The rumors about whether or not KitKat would make it to the Galaxy S3 got us thinking about the best custom ROMS for the Galaxy S3 on the KitKat code base. Even if the firmware does now look like it will arrive in some parts in the next couple of months it could still be months longer before it has filtered out to everyone. Even then there's no guaranteeing it won't be chock full of bugs like the Galaxy S4 firmware. But why wait when you can install one of the many custom ROMs already available?
Of course we'll start proceedings with the most popular custom ROM cooked especially for the World's Most Popular Android. The latest version of this ROM, CM 11, is based on the stock Android 4.4 firmware. Among the advantages of this ROM, in addition to the numerous and timely updates, are improved battery notification, profiles and themes, and the ability to overclock (modify the rate at which processor cores work).
CyanogenMod isn't perfect – there have been some camera app issues reported – so many users looking for an alternative turn to OmniROM. OmniROM is actually built largely by former Cyanogen developers, and despite being recently launched is already achieving great success. Among the novelty of this ROM is the possibility to optimize battery life by creating profiles. Check the latest nightlies available for the Galaxy S3 on the OmniROM website.
SlimROM's team launched a cooked ROM based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat which is interesting because it is supposed to be lighter, hence the name. SlimKat aims to set your device's memory free in order to offer your Galaxy S3 more freedom to use dynamic applications. The latest version,RC3, was launched few weeks ago and has been performing well. Those who have installed RC3 say it is smooth and offers interesting options for customization. We tend to agree.
The Resurrection Remix ROM is based on the latest draft AOSP (Android Open Source Project), and comes from the point of view of open source everything: so you'll find features taken fromAOKP, CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, and manufacturer stock ROMs. The great advantage of this ROM is that it offers the best of each of the most popular custom ROMs. There's a lot going on though, so you'd want to be right into your ROMs to make the most out of this one.
NeatROM is another Android 4.4.2-based AOSP ROM that comes from the hand of a recognized developer called Sale from XDA Developers. It is available for both the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2.NeatROM is like a tricked out SlimKat with tons of customizations and characteristics such as those found in NOVA Launcher as well as some typical features such as the KitKat camera widget on the lock screen and the classic transparent notifications bar.
Has anyone tried these ROMs on your S3? If so, please let us know your favorites and why!
We've talked a lot about root and Android in the past five years. We've discussed the good, we've discussed the bad. We'll keep talking about both, because root on Android, like Android itself, is a constantly evolving thing.
As Android matures, the wide-open style of root access we may have grown used to with legacy versionshas gone away. Because Android is designed for mobile devices, the focus is on security — specifically the security of your life's data you might have stored away on that screen in your pocket. We've seen Android go from the wild-west days of unfettered Superuser access, to locked down and tamper-proof (well, they try to be) devices meant for folks who need the extra level for their business details. For some of us, this is a hinderance and we don't want Google or the folks who made our phone trying to protect us from ourselves. But for each person who needs — or thinks they need — unfettered root access there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, who just want their data to stay safe. Those people are who our phones get built for, and we're left to exploit as best we can.
Root itself is just a user with elevated permissions, who can do anything to any file or folder in the system. It's often dangerous, always powerful, and an integral part of Linux. Android is the most popular "version" of Linux in the world (as well as the most popular computing system), but as we discussed above superuser access is more restricted than it is on other Linux systems. We don't have to like this, but there is little we can do to change it other than build our own from the AOSP. While I think anyone and everyone interested in building Android themselves should look into it, for now we have to stay in the limits that Security Enhanced kernels and Knox have given us.
If you've read this far, congratulations. Enough talk. It's time to root that device, and we've got the links you need to get started.
Top devices
Here you'll find links to tutorials for the devices that are hot right now. Don't worry if yours isn't here, we've got a big list of archives further down the page.
Here you'll find the tried and true Android favorites that are still current and popular, but not the newest models. If you're shopping for a phone just to root, these are the models you'll want to look at, while developers and hackers work on the latest hot devices to open their secrets.
Androids that work too well to just ignore. Some of our favorite devices are in this section, and rooting helps give them life a little longer than the manufacturer provides.
If your device isn't listed here, we suggest you visit the Android Central forums and ask some of the root-savvy users you'll find there. This is your best bet at finding root for devices that are no longer as popular, but still very serviceable.
