Best custom ROMs for Galaxy S4: - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Warning
Before flashing a new ROM, ensure that the model of your Galaxy S4 is correct in the procedure: GT-i9500 for the standard version, and GT-i9505 for the 4G version. Flashing the incorrect ROM on your smartphone could brick it.
PAC-Man 4.4.2
PAC-Man is one of the custom ROMS that is gaining a lot of popularity. It integrates many functions from ParanoidAndroid, CyanogenMod and AOKP, so not only does it have a lot of options, most of them have also been improved on. The version of the Galaxy S4 i9500 is based on Android 4.4 KitKat and is currently in its alpha phase, though some wrinkles still need to be ironed out. The last official version for the I9505 is based on Android 4.3, but it’s more stable.
Lidroid allows you to keep the TouchWiz theme for those who are used to it and don’t want to completely eradicate it. Lidroid is based on the official version of Android 4.4.2, is deodexed, and integrates all the base Samsung functions, along with a theme editor and an excellent file explorer. If you would like to step it up a notch without significantly changing the entire user experience, then Lidroid V2.0 is for you!
MIUI
You may ask why we mention MIUI, a custom ROM that almost everyone knows about? That’s because, on the Samsung Galaxy S4, the size of the screen and the MIUI color management work really well together, as if the ROM was made for the smartphone. If you like big icons and the absence of an app drawer, MIUI might just be your thing. The community behind this ROM, which was first developed by the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi, is very large and extremely active.
Prism Barebone ROM
Prism Barebone is based on Android 4.3. It is stable and allows you to choose between either the TouchWiz or pure Android design. Pre-installed apps and other bloatware have been deleted, however Samsung widgets still remain on board. It’s like the best of both worlds. Prism Barebone allows you to choose what you want to keep from Touchwiz and what you want to get rid of.
CyanogenMOD 11
CyanogenMod has almost become a staple of custom ROMs. It’s very useful, stable and gets regularly updated. The ROM is so good that it’s almost natural to turn to CM if you don’t know what else to flash. There is version for the Galaxy S4 I9500 and one for the S4 4G I9505, both are in the nightly stage, but are relatively stable. Those who want more can turn to CyanogenMod 10.2, which is based on Android 4.3.

Related

official cm10.2 discussion thread & links

CyanogenMod 10.2 Nightlies brings android 4.3 jelly bean to Xperia Z Ultra. Download the CyanogenMod 10.2 Nightlies package for Xperia Z Ultra from the official CyanogenMod page. It is still unstable release, so there must be a lot bugs in this.
Post here your findings and bugs so we can help each other to work them out.
Download nightly
http://get.cm/?device=togari
Gapps
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Gapps
Many thanks to the cm team!
No cm users that wants to share there findings?
boterkaaseneieren said:
No cm users that wants to share there findings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a post started here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2503292
boterkaaseneieren said:
No cm users that wants to share there findings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM has little if anything to offer except a list of things that do not work and Android 4.3 (which is a moderate incremental step over the Android 4.2.2 Sony is using.) Even when CM goes to Android 4.4 some of the best features of 4.4 can be installed now with the current Sony software (launcher and hangouts.) What's the point of flashing a broken OS? Its not faster. Any customization can be done by rooting and installing recovery. You can hide apps with almost any launcher and do not even need root. A lot of features do not work. CM has lost any edge it had years ago when it improved speed, made customization possible, and closely recreated a pure Android experience. Flashing CM is as useless as it gets. Times have changed, the manufacturers have caught up with users.
Pretty sure this thread is for CM users
Sebring5 said:
CM has little if anything to offer except a list of things that do not work and Android 4.3 (which is a moderate incremental step over the Android 4.2.2 Sony is using.) Even when CM goes to Android 4.4 some of the best features of 4.4 can be installed now with the current Sony software (launcher and hangouts.) What's the point of flashing a broken OS? Its not faster. Any customization can be done by rooting and installing recovery. You can hide apps with almost any launcher and do not even need root. A lot of features do not work. CM has lost any edge it had years ago when it improved speed, made customization possible, and closely recreated a pure Android experience. Flashing CM is as useless as it gets. Times have changed, the manufacturers have caught up with users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Help choosing ROM

Hey guys,
I know there are many best ROM threads out there as well as many flavors suitable for all needs. Personally, I just don't have the time test everything until I find the perfect ROM.. So I hope you guys can help me choose a good one considering the list below..
I'm currently using CM11 and although it's a great lightweight rom I miss many basic Samsung stock functions (swipe to call, palm to mute, etc..). I also know some apps should solve this but IMO they don't..
So, I'm looking for a Samsung based rom that's:
- easily installed by pc or cwm recovery
- stable and preferably bug/freeze fix free with everything working
- lightweight and widely supported
- although not essential, preferably with nightlies updates
- either s5 or mini s5 based
- android 4.4.2 or higher
And I think that's it. Thanks in advance.
There are not many 4.4 tw roms to try. Best bet would be to read the threads and see what the user's think. See what the problems are ect ect

Official ROMs vs Unofficial ROMs

Hi
well I have no experience with Custom-ROMs, so can someonePlease explain to me
where exactlythe difference between Official ROMs and Unofficial ROMs is ?
What would you recommend in terms of stability
thanks
This is what I believe it means, using CyanogenMod as an example (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod).
AFAIK the CyanogenMod team develop their custom rom for a generic platform. They then select a number of devices and customize the generic version so it can be applied and used on these selected devices.
An official CyanogenMod ROM is when the CyanogenMod team have selected the device and done the extra work for the custom ROM to work on that device themselves.
Unofficial means that the extra work to tailor the custom CyanogenMod ROM for the device is done by other developers, who use the generic base which CyanogenMod provide.
To my understanding its more like sub-beta, directed mainly for flash freaks (count me in).
Regarding stability some official ROMs are far from stable, while some unofficial are ages in front.
Thanks guys for the great explanation....appreciate it...
well , During my search for a good ROM software I have often read that the 2 Roms was s always recommended
1. Temasek
2. LiquidSmooth
i mean are both roms really good and stable on s3?
or would you recommend something else
thanks
I would recommend CM12.1 as a daily driver. Is clean and fast. It works way better than stock Samsung ROMs and is very stable thanks to @JustArchi. It also drain less battery and has a good power save feature.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/development/rom-cyanogenmod-12-1-i9300-t3254215
My current setup is this:
Recovery: TWRP
ROM: CM12.1
Kernel: Boeffla
And never been happier with my i9300
Hi
I have the latest version temasek's UNOFFICIAL CM12.1 v18.0 flashed + PA-GOOGLE APPS Plus GOOGLE STOCK PACKAGE
and I must say it really makes a great impression, everything seems stable so far.....
well the only thing that bothers me is the (ugly white background in Android Lollipop)but its just a matter of taste :silly:
Plus the newer builds of CM12.1 have OTA updater working.
How would you estimate the stability and performance of CM12.1 ROM's compared to official CM11 nightlies?
Flashed official CM11 once. Within 30 minutes of testing a had plenty of crashes and several Cannot connect to camera.
Lot of people here say that there is no need to move to Lolipop, because Kitkat is far more stable.. However I wouldn't agree.

Is there any ROM not based in LineageOS at all?

Other than MIUI of course .. (Snapdragon Variant)
Anyone know if there is a ROM not based in LOS? I still don't understand this quite completely but as far as i know some ROMS are based in AOSP some in CAF like ParanoidAndroid
(or at least thats what they say in their G+)
But recently i have seen that they are actually based in lineageos even if it says CAF based or AOSP.
Maybe i'm making a fool of myself by asking this lol but i just wanted to know ... overall my goal is to use vanilla stock android with no traces of lineageos/CM.
AOSP is the "vanilla stock" of android OS.
MIUI, EMUI, ZenUI, Samsung Grace UX etc are so-called as "custom overlays", meaning, each of their Software devs used AOSP from Google to just simply design, add functions, tweak or customize it as their own recognizable UI.
Thus also the same as LineageOs devs too.
As for custom roms, SlimRom for me is the most close to stock. Overall everything start in AOSP as basis.

How install Android 5.0 on Huawei Y210 pro?

Where to find the Lollipop firmware for Huai Asсend Y210 pro? There is one search garbage on the network regarding this model. Thanks.
These custom ROMs are available for Android 5.0 Lollipop
CyanogenMod 12: The probably best-known manufacturer for custom ROMs has already announced the first Nightly versions for around 30 devices. However, the system is not yet ready for daily stable use at the moment. Especially the material design is a problem for the developers.
AICP: The Android Ice Cold Project currently supports more than 20 devices and is based on CyanogenMod. Again, these are only nightly versions.
LiquidSmooth: This custom ROM series is not yet as well-known, but it focuses on speed. Currently, more than 50 devices are supported in the nightly versions.
OmniROM 5: Currently, there is only one version for the Nexus 7, but it is supposed to run stably.
SlimRoms: The developers have announced the especially slim custom ROM SlimLP. However, there is currently no usable version available for download.
Paranoid Android 5: The development of the custom ROM unfortunately stalled a bit and will therefore take a bit longer.
Always follow install instructions for your device specifically. Otherwise, you risk bricking (breaking) your device.

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