AOKP is my favorite custom ROM. It helped breathe new life into an old Verizon Galaxy Nexus, and it’s been great on my Nexus 4. Unfortunately, it also has been a bit behind when it comes to Android versions. I’ve actually been running CM11 for the past few weeks just to stay up to date, but I’ve been waiting anxiously for AOKP KitKat builds to start rolling out. Yesterday, that finally happened. We got an extra Christmas present from the AOKP team. As posted on their official blog, AOKP is now available for 11 devices, with more to come over the next few weeks.
This new version of AOKP brings the custom ROM up to Android 4.4.2 KitKat. It’s available for the Nexus 4, 5, 7 (2013), and 10. There are builds out for the Verizon and GSM Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy S3 and S4, and the HTC One. Sony devices get some love too, with builds available for the Xperia Z, ZL, T, and V. You can find all of these downloads on the AOKP site. If your device is not supported yet, don’t worry. The Android Open Kang Project maintainers are working hard to bring the ROM to your device, too.
These are nightly builds, so there’s good chance you’ll stumble on a bug or two. The AOKP team strongly suggests a full wipe before installing the new ROM build, even if you’re coming from a previous AOKP version. They state that some of the unofficial AOKP KitKat builds from December 10th or later might be ok to install without wiping, but they still recommend starting from scratch. The new KitKat builds have also been named “AOKP KitKat” to clear up any confusion with previous naming conventions.
Make sure to perform a Nandroid back up before you flash the new ROM, just in case something goes wrong. You’ll need the Gapps package too, which you can find linked on the AOKP site. As usual, you take full responsibility for anything that might happen to your phone or tablet when you start tinkering with it. I’ve flashed this new AOKP KitKat build and it’s been great for me so far. How about you? What’s your preferred custom ROM?