest support from the community of Android geeks and enthusiasts. With it we can bring Android 14 to almost any smartphoneeven older models, applying profound changes to phones that are no longer supported.

READ ALSO: How to install an Android custom ROM

1) Preliminary operations

To install LineageOS we need to check if your phone is compatible and if we can get root permissions. Obtaining root permissions (i.e. system administrator) is not illegal, in some cases it is easier, but for other smartphone models it can be more complicated.

To understand how to root we can read the guide to root Android although you will then have to search the internet for step-by-step instructions for your model.

On some phones it is also necessary to unlock the bootloader to be able to make further changes: for further information we recommend reading the guide above how to unlock android bootloader.

After rooting and unlocking the bootloader, the system remains the same as it is except that it is possible to install some special applications by granting them SuperUser (SU) permissions. For install the LineageOS Custom ROM we need to get a custom recovery, which will modify the boot screen and allow you to boot even unofficial ROMs.

The best custom recovery that we can install for custom ROMs is TWRPavailable from official site and compatible with many models. With TWRP we will get an interface to install or update the ROM and to create a complete backup of the system and restore it in case of problems.

There are many procedures to install TWRP, it is best to look for the precise steps for the phone in use directly from the TWRP website or by searching on Google for “TWRP installation” followed by the name of the phone we want to change.

Install LineageOS

Now that the phone is ready with custom recovery and bootloader unlocking, we can download LineageOS directly from official site.

After installing the recovery, we download the LineageOS system image from the PC, looking for the stable version for your mobile phone. Every Android ROM is also in Italian language so there is no problem in this sense. In addition to the LineageOS files, you can also optionally download the Google Apps updated, i.e. Google applications, including the Google Play market.

Both the LineageOS file and the Google Apps file must be copied to the phone’s SD card (you can use an application like Airdroid to do it quickly).

Recovery mode

Once you have downloaded all the necessary files and transferred them to the SD card (without changing their name), all you need to do is restart your phone in Recovery mode.

First time only, the easiest way to boot your Android phone into Recovery mode is by using the application Recovery Reboot, which works via root permissions and allows you to reboot any phone into recovery. Upon reboot we will find ourselves in the TWRP interface, which offers all the tools to install LineageOS.

To move around the recovery console you need to use the volume keys. To make a backup copy, go to the “backup & restore“. Unless you are coming from an RC version or a Nightly version of LineageOS, then perform a “wipe data/factory reset” and a ‘cache wipe‘. Nel menu Advancedalso run “wipe dalvik cache” and return to the main recovery menu.

LineageOS installation

To carry out the actual installation, let’s go to the menu Installwe choose install zip from sdcardThen “choose zip from sdcard and select the downloaded zip file, i.e. the LineageOS ROM to install.

Still following the same procedure just described, we install the ZIP file that contains the Google Apps; without these we will not be able to install the new apps, since we will not have access to the Google Play Store.

After installing the ROM and adding the GApps we restart the device by pressing the button Reboot of the TWRP; the phone will boot with the new operating system (the first boot could take up to 10 minutes) and we will be ready to enjoy the latest version of Android even on a phone no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Conclusions

Installing LineageOS might be scary for inexperienced users, but once you understand all the steps we will have one in our hands Powerful tool to give new life to old phonesinstalling the new versions of Android (at the time of writing Android 14) and getting the new features without having to buy a new phone every two years.

To fully customize Android even without having to install a new Custom ROM, we invite you to read the guides above how to update android come on how to update android apps on smartphones and tablets.