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Help What do I get myself into with cyanogen?

Gabrie van Zanten

Gabrie van Zanten

Newbie
Hi
If I would go the cyanogen route, what do I get myself into? Will I have less functions? Will I have to wait longer for Android updates? Less apps? Should I worry about compatibility of apps?

Gabrie
 
Functions depend on the phone you have, CM has far less functions than a Samsung for example but (imo) far more useful ones.
Android updates will come far quicker (depending on the phone)
I don't think you'll have any problems with compatibility of apps.
Only bit of advice I can give you is to make a nandroid backup in recovery before you flash cyanogen :thumbsupdroid:
 
Why make a nandroid backup? I don't mind loosing all data of my current install. Or can I then restore that backup on Cyanogen?
Btw, I have a Nexus 5 which is on the list.
 
Gabrie van Zanten said:
Why make a nandroid backup? I don't mind loosing all data of my current install. Or can I then restore that backup on Cyanogen?
Btw, I have a Nexus 5 which is on the list.
Click to expand...
I'll make it simple - out of the many hundreds of people who have told me that that they did not need to make a nandroid backup before proceeding over the last five years, exactly 4 of them who got into trouble were able to fix it themselves without coming back upset, wishing that they listened to the advice.

I'd love to see you become number five - it's not impossible, especially on a Nexus.

But in general, even if you're one of the few that doesn't need a nandroid, you need a nandroid backup.

It's not like you can't just delete it later once you're running safely.

In the time taken wondering if it's true, you'd probably have most of /system backed up.

A nandroid backup can be restored and it's as if nothing happened since the backup.

Cheers. :)
 
In other words, a nandroid backs up your device exactly how it was before you did anything to mess it up so at any point you can easily in 10mins roll back to exactly how it was
 
When reading the how-to's on Nanbackup, they're all talking about first root my Nexus 5 and I need a "Custom Recovery" installed. Isn't that just as "dangerous" as installing Cyanogen? Not saying you're not right, just trying to understand.
 
Yup its just as dangerous I'd say since recovery is the one that's there for you and a phone without any recovery can be a royal pita but it's usually something that's saveable
However roms are in some cases released daily whereas recoveries are usually launched when perfect
 
Gabrie van Zanten said:
When reading the how-to's on Nanbackup, they're all talking about first root my Nexus 5 and I need a "Custom Recovery" installed. Isn't that just as "dangerous" as installing Cyanogen? Not saying you're not right, just trying to understand.
Click to expand...
In theory, they carry equal risk.

In actual practice, installing a custom recovery has dramatically far less risk.

The main thing for installing either a recovery or a rom - the softwares are NOT generic, only install the ones intended for your make and model of phone, and follow install instructions exactly.

The recovery lives sort of parallel, sort of underneath, the rom.

You can often boot your phone and run normally even if the recovery is in error - provided it was intended for your phone.

Recovery installs with a really simple command window command if you install just our Mini-SDK -

fastboot flash recovery name-of-recovery-file

There are also handy tool kits just for the Nexus that you can use instead.

I prefer the Mini-SDK for everything because I trust me. :D

http://androidforums.com/threads/adb-guide-updated-2014-11-11.443072/#post-5389081

Follow the procedures exactly as given in the Nexus 5 All Things Root forum, and whether you go Mini-SDK or tool kit, you're going to have trouble screwing up recovery.

Note also that from time to time, a rom may insist on being installed with a particular custom recovery.

That's perfectly normal. Just install as directed so all of the pieces fit as directed.

A custom recovery is absolutely a root user's best friend.
 
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