LineageOS icon
LineageOS icon

LineageOS

Free and open-source Android-based operating system for smartphones and tablets, designed to enable deep customization, enhanced privacy controls, regular security updates, and broad device compatibility without default proprietary Google services.

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Cost / License

  • Free
  • Open Source

Application type

Platforms

  • Android
  • Android Tablet
LineageOS alternatives  
363likes
52alternatives
6articles

Features

Properties

  1.  Customizable
  2.  Security-focused
  3.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  Mobile OS
  2.  Custom-ROM
  3.  Ad-free
  4.  No Tracking
  5.  Sideload apps
  6.  No registration required
  7.  Dark Mode

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Comments and Reviews

   
Comment summary: LineageOS is widely regarded as an excellent continuation of CyanogenMod, providing a Google-free, customizable, and stable Android experience. Users praise its compatibility with a wide array of devices and its open-source nature, although lacking in some advanced features seen in other custom ROMs. Criticism includes difficulties with certain security features like MicroG support, and limitations in truly prizing privacy as suggested by some users.
Top Positive Comment
Cora
6

LineageOS is the best AOSP ROM. It's relatively easy to install, has support for a wide array of devices, and remains completely Google-free upon initial installation, which is a huge plus for those of us who do not want our personal information harvested by Google.

Top Negative Comment
Shark
3

MicroG requires a patch called "signature spoofing", which allows the microG's apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps. LineageOS' developers refused (multiple times) to include the patch...

Since Lineage OS is essentially the flagship android aftermarket software this has had an increased impact in preventing people from ditching Google's walled garden. The proposed security reasons are ostensibly valid, but it seems more likely to be about keeping Google happy.

KazimirPodolski
1

I've been using it for about 4 years and looking for a replacement now. While being a breath of a fresh air on the surface, it's poorly implemented in details.

  1. Buggy: random hangs, random reboots, even something as basic as receiving calls is routinely getting broken.
  2. Major Android version upgrade is just ridiculous: you have to reinstall phone's original ROM first, then update Android version there, then install new LineageOS version.

In general, I feel it's a classic misaligned opensource where devs care more about their appearance as proud opensource guardians more than about actual users.

Sebastian
0

good alternative to Android

windmillchess
1

I'm still getting weekly updates on my Oneplus 7 pro.

DL300
2

Devs claim they don't have enough time to let users change ANY COLOR AT ALL, but they have plenty of time to lock out microG and magisk. These guys are idiots. Not to mention their APPALLING mandatory recovery which can't do anything at all.

Barrett
2

Lineage is a very vanilla, neutral project to port many devices to an AOSP-based distribution of Android. It doesn't include the bells and whistles of other projects, but that's the point.

Countless other distributions use LineageOS as their starting point, and that's for good reason.

7 of 16 comments

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What is LineageOS?

A free and open-source operating system for smartphones and tablet computers, based on the Android mobile platform. It is the successor to the highly popular custom ROM CyanogenMod, from which it was forked in December 2016 when Cyanogen Inc. announced it was discontinuing development and shut down the infrastructure behind the project. Since Cyanogen Inc. retained the rights to the Cyanogen name, the project rebranded its fork as LineageOS.

LineageOS was officially launched on December 24, 2016, with the source code available on GitHub. Since that time, LineageOS has been described as highly popular and forcibly developed; within 4 months from the initial announcement, LineageOS development builds covered more than 160 models of phone, and over a million users, having doubled its user base in the month February–March 2017.

LineageOS information

AlternativeTo Categories

OS & Utilities, Security & Privacy

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Our users have written 16 comments and reviews about LineageOS, and it has gotten 363 likes

LineageOS was added to AlternativeTo by hook54321a on and this page was last updated . LineageOS is sometimes referred to as Lineage, LineageOS.