OmniROM is an
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
for
smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s and
tablet computer
A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...
s, based on the
Android mobile platform. It involves a number of prominent developers from other projects.
Development
OmniROM was founded in reaction to the commercialisation of ROM project
CyanogenMod
CyanogenMod ( ; CM) is a discontinued open-source operating system for mobile devices, based on the Android mobile platform. Developed between 2009 and 2016, it was free and open-source software based on the official releases of Android by Goog ...
. At launch, the project provided custom firmware based on
Android Jelly Bean
Android Jelly Bean (Android 4.1, 4.2, 4.3) is the codename given to the tenth version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google, spanning three major point releases (versions 4.1 through 4.3.1). Among the devices that launched ...
, and they moved to
Android KitKat
Android KitKat is the codename for the eleventh Android mobile operating system, representing release version 4.4. Unveiled on September 3, 2013, KitKat focused primarily on optimizing the operating system for improved performance on entry-level ...
shortly after its release.
Their KitKat firmware included support for the
Galaxy Note II,
Galaxy Note,
Galaxy S3,
Galaxy S4,
Nexus 4,
Nexus 5
Nexus 5 (code-named Hammerhead) is an Android smartphone sold by Google and manufactured by LG Electronics. It is the fifth generation of the Nexus series, succeeding the Nexus 4. It was unveiled on October 31, 2013 and served as the laun ...
,
Nexus 7 (2012),
LG Optimus G,
Galaxy S2
The Samsung Galaxy S II (also unofficially known as the Samsung Galaxy S2) is a touchscreen-enabled, slate-format Android smartphone developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics, as the second smartphone of the Samsung Galaxy S series. It has ...
,
HTC One (2013)
HTC One (codenamed and retroactively called M7) is a touchscreen-based Android smartphone designed, developed, and manufactured by HTC. The smartphone was unveiled on 19 February 2013 at press events in New York City and London and is HTC's sev ...
, Oppo Find 5,
Sony Xperia T,
Acer Iconia A500,
HTC Explorer and
Lenovo A6000.
OmniROM quickly gained popularity during development of Android 4.4 KitKat.
In June 2015, the project started to release
nightly build
A daily build or nightly build is a software build of the latest version of a software system, run automatically on a daily/nightly basis.
This is so it can first be compiled to ensure that all required dependencies are present, and possibly te ...
s based on
Android Lollipop
Android Lollipop ( codenamed Android L during development) is the fifth major version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google and the 12th version of Android, spanning versions between 5.0 and 5.1.1.
Unveiled on June 25, 20 ...
for the
Asus Transformer Pad,
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity,
Nexus 4,
Nexus 5
Nexus 5 (code-named Hammerhead) is an Android smartphone sold by Google and manufactured by LG Electronics. It is the fifth generation of the Nexus series, succeeding the Nexus 4. It was unveiled on October 31, 2013 and served as the laun ...
,
Nexus 6
The Nexus 6 (codenamed Shamu) is a phablet co-developed by Google and Motorola Mobility that runs the Android operating system. It is the successor to the Nexus 5, and the sixth smartphone in the Google Nexus series, which is a family of Andr ...
,
Nexus 7,
Nexus 10, Oppo Find 7/7a,
OnePlus One
The OnePlus One (colloquially abbreviated to OPO and also known as OnePlus 1) is an Android smartphone manufactured by OnePlus. Unveiled in April 2014, it is the first product by OnePlus. The OnePlus One was designed to compare favorably – ...
,
Sony Xperia Z
The Sony Xperia Z is an Android-based smartphone by Sony. Announced at CES 2013 the phone was officially released on 9 February 2013 in Japan and 1 March 2013 in Singapore and the UK. It was released in the U.S months later. The Xperia Z was i ...
and
Sony Xperia ZL.
OmniROM was one of the first custom ROMs to provide patches for the KRACK security vulnerability.
As of January 2018, Oreo builds were on a weekly update schedule.
OmniROM was one of several ROM development teams being courted by
ASUS
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (, , , ; stylized as ASUSTeK or ASUS) is a Taiwanese Multinational corporation, multinational computer, phone hardware and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. Its products include deskto ...
, teaming with XDA, to help seed development for
ZenFone 6
The ZenFone 6 is a 2019 Android (operating system), Android-based smartphone that was manufactured, released, and marketed by Asus. It is the only release in Asus' sixth-generation ZenFone lineup and directly succeeds the ZenFone 5Z. Asu ...
.
OmniROM was the first custom ROM for
OnePlus 7T
The OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro are Android-based smartphones manufactured by OnePlus. The 7T was unveiled on 26 September 2019, and the 7T Pro was unveiled on 10 October 2019. The McLaren edition from the 6T returns on the 7T Pro. Both have minor u ...
.
In March 2020, OmniROM began offering builds including
MicroG.
Reception
In 2013, Russell Holly of
Geek.com said "OmniRom is the ultimate Android tweaker ROM." A later review said OmniROM is "one of the few community-focused Android builds available today that is focused on supporting as many devices as possible while adding new features as often as possible."
In 2017, Tomek Kondrat of
XDA Developers
Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...
, after an interview of two developers, said OmniROM has a distinct and polished Android experience, with a history of introducing excellent features, and said "Innovation, transparency, community, and freedom are the founding ideas behind the project!"
In a 2017 detailed review on the
OnePlus 5T for
XDA Developers
Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...
, Jeff McIntire concluded "OmniROM has some unique features" and called it "a no-frills, easy-to-configure ROM that won't bog down your phone with bloatware."
In 2018, Williams Pelegrin of Android Authority said OmniROM is one of the more popular Android ROMs available, and it contains little to no bloatware; however, he criticized OmniROM's camera app for taking pictures that are over-exposed and blurrier, particularly in low-light conditions.
OmniROM has been mentioned in books.
See also
*
Android Open Source Project
Android is an operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android has historically been developed by ...
*
List of custom Android firmware
References
External links
*
{{Linux distributions
Custom Android firmware
Free mobile software