Earlier this week, LG released Android Nougat to the company's flagship, G5, but sadly the former marquee phone, G3, is no longer eligible for the new update, as the two-year-old device is deemed over-aged in the smartphone market.
That being said, device owners need not throw away their LG G3 just yet. They can still experience new Nougat features through custom ROMs, which are available for free on Internet.
Coincidently, world's most popular custom ROM developer community CyanogenMod has released Nougat-based CM 14.1 firmware to LG G3.
Also read: Android Nougat update released to LG G5 [How to install]
It brings all the goodies of the Nougat such as night mode, bundled notification, improved battery optimisation, multi-window options and numerous other value-added features to enhance user experience.
In addition to these features, it also comes with CyanogenMod exclusive themes, apps, performance tweaks and more to LG G3.
Also read: Android 7.0 Nougat released: 16 key upgrades of Google's new mobile OS update over Marshmallow
We like to remind users that this software is a nightly version and some features might be missing in it, but rest assured, it has no bugs and can be safely installed in to the device.
Furthermore, CyanogenMod developers have promised to release fresh updates every few days with new features to the LG G3 series.
Readers are advised to go through the whole article to weigh out all the pros and cons, and then go ahead with the installation process.
Prerequisites [Things to remember before installing Custom ROM]:
- This new CyanogenMod [official] CM 14.1 Android v7.1 Nougat custom ROM has to be installed only on LG G3 (D855) unlocked model only; if tried on other devices, it might brick them [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> Model Number]
- Make sure the device is rooted (Bootloader unlocked) before going forward.
- Though installing custom ROM improves the device's performance and UI experiences, it makes the company warranty void and it will no longer be liable to provide updates in future [users can restore warranty by flashing the device with stock-ROM].
- Installation of custom ROM requires clearing of memory in the smartphone. So make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP.
- Make sure you have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else the device will not be recognised by the computer.
- Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery, or else there is a chance of the smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted mid-way.
[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. IBTimes India cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]
Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure of CyanogenMod [official] CM 14.1 Android v7.1 Nougat custom ROM on LG G3 via TWRP recovery method:
Step 1: DownloadCyanogenMod [official] CM 14.1 Android v7.1 Nougat custom ROM and Google Apps on to your PC.
[Note: downloadable file links are provided at the bottom]
Step 2: Connect LG G3 to the computer
Step 3: Place the CyanogenMod Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow into the phone's storage memory.
[Note: Users are advised to paste the .zip file in the storage root folder, not in any other folder.]
Step 4: Turn off device and disconnect it from PC
Step 5: Perform Recovery mode sorties by long pressing Volume (Down) + Power buttons
Step 6: Once entering the TWRP settings menu, clear phone's memory (full) by selecting 'Wipe' option. Once done, select – 'Swipe to Factory Reset' perform factory reset
Step 7: Return to TWRP settings and tap 'Install' by the selecting .Zip file in the phone's memory downloaded from PC
Step 8: Come back to TWRP menu setting to approve the installation by tapping 'Swipe to Confirm Flash'
Step 9: Flashing of the custom ROM begins and after few minutes, a message 'Successful' appears on the screen, thus completing installation.
Step 10: If faced with boot loop problem, navigate back to TWRP settings, and select 'Wipe cache/dalvik'. This procedure will help resolve any issue with regard to custom ROM installation
Downloadable files:
LG G3 CyanogenMod [official] CM 14.1 Android v7.1 Nougat custom ROM: HERE
CyanogenMod Recovery image: HERE
Google Apps: HERE
USB driver: HERE
[Credits: CyanogenMod]
