Era of tinkering, customization for better privacy ,performance is end,each day there less and less phone vendors which let to unlock bootladers,now we left with oneplus,google pixel and xiaomi with 9 circles of hell to unlock it
There haven’t been any roms for OnePlus phones in a few years since they stopped publishing the MSM tool for new phones. Iirc, the 9 was their last phone to truly support custom roms.
Apparently the MSM tool was leaked for the 11, so there are a couple roms for it. But the old OnePlus and their community is unfortunately long dead.
Have you checked SailfishOS? Their Android-bridge is pretty decent, it might work well. If you tell me the app name, I can check whether it works or not.
As someone who uses Sony Xperia 1 VI, yes can confirm it’s absolutely amazing. Took me less than half a minute to unlock bootloader and root if you don’t count the time for the mandatory wipe when bootloader is unlocked (per Android design), and you literally don’t lose any OS feature other than Sony’s proprietary video enhancement feature (due to DRM key voiding and DRM level demotion with unlocked bootloader), but it’s pretty shitty anyway and only useable with the standard display mode, and if you’re using an Xperia phone you’re probably a photography/cinema/art enthusiast who would much prefer keeping the phone in the color accurate “professional” display mode anyway. And this phone comes with a very clean AOSP-like ROM with minimal customization from Sony (but those they did make are very good QoL features), so most of the Android ROM modding tools designed for Pixel phones would at least have most of the features working on the Xperia phone too, and you dont really need to worry too much about too much unexpected behaviors from OEM customizations with ROM modding, especially compares to the like of Xiaomi phones lol
But I’m not sure we genuinely have a feature with Sony smartphones. On the newer generation Sony Xperia 1 VII, Sony for the first time outsourced their flagship phones (the Xperia 1 series) to a 3rd party manufacturer instead of making them in factories which Sony owns and have direct control themselves, they have been doing this with their mid-range and budget phones before but this was the first time they did it with their flagship phones, and immediately there have been serious quality control issues resulting to many Xperia 1 VII phones failing prematurely and required motherboard replacement (according to some users who ran into issue early), and Sony later had to launch a whole recall for many of these phones: https://m.gsmarena.com/sony_announces_xperia_1_vii_replacement_program-amp-68647.php
Issues this serious and this widespread is pretty much unheard of for Sony Xperia flagship models, they may not had the most advanced features or sensible pricing, but they have always been known to have at least some of the best build quality, except longevity issues on the Samsung-made OLED screens on gen V model which was more of a Samsung’s fault and it also affected Samsung’s own phones using the same OLED screens anyway.
And all this is after they already stopped officially selling smartphones in the US and China markets with the 2024 gen VI model, which are arguably two of the biggest smartphone markets, and with the 2025 gen VII model Sony announced they are significantly downsizing their operation in the EU.
At this rate, there might now be a new Sony Xperia phone in the next 3-5 years.
Oh i didn’t know about that, i bought a zf9 a few years ago, how unfortunate i know they also dropped a bunch of features and crammed a ton of ai garbage on it so i paid it little mind.
There is also less need for custom ROMs. One of the first custom ROMs that I used was for Galaxy Note 3. Following their disasterous Android 5.0 update, I decided to try out LineageOS.
It was like night and day. It was much more responsive and UI/UX was cleaner while offering more customisation.
These days smartphone devices (even cheaper ones) remain very performant even 3-4 years after release (battery notwithstanding) and most OEM have long support periods.
Holy shite imagine buying a PC that does NOT allow you to install Linux in it, or even to install a different version of Windows, because the UEFI/BIOS is locked. If any PC OEM who’s not Microsoft themselves trying to sell that there’s gonna be an outcry.
Why would the same be considered even remotely acceptable on Android devices?
Depends on why you would want a custom ROM in the first place. I have even more reasons now with every bundled app tracking everything I do and AI assistants being integrated in crucial comppnents of the OS.
I used to think the same but now I want custom Roms even more now than in the past for things like GrapheneOS with the desire to lessen involvement with Google or Apple.
Era of tinkering, customization for better privacy ,performance is end,each day there less and less phone vendors which let to unlock bootladers,now we left with oneplus,google pixel and xiaomi with 9 circles of hell to unlock it
i have op12r i heard it can change the os, but im not savy enough to do it.
Motorola is pretty solid from a bootloader unlock perspective. It is dead simple and some devices support relocking with custom keys.
Also mine had a headphone jack before I STUPIDLY traded for a fucking Samsung. Never again.
Anything made in the last few Yeats doesn’t have a headphone jack. (Motorola is no exception)
There haven’t been any roms for OnePlus phones in a few years since they stopped publishing the MSM tool for new phones. Iirc, the 9 was their last phone to truly support custom roms.
Apparently the MSM tool was leaked for the 11, so there are a couple roms for it. But the old OnePlus and their community is unfortunately long dead.
I am sorry to hear that then :(
Fairphone
Just waiting for the pain to be enough to switch to Linux on a phone.
Main drawbacks right now:
I’m not sure how you’ll be switching to Linux on a phone you can’t unlock properly though
Have you checked SailfishOS? Their Android-bridge is pretty decent, it might work well. If you tell me the app name, I can check whether it works or not.
Also Sony, their open device program is pretty sweet.
As someone who uses Sony Xperia 1 VI, yes can confirm it’s absolutely amazing. Took me less than half a minute to unlock bootloader and root if you don’t count the time for the mandatory wipe when bootloader is unlocked (per Android design), and you literally don’t lose any OS feature other than Sony’s proprietary video enhancement feature (due to DRM key voiding and DRM level demotion with unlocked bootloader), but it’s pretty shitty anyway and only useable with the standard display mode, and if you’re using an Xperia phone you’re probably a photography/cinema/art enthusiast who would much prefer keeping the phone in the color accurate “professional” display mode anyway. And this phone comes with a very clean AOSP-like ROM with minimal customization from Sony (but those they did make are very good QoL features), so most of the Android ROM modding tools designed for Pixel phones would at least have most of the features working on the Xperia phone too, and you dont really need to worry too much about too much unexpected behaviors from OEM customizations with ROM modding, especially compares to the like of Xiaomi phones lol
But I’m not sure we genuinely have a feature with Sony smartphones. On the newer generation Sony Xperia 1 VII, Sony for the first time outsourced their flagship phones (the Xperia 1 series) to a 3rd party manufacturer instead of making them in factories which Sony owns and have direct control themselves, they have been doing this with their mid-range and budget phones before but this was the first time they did it with their flagship phones, and immediately there have been serious quality control issues resulting to many Xperia 1 VII phones failing prematurely and required motherboard replacement (according to some users who ran into issue early), and Sony later had to launch a whole recall for many of these phones: https://m.gsmarena.com/sony_announces_xperia_1_vii_replacement_program-amp-68647.php
Issues this serious and this widespread is pretty much unheard of for Sony Xperia flagship models, they may not had the most advanced features or sensible pricing, but they have always been known to have at least some of the best build quality, except longevity issues on the Samsung-made OLED screens on gen V model which was more of a Samsung’s fault and it also affected Samsung’s own phones using the same OLED screens anyway.
And all this is after they already stopped officially selling smartphones in the US and China markets with the 2024 gen VI model, which are arguably two of the biggest smartphone markets, and with the 2025 gen VII model Sony announced they are significantly downsizing their operation in the EU.
At this rate, there might now be a new Sony Xperia phone in the next 3-5 years.
Asus is good too
Edit: not any more
They don’t let you anymore, do they? There was a whole controversy about the Zenfone 12
Zenfone 10 already doesn’t unlock.
Source: got a zf10, thinking i can unlock it, because they were “rereleasing their unlock tool, any moment now” -_-
Oh i didn’t know about that, i bought a zf9 a few years ago, how unfortunate i know they also dropped a bunch of features and crammed a ton of ai garbage on it so i paid it little mind.
There is also less need for custom ROMs. One of the first custom ROMs that I used was for Galaxy Note 3. Following their disasterous Android 5.0 update, I decided to try out LineageOS.
It was like night and day. It was much more responsive and UI/UX was cleaner while offering more customisation.
These days smartphone devices (even cheaper ones) remain very performant even 3-4 years after release (battery notwithstanding) and most OEM have long support periods.
Holy shite imagine buying a PC that does NOT allow you to install Linux in it, or even to install a different version of Windows, because the UEFI/BIOS is locked. If any PC OEM who’s not Microsoft themselves trying to sell that there’s gonna be an outcry.
Why would the same be considered even remotely acceptable on Android devices?
Depends on why you would want a custom ROM in the first place. I have even more reasons now with every bundled app tracking everything I do and AI assistants being integrated in crucial comppnents of the OS.
Plus, Google can normally install apps on your phone without any permission or notification.
Pls remove ai pls pls pls
For that yes, but we want custom ROMs now to improve our privacy and to remove shitty features like AI.
I used to think the same but now I want custom Roms even more now than in the past for things like GrapheneOS with the desire to lessen involvement with Google or Apple.
I am with you on this, I too want to minimize usage/spend on both American and Chinese products/services.
But for personally, custom ROMs have too many drawbacks for use as a daily driver.
What about their advantages?
Longer battery life, more privacy, less ads, …
In my case it was always get rid of bloatware,spyware of default rom get more up to date security patches and more new android and root ofc.