I spent a good week with LineageOS, but I’m happy to be done with it

Now I was one of those people who constantly installed new user ROMs. I liked to try all the different varieties of Android, created by passionate teams and fans (or sometimes even one person) and find out how they can improve the platform. This came to the point that I chose which of the best Android phones can be bought solely on the basis of whether it can be easily rooted and unlock the bootloader.

At some point, however, I began to deviate from all this. More obligations to update OEM manufacturers, an increase in the number of unique functions that a small team of developers cannot easily reproduce, and a higher level of complexity of ruting/unlocking equipment pushed me away from the user ROM community. At the moment, I don’t even think about user ROM when I look at Android phones and tablets.

However, at the beginning of 2025, I decided to check with this community and see what was happening. What is it like to have an unofficial version of Android on the phone these days? I decided to go with the largest and most popular ROM around: Lineageos, which grew out of the CyanogenMod ashes. I installed Lineageos on the Google Pixel 8 and used it for a week to see what it looks like.

I will tell you about what I loved and did not like, but I will spoil for you here: I was glad to return to my usual Pixel software.

Of course, the best thing in Lineageos is how “the finish” it is. When you first load after a fresh installation, there is almost nothing there. You have the main applications that you need – a browser, a musical player, an application of a gallery, a sound recorder, etc. – and that’s all. If you decide to skip the addition of Google’s support to your installation, the Play Store will not even be there. This lack of “bloating” refreshes.

This does not mean that there are not many functions to study. Lineageos 22.1 is based on Android 15, so it includes all the latest functions added by Google to AOSP (aka Stock Android). If you also decide to install Google applications, the operating system includes many excellent functions, such as a native recorder, live title, quick exchange, now a game, emergency SOS, Battle Manager and much more. It was nice to see, as I recall, when you installed user ROM and find that there was nothing but a new color scheme and a package of badges.

With a smaller number of applications and without the skin of the user interface, the speed and smoothness of the operating system were amazing. The service life of the battery was also incredible thanks to a much smaller number of connections to cloud services. It turns out that if your applications do not kick Google every few minutes, the battery of your phone lasts much longer.

Thanks to their simplicity, I also found that Lineageos applications are much easier to use. The browser is officially called jelly, but it is just listed as a “browser” in a drawer of applications – a delighter, because it removes all the excessive swelling that goes with the chrome. The application of the native camera was also circumcised to such an extent that it was mainly point and shooting, and only the most main switches. Sometimes the opening of a new application can be a complex experience from all switches, buttons and settings that you will find there, but Lineageos and its standard applications are masters of minimalism.

However, one thing that Lineageos does not reduce is updates. On the same day, receiving a rum with something less than night versions was unacceptable to me. Although Lineageos Builds is not as successively as daily, I received a pop -up window shortly after its installation. As a rule, the team pushes out a new version once a week, at least for Pixel 8. Obtaining this update brought a stream of memories of how interesting it would be to establish a new assembly as soon as possible to find out what has changed. Was there a new function? Will the user interface be faster? Was the appearance of the ROM in some way? Every day was a new experience! I’m not going to lie: it broke my nostalgic strings.

I also liked the little things clogged, which allowed you to configure your experience. For example, the ability to configure the Status rod icons is a good touch that I would like to have more OEM shows. The native launching also allows you to configure the forms of application icons, which is excellent. Of course, I could get the same function, and much more, with a third-party launchers for Android, such as Nova, but the fact that it is baked in the OS directly saves this step.

Yes, the use of Lineageos was a pleasant experience thanks to all these subjects. Unfortunately, this was not enough to keep me in this use.

Ironically, most of the strengths of Lineageos, which I have just crossed, are also one of the most significant weaknesses. Yes, the camera, browser and other applications for use are easier to use from their minimalist structures, but it also makes them less useful. Despite the fact that it is easier to have fewer settings, the lack of access to the portrait mode, macro, or even the ability to shoot in RAW makes the camera application less functional than what would happen to the Pixel Camera application. Similarly, the lack of access to the browser to Google’s cloud services made it a more effective battery, but my phone viewing activity was no longer synchronized with my desktop, tablet and other systems. Even the Sound Recorder application did not have cloud access, so my notes were not automatically reserved anywhere.

Obviously, the solution here is not to use these applications. So, I could quit them and install the port of the Google, Chrome cameras, Google Recorder application, etc. And to be on the way. The problem is solved, right?

Well, I also had to deal with exclusive functions, which I rely on every day on which Lineageos does not go out of the box. For example, a call screen is a pixel function, without which I cannot live, like an assistant voice in GBOARD. Fortunately, thanks to the use of Magisk and the Pixelife module, I can endure a lot of exclusive pixels. Now we are approaching.

Nevertheless, even after all this there were some applications and functions that did not work on the phone with customizable ROM. Thanks to the bypass path and exploits, you can sometimes get NFC payments to Google Wallet, but Google usually quickly closes these loopholes, demanding that you find out alternatives. Similarly, some of my financial applications will not work on LineAgeos from -with its root/unlocked loader status. I spent a lot of time, looking at the Internet to solve these problems.

However, when I stopped and took a step back, I quickly realized that all I did was find out ways to return to Google Pixel software. As if I artificially added more steps to the process of setting up a new pixel phone, unlocking it, routing it, installing user ROM, deleting my own applications, and then installing applications and modules to return to the pixel experience.

That is why, ultimately, I did not adhere to Lineageos. Nevertheless, everything said, I feel that Lineageos can be useful in many different scenarios.

As far as I can judge, in 2025 there are three types of people who should spend time using something like Lineageos.

The first type of person who should follow this route is a device that still works normally, but is no longer updated. For this weekly test, I used Pixel 8, because this is a compatible phone that I had in my collection, but this phone will see support until 2031, which makes it not a big rival. Google Pixel 5, however, stopped receiving updates in October 2023, so Lineageos is a great way to get Android 15 and continue to use it far beyond the initial support obligation. Similarly, it works well for non-pixel phones, such as the popular LG V40 ThinQ, FAN PRO and one of the most beautiful Android phones ever made, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

The second type of man is the one who wants to get a device. During the settings for LineAageos, you can install Google Play services or not – a choice for a commercial Android smartphone. If you just miss this step, your phone will be completely without Google (except for Android itself, which, in the end, is a Google product). However, if what you really after is a typical android experience, only without Google Snooping, Grapheneos is probably the best way because it gives you access to Google services, but among the sandbox. But if you prefer to go to the comprehensive and not touch Google at all, Lineageos without installed Google applications can also be a great choice.

Finally, the third type of person is one who priority speed, smoothness and life of the battery. I cannot live without many exclusive functions that we find on modern pixels, and I know that many people strongly rely on one exclusive functions on the best Samsung phones. Nevertheless, there are many other people who do not use anything of this and just need a smartphone for phone calls, text messages, viewing web pages and several applications. If it is you, Lineageos, most likely, will offer you the best experience, because all the bloated (and the subsequent battery leak), which comes with the assembly of OEM software, is simply not there.

I do not fit into any of these categories, so I dropped Lineageos in a week and returned to the comfort of my software Stock Pixel 8. This is not so fast, much more bloated, less effective battery and not so personal, but generally works better for My life, because it is more rich in functions.

Nevertheless, it was pleasant to walk along the Lane of memory and again experience the excitement for the individual world. I could periodically go here and there in order to just get it again, but I doubt that I will be inclined to accept user ROM as my daily driver in the near future – if at all, if.